Winthrop University Oral History Program

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  Interview with Anne Duncan - OH 285

  Anne Duncan

  OH 285

  In her January 7, 2014 interview with Cody Willis, Anne Duncan reminisces of her time at Winthrop from 1974-1978 as a Physical Education major. This interview was conducted for inclusion into the Louise Pettus Archives and Special Collections Oral History Program.

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  Interview with Donna C. Durst - OH 292

  Donna C. Durst

  OH 292

  This interview was conducted with 1983 Winthrop Graduate, Donna C. Durst who attended from 1979 to 1983. Donna is credited with writing the melody and co-writing the lyrics the Winthrop Alma Mater. She attended Winthrop due to it being a local and earned her degree in computer science in the College of Business. In the interview, Donna discusses the development of the Alma Mater and her experiences while attending Winthrop. She describes living in several different dormitories on campus while at Winthrop. She discusses the courses she took and how Winthrop has changed since she attended.

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  Interview with William Easley - OH 538

  William Easley, Rock Hill Printing and Finishing Company, Bleachery, and Alexander Keith Windham

  OH 538

  In his July 7, 2017 interview with Alex Windham, William Bill Easley detailed his thoughts and memories of his time associated with the Rock Hill Printing and Finishing Company referred to locals as the Bleachery. Easley spoke of the time of the 1920s through 2017 and on the follow topics: Race relations, his father Joseph Easley Assistant Plant Manager of the Bleachery and his childhood around his father, day-to-day job responsibilities and actions when he began work for Springs, technology changes, the buyout of the Bleachery by Springs, the decline of the Bleachery, his work as a Springs employee, his thoughts on the redevelopment of the Bleachery site into University Center at Knowledge Park and his activities until 2017. Also Easley offered his opinions on how Rock Hill was impacted by the Bleachery from the 1930s to 2017.

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  Interview with Doug Echols - OH 198

  A. Douglas Echols

  OH 198

  This interview was conducted for the as part of the Winthrop History Project spearheaded by Winthrop President Emeritus Dr. Anthony DiGiorgio and Rebecca Masters to “document the 24-year path of the original Winthrop College to becoming Winthrop University.” This effort was to produce a history of the institution and Dr. DiGiorgio’s tenure as president as a supplement to Dr. Ross Webb’s history of Winthrop (The Torch is Passed) that covered Winthrop history up to Dr. DiGiorgio becoming president. A key aspect of the project was a series of audio-taped interviews conducted with various members of the extended Winthrop community who participated in or helped guide the advancement of Winthrop over these years. That way, the Winthrop story will be told in an array of participants’ own words, own voices and from their own perspectives.

  This interview is with former Rock Hill Mayor and 1977 Winthrop Graduate (Education Specialist Degree in Administration), Doug Echols. In this interview Doug Echols discusses his relationship with Winthrop and in his experiences working with Former Winthrop President Anthony DiGiorgio in particular.

  Doug Echols was elected Rock Hill, SC mayor in 1998 and served five terms until he stepped away from public office in 2018. Before being elected mayor, he served two four-year terms on the City Council. Mayor Echols also worked at Winthrop from 1982-89 as Winthrop’s associate director of athletics and coliseum manager. He then became the first commissioner of the South Atlantic Conference, retiring from that position in 2008 after 19 years. Mayor Echols wife, Sylvia was also a Winthrop graduate (Class of 1973).

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  Interview with Emma Reid Echols - OH 190

  Emma Reid Echols

  OH 190

  This is a recording of Emma Reid Echols (1903-2002) reading out a history of education among the Catawba Indians, called A Long Road to Education for the Catawba Indians. She begins by quoting a speech given at Winthrop University given by a Catawba Indian graduating from Rock Hill High School celebrating the education opportunities the Catawba have received. She then discusses the beginnings of education on the Catawba reservation, including a lady in Lancaster who opened her school to some Catawba at the end of the Civil War. She quotes a doctor who commented on the poverty of the Catawba reservation, including the state of their homes and clothes. Two boys, Ben and Robert Harris, did chores for a local woman in exchange for learning to read. They became involved with Catawba leadership as adults. She describes the first rudimentary schoolhouse being built on the reservation in 1897, and its first teacher Mrs. Dunlap. She talks about the Mormon missionary teachers that came after to educate the Catawba. She goes into detail on the different educators and their histories before educating the Catawba. She discusses Chief Sam Blue and his encouragement for Catawba education. She continues quoting various teaches and doctors who had experience with the Catawba Indians in regard to education, explaining the development of education on the reservation.

