Winthrop University Oral History Program

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  Interview with David A. White - OH 635

  David Altman White

  OH 635

  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 David Altman White (1935-2024), who served on the Winthrop University Board of Trustees from 1990 to 2002, including a term as Chair beginning in 1998. Prior to his tenure on the Board, Mr. White was a member of the Winthrop Foundation Board from approximately 1985 to 1990. An attorney who began practicing in the area during the 1960s, he worked alongside longtime Board of Trustees member John T. Roddey. In this discussion, Mr. White shares his experiences and insights from working with President Dr. Anthony DiGiorgio, reflecting on his contributions to Winthrop's growth and development.

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  Interview with Gina Price White - OH 172

  Gina Price White

  OH 172

  This interview was conducted by Amber Kelley for her History 590 capstone course with Mrs. Gina Price White, Director of the Louise Pettus Archives and Special Collections at Winthrop University. Drawing on her extensive research and familiarity with institutional records, Mrs. White discusses the early history of Winthrop and its relocation from Columbia to Rock Hill in the 1890s.

  Mrs. White explains that the move resulted from the school outgrowing its original facilities in Columbia and the transition to state support in 1891. She outlines the formal bidding process through which various towns and cities competed to host the institution, emphasizing that the process was largely fair and based on the quality of proposals submitted. According to her account, Rock Hill ultimately secured Winthrop by offering the most attractive package of financial and material incentives, including land, building materials, and local support.

  The interview also addresses the roles of key figures such as Benjamin Tillman and David Bancroft Johnson. Mrs. White clarifies that while Tillman, as governor and a member of the Board of Trustees, held influence, the decision-making process involved a committee review of bids and final approval by the state legislature. She highlights Johnson’s leadership and the committee’s role in evaluating proposals, noting that the final decision was driven primarily by practical and economic considerations rather than any single individual’s preference.

  Additionally, Mrs. White addresses common misconceptions about the move, including assumptions about political or social motivations, and emphasizes that institutional needs and local incentives were the primary determining factors. Overall, the interview provides insight into the administrative, political, and economic context surrounding Winthrop’s relocation and the collaborative process that shaped its establishment in Rock Hill.

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  Interview with Julia C. White - OH 508

  Julia C. White

  OH 508

  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 Rev. Walter Banks White - OH 675

  Walter Banks White and Emmett Scott High School

  OH 675

  This interview was conducted by Dr. George Garrison with Reverend Walter White as part of the History of Emmett Scott High School project. Emmett Scott was the segregated African American high school named after Emmett Scott a former aid to Booker T. Washington and President Woodrow Wilson. Emmett Scott High School opened in 1920 and was closed in 1970 with the integration of the Rock Hill South Carolina School District. Reverend White attended Emmett Scott in the 1940s and graduated in the class of 1947. He discusses his childhood growing up in Rock Hill in the 1930s and ‘40s and his experience at Emmett Scott as a student. Reverend White also discusses his career in education and ministry and the influence Emmett Scott had in his life and the surrounding community. Reverend White Discusses at length impact of segregation on the education system both before and after integration. He details the struggles faced by minority students as well as the educators even after integration.

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  Interview with Phyllis Whitmire - OH 315

  Phyllis Whitmire

  OH 315

  IN PROCESSING

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  Interview with Marjorie Whitney - OH 446

  Marjorie Whitney

  OH 446

  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 Eleanor Whittemore - OH 426

  Eleanor Whittemore

  OH 426

  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 Bel Wiley - OH 027

  Bel Wiley

  OH 027

  IN PROCESSING

  She received a B.A. degree in 1921 from Winthrop College and was a suffragette and daughter of Columbia suffrage leader, Lottie Hammond. This interview includes information about her life, education at Winthrop, and involvement in the suffragist movement, including the Junior Suffragist Club.

