The Historical Bearcat Tour Preview

McCoy Administration Building (A Building)

Born in Tippah County on May 30, 1882, Lee Marcus McCoy was the youngest of nine children. His parents were former slaves, but he and his siblings were born post-slavery. McCoy attended Rust College and graduated in 1905. He became the eighth president in Rust College history, serving in that position for 33 years from 1924-1957. During his term in 1940, a tragic incident happened. On January 8, 1940, the principal building at the time, Rust Hall, burned down. The college suffered and felt a sense of loss. The loss also affected the community and they also felt that they should relocate the school. Rust Hall had been the centerpiece of the campus, holding the library, multiple classrooms, and dorms in it. But McCoy was determined to keep Rust College in the same location. He stayed and raised funds to build a new building. The cost of the new building that was built was estimated at $300,000. Once the building was complete, it was renamed after President McCoy. Today, that building, known as the "A" Building, is the center of campus operations and includes the Office of the President, Office of Vice President of Academic Affairs, Office of Vice President of Student Affairs, Office of the Registrar, the Business Office, Bursar, Human Resources and the Office of Financial Aid.

Leontyne Price Library

At the center of campus, the Leontyne Price Library serves the entire student body, faculty, staff, and community. Named after opera singer Mary Violet Leontyne Price, the library was built with funds from a concert where Leontyne Price performed to raise money for Rust College. The $34,000 donation went toward the building of the library. Price was born in Laurel, MS on February 10, 1927, to James and Katherine Price. She attended Central State University in Wilberforce, OH, and majored in music. She attended The Juilliard School of Music in New York City.

Wiff Hall

This point of interest is part of the tour: The Historical Bearcat Tour.

Brown Mass Communication Building

Built in the 1980s, the Brown Mass Communication Building houses the cafeteria and the Mass Communications department, which includes the Rust College television studies (RC-TV2) and the Rust College radio station (WURC-88.1 FM).

Oakview Manor (Frances Hawthorne Alumni Building)

Located on the campus of Rust College promptly to the east of the Administration building is one of the oldest buildings on campus and one of the oldest buildings associated with African American education in Mississippi. When Rust College was established in 1866, Oakview Manor existed on the property and served as the infirmary. According to the Mississippi Department of Archives and History, Oakview Manor is believed to have been built as a kitchen house for a plantation planned by wealth contractor Ulysses Ross. The start of the Civil War stopped construction on the plantation.

Shaw Hall

Shaw Hall was built in 1929 and serves as a living reminder of Rust College’s illustrious history and unwavering dedication to academic excellence.

E.L. Rust Hall

Elizabeth Lownes Rust was the wife of Rev. Richard Sutton Rust, who was the Corresponding Secretary of the Freedmen's Aid Society of the Methodist Episcopal Church. Rust College was renamed after Rev. Rust. In 1880, Elizabeth L. Rust co-founded the Woman's Home Missionary Society of the Methodist Episcopal Church.

Elzy Hall

Emma Kimp Elzy was born on May 23rd, 1886. A descendant of slaves, she married Charlie Elzy in 1907 in Pontotoc, MS. Together, they had four children. Emma Elzy was a prominent member of the Mississippi Conference of the United Methodist Church and her work established her as a pillar of the community. She was an educator, teaching at the Pontotoc Colored School and later she taught in Corinth, MS. Her eldest daughter, Ruby, attended Rust College and was a gifted soprano whose voice inspired the musical Porgy and Bess.Her second eldest daughter, Amanda, was a prominent Mississippi educator who graduated from Rust College in 1929.

Kinzell Lawson Gymnasium

The Kinzell Lawson Gymnasium includes the gym where basketball and volleyball games are played and has the male and female locker rooms, workout room and classrooms. The building houses the swimming pool and is adjacent to the campus student recreational center.

McCarthy-Varnell Building (BCS)

One of the newer buildings on campus, McCarthy-Varnell Building (BCS) houses the Division of Social Sciences, the Division of Business and Rust College Writing Center.

Hamilton - McDonald Science Building

Davage Hall

This is one of the men’s dormitories on campus, was named after Dr. M.S. Davage, the first African American president of Rust College. Born in Shreveport, LA on June 16th, 1879, Matthew Simpson Davage was an educator and a Methodist churchman. He went to Dillard University, where he played baseball. He graduated in 1900 with a B.A. degree and again in 1907 with an M.A. degree. He taught mathematics and Latin and had a period of postgraduate study at the University of Chicago and Columbia University. He was the 76th president of George R. Smith College in Missouri from 1914-1916, the 6th president of Haven Institute in Meridian, MS from 1917-1920. He was president of Rust College from 1920-1924 and he was president of Clark College (now Clark-Atlanta University) from 1924-1941. His last presidency was at Huston-Tillotson College in Austin, TX.

Gross Hall

Doxey Fine Arts Building

The Doxey Auditorium was built in 1974. Named after Natalie Doxey, an educator and choir director of the World-Renowned Rust College A ‘Capella Choir, the building has an auditorium, classrooms, offices, and a recording studio. The Doxey is a space for expression and represents an educational hub for students with a host of educational events held in the auditorium.Ms. Natalie Doxey was born on July 23rd, 1880, in Holly Springs, Mississippi. She went on to tour the world as a piano accompanist but sometime in the 1930’s she returned to her native community. Doxey, who was the choir director from 1930-1969, made substantial and positive changes in the Holly Springs community through music and music education.

James A. Elam Chapel