Mildred Robinson Gadson Collection

Collection

Identifier: A3380

Staff Only

Scope and Contents

The collection is comprised of items collected by Mildred Gadson. These include her school report cards, an infant care card from Homer G. Phillips Hospital, the program from David Peaston’s Celebration of Love event, and three programs from her grandchildren’s school activities. Most notable is a scrapbook about members of Calvary Missionary Baptist Church. Materials date from 1939 to 2007, with a large date gap from 1958 to 2000. Items are arranged alphabetically by topic and type of document. The scrapbook is comprised of 20 pages along with loose items (f.3) and is quite fragile. It includes primarily photographs and clipped published photographs of mostly female members of Calvary Missionary Baptist Church, and newspaper clippings dated from 1940 to 1957. Notes, dated late 1953, which appear under several photographs identify the people and their roles in the church. Unfortunately, several of these descriptive notes were written near the edges of the acidic scrapbook paper and have broken away over time. Several of the photographs are identified as members of the Women’s Missionary Union, Young People’s Group, Usher’s Board and other church groups. The loose items include newspaper clippings and three unidentified photographs, possibly from a church event.

Dates

1939-2007
Majority of material found within 1940-1957

Creator

Gadson, Mildred Robinson, 1931-2025 (Collector, Person)

Conditions Governing Access

The collection is open for research use. Please use the digital images of the fragile Calvary Missionary Baptist Church scrapbook.

Conditions Governing Use

For permission to publish, quote from, or reproduce material in this collection, please contact the Archives Reference Desk at archives@mohistory.org. Copyright restrictions may apply. The researcher assumes full responsibility for conforming to the laws of copyright.

Biographical and Historical Sketches

On November 11, 1931, Mildred Robinson Gadson was born in St. Louis to William and Willie Mae Robinson. William was a steelworker and Willie Mae managed the home. From birth to age 20, Mildred lived with her parents and an older brother, Wesley Robinson, at 1440 North 22nd Street. She attended Carr Lane Elementary School and Vashon High School, graduating in 1949. Mildred married and worked in the home; later she worked in the hospitality industry and became a licensed beautician. She had four children: Linda Herman, Helen Moore, Michael Alexander, and John Gadson (1952-2012). Mildred Gadson died at age 93 in St. Louis on March 30, 2025. The Robinson family attended Calvary Missionary Baptist Church which was organized by Rev. William Harris and his wife, Fordie, in June 1916. The church was originally located at 2625 Morgan Street (now Delmar Blvd). Rev. Harris served as the pastor for a total of 23 years, overseeing the formation of the Senior Choir, the Usher Board and Health Unit, the Mother’s Board, Deacon and Trustee Boards, Sunday School and Baptist Training Union, and Women’s Missionary Union (WMU). After a fire, the congregation was forced to relocate, eventually finding its home at 2822 Easton Avenue (now Dr. Martin Luther King Dr.) in 1940. Rev. Itelus (I.T.) Moore and other members of the congregation did the work that was necessary to turn the former garage and nightclub building into a suitable dwelling. Rev. Moore served as pastor of Calvary from 1940 until his death in 1973, a total of 33 years.