Jerome H. Holland papers

Jerome H. Holland was an American university president, a diplomat, and the highly regarded leader of several large organizations. He was the first African American to play football at Cornell University, and was chosen as an All American in 1937 and 1938. He graduated in 1939 and received his M.S. from Cornell in 1941, going on to earn his Ph.D. at the University of Pennsylvania in 1950. He served as President of Delaware State College, Dover (1953-1960); President of Hampton Institute, Hampton, Virginia (1960-1970); and Ambassador to Sweden (1970-1973). He was also a Presidential Councillor and University Trustee at Cornell. He served as Chairman of the American Red Cross, which named its Laboratory for the Biomedical Sciences in his honor. He was also Chairman of Planned Parenthood; a board member of nine major corporations, including General Motors; a board member of the New York Stock Exchange; and the author of a number of economic and sociological studies of African Americans, including Black Opportunity (1969). He received honorary degrees from Columbia University, Washington and Lee University, and Rider College. President Reagan awarded him the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1985.