Interviewer
Jennifer Leigh Disney
Description
Interview with Johann M. McCrackin, 1984 South Carolina Mother of the Year.
Digital Collection
South Carolina Mother of the Year Oral History Archives
Contributing Institution
Winthrop University
Biographical Note
Johann McCrackin has filled many roles: teacher, wife, mother, poet, musician, composer, church volunteer, civic leader, and guidance counselor. She was born in Conway, South Carolina on July 21, 1934. Her father died one year later. Johann received a James F. Byrnes scholarship upon graduating from high school. She attended The University of South Carolina, earning BA degrees in Sociology and Elementary Education.
In 1957 Johann married Earl Windell McCrackin, an attorney from Myrtle Beach. She taught fifth grade and public school music until 1961, when Sidney, the first of three children, was born. Mary and James followed Sidney over the next three years.
When her children were still little, Johann became involved in numerous local and state civic clubs, holding positions of leadership in many. She went on to complete her M.Ed. in 1980 and began working as a guidance counselor in the Myrtle Beach schools.
Many of her volunteer activities involved helping and supporting children and young people.
Johann's philosophy of parenting can be summed up as loving, listening, leading and letting go. She says, “Being loved and listened to gives a child a sense of personal worth. Leading is not just pointing the direction, but showing the way by our personal example. We begin letting go gradually as the child begins to crawl, slowly increasing his freedom to explore and expand his world as he grows."
Johann McCrackin served faithfully as President of the South Carolina Mothers Association for many years. Her organizational skills and ability to communicate contributed to the long-term success of the Association.
Publication Date
7-14-2015
Format
mp4
Rights
Copyright status undetermined. For more information, contact the Louise Pettus Archives and Special Collections at Winthrop University, Rock Hill, SC 29733
Document Type
Sound
LC Subject Headings
McCrackin, Johann M.--Interviews; Mothers--South Carolina; Mothers--Awards--South Carolina; Awards--South Carolina; South Carolina Mothers Association
Disciplines
Oral History | United States History | Women's History
Recommended Citation
McCrackin, Johann M., "Interview with Johann M. McCrackin" (2015). South Carolina Mother of the Year Oral History Archives. 21.
https://digitalcommons.winthrop.edu/scmotheroftheyear/21
