In 1950, author Gwendolyn Elizabeth Brooks (1917–2000) became the first black poet to win a Pulitzer Prize, which was awarded for her volume of poetry Annie Allen. In 1968, she was named Poet Laureate of Illinois, succeeding Carl Sandburg. In 1970, Western Illinois University renamed its new Black Cultural Center the Gwendolyn Brooks Cultural Center "to honor her for her commitment, encouragement, humanitarian service and her personal inspiration to African American students at Western Illinois University" and, in 1971, she received an honorary doctorate from that institution. In 1985, she was named the 29th Consultant in Poetry to the Library of Congress. In 1995, as Illinois’ poet laureate, she was awarded the National Medal of the Arts by President Bill Clinton. Chicago State University houses the official repository of Gwendolyn's works, which includes more than twenty books of poetry.
