rotunda timeline There have been many outstanding graduates from the University of Georgia School of Law since the school's founding in 1859. To honor individuals who have broken the barriers of our institution's history, portraits and other items from the library's archives and special collections have been arranged in a physical display on the second and third floors of the Hirsch Hall Rotunda. This series serves as a virtual extension of the exhibit at the law school to provide more context for those featured there, and to aid in locating other resources that further illuminate their legacy.

rotunda timeline In addition to the visual timeline you see hanging on the wall, shadow boxes and a display honoring Robert E. "Robbie" Robinson featuring his briefcase are also located in the Rotunda Gallery Third Floor, while portraits of many of our earliest diverse graduates are located on the Second Floor. Below is a complete listing of the individuals who appear in the physical exhibit, followed by expanded digital collections of select individuals with significant content gathered from across our repository series.

1896 - Horace B. Van de Vélde, 1st Argentinian-Mexican Graduate 1901 - Horacio S. Beleval, 1st Puerto Rican Graduate 1902 - Miguel de Guerra, 2nd Puerto Rican Graduate 1925 - Gussie Brooks, 1st Female Graduate 1925 - Edith House, 2nd Female Graduate 1926 - Dorothy Ida "Dot" Levy, 3rd Female Graduate 1926 - Mathilde Upson, 4th Female Graduate 1948 - Michael Gannam, 1st Lebanese Graduate
  • Photograph from the University of Georgia Pandora Yearbook, 1948
1966 - Chester C. Davenport, 1st African-American Graduate 1971 - Phil Duderwicz, Graduate who used a wheelchair 1972 - Theodore C.H. Chao, 1st Chinese-American Graduate 1972 - Arthur K. Goto, 1st Native Hawaiian and Japanese-American Graduate 1974 - Sharon Lynn "Nyota" Tucker, 1st Female African-American Graduate 1974 - Robert Edward "Robbie" Robinson, Prominent Civil Rights Attorney

Browse the Rotunda Exhibit Collections:

Chester C. Davenport (J.D. 1966)

Edith E. House (LL.B. 1925)

Robert Benham (J.D. 1970)

Robert E. Robinson (J.D. 1974)

Sharon N. Tucker (J.D. 1974)