The Oral History Program's mission is to record unique life histories, documenting historical events and memories of our time by preserving and adding these voices to the historical record. The Pettus Archives have been collecting and preserving stories, personal accounts, and recollections through recorded interviews as part of the Oral History Program since 1973. The Archives holds more than 800 interviews in audio, video and text formats, on a wide variety of subjects, including life at Winthrop, Rock Hill, SC and the Catawba Region and people, mill life and workers, American Wars and conflicts, Veteran History Project, women in politics and society, African American, and many other topics.
Disclaimer: The content of oral history interviews are personal and interpretive in nature, relying on memories, experiences, perceptions, and opinions of the interviewee. They do not represent the policy, views, or official history of Winthrop University and the University makes no assertions about the veracity of statements made by individuals participating in the Oral History Program.
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Interview with Olive Bertha Smith - OH 167
Olive Bertha Smith
OH 167
Olive Bertha Smith from Spartanburg County, South Carolina (1888-1988) graduated from Winthrop College in 1913 and served as a Baptist missionary in China for 42 years (1917-1959). She is also the author of several inspirational books, and is credited for her work as a part of the “Shantung revival” in China in the late 1920s. In this interview, Ms. Smith discusses her teaching career after graduating from Winthrop, attending seminary in Kentucky in 1914, getting into the mission field, church services and activities, teaching night school in her community, and leaving for China. She discusses her 42 years in China as a Baptist missionary, having to retire at 70 years old, the Foreign Mission Board, learning the language, training for missions work, working in China and Taiwan, and teaching English to the children. Ms. Smith also discusses her first book, Go Home and Tell (1965), which was used as a study book and became a best seller. She also briefly mentions her second and third books. Ms. Smith discusses her class pin, her involvement with religious groups at Winthrop College, her homesickness while in China, Chiang Kai-shek, her personal relationship with God, small religious communities from the past, cooking Chinese food, her travels to speak at different churches after retirement, her memories of Dr. David B. Johnson, and Dr. Glen Thomas.
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Interview with Benjamin Gordon - OH 367
South Carolina Legislative Black Caucus
OH 367
IN PROCESSING
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Interview with Julia Souza, Mary Soon, and Kazuko Kurose - OH 436
Julia Souza, Mary Soon, and Kazuko Kurose
OH 436
IN PROCESSING
Interviews with extension members and agents throughout the country documenting the history and development of the extension movement in the U.S. The interviews describe homemaking, child bearing and family management in the small towns and rural areas where they live. They also discuss the role of extension homemakers groups in their lives.
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Interview with Frances Lander Spain - OH 081
Frances Lander Spain
OH 081
In her April 26, 1980 interview with Arnold M. Shankman, the 1925 graduate
of Winthrop University, Frances Lander Spain, discusses her life and accomplishments.
Spain goes into detail about her academic career prior to, during, and after her years at Winthrop, Emory University, and the University of Chicago. She discusses her work in the American Library Association, her library work in Thailand, as well as the contributions she made to the New York Public Library. In addition, Spain recounts more personal aspects of her life pertaining to her mother, husband-who had passed away by the time this interview took place, and the lives of her children.
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Interview with Hiram Spain - OH 140
Hiram Spain
OH 140
IN PROCESSING
Hiram Spain discusses his background, work at Dept. of Social Services, problems with taking the bar exam in South Carolina and the urban league.
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Interview with Frances D. Spencer - OH 343
Frances Dellinger Spencer
Oh 343
This interview was conducted by Derinda Fredrickson for the Winthrop College Chalkboard Chalkdust Project with Mrs. Frances Dellinger Spencer (1922-2014), a retired teacher and principal in the North Carolina public school system. The interview took place on April 9, 1984, in Gastonia, North Carolina.
In the interview, Mrs. Spencer reflects on her path into education, describing how family influences and limited professional opportunities for women shaped her decision to become a teacher. She recounts overcoming social and economic barriers to attend college, ultimately earning her degree in 1943 from Asheville Teachers College. She provides detailed insight into her teacher training, emphasizing its strong focus on classroom management, instructional methods, and adaptability.
