E. A. Cosby Collection

Collection

Identifier: MSS 0378

Staff Only

Scope and Content

The E. A. Cosby Collection dates from 1936 to 2010 and contains the papers of Dr. Edgar Allen Cosby, a dentist, University of Florida Professor, amateur photographer, and prominent member of Gainesville’s African-American Community. The collection includes materials documenting his professional life as a dentist, his activities in the Gainesville community, personal and family life, involvement with the Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, and numerous photographs (including prints, negatives, slides, and scrapbooks).

Series 1: “Professional Organizations, 1946-2004” contains material concerning Cosby’s membership in various professional dental organizations including the Florida Board of Dentistry, Florida Medical, Dental, and Pharmaceutical Association (FMDPA), Florida Dental Association (FDA), National Dental Associations (NDA), and others.

Series 2: “Florida, Gainesville and University of Florida Communities, 1957-2010” contains material documenting Cosby’s involvement in the local community in Gainesville as well as his service activities at the University of Florida.

Series 3: “Personal Life and Education, 1951-2004” contains a variety of materials documenting Cosby’s personal life including his education at Meharry Medical College, personal correspondence, military service information, obituary, awards, planning calendars, and other materials.

Series 4: “Kappa Alpha Psi, 1995-2005” contains information concerning Cosby’s involvement in Kappa Alpha Psi, a collegiate Greek-letter fraternity with a predominantly African-American membership.

Series 5: “Photographs, 1936-2003” is the largest series, and contains numerous photographs (including prints, negatives, slides, and photo scrapbooks) taken by Cosby. This series is broken down into six subseries by topic and format including E. A. and Leslie Cosby’s Early Life and Education, Cosby’s Family and Friends, Professional Organizations, Florida, Gainesville, and the University of Florida Communities, Slides, and Scrapbooks. The subseries are arranged by topic and format. The named series predominantly contain photographs and negatives and are broken down by subject. The Slides subseries is described at the item level and organized by topic, covering a wide range, including Cosby family vacations and his military service in Germany. The Scrapbooks subseries contains four scrapbooks.

Dates

Creation: 1936 - 2010

Creator

Cosby, Edgar Allen, -2004. (Person)

Access

The collection is open for research.

Biographical/Historical Note

Born in Philadelphia and raised in Chicago, Dr. Edgar Allen Cosby was a graduate of Fisk University and Meharry Medical College. He served in the U.S. Army Dental Corps in Germany. In 1950, he opened his dental practice in Gainesville, FL and would also hold hospital appointments for oral surgery and general dentistry at Alachua General Hospital, North Florida Regional Medical Center and Shands at the University of Florida from 1958 to 1993. Cosby also served as the adjunct professor in the department of oral and maxillofacial surgery at the UF College of Dentistry from 1981 to 1992 and held a seat on its admissions committee. Cosby would also go on to become the first Black dentist to serve on the Florida Board of Dentistry from 1978 to 1979.

Besides his accomplishments in the field of dentistry, Cosby also played an active role in the Gainesville community. He was famously known for his generosity - being heavily involved in education and providing scholarships for deserving students. Over the years, he has been recognized with numerous service awards, such as the Gainesville Sun’s 1968 “Man of the Year” Award, the Gainesville Civitan’s 1973 “Outstanding Citizen of the Year” Award, and the Southern Provincial Achievement Award by the Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity in 1974, amongst others. He died on August 22nd, 2004 at the age of 83, an accomplished and beloved member of the Gainesville community.