Interviewer
Emily Deinert
Files
Abstract
In this March 12 interview, A/V Archivist Emily Deinert speaks with Karen Ona Carnes Holt about her experiences as a student at Winthrop University. Holt, who was born in Fayetteville and raised in Monroe, North Carolina, discusses her decision to attend Winthrop despite the higher out-of-state tuition and describes graduating in December 1976 after three and a half years in order to save her family the cost of an additional semester. She later returned to Winthrop for graduate study in Reading, completing her master’s degree in 1979.
Holt describes her experiences living on campus, including her freshman year in Bancroft Hall, dormitory rules, quiet hours, fire drills, housemothers, hall activities, and the close friendships she developed with other students. She recalls the limited communication available to students before cell phones and email, including dormitory telephones, mailboxes, letters, and care packages. She also discusses the streaking movement that occurred during her freshman year and describes the attention it received on campus, including the involvement of both students and a professor.
A significant portion of the interview focuses on Winthrop’s transition to coeducation during Holt’s freshman year. She recalls the excitement among female students when men were admitted and describes the first group of male students living in the Bancroft Annex. Holt also discusses differences in the accommodations provided to male and female students, particularly the new beds and air conditioning provided to the men while female students continued to use fans. She reflects on how the arrival of male students changed the culture and atmosphere of the campus.
Holt discusses her academic experiences as a Special Education major, including her coursework in education and teaching methods and the professors who influenced her. She explains that her interest in teaching developed from her longstanding appreciation for teachers and education and that her decision to specialize in Special Education was influenced by her experiences caring for two children with intellectual disabilities who lived across the street from her family. She describes feeling well prepared for her teaching career and discusses her graduate studies in Reading at Winthrop, which she began shortly after earning her bachelor’s degree. She also describes financial assistance for graduate tuition provided through Springs Industries while she was teaching in Lancaster.
The interview also addresses Holt’s involvement in the Council for Exceptional Children, her social life and friendships at Winthrop, and the ways students created their own entertainment through campus movies, birthdays, card games, and visits to friends’ homes. She reflects on changes to the Winthrop campus and Rock Hill since her student years and describes her continued connection to the university. Holt concludes by discussing the lasting influence of Winthrop on her life and career, noting that she taught for 34 years and continued to take pride in the education and preparation she received at the university.
Publication Date
3-12-2018
Unique Identifier
OH 525
Format
MP3; WAV;
Length
00:49:50
Restrictions
Open under the rules and regulations of the Louise Pettus Archives and Special Collections at Winthrop University
Recommended Citation
Holt, Karen Ona Carnes, "Interview with Karen Holt - OH 525" (2018). Winthrop University Oral History Program. OH 525.
https://digitalcommons.winthrop.edu/oralhistoryprogram/782