Interview with Isabel Potter - OH 089

Interviewee

• Carrie Isabel Potter

Interviewer

Jeff Clark

Files

Streaming Media

Abstract

This interview features Carrie Isabel Potter (1900–1997), a biology instructor at Winthrop College from 1928 to 1966, who was interviewed by Winthrop student Jeff Clark for an oral history project on the college during the Great Depression. Potter reflects on her experiences as a faculty member during the early 1930s, discussing declining enrollment, reductions in state funding, faculty salary cuts and layoffs, and the effects of budget constraints on academic departments and campus programs. She describes how the Biology Department adapted by improvising and constructing equipment rather than purchasing commercially manufactured materials. Potter also recalls the close relationships among faculty members and between faculty and students, inexpensive forms of entertainment, and the generally positive morale and sense of community on campus despite the financial difficulties of the Depression. She discusses student life and the restrictions placed on students' activities, as well as changes in the campus atmosphere and enrollment as economic conditions improved. Her recollections provide insight into how the Great Depression affected Winthrop College's finances, academic programs, faculty, students, and campus life.

Publication Date

4-22-1980

Unique Identifier

OH 089

Format

Cassette; MP3; WAV;

Length

00:24:01

Restrictions

This interview is open for use under the rules and regulations of the Louise Pettus Archives and Special Collections

Series

Great Depression, Faculty and Staff

Disciplines

Oral History

Keywords

1930s, Biology, rules and regulations, salary

Recommended Citation

Potter, Carrie Isabel, "Interview with Isabel Potter - OH 089" (1980). Winthrop University Oral History Program. OH 089.
https://digitalcommons.winthrop.edu/oralhistoryprogram/198