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  Interview with William Calandro - OH 720

  William Calandro, COVID-19 Pandemic, and Winthrop University

  OH 720

  This interview was conducted by Winthrop student Kennedy Lawrence ’24 with William “Bill” Calandro as part of Project 2020: A Collaborative Oral History on the Coronavirus Global Pandemic. Calandro, a native of Tampa, Florida, discusses his experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic and the major social and political events of 2020. At the time of the initial COVID-19 shutdown, Calandro was working in professional sports in South Florida for the Florida Panthers. He describes the abrupt cancellation of sporting events, the transition to remote work, and the decision by the Panthers to retain their full-time employees during the shutdown. He also discusses the introduction of COVID-19 vaccination requirements at his workplace and the gradual return to in-person work.

  Calandro reflects on the events of 2020 that received his greatest attention, particularly the Black Lives Matter movement and the civil unrest that followed. He also discusses his limited engagement with the 2020 election and his decision not to vote. The interview addresses his perceptions of the gradual return to normalcy, including the resumption of professional sporting events and the return to his workplace in the fall of 2020.

  Calandro also discusses the longer-term effects of the pandemic on his professional and educational plans. He explains that the availability of remote work allowed him to continue working for the Florida Panthers while pursuing graduate studies in history at Winthrop University. He describes his decision to leave full-time employment with the Panthers to pursue history and how the option to continue working remotely made it possible for him to maintain a connection to his former career while attending classes. At the time of the interview, Calandro was completing a master’s degree in history and planned to pursue doctoral studies. The interview provides insight into the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on employment, professional sports, higher education, and individual educational and career decisions.

  William Fredrick “Bill” Calandro (b. 1994) is a native of Tampa, Florida, and was a graduate student and graduate assistant in the Department of History at Winthrop University. At the time of the interview, he resided in Columbia, South Carolina.

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  Interview with Ernest D. Williams - OH 125

  Ernest D. Williams

  OH 125

  IN PROCESSING

  Subjects include background information, President of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) and running for political office.

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  Interview with Gary L. Williams - OH 549

  Gary L. Williams, Rock Hill Printing and Finishing Company, Bleachery, and Alexander Keith Windham

  OH 549

  Gary Williams is a local businessman for Rock Hill, through his efforts he has redeveloped the Cotton Factory, and is currently as of 2017 working as a developer for University Center. In the interview he details the process by which he came to move his office to the old Rock Hill Cotton Factory Building and how he has helped in the redevelopment of the Rock Hill Printing and Finishing Company known as Knowledge Park along the Textile Corridor. He also talked at length about Rock Hill, SC’s development as well.

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  Interview with Jennie Williams - OH 496

  Jennie Williams

  OH 496

  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 David Williamson, Jr. - OH 669

  David Williamson Jr., Emmett Scott High School, Friendship College, Friendship Nine, and Civil Rights

  OH 669

  This interview was conducted by Dr. George Garrison with David Williamson for his Emmett Scott History Project. David Williamson was a member of the Friendship Nine that participated in nonviolent protests in Rock Hill South Carolina. The Friendship Nine spent 30 days in jail in 1961 after being convicted of trespassing for sitting at an all-white lunch counter at McCrory’s. This sparked the “Jail, No Bail” strategy that developed as a part of the Civil Rights Movement and protests. Mr. Williamson grew up in Rock Hill and attended Emmett Scott High School and Friendship Junior College. Emmett Scott was the segregated high school for African Americans which was named for Emmett Scott a former aide to Booker T. Washington and President Woodrow Wilson. The school was opened in 1920 and closed in 1970 when full integration was implemented in the Rock Hill School district. Mr. Williamson discusses his childhood and growing up in the black community of Rock Hill. He details his education and experiences at Emmett Scott High School as well as the impact that school made on him and the black community in general. Mr. Isaiah Reid is also present in the interview and relates how the school impacted the local community.

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  Interview with Margaret Williamson - OH 065

  Margaret Williamson

  OH 065

  In her October 2, 2014 interview with Rebecca Nave, Margaret Williamson speaks of her time at Winthrop University during its transition into a coed institution. She talks of her involvement in various student organizations and athletics. She also talks of the changes in Winthrop, diversity wise, from when she was a student in 1974 to an employee at Winthrop today. This interview was conducted for inclusion into the Louise Pettus Archives and Special Collections Oral History Program.

