Interviewer
Jane Odom
Files
Abstract
This interview was conducted by Jane Odom with Dr. Harold Brite Gilbreth as part of Odom’s research for her thesis on coeducation at Winthrop University. Dr. Harold Brite Gilbreth (1908–1988) worked at Winthrop College from 1935 to 1974 as a professor of Business, chairman of the Department of Business and Economics, and director of Graduate Studies. Gilbreth discusses his involvement in efforts to transition Winthrop from an all-women’s college to a coeducational institution, beginning with early discussions and a faculty-trustee committee formed in the 1940s to study the possibility of coeducation. He describes arguments for and against admitting male students, including concerns about women’s safety, athletics, leadership opportunities, institutional identity, declining enrollment, and Winthrop’s financial future. He also discusses the relationship between coeducation and racial integration, noting that opposition to admitting male students was sometimes connected to fears about the admission of Black men.
Gilbreth recounts the influence of South Carolina Senator Marion Gressette and his opposition to coeducation and integration, including his recollection of the dissolution of the early faculty-trustee committee following a meeting with Gressette. He describes his own participation in a South Carolina Senate hearing on coeducation, where he spoke in favor of admitting male students and faced questioning from Gressette. Gilbreth also discusses the roles and opinions of Winthrop faculty, alumni, trustees, students, and legislators, noting that opposition among alumni was particularly vocal despite the absence of a formal poll. He explains the legal circumstances that required legislative action to change Winthrop’s status as the state college for women and discusses the gradual implementation of coeducation, including the admission of men to graduate, summer, and other special programs. Gilbreth also comments on Walter Schrader, the first male to receive a degree from Winthrop, and Cynthia Roddey, the first Black woman admitted to Winthrop College. The interview provides firsthand insight into the institutional, economic, legal, social, and racial issues surrounding Winthrop’s transition to coeducation.
Publication Date
7-7-1981
Unique Identifier
OH 621
Format
1 Cassette; MP3; WAV;
Length
00:35:25
Restrictions
Open under the rules and regulations of the Louise Pettus Archives and Special Collections at Winthrop University
Series
Coeducation
Disciplines
Law
Recommended Citation
Gilbreth, Harold Brite, "Interview with Harold Brite Gilbreth - OH 621" (1981). Winthrop University Oral History Program. OH 621.
https://digitalcommons.winthrop.edu/oralhistoryprogram/546