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Aiken BeAUforT ColUmBiA lAnCASTer SAlkehATChie SUmTer Union UpSTATe

University of South Carolina September 20, 2012

uscTIMEsStories, snippets & scenes from the University of South Carolina.

Aiken / BeAufort / ColumBiA / lAnCAster / sAlkehAtChie / sumter / union / upstAte 9/9/2013

Fifty years ago, three incoming students—Henrie Monteith,

Robert Anderson and James Solomon Jr.—arrived outside

the Osborne administration building. A police escort led

them through town and they were shadowed by a plain-

clothes security detail once they emerged. They also had

an audience: reporters, soon-to-be classmates and others

wanting to witness the enrollment of the first three black students ad-

mitted to the University of South Carolina since Reconstruction.

“Obviously there was a crowd everywhere we went, but I recall

just walking forward and doing what I had to do,” says Monteith (now

Treadwell), whose lawsuit that year had finally budged the gates of

the university, making it accessible to qualified applicants of all races,

including Anderson and Solomon.

On Sept. 11, 1963 (dubbed ‘I-Day’ at the time) all three students

signed up for courses and en-

tered the university—without in-

cidence of violence, as had been

experienced at other universities

in the South.

Tensions sometimes flared as

the formerly all-white university

became increasingly diverse,

with Anderson, in particular,

regularly being harassed by white

classmates unwilling to embrace change. But for each setback there

were multiple steps forward as the

university at last transformed itself

into a truly modern institution.

on the inside

RobeRt AndeRson (deceAsed)

Harassed by classmates, Robert Anderson

joined USC’s debate team to prove himself in

a forum where the focus would be on his abil-

ity rather than the color of his skin. However,

he remained embittered about his time at

USC until he returned to campus for the 25th

anniversary of the school’s desegregation in

1988 and saw how much had changed.

“I had to talk him into going,” says Susan

Raskin, Anderson’s companion of 22 years. “I

explained that that was the way to help him-

self, to go back and tell his story. It’s important

to share it with others, which is what he did."

HenRie MonteitH tReAdwell"Other universities in other Southern states had already

integrated. I think we thought that maybe the univer-

sity would take the low road and say, ‘Okay, let’s just

let her in because it’s going that way anyway.’ And my

sense is that if they had just said, ‘Okay, you can come,’

I probably would not have. But once they said ‘no’— for

no good reason—it became a different issue. There was

no explanation, just a letter: not accepted. The next step

became obvious.

Overall, I had a great experience at

Carolina. I got the education that I needed

as a citizen and as an individual. Certainly

mine was a more closed, more isolated

and insular experience than many had, but it gave me an

opportunity to explore the depth of my own character."

JiM soloMon"There were a lot of reporters. That picture of Robert,

Henrie and I coming out of Osborne? That’s us on our

way to a press conference. I think all of us were ner-

vous, but Henrie and Robert were much younger. I was

33 years old at the time. I’d been in the Air Force when

it was desegregated. My thought was, ‘You’re going to

say something stupid and look stupid to everybody,

even to you."

“There was no

explanation, just a letter:

not accepted. ”

Photos courtesy of University of south Carolina Archives and the daily Gamecock.

ReMeMbeRing ’63 BY CRAIG

BRANDHORST

University of soUth carolina 2

“I won't say that I don't

see color, but I will say

I see friendship first”

It was the ‘60s — there was no pizza delivery and no microwaves in the dorm

rooms — so late night cravings had to be satisfied with a run to the hall vending

machine. On one of those nights in 1963, Isabelle Mims needed some change and

approached another Sims hall-mate Henrie Monteith, whose family kept her sup-

plied with coins to buy college student staples. A friendship was born.

It was an inauspicious begin-

ning to a lifelong friendship

between two women — Mims

is white and Monteith (now

Treadwell) is black — who were

seemingly oblivious to the racial

strife outside the walls of Sims

residence hall, even though

Monteith had sued the university

to be admitted.

“I won’t say that I don’t see

color, but I will say I see friendship

first,” Monteith said.

Both were biology majors but didn’t share any classes. What they did share

was a mutual admiration of one another. “I just respected her, and she was the

example that the dean expected of every girl then —always poised, studious and

focused — just like she is today,” Mims said.

Treadwell graduated from