''The First Graduate'' is a
bronze
Bronze is an alloy consisting primarily of copper, commonly with about 12–12.5% tin and often with the addition of other metals (including aluminium, manganese, nickel, or zinc) and sometimes non-metals (such as phosphorus) or metalloid ...
sculpture
Sculpture is the branch of the visual arts that operates in three dimensions. Sculpture is the three-dimensional art work which is physically presented in the dimensions of height, width and depth. It is one of the plastic arts. Durable sc ...
at the Georgia Institute of Technology (
Georgia Tech
The Georgia Institute of Technology (commonly referred to as Georgia Tech, GT, and simply Tech or the Institute) is a public research university and institute of technology in Atlanta, Georgia, United States. Established in 1885, it has the lar ...
). Unveiled in 2019, the statue was designed by Martin Dawe and honors Ronald Yancey, the first
African American
African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...
student to graduate from the institute. The sculpture is located inside the
Clough Undergraduate Learning Commons
The G. Wayne Clough Undergraduate Learning Commons (Clough Commons), commonly referred to by its acronym CULC, is an academic building on the main campus of the Georgia Institute of Technology. The five-story, building houses classrooms, scienc ...
.
Description
In 1961, the
Georgia Institute of Technology
The Georgia Institute of Technology (commonly referred to as Georgia Tech, GT, and simply Tech or the Institute) is a public university, public research university and Institute of technology (United States), institute of technology in Atlanta, ...
admitted Ford C. Greene, Ralph A. Long Jr., and Lawrence Williams as the first
African American
African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...
students at the institute. Several years later in 1965, Ronald Yancey would become the first African American student to graduate from the Georgia Tech. On September 4, 2019, two statues were unveiled at Tech's
main campus which honored these individuals.
Collectively referred to as the ''Trailblazers'' statues, they were designed by Martin Dawe and included ''The First Graduate'', honoring Yancey and ''
The Three Pioneers'', honoring Greene, Long, and Williams.
While ''The Three Pioneers'' is located in Harrison Square, a small park on Tech's campus, ''The First Graduate'' is located inside the Clough Undergraduate Learning Commons.
See also
*
2019 in art
The year 2019 in art involved various significant events.
Events
* February – Burger King launches an advertising campaign called "Eat Like Andy" in the United States. The television spot which premieres during Super Bowl LIII features archiva ...
References
External links
*
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{{DEFAULTSORT:First Graduate, The
Bronze sculptures in Georgia (U.S. state)
2019 establishments in Georgia (U.S. state)
Monuments and memorials of the civil rights movement
Statues in Atlanta
Monuments and memorials in Georgia (U.S. state)
2019 sculptures
Georgia Tech buildings and structures
Sculptures of African Americans