Dr. R.Q. and Ethyl H. Venson Cotton Makers' Jubilee Collection

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Dr. R.Q. and Ethyl H. Venson Cotton Makers' Jubilee Collection

Dr. R.Q. and Ethyl H. Venson Cotton Makers' Jubilee Collection

https://memphislibrary.contentdm.oclc.org/digital/collection/p13039coll1/id/39/

Dr. Ransom Q. Venson was a native of Rapides Parish, Louisiana. In 1912 he graduated from Meharry Medical School in Nashville and then moved to Memphis to establish a dental practice in this city. In 1934, he married Ethyl B. Horton, a native Memphian, who was born in 1908. Ethyl grew up in the area near Collins Chapel and went on to earn a degree from LeMoyne College. Throughout their marriage, Ransom and Ethyl were committed to serving their community in a variety of ways. -- During World War I, Dr. Venson served as a commissioned officer in the Medical Corps. After returning to his dental practice in Memphis after the war, he was a leader in the founding of Autress Russell American Legion Post 27, which was for many years the largest African-American post in the world. He held every office in the local American Legion organization and was also active on the national level. Dr. Venson was also an active Mason and a member of the Elks. He was honored for his service to the community in 1972 by having a high-rise housing development for senior citizens on Beale Street named after him. -- Ethyl Venson was the first woman and the first African American to be appointed to the board of the Memphis Housing Authority in 1966, and she went on to be elected as chair of the board in 1972. Also in 1972, Governor Winfield Dunn appointed her to the Tennessee Commission on the Status of Women. Ethyl also devoted her time to serving with the American Red Cross, the Memphis Urban League, the Memphis Heart Association and the Girls Club. -- The Vensons are perhaps best-known as founders of the Cotton Makers’ Jubilee, which was established in 1935 as a parallel organization to the Memphis Cotton Carnival, which had been established in 1931 but did not provide for social participation by African American Memphians. Dr. Venson served as director of the Jubilee until his death in 1970, while Ethyl served as the organization’s first queen in 1935, and served as director from 1970 to 1985. -- Through the many activities of the Cotton Makers’ Jubilee, particularly the selection of a King and Queen and a royal Court, the organization provided an opportunity for African Americans in Memphis to enjoy their own parties, parades and celebrations. Over the years, the Jubilee continually expanded its activities, including many for school children. -- The Dr. R.Q. and Ethyl H. Venson Cotton Makers’ Jubilee Collection was given to the Memphis and Shelby County Room by Ethyl Horton Venson through the Shelby County Historical Commission and additional material was given directly to the Memphis and Shelby County Room. The collection includes thirty six Cotton Makers’ Jubilee programs from 1937 through 1991, which list the Jubilee royalty, the directors, financial supporters and others associated with the organization in various capacities. The collection also contains correspondence about the Jubilee which Ethyl Venson received from local and national officials, including several Tennessee governors and two U.S. presidents. In addition to material related to the Jubilee, the papers contain letters from civic and business leaders pertaining to Ethyl Venson’s many years of service to several community organizations, including the Memphis Housing Authority, the Bluff City Dental Society, the American Red Cross, the Memphis Urban League and the Memphis/Shelby County Mental Health Association.

2 boxes.

eng, Latn

Memphis Public Library & Information Center, Benjamin L. Hooks Central Library