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Howard Thurman Educational Trust Records

 Collection
Identifier: 0000-0000-0000-0008

Scope and Contents

The Administrative series includes correspondence and other materials pertaining to the administration of the HTET. The files are arranged alphabetically by subject matter/surname of correspondent. This series contains eight sub-series: General, A-Z, Annual Reports, Board Meetings, Grant Proposals, HTET, Listening Rooms, Printed Materials, and Projects. The General, A-Z sub-series consists of general administrative correspondence and related materials that do not fall into other sub-series. The Annual Reports sub-series includes materials that detail the yearly status of the HTET. The Board Meetings sub-series contains the correspondence and meeting minutes of the HTET’s board of trustees. The Grant Proposals sub-series consists of correspondence and reports about potential grants for the HTET. The HTET sub-series contains the organization’s administrative files. The Listening Rooms sub-series includes correspondence and printed materials about the listening rooms established by the HTET. The Printed Materials sub-series consists of printed items about the HTET, such as tape inventories, catalogues, brochures, booklets, and flyers. The Projects sub-series contains materials detailing the HTET funded projects that are unrelated to the scholarship fund or the listening rooms.

The Correspondence series contains correspondence related to the HTET. The files are arranged alphabetically by subject matter/surname of correspondent. This series is divided into three sub-series: General, A-Z, Colleges and Universities, and Students. The General, A-Z subseries consists of general correspondence and related materials that do not fall into other sub-series. The Colleges and Universities sub-series contains correspondence the HTET received from institutions of higher learning. The Students sub-series includes correspondence the HTET received from college students.

The Financial series includes all materials related to the financial activities of the HTET. The files are arranged alphabetically by subject matter/surname of correspondent. This series is divided into three sub-series: General, A-Z, Donor Information, and Financial Statements. The General, A-Z sub-series consists of general correspondence and related materials that do not fall into other sub-series. The Donor Information sub-series contains data about HTET donors. The Financial Statements sub-series includes reports about the financial health of the HTET.

The General series contains materials that do not fit into the previous sub-series. This series is divided into four sub-series: General, A-Z, Correspondence, Printed Materials, and Photographs. The General, A-Z sub-series consists of general correspondence and related materials that do not fall into other sub-series. The Correspondence sub-series contains letters that are not directly related to the HTET. The Printed Materials sub-series includes printed items (e.g., booklets, flyers, pamphlets) that are not directly related to the HTET. The Photographs sub-series will consist of photographs that do not pertain to the work of the HTET.

The Restricted series includes materials containing sensitive information. It consists of four sub-series: General, A-Z, Applications, Correspondence, Transcripts. The General, A-Z sub-series contains general administrative correspondence and related materials that do not fall into other sub-series. The Applications sub-series includes forms the HTET received from students hoping to receive funds. The Correspondence sub-series is comprised of correspondence containing personal details. The Transcripts sub-series contains transcripts the HTET received from applicants.

Dates

  • Creation: 1936-2009

Conditions Governing Access

Access to student applications and transcripts is restricted.

Conditions Governing Use

All materials in this collection are either protected by copyright and/or are the property of the Robert W. Woodruff Library of the Atlanta University Center, Inc., and/or the copyright holder as appropriate. For more information, please contact archives@auctr.edu.

Biographical / Historical

The Howard Thurman Educational Trust (HTET) was established in 1961 by theologian and minister Howard Thurman, his wife, Sue Bailey Thurman, and Gene K. Walker, an entrepreneur and former chairman of the Board of Trustees at Thurman’s Fellowship Church. The objectives of the HTET were: 1. To provide funding so socioeconomically disadvantaged college students could complete their educations 2. To support Black cultural and educational programs and institutions 3. To distribute and publicize the works of Thurman to the wider public.

The monies that the HTET distributed to individual students was limited, especially in comparison to large endowment foundations; the HTET typically aided between five to fifteen students a year, usually attendees of historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs), with sums ranging from several hundred to several thousand dollars. Awardees typically applied to the fund via a word of mouth encounter with a teacher or counselor affiliated with the HTET, which was in keeping with Thurman’s belief in the transformational power of interpersonal relations.

The HTET also donated to Black historical and cultural institutions. These included contributions to historically Black colleges and universities and Black history museums. A particular favorite subject of the HTET’s largesse was San Francisco’s African American Historical and Cultural Society.

Thurman considered the HTET’s most important task to be the dissemination of his taped sermons, speeches, and mediations through its cassette tape ministry. Despite being a prolific author, Thurman believed that the best way to experience his ideas was through the spoken word. Using the then-new technology of the portable cassette tape, Thurman made copies of over 800 of his talks available to the public through the HREF catalog. Thurman also encouraged his followers to set up listening rooms where individuals could hear recordings of his teachings. Today, digitized copies of Thurman’s speeches can be found at the Howard Thurman and Sue Bailey Thurman Digital Archive at Emory University and the audio recordings section of Boston University’s Howard Thurman Collection.

The HTET continued after Thurman’s death in 1981 under the leadership of Sue Bailey Thurman. However, by Bailey Thurman’s death in 1996, the HTET was struggling financially, and is inactive today.

Extent

22.5 Linear feet

Language of Materials

English

Arrangement

This collection is divided into five series: Administrative, Correspondence, Financial, General, and Restricted. The contents of the series are arranged alphabetically or chronologically. See series notes for more details.

Title
Howard Thurman Educational Trust Records
Status
In Progress
Author
Finding aid prepared by Leah Mickens, May 2026.
Date
May 2026
Description rules
Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language of description
English
Script of description
Latin

Repository Details

Part of the Morehouse College Archives Repository

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