Mrs. Spencer discusses her early teaching experiences, including her unconventional student teaching during World War II, when she assumed full responsibility for a classroom without supervision. She also recalls her first teaching position in rural North Carolina, highlighting both the challenges and expectations placed on teachers at the time, including community involvement and professional conduct.
Throughout the interview, she compares past and present educational practices, noting differences in teacher preparation, classroom resources, and administrative oversight. She describes her student-centered teaching philosophy, which emphasized creativity, individualized instruction, peer learning, and mutual respect in the classroom. She also reflects on broader changes in education, including increased specialization, federal involvement, and evolving expectations for teachers.
In addition, Mrs. Spencer discusses her transition into school administration after more than two decades in the classroom, explaining her belief that experienced educators are best equipped to lead schools. She offers perspectives on teacher evaluation, professional development, and the importance of mentorship for beginning teachers.
Overall, the interview provides a detailed account of mid-twentieth-century public education in North Carolina and offers thoughtful reflections on effective teaching practices, the evolution of the profession, and the qualities necessary for successful educators.
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Interview with Joanne H. Spring - OH 181
Joanne H. Spring
OH 181
IN PROCESSING
The Travelers (often referred to as “Gypsies”) are descendants of the Irish subculture of itinerant Irish men and women who emigrated from Ireland to the northern U.S. after the famine of 1840 and then migrated to the southeastern U.S. They settled in Aiken County, South Carolina in 1963. Interviewees include Peter Carroll, a Traveler who talks about the Traveler’s history, lifestyle and hopes for their children’s future, Joanne H. Spring, a newspaper reporter from North Augusta, who wrote about the Travelers, Mim Woodring of' the Aiken County Council, and Dudley Posey, a funeral director who describes burial practices of the Travelers.
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Interview with Calvin F. Stallings - OH 96
Calvin Forrest Stallings
OH 096
This interview was conducted with Mr. Calvin Forrest Stallings (1915-1982) and his wife, Alvie Carauth Stallings (1920-2002) regarding their experiences working in a local mill. They discuss family life, work attitudes, and experiences growing up in the area. Also discussed are mill villages, black-white relations, unionization, and mill prospects for the future.
This interview was conducted by Victoria Hickcox who was a junior Sociology major at Wellesley College, Wellesley, Mass. The interviews result from her participation in an exchange program involving a study of mill villages. Dr. Jack Turner, Sociology Dept., helped coordinate the research at Winthrop. The original cassette contained three separate interviews conducted by Victoria for the project which included this one, an interview (OH 155) with Clarence Luther Wilson (1917-1993) and Doris Griffin Wilson (1918-2006), and an interview (OH 93) with Vera Taylor Johnston (1913-1988),
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Interview with Dennis Stamper - OH 127
Dennis Stamper
OH 127
In his January 12, 2015 interview with Michelle Dubert-Bellrichard, Dennis Stamper shares his memories of being one of the first male, day students from 1969-1972. Stamper details his studies and professors from the Philosophy and Religion Department, as well as the Psychology Department. Stamper includes his perception of the atmosphere at Winthrop during a time of great change in the country, and how that experience coupled with his work in the Wesley Foundation and the influence he received from professors paved the way for he currently lives his life. Stamper concludes his interview detailing his studies and careers after Winthrop. This interview was conducted for inclusion into the Louise Pettus Archives and Special Collections Oral History Program.
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Interview with Tom Stanley - OH 628
Thomas Stanley
OH 628
This interview was conducted as part of the Winthrop History Project, an initiative led by Winthrop President Emeritus Dr. Anthony DiGiorgio and Rebecca Masters. The project aimed to document Winthrop’s transformation over Dr. DiGiorgio’s 24-year tenure, tracing the institution’s evolution from Winthrop College to Winthrop University. Designed to supplement Dr. Ross Webb’s The Torch is Passed, which chronicles Winthrop’s history up to Dr. DiGiorgio’s presidency, this project sought to provide a comprehensive account of this significant period.