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  Interview with Lillian Eckert - OH 433

  Lillian Eckert

  OH 433

  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 Allen David Edwards - OH 224

  Allen David Edwards

  OH 224

  This is an interview with Dr. Allen David Edwards (1905-2004) who taught at Winthrop College from 1944 to 1971. Mr. Edwards talks about Winthrop College and the combined Sociology and Social Work Department and how these have changed and developed over the time that he worked there and after he left. As he discusses Winthrop policy changes, he talks about the changes in uniforms, the shift to being a co-ed college, and the change from a single college with many departments to Winthrop having multiple colleges each with multiple departments under them. He then talks about the connections that were forged between Winthrop and York County while he was there. Mr. Edwards also mentions Winthrop’s presidents and faculty members that were fired while Mr. Edwards was at Winthrop. He ends with what he went on to do after leaving Winthrop College.

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  Interview with Zilphia Edwards - OH 470

  Zilphia Edwards

  OH 470

  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 Elizabeth Moore - OH 748

  Elizabeth Moore, Winthrop University, and COVID-19 Pandemic

  OH 748

  This interview was conducted by Dr. O. Jennifer Dixon-McKnight and Michaela Bessinger with Elizabeth Moore as part of Project 2020: A Collaborative Oral History. Moore discusses personal, professional, and educational challenges amid the COVID-19 pandemic. In the process, she sheds light on Winthrop University’s response to the pandemic, specifically as a Residence Life staff member. Notable topics of conversation include the vaccine debate, COVID-19 health protocols, residence life, and the greater challenges that Winthrop and other higher education institutions faced in the critical year 2020.

  Elizabeth Moore, a native of Lexington County, SC, is the Academic Advisor for the Richard W. Riley College of Education, Sport, and Human Sciences’ Student Academic Services at Winthrop University. She previously worked in Residence Life at Winthrop. Moore holds a B.A. degree from Winthrop, an M.B.A. degree from USC-Columbia, and a M.Ed. degree from Northeastern University.

  Spearheaded by Dr. Dixon-McKnight, Assistant Professor of History and African American studies, 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 John Lee "Bird" Ellis - OH 709

  John Lee Ellis and Emmett Scott High School

  OH 709

  This interview was conducted by Dr. George Garrison with John Lee (Bird) Ellis for Dr. Garrison’s project on the History of Emmett Scott High School. Emmett Scott was the segregated high school for African-Americans, which was named after Emmett Scott, a former aide to Booker T. Washington and President Woodrow Wilson. The school opened in 1920 and closed in 1970 when full integration was implemented in Rock Hill, South Carolina schools. In this interview, Mr. Ellis discusses his family history, including his maternal grandfather who was a slave owned by the Barnes family, known in Rock Hill for owning Comporium. Mr. Ellis discusses at length his experiences growing up in Rock Hill and his education starting at a Rosenwald School and continuing at Emmett Scott. Mr. Ellis also discusses his military service and career after attending Emmett Scott High School. Mr. Ellis details extensively his musical career as well as the career of his brother, Jimmy Ellis, who was the lead singer for The Trammps, their most famous song was ‘Disco Inferno’.

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  Interview with Emmy Peace - OH 751

  Emmy Peace, Winthrop University, and COVID-19 Pandemic

  OH 751

  This interview was conducted by William Calandro with Emmy Peace as part of Project 2020: A Collaborative Oral History. Peace discusses in detail their experiences amid the COVID-19 pandemic and the critical year 2020, notably as a high school and later college student. Peace details the effects of the pandemic on their education as well as their personal and social life. Notable topics of conversation include mental health, vaccination, social isolation, education, virtual learning, race, civil unrest, and social activism. Peace also touches on the issue of political polarization as well as the 2020 U.S. Presidential Election and its aftermath.

  Emmy Peace (b. 2004) is a native of Red Bank, Lexington County, S.C. At the time of interview, Peace studied Graphic Design at Winthrop University.

