View Comments The Open Stacks note: The NMSU Library Archives and Special Collections is now open to the public. Appointments can be made 24 hours in advance of the visit by sending an email to archives@nmsu.edu. Hours available are 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday-Friday. Safety protocols (face coverings, social distancing, hand washing) are required.
Clara Belle Drisdale Williams made history in 1937 when she became the first African American to graduate from the New Mexico College of Agriculture and Mechanic Arts (now NMSU). Clara was born on Oct. 29, 1885, in Plum, Texas, to Isaac and Malinda Drisdale. While growing up, Clara remembered her parents, sharecroppers who taught themselves to read and write, stressing the importance of education. In an interview with a Chicago newspaper, she recalled that her grandfather would bounce her up and down on his lap saying, “this is going to be my little school teacher.” Clara’s parents wanted their children educated at any cost. It is evident that Clara took her family’s advice in pursuing her education, although it was not an easy path due to racial segregation and discrimination.