Student grade book from Tenn A&I, 1956-1957
date: label: Date
content: 1956-1957
name: label: Created by
content: Unidentified
label: Used by
content: James A. Parsons Jr., American, 1900 - 1989
label: Subject of
content: Tennessee State University, American, founded 1912
notes: label: Caption
content: James A. Parsons Jr. was a scientist, inventor, and university professor, whose research with rust resistant metals and iron alloys is credited with leading to the development of stainless steel. He developed Durimet 20, a corrosion-resistant stainless steel alloy also known as Alloy 20, which is still widely used today in a diverse range of industries including petrochemical, textile, nuclear, aerospace, automotive, pharmaceutical, textile and chemical and food processing.
label: Caption
content: Born in 1900, Parsons grew up in Dayton, OH, where his father worked as a butler for Pierce Schenk, the founder of metal manufacturer Duriron Co. Schenk covered Parsons’ tuition at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in exchange for Parsons’ work over summer breaks. Parsons graduated from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) in 1922 with a degree in Electrical Engineering and returned to working at Duriron Co., where he eventually established what was likely the first all-Black industrial research laboratory. Over the course of his career, Parsons received eight patents, won the Harmon Medal in 1928 for his scientific achievements, and had a distinguished teaching career at Tennessee Agriculture and Industrial State College (now Tennessee State University) and Ohio State University.
label: Caption
content: Parsons used this grade book as a professor at Tennessee A&I, where he established the first metallurgy program at any historically Black college or university.
label: Description
content: A brown student grade book used by James A. Parsons while teaching at Tennessee Agriculture & Industrial State College. The gradebook has silver spiral binding with handwritten text at the top [James A. Parsons / 1956-1957 / Tenn A&I State Univ] and printed black text at the center [THE EXTRA SPACE / CLASS RECORD / No. 102].
place: label: Place used
content: Nashville, Davidson County, Tennessee, United States, North and Central America
topic: label: Topic
content: African American
label: Topic
content: Education
label: Topic
content: Engineering
label: Topic
content: HBCUs (Historically Black Colleges and Universities)
label: Topic
content: Science
setName: label: See more items in
content: National Museum of African American History and Culture Collection
label: Classification
content: Documents and Manuscripts
creditLine: label: Credit Line
content: Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift of Grant Shipp
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: National Museum of African American History and Culture
identifier: label: Object number
content: 2015.246.7.3
objectType: label: Type
content: grade books
objectRights: label: Restrictions & Rights
content: Unknown - Restrictions Possible
label: Restrictions & Rights
content: Rights assessment and proper usage is the responsibility of the user.
physicalDescription: label: Medium
content: ink on paper, metal
label: Dimensions
content: H x W: 9 1/4 × 6 in. (23.5 × 15.2 cm)