Manuscript Collection

Charles Brooks Vail Winthrop Administration Autobiographical Collection - Accession 1511 - M741 (798)

Charles Brooks Vail Winthrop Administration Autobiographical Collection - Accession 1511 - M741 (798)

Download Reflections On My Years As President of Winthrop College by Dr. Charles Brooks Vail (321 KB)

Identifier

Accession 1511 - M741 (798)

Inclusive Dates

2015, 2019

Restrictions

Open under the rules and regulations of the Louise Pettus Archives and Special Collections

Collection Size

100 pieces

Language

English;

Historical Note

Dr. Charles Brooks Vail (1923-2024) was the 6th president of Winthrop serving from 1973 to 1982. He was born on April 29, 1923 in Bessemer, Alabama. He received a B.S. from Birmingham-Southern College and M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in Physical Chemistry from Emory University. He served in the U.S. Naval Reserve 1943-1946. Before coming to Winthrop Dr. Vail served as a chemist at the Southern Research Institute and Sonoco Products and taught or was Dean at Armstrong, Coker, Agnes Scott, Hampden-Sydney, and Georgia State. He also served as Associate Executive Secretary for the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges.

Scope and Content Note

The Charles Brooks Vail Winthrop Administration Autobiographical Collection contains an autobiographical account and a brief history of Presidency of Dr. Charles Brooks Vail (1923-2024) at Winthrop College from 1973 to 1982. The materials reflect on his experiences and the challenges he encountered during his tenure. Included is a "Compendium of Developments," which outlines specific issues faced by the College and Dr. Vail’s responses to each. The autobiography is based on excerpts from Dr. Vail’s journal, kept during his presidency, which he later transcribed and annotated to serve as both a personal reminiscence and a historical record of his time at Winthrop. This reminiscence titled , "Reflections On My Years As President of Winthrop College" is an invaluable resource to any researcher studying Winthrop in the 1970s and 1980s and especially Winthrop College's efforts to become fully Coeducational.

Provenance

The Charles Brooks Vail Winthrop Administration Autobiographical Collection received the Charles Vail Journal Excerpts from Dr. Charles B. Vail of Springfield, VA on February 3, 2015 and December 2019.

Keywords

Higher Education, Winthrop College, Winthrop Presidents, Diaries, Journals

Copyright

For information concerning copyright please contact the Louise Pettus Archives and Special Collections at Winthrop University.

Charles Brooks Vail Winthrop Administration Autobiographical Collection - Accession 1511 - M741 (798)

LC Subject Headings

Vail, Charles Brooks, 1923-2024; Winthrop College, the South Carolina College for Women--Presidents; Winthrop College--Presidents; Winthrop College, the South Carolina College for Women--History; Winthrop College--History; College presidents--South Carolina--Rock Hill; Coeducation--South Carolina--Rock Hill

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