Albert J. McQueen Papers, 1964-2002
| Oberlin College Archives
Administrative/Biographical History
Albert James McQueen, Professor of Sociology at Oberlin College, was born on August 22, 1927 in Bennettsville, South Carolina. He earned his high school diploma at Huntington High school in Newport News, Virginia in 1944.
McQueen began his college career at Virginia State College, Petersburg, Virginia in 1944, but joined the army in 1946 in search of a better financial foundation for his college career. After completing his service in the Army in 1948, McQueen attended Oberlin College, earning his Bachelor of Arts degree in psychology in 1952. While at Oberlin, McQueen was president of Oberlin's NAACP and United World Federalists and held membership in the YMCA Cabinet.
After graduating from Oberlin, McQueen received his MA in sociology in 1953 and his Ph.D. in sociology in 1959 from the University of Michigan.
While completing his graduate studies at the University of Michigan, McQueen was a Teaching Fellow in the Sociology Department from 1953 to 1954. In 1955, when Eastern Michigan University requested emergency assistance in the sociology department, McQueen became that university's first African American faculty member. He continued teaching at Eastern Michigan University until he received his Ph.D. in 1959.
After completing his Ph.D. at University of Michigan, McQueen remained there as a Study Director in a National Institute of Mental Health project until 1963. From 1963 to 1964 Albert McQueen served as a Research Associate at the Institute for Social Research and as Assistant Professor in the Sociology Department at Michigan. From 1964 to 1965, McQueen was an assistant professor in the Department of Psychiatry at Howard University in Washington, D.C. He then took a position at Brooklyn College as Assistant Professor in the Department of Sociology and Anthropology from 1965 to 1966.
Albert McQueen was recruited to teach at Oberlin College in 1966. He became a Professor in the Department of Sociology in 1974 and was Chairman of the department from 1976 to 1979. Additionally, McQueen was a significant campus-wide leader in the effort to include an interdisciplinary African-American studies program in Oberlin's curriculum. He was chairman of the African American Studies Program at Oberlin in 1969 to 1971. He served on many other committees, including the Educational Plans and Policies Committee, the Danenberg Oberlin-in-London Committee, and the Standing Committee on Pluralism and Equality. McQueen participated in the College and General Faculty Councils, and was outspoken on many issues concerning cultural differences, black students' opportunities, and student life in general. Albert McQueen was recognized by his colleagues as a good teacher and friend to many students.
Specializing in social change and development, social movements, organizations and society and youth study, McQueen received several grants to study these areas. From 1961 to 1963, he received a Ford Foundation Grant to study at the School of Oriental and African Studies at the University of London and then at the Nigerian Institute for Social and Economic Research at the University of Ibadan, Nigeria. Supported by the Ford Foundation Grant, McQueen was invited to evaluate a project for homeless youth in Nairobi, Kenya from 1962 to 1963. In 1964, he received an Institute for International Education Grant and a Social Science Research Council Grant to support analysis of data on Nigerian Youth. He continued this work in 1974, when he received an African American Scholars Council Grant for follow up research on unemployed youth in Nigeria, at the University of Ibadan, Nigeria. In 1983, McQueen received a Research and Development Grant for research on the Rastafarians in Jamaica. Throughout his career at Oberlin, McQueen received other fellowships and grants, including: The Mellon Colloquium Development Award in 1988, the McCandless Teaching Grant in 1977, and the Rockefeller Grant in 1967.
Among his other accomplishments, Albert McQueen contributed book reviews to journals, wrote articles for magazines, and participated in lectures. His publications and lecture topics included Black Students at Oberlin, Unemployment and African Youth, and Emerging Black Scholars.
Albert McQueen retired from Oberlin College on June 30, 1995, after being on medical leave since November, 1992. He continues to be an active and enthusiastic member of the Oberlin community in his position as Professor Emeritus. He is a member of the Kendal Community at Oberlin.
SOURCES CONSULTED
The Observer (May 13, 1993), Albert McQueen's faculty file in the Oberlin College Archives, and a telephone interview between the Archivist and J. Milton Yinger. African American Studies program files of the College of Arts and Sciences, RG 9. See SG IV, Series 1, Box 3.