A key component of the initiative was a series of recorded interviews with members of the extended Winthrop community who played a role in shaping the university’s progress. These firsthand narratives preserve the voices, experiences, and perspectives of those who contributed to Winthrop’s growth and development.
This interview features Thomas Stanley, who dedicated 27 years to Winthrop University before retiring in 2017 as the chair of the Department of Fine Arts. Appointed as the inaugural director of Winthrop University Galleries in 1990, Stanley advanced to department chair in 2007. In this conversation, he shares his experiences and insights from his tenure at Winthrop, including his interactions with President Dr. Anthony DiGiorgio.
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Interview with Leoda Starnes - OH 546
Leoda Eubanks Starnes, Rock Hill Printing and Finishing Company, Bleachery, and Alexander Keith Windham
OH 546
In her May 26, 2017 interview with Alex Windham, Leoda Eubanks Starnes (1925-2024) detailed her thoughts and memories of his time at the Rock Hill Printing and Finishing Company referred to locals as the Bleachery. Starnes spoke of the time period of the 1940s through 2017 and on the follow topics: race relations, day to day job responsibilities and actions, technology changes, worker attitudes, the decline of the Bleachery, family, her other occupations up until the year 2017. Mrs. Starnes also offered her opinions on the Bleachery compared to other textile jobs.
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Interview with Robert Star - OH 685
Robert Star and Emmett Scott High School
OH 685
This interview was conducted by Dr. George Garrison with Robert Starr for his History of Emmett Scott project. Emmett Scott High School was the segregated high school for African Americans, which was named after Emmett Scott, a former aid to Booker T. Washington and President Woodrow Wilson. The school opened in 1920 and closed in 1970 with the integration of the Rock Hill South Carolina School District. Mr. Starr attended Emmett Scott in the late 1940s. In this interview he discusses his experiences at Emmett Scott and how segregation affected him. He also discusses his career both in the military and after. Mr. Starr served in the US Navy during the time of the Korean War. Using his experience gained from the military Mr. Starr then went on the join the Merchant Marines, and later in his career he became a long-haul truck driver.
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Interview with Frances Patton Statham - OH 182
Frances Patton Statham
OH 182
Frances Patton Statham (1931-2020) was born in Catawba, South Carolina to Ernest Boyd & Kathleen Patton. She attended Winthrop College and graduated with a B.S. degree in 1951. The next year on June 28 Frances married Dr. George Wilkes Statham. Continuing her education, Mrs. Statham attended the University of Georgia and received a M.F.A in 1970. Frances also studied at the Royal Conservatory in Canada and with tenor Ralph Errolle. In November of 1976, France Patton Statham divorced her husband and moved to Atlanta, Georgia. Mrs. Statham has written several historical romances set in the south. In this interview, she discusses her discovery of an interest in writing, her inspiration behind her first novel, personal history as a part of living in the South, the necessity of accurate research for historical romance writing, her writing process, her experience with publishing, her decision to write historical romance novels instead of gothic novels, her other artistic interests, the relation between her music education and writing novels, the Dixie Council of Authors and Journalists, her involvement with Winthrop, her future plans, an approximation of her sales, and an explanation of book sales in foreign markets.
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Interview with Frances Patton Statham - OH 647
Frances Patton Statham
OH 647
Frances Patton Statham (1931-2020) was born in Catawba, South Carolina to Ernest Boyd & Kathleen Patton. She attended Winthrop College and graduated with a B.S. degree in 1951. The next year on June 28 Frances married Dr. George Wilkes Statham. Continuing her education, Mrs. Statham attended the University of Georgia and received a M.F.A in 1970. Frances also studied at the Royal Conservatory in Canada and with tenor Ralph Errolle. In November of 1976, France Patton Statham divorced her husband and moved to Atlanta, Georgia. Mrs. Statham has written several historical romances set in the south. In this interview, Mrs. Statham discusses the Winthrop College sextet, the changes in Winthrop since her time there, her work on the Winthrop College Foundation Board, her research in Europe for some of her novels (including Wings of Fire), “creative listening/looking” within her research process, her process for completing her novels, her latest novel To Face the Sun, the key to being a successful historical author, and the success of Wings of Fire.