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  Interview with Samuel Saye Williams, Jr. - OH 551

  Samuel Saye Williams Jr., Rock Hill Printing and Finishing Company, Bleachery, and Alexander Keith Windham

  OH 551

  In his May 16, 2017 interview with Alex Windham, Samuel Saye Williams, Jr. detailed his thoughts and memories of his time at the Rock Hill Printing and Finishing Company referred to locals as the Bleachery. Williams spoke of the time period of the 1960s through the 1970s. His discussions touched on the follow topics: Segregation; integration; race relations; plant management; day to day job responsibilities and actions; technology changes; worker attitudes; and his time as a mechanic at South Carolina Department of Transportation;

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  Interview with Thomas L. "Pookie" Williams - OH 550

  Thomas L. Williams, Rock Hill Printing and Finishing Company, Bleachery, and Alexander Keith Windham

  OH 550

  In his June 5, 2017 interview with Alex Windham, Pookie Williams detailed his thoughts and memories of his time at the Rock Hill Printing and Finishing Company referred to locals as the Bleachery. Williams spoke of the time period of the 1950s through 2017 and on the follow topics: Segregation, integration, race relations, plant management, day to day job responsibilities and actions, technology changes, the buyout of the Bleachery by Springs, worker attitudes, the decline of the Bleachery, family, and finally retirement to the year 2017.

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  Interview with Wilma - OH 506

  Wilma

  OH 506

  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 Clarence L. Wilson - OH 155

  Clarence Luther Wilson

  OH 155

  This interview was conducted with Clarence Luther Wilson (1917-1993) and his wife, Doris Griffin Wilson (1918-2006) 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 093) with Vera Taylor Johnston (1913-1988), and an interview (OH 096) with Calvin F. Stallings.

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  Interview with Elizabeth Moody Wilson - OH 371

  Elizabeth Moody Wilson, Fort Mill Manufacturing Company, Springs Industries, and Nancy Biggs Thomas Wofford

  OH 371

  This interview with Elizabeth Moody Wilson was conducted by Nancy Thomas Wofford for her 1984 Winthrop thesis titled, Fort Mill: Transition From A Farming To A Textile Community, 1880-1920. Subjects include Fort Mill Manufacturing Co., Springs Industries, Ivey’s Mill in Fort Mill, Catawba Power Company. The Evolution of the Early Cotton Textile Mills in York County, SC.

  Elizabeth Allison Moody Wilson (1895-1986) was born in Hall County, Georgia where she worked in the cotton fields. She began working for Springs in 1926 in the spinning room and moved to the weaving room one year later. She discusses going to work picking cotton at a young age and picking 300 pounds of cotton a day at 12 years old. At 14 she got her first mill job at 14 years old in the spinning room at the Pacolet Manufacturing Company. By 1926 she was working in the Fort Mill Manufacturing Company. She discusses many aspects of Mill life including working while having children at home and children working in the mills at age 14 with permits, costs of everyday items, union organizers, child labor laws, and how the Mill operated on a daily basis. She discusses mill village life living in Fort Mill generally and the flood of 1916.

  * The interview generally starts around the 5-minute mark. The audio has an echo of the same interview in the background.

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  Interview with James Russell Wilson Sr. and Alan Whiteside - OH 084

  James Russell Wilson Sr. and Alan Whiteside

  OH 084

  This is a collection of interviews done in a series by students as an oral history project. Some of the interviews were used for the Bicentennial edition of the Lancaster News, April 9, 1976.