Subjects (links to similar collections) Forms of Material (links to similar genres) Administrative Information
The papers of Albert James McQueen document McQueen's career as teacher, researcher, and an advocate for African American students, as well as a person who devoted his professional career to service to institution and community. The collection illustrates the Oberlin ideals of activism, volunteerism, and the pursuit of social equality.
Most notable are the records that document McQueen's committee work. He volunteered his time to address many issues for faculty, staff, and students. The Special Education Opportunities Program Series (SEOP) contains documentation on a significant program conducted at Oberlin College. The Committees series consists of files related to minority concerns in the curriculum, and the representation of minority groups on the Oberlin campus. McQueen also served on the committee assigned to study the effort to unionize the teaching faculty (Oberl in College Teacher's Association) during the Fuller Administration (1973-74). The collection also contains files on South African Divestment and the Sesquicentennial celebration of Oberlin College. One will also find important files collected by the donor on the effort to unionize the teaching faculty (Oberlin College Teacher's Association) during the Fuller administration (1973-74). McQueen was active as a board member of the Oberlin Consumers Cooperative, and his files on the Cooperative, including correspondence, minutes and agendas, and information regarding special committees and projects are included in the collection. Also included are his files regarding the establishment of the Oberlin Cable TV Co-op.
The collection is divided into the following series : 1. African American Studies, 2. Committee, 3. South African Divestment, 4. Special Education Opportunities Program (SEOP), 5. General Faculty Council, 6. College Faculty Council, 7. Miscellaneous Correspondence, 8. Audio Tapes, 9. Files Relating to Cooperatives.
SERIES DESCRIPTIONS
Series I. African American Studies, 1964-1977 (16 folders)
This series consists of files related to the African American Studies Program, including information concerning affirmative action, African American students, and the African Heritage House.
Series II. Committees, 1967-1993 (44 folders)
The documentation concerning Albert McQueen's committee work constitutes the largest series in the collection. McQueen served on committees concerned with a variety of issues, including Oberlin-in-London, Sesquicentennial celebration of Oberlin, Educational Plans and Policies, and Athletics.
Series III. South African Divestment, 1974-1992 (7 folders)
This series consists of committee files and correspondence concerning Oberlin College's position towards apartheid and divestment in South Africa.
Series IV. Special Education Opportunities Program (SEOP), 1964-1970 (12 folders)
The SEOP files consists of committee work, Rockefeller Students correspondence, and Black Students at Oberlin information.
Series V. General Faculty Council, 1981-1991 (8 folders)
Series VI. College Faculty Council, 1974-1986 (9 folders)
Series V and VI consists of minutes, notes, and correspondence concerning the General Faculty and the College Faculty Councils. These records were retained because they include notes and correspondence of Albert McQueen while he was a member of the Councils.
Series VII. Miscellaneous Correspondence, 1968-1983, 1986-1989, 1995 (2 folders)
This series consists primarily of professional correspondence, especially during Albert McQueen's tenure as a member of the Department of Sociology at Oberlin College.
Series VIII. Audio Recordings, 1977-1979 (12 cassette tapes)
Twelve audiotapes of the Conference on Namibia and South Africa.
Series IX. Files Relating to Cooperatives, 1976-2002 (6 boxes)
This series concerns cooperatives established in the city of Oberlin, in which McQueen played an active role as administrator and consumer. Files are divided into two subseries. The first deals with the Oberlin Consumers Cooperative, which encompassed the Co-op Bookstore among other divisions, and contains records pertaining to its organization and structure. Included among the Cooperative files are copies of minutes and agendas for the directors' and general meetings, as well as financial information, copies of the co-op newsletter, and information on the planning and execution of a co-op building renovation.
The second subseries consists of administrative files relating to the Oberlin Cable TV Co-op. It includes information on the establishment of the co-op during the early 1980s, cooperative guidelines and bylaws, and copies of minutes and agendas for meetings of the ad-hoc cable co-op committee.