  Spearheaded by Dr. O. Jennifer 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 Sara English - OH 652

  Sara English

  OH 652

  This interview was conducted for the as part of the 20^th Anniversary of the September 11^th Terrorist Attacks on the United States. This effort was to produce a history of the university’s, as well as the community’s, response in the days and weeks following the attacks. A key aspect of the project was a series of audio-taped interviews conducted with various members of the Rock Hill and Winthrop communities who felt their stories needed to be shared.

  This interview is of Ms. Sara English, Assistant Professor of Social Work at Winthrop University. In her interview with Andrew Russell, Dr. Sara English discusses her memories and thoughts of the September 11, 2001 attacks. Dr. English describes her experiences during the attacks, the response of the local area she was in at the time, as well as the country as a whole.

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  Interview with Eric Udy - OH 770

  Eric Udy, Winthrop University, and COVID-19 Pandemic

  OH 770

  This interview was conducted by William “Bill” Calandro with Eric Udy as part of Project 2020: A Collaborative Oral History. Udy shares his experiences amid the COVID-19 pandemic and critical year 2020. He notes the challenges he faced as a young American making a move halfway across the country during a public health crisis. As a college student, he notes the evolution of the classroom experience in terms of COVID-19 protocols, remote learning, and the lack of social interaction. He also describes the turn to a virtual worship experience and its impact on the Church. Other notable topics of conversation include the COVID-19 vaccination debate, inflation, social unrest, police brutality, political polarization, and the 2020 U.S. Presidential Election.

  Eric Udy (b. 1995) was born in St. Louis, Missouri but grew up in a suburb of Chicago, Illinois. In 2020, he relocated to York County, S.C. and began studying Middle Level Education with an emphasis in Social Studies at Winthrop University; he has since graduated (May 2023). He previously studied at Waubonsee Community College.

  Spearheaded by Dr. O. Jennifer 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.).”

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  Interview with Sam J. Ervin - OH 123

  Sam J. Ervin Jr.

  OH 123

  In his March 7, 1981 interview with John Cissell, Sam Ervin recounts his work as a U.S. Senator for North Carolina. Ervin explains his defense of Jim Crow Laws and his involvement in an investigative committee that unveiled the Watergate Scandal. This interview was conducted for inclusion into the Louise Pettus Archives and Special Collections Oral History Program.

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  Interview with Leroy Erwin - OH 667

  Leroy Erwin, Emmett Scott High School, and Civil Rights

  OH 667

  This interview was conducted by Dr. George Garrison with Leroy Erwin for his history of Emmett Scott High School project. Emmett Scott was the segregated high school for the African Americans in Rock Hill, South Carolina. It was named for Emmett Scott, a former aide to Booker T. Washington and President Woodrow Wilson. Emmett Scott High School was opened in 1920 and closed in 1970 with the full integration of the Rock Hill School District. Mr. Erwin attended Rock Hill High and was responsible for the student walk-out march in protest of the closing of Emmett Scott. As a result of the march Emmett Scott’s colors were integrated into the colors for Rock Hill High. As a result of this march two seats on the School Board were also opened up for African Americans.

  Emmett Scott was the segregated high school for African-Americans which was named after Emmett Scott, a former aide to Booker T. Washington and President Woodrow Wilson. The school was opened in 1920 and was closed in 1970 when full integration was implemented in Rock Hill, SC schools.

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  Interview with Jeuel Bannister Esmacher - OH 144

  Jeuel Bannister Esmacher

  OH 144

  Jeuel Bannister Esmacher (1924-2022) attended Winthrop College from 1940 to her graduation in December of 1943. In this interview, she discusses her admission to Winthrop, her family, her decision to major in music, her classes and favorite professors (George Trumble and Dr. Roberts), her experience as a female band director for a high school, her experience with travelling to the University of Georgia for a charity event during World War II, her health issues and experience at the Winthrop infirmary, her experience as a music counselor at a girls summer camp, dorm life, her experience as a part of a band called “the Swanks,” Winthrop traditions, her experience with coupons during WWII, Winthrop during WWII, meeting her husband, her experience with cryptology courses and codebreaking in Washington D.C. during WWII, the Air Force cadets’ classes at Winthrop College during the war, her experience learning Japanese during the war and then Russian immediately after, her experience working at Arlington Hall, her life after she resigned from cryptography in 1950, and her experience at her class reunion in November of 2014.