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Interview with Lillian McCullom Steury - OH 480
Lillian Pearl McCullom Steury, National Extension Homemakers Council, and Voices of American Homemakers
OH 480
Lillian Pearl “Lillie” McCullom Steury (1902-2004), born and raised in Missouri, was an active member of the Missouri Extension Homemakers Club for more than 47 years. In this interview, she reflects on club life, homemaking, childbearing, and family management in the small towns and rural communities where she lived. She also discusses the important role that Extension Homemakers groups played in the lives of women during that time. This interview was conducted as part of a three-year oral history project titled Voices of American Homemakers, funded by a 1983 grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) and organized by the National Extension Homemakers Council (NEHC). The project resulted in approximately 200 interviews with women across the United States, documenting their experiences in the early homemakers club movement.
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Interview with Ida Crawford Stewart - OH 197
Ida Barksdale Crawford Stewart
OH 197
This interview was conducted by Winthrop archivist and professor Ron Chepesiuk for an article on Mrs. Ida Crawford Stewart for The State Magazine published on January 5, 1986 titled, “Estee Lauder’s Missionary.” Ida Crawford Stewart (1922-2023), art-educator, beautician and businesswoman, was a 1943 Winthrop College graduate and served as Director of Alumni Affairs at Winthrop College. She began her career at Estee Lauder in 1961 as Vice President and later Acting President for Estee Lauder Inc., New York The interview focuses on Stewart’s Winthrop experiences and her career.
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Interview with J. B. Stewart - OH 306
J. B. Stewart
OH 306
This interview focuses on Winthrop alumna Mrs. J. B. Stewart, class of 1933, and her time at Winthrop College. Mrs. J. B. Stewart attended Winthrop College from 1929-1933 and graduated magna cum lade. She was a French and English double major. In the interview, Mrs. Stewart discusses her classes and teachers at Winthrop College, dorm life and campus life, and what has changed on campus since she attended.
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Interview with Brenda Stone - OH 326
Brenda Stone
OH 326
In her June 1984 interview with Michael Cooke, Brenda Stone discussed her work with DHEC and her relationship with the community organizations that dealt with sickle cell. Stone discussed topics of DHEC’s role in handling sickle cell patients, the community organizations, and sickle cell patient care. This interview was conducted for inclusion into the Louise Pettus Archives and Special Collections Oral History Program.
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Interview with Gary Lee Stone- OH 629
Gary Lee Stone
OH 629
This interview was conducted as part of the Winthrop History Project, an initiative led by Winthrop President Emeritus Dr. Anthony DiGiorgio and Rebecca Masters. The project aimed to document Winthrop’s transformation over Dr. DiGiorgio’s 24-year tenure, tracing the institution’s evolution from Winthrop College to Winthrop University. Designed to supplement Dr. Ross Webb’s The Torch is Passed, which chronicles Winthrop’s history up to Dr. DiGiorgio’s presidency, this project sought to provide a comprehensive account of this significant period.
A key component of the initiative was a series of recorded interviews with members of the extended Winthrop community who played a role in shaping the university’s progress. These firsthand narratives preserve the voices, experiences, and perspectives of those who contributed to Winthrop’s growth and development.
This interview features Dr. Gary Lee Stone, Professor Emeritus of Economics at Winthrop University. Joining the faculty in August 1975, Dr. Stone served as the Director of Winthrop's Center for Economic Education and held the position of Chief Faculty Marshal for several decades. In this discussion, he reflects on his experiences at Winthrop and his interactions with President Dr. Anthony DiGiorgio.
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Interview with Jessie Lee Strong - OH 077
Jessie Lee Strong
OH 077
IN PROCESSING
A Rock Hill resident, most of the discussion concerns Mrs. Strong and her activities as a teacher and community leader, but also included is information on the Depression and the lives of African Americans in Rock Hill.
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Interview with Oriska Stroschein - OH 397
Oriska Stroschein
OH 397
IN PROCESSING
Interviews with extension members and agents throughout the country documenting the history and development of the extension movement in the U.S. The interviews describe homemaking, child bearing and family management in the small towns and rural areas where they live. They also discuss the role of extension homemakers groups in their lives.