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  Interview with Lucy Wilson - OH 484

  Lucy Wilson

  OH 484

  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 Melford Wilson - OH 079

  Melford Alonzo Wilson

  OH 079

  This interview was done by Debbie Mollycheck for articles for the Johnsonian (student newspaper). Debbie Mollycheck is a Winthrop College graduate with a Bachelor of Arts in 1976 and a Master of Science in 1979. The Wilson interview concerns his run for a Rock Hill City Council seat. Dr. Melford Wilson (1939-2024) was a Winthrop professor of Political Science for over fifty years, started the Winthrop Model United Nations, and served at one time as the director of the International Center and Vice President for Academic Affairs. In the interview, Dr. Wilson describes his decision to run for Rock Hill City Council and also discusses his experience during the campaign. During the discussion, he talks about the amount of registered voters in District Six and explains the makeup of District Six. Dr. Wilson would go on to win the seat on the Rock Hill City Council in 1978 and ran for reelection in 1979.

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  Interview with W. H. Winborne - OH 331

  W. H. Winborne

  OH 331

  In his July 1984 interview with Michael Cooke, W. H. Winborne described his work with the Orangeburg Area Sickle Cell Anemia Foundation, the Family Health Center, and the outreach programs related to the foundation. Winborne discussed DHEC’s involvement with sickle cell anemia prevention, the foundation’s role, and the community’s response to the program efforts. This interview was conducted for inclusion into the Louise Pettus Archives and Special Collections Oral History Program.

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  Witches of York “Weird Legends of the Past” - Acc. 186, No. 109

  Witches and York County Multiethnic Heritage Project

  Accession 186, No. 109

  This recording features an unnamed woman reading an article from the Charlotte Observer, dated August 21, 1927, titled “Weird Legends out of the Past: Witches of York,” by Earnest Jackson. The article recounts four legends of witchcraft from York County, South Carolina, describing beliefs and stories that had been preserved through local tradition. Jackson notes that two of the accounts, concerning Mrs. Bobbi Fox and Mrs. Rebecca Biggert, were related by Dr. Maurice A. Moore, a York County historian and investigator who died in 1899. The stories of Mrs. Abigail McPherson and Abner Wayne were reportedly preserved through oral tradition and had not previously appeared in print.

  The recording relates the four stories in detail. The account of Mrs. Bobbi Fox describes her alleged ability to cast spells and an attempt by local residents to cure Nathaniel Rainy by obtaining her blessing. The story of Mrs. Abigail McPherson concerns a woman reputed to transform herself into a crow and spy on her neighbors. Mrs. Rebecca Biggert is described as a witch who allegedly rode Moses Gatty at night to gatherings of witches, while a local “witch doctor” eventually claimed to cure him. The final story, concerning Abner Wayne, describes his attempt to spy on a New Year’s gathering of witches by hiding in a chimney, where he was discovered, covered with pins, and expelled from the gathering. The recording preserves the article’s descriptions of these legends, including references to local places, families, and traditions in York County.

  The recording includes several interruptions and fades, including telephone ringing, brief periods of missing audio, and an instruction to turn the tape over before the second part of the reading. A child can also be heard laughing briefly during the recording. The material provides documentation of early twentieth-century efforts to preserve and recount York County folklore and oral traditions.

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  Interview with Wade Hampton Witherspoon - OH 134

  Wade Hampton Witherspoon

  OH 134

  This interview was conducted with Mr. Wade Hampton Witherspoon (1908-1996) and his wife Emma K. (possibly Kershaw) Witherspoon (1915-1995). The first half of the interview is with Emma Witherspoon and she discusses her family and childhood growing up in South Carolina. She discusses her education and attending college and then her teaching career, as well as her experiences living in South Carolina. The second part of the recording beginning at the 1:02:32 mark consists of the interview with Mr. W. H. Witherspoon. Mr. Witherspoon graduated from the Colored Normal Industrial Agricultural and Mechanical College of South Carolina (now South Carolina State University) in 1930. He is a Rock Hill native attending Emmett Scott when it opened and later became principal on Emmett Scott High School from 1959-1967. In the interview Mr. Witherspoon discusses Rock Hill history, his childhood, his family, and his education. A large portion of his interview includes his discussion on the education of African Americans in South Carolina with a focus on secondary education. He touches on the Civil Rights movement in Rock Hill, SC towards the end of the interview.