NMSU

Late professor's archive donated to Las Cruces museums

Minerva Baumann
A crowd gathers outside the Phillips Chapel Christian Methodist Episcopal Church in the Mesquite Historic District of Las Cruces before the start of services, July 9, 2016. People came to the the chapel, which was originally built in 1911, to celebrate its restoration after years of deterioration and to unveil a bronze plaque commemorating the chapel’s listing on the National Register of Historic Places.

LAS CRUCES - Clarence Fielder, history professor emeritus at New Mexico State University and a teacher in Las Cruces Public Schools for more than 50 years, was a beloved educator when he died in 2015.

He was also a passionate preservation advocate who led restoration efforts for Phillips Chapel Christian Methodist Episcopal church, the first African-American church in Las Cruces.

Now Fielder’s own history will be preserved for future generations when his archive of papers, photographs and videos of his life and the restoration of Philips Chapel are donated to the city of Las Cruces' museum system.

Phillips Chapel Restoration Group will give a public presentation about his life from 3:30 to 4:30 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 21 at the Branigan Cultural Center, 501 N. Main Street.

Late NMSU professor emeritus, and Las Cruces Public Schools educator, Clarence Fielder. Date unknown.

“Beyond his distinguished career as an educator and his role as a community leader, Clarence was the soul and guiding spirit of the project to restore the oldest extant African American church building in New Mexico,” said Beth O’Leary, NMSU anthropology professor emerita who worked closely with Fielder on the restoration, which was completed in 2014. “Built in 1911, it also served as a school for Black children during the period of segregation in the Las Cruces Public Schools (1925 -1954).”

Fielder led NMSU faculty, students and community volunteers in restoration efforts.

Philips Chapel was founded by Fielder’s grandfather and is listed in the National Register of Historic Places for its significance to the African-American community. The church is located at 638 N. Tornillo Street.

“The Clarence H. Fielder Archive will preserve for posterity the record of Clarence’s life, the restoration of Phillips Chapel and the history of the African American Community of Las Cruces,” O’Leary said.