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  Interview with Anna Evans - OH 509

  Anna Evans

  OH 509

  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 Carlos Elbert Evans - OH 596

  Carlos Elbert Evans

  OH 596

  This interview was conducted for the as part of the Winthrop History Project spearheaded by Winthrop President Emeritus Dr. Anthony DiGiorgio and Rebecca Masters to “document the 24-year path of the original Winthrop College to becoming Winthrop University.” This effort was to produce a history of the institution and Dr. DiGiorgio’s tenure as president as a supplement to Dr. Ross Webb’s history of Winthrop (The Torch is Passed) that covered Winthrop history up to Dr. DiGiorgio becoming president. A key aspect of the project was a series of audio-taped interviews conducted with various members of the extended Winthrop community who participated in or helped guide the advancement of Winthrop over these years. That way, the Winthrop story will be told in an array of participants’ own words, own voices and from their own perspectives.

  This interview is with Carlos E. Evans whose primary trade is as a banker in Charlotte, NC. His wife, Lisa Hudson Evans is a 1975 Winthrop graduate and in about 1992 he was asked to help serve on Winthrop’s Foundation Board. He served on the board until about 2014. He served a chairman of the Foundation Board and the Real Estate Board for about the last ten years of his involvement with Winthrop University. In this interview he discusses his involvement with Winthrop with a focus on his relationship working with Winthrop President, Dr. Anthony DiGiorgio.

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  Interview with Doris "Dorothy" Ezell Schmitz - OH 302

  Doris Ezell-Schmitz

  OH 302

  In her December 11, 2012 interview with Robert Ryals, Doris Schmitz detailed her time at Winthrop during the era of desegregation and social unrest. Schmitz recalls the Civil Rights movement in Rock Hill and her family’s involvement. In particular, Schmitz describes her perception of the similarities and differences between white and black students during the late 1960s and early 1970s. Schmitz also recalls the courses and professors that had a profound effect on her future career as an educator. This interview was conducted for inclusion into the Louise Pettus Archives and Special Collections Oral History Program.

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  Interview with Ima E. Fairly - OH 481

  Ima E. Fairly

  OH 481

  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 Pearl Faulkner - OH 457

  Pearl Faulkner

  OH 457

  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 James L. Felder - OH 358

  James L. Felder and South Carolina Legislative Black Caucus

  OH 358

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  Interview with Felecia Hayes - OH 734

  Felicia A. Hayes, COVID-19 Pandemic, and Black Women

  OH 734

  This interview was conducted by Liv Paxton with Felecia A. Hayes as part of Project 2020: A Collaborative Oral History. Hayes reflects on her experiences as a young Black woman in sports, particularly as a track and field athlete. She discusses the personal, social, and educational challenges she faced amid the COVID-19 pandemic and the critical year 2020. She also details her relation to the Black Lives Matter movement (racism, police brutality, social unrest, etc.) and her subsequent social activism. Hayes concludes by reflecting on her experience as a Black woman, whether an athlete, student, or individual, navigating white spaces at the College of William and Mary and in society at large.

  Felecia A. Hayes was a graduate student at the College of William & Mary in Williamsburg, VA at the time of the interview. She has since earned a Master of Education degree and is now an elementary educator in Fairfax County Public Schools. Hayes was a NCAA sprinter on the W&M track and field team as an undergraduate student.

  Spearheaded by Dr. O. Jennifer 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.)."

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  Interview with Herbert Fielding - OH 364

  Herbert Ulysses Gaillard Fielding

  OH 364

  Herbert Ulysses Gaillard Fielding (1923-2015) was a Charleston, SC native. He served in the United States Army during World War II and received a Bachelor of Science degree from West Virginia College in 1948. Mr. Fielding was very involved n the Civil Rights Movement and became the first African American to be elected to the South Carolina State Legislature since Reconstruction in 1970. He was later a South Carolina State Senator from 1985 until he retired in 1992. Mr. Fielding was also a member of the South Carolina Legislative Black Caucus serving as Chairman beginning in 1990.

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  Interview with Edith Finnell - OH 380

  Edith Finnell

  OH 380

  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.