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Interview with Katharine Strozier - OH 112
Katharine Strozier
OH 112
In her December 6, 1980 interview with Rebecca Myers, Katharine Strozier shares the details of her life at Winthrop from the time she was in Training School until the time she graduated. Included are the memories of her life after Winthrop as a teacher and how her mother lived after the death of President James P. Kinard. This interview was conducted for inclusion into the Louise Pettus Archives and Special Collections Oral History Program.
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Interview with Phyllis Sullivan - OH 458
Phyllis Sullivan
OH 458
IN PROCESSING
Interviews with extension members and agents throughout the country documenting the history and development of the extension movement in the U.S. The interviews describe homemaking, child bearing and family management in the small towns and rural areas where they live. They also discuss the role of extension homemakers groups in their lives.
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Interview with Sun City Residents - OH 726
Sun City Carolina Lakes and COVID-19 Pandemic
OH 726
The interview was conducted by Dr. O. Jennifer Dixon-McKnight and Michaela Bessinger with eight women from Sun City Carolina Lakes in Indian Land, SC as part of Project 2020: A Collaborative Oral History. The group provides critical insight into the COVID-19 pandemic and the 2020 experience. Topics of conversation include the COVID-19 pandemic, vaccination, social isolation, social justice, and political polarization, especially in regards to the 2020 U.S. Election and the Black Lives Matter movement. Other notable topics include the January 6th Attack on the Capitol (2021) and even travel experiences right before and during the pandemic. This all-female, retired group living in a 55-plus community provides a unique lens to examining the critical year 2020.
The interviewees include Wendy Anderson, Susan F. Bradley, Patricia Karlsson, Linda G. Neu, Barbara Riegel, Lorraine M. Russell, Paula Schmelzer, and Penelope A. Wilkinson. Most of the interviewees are natives of the Midwest and Northeast United States who ultimately retired in the Sun City Carolina Lakes Community of Indian Land, SC. Several have in fact served in the U.S. Foreign Service or worked in other capacities in the U.S. Intelligence Community.
Spearheaded by Dr. Dixon-McKnight, an Assistant Professor of History and African American Studies at Winthrop University, Project 2020 is best summarized in her words: “The goal was to conduct interviews that explored the various ways in which Americans were experiencing and being impacted by the various watershed moments that emerged during 2020 (the global pandemic, social unrest, financial challenges, issues with healthcare, etc.)."
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Interview with Susan O. Wallerstein - OH 772
Susan O. Wallerstein, COVID-19 Pandemic, and Sun City Carolina Lakes
OH 772
This interview was conducted by Dr. O. Jennifer Dixon-McKnight and Michaela Bessinger with Dr. Susan Wallerstein as part of Project 2020: A Collaborative Oral History. Dr. Wallerstein first details her personal and professional background; she later shares her experiences amid the COVID-19 pandemic and critical year 2020, particularly as a retired American living in Sun City Carolina Lakes. She notes how this period in her life opened the door to learning, reflection, and personal growth. A Francophile at heart, she also shares her love for language and culture. Notable topics of conversation include the COVID-19 pandemic, education, culture, civic engagement, social unrest, and political polarization.
Susan Olsen Wallerstein, Ph.D. (b. 1949), a native of Seattle, Washington, and longtime Connecticuter, is a retired education professional who now resides in Sun City Carolina Lakes in Indian Land, SC. In addition to her forty-year career as an educator and administrator, Dr. Wallerstein served on several local and state boards, notably as Chairwoman of the Norwalk Arts Commission (2014-2019). Dr. Wallerstein holds a B.A. and Ph.D. degree from the University of Connecticut and a M.A. degree from the University of Bridgeport.
Spearheaded by Dr. Dixon-McKnight, an Assistant Professor of History & African American Studies at Winthrop University, Project 2020 is best summarized in her words: “The goal was to conduct interviews that explored the various ways in which Americans were experiencing and being impacted by the various watershed moments that emerged during 2020 (the global pandemic, social unrest, financial challenges, issues with healthcare, etc.).”