In 2019 student driven initiatives at the University of Georgia School of Law prompted research for identifying diverse graduates from the school. Over the course of late 2019 and early 2020 this research was visualized with items pulled together from UGA’s earliest yearbooks, the law school’s Phi Alpha Delta student directories, and information gathered from the other institutional publications such as past issues of Advocate Magazines. The input of various student organizations at the law school was gathered and informed the scope and content of the exhibit. Previously digitized materials were joined with newly scanned photographs to illustrate the diverse history of our school’s community. In the summer of 2020, the display began to take shape. Most items are housed on the 3rd floor Founders Gallery of the Chester C. Davenport Rotunda in Hirsch Hall. Other items, such as portraits of early graduates, are located in the stairwell and hallways of the 2nd floor of the Chester C. Davenport Rotunda and throughout the hallways of the 2nd and 3rd floors of Hirsch Hall.

Portions of this exhibit currently in place include a large graphical timeline canvas print as well as two shadow boxes featuring reproductions of the original items from our library’s archives and special collections. In Fall 2021 a new historical canvas illustrating a timeline using archival photographs of law school buildings was added to the gallery space as well as a large printing of the recently digitized portrait of Horacio S. Beleval (1901) who was the first Puerto Rican graduate from both the School of Law as well as the larger University of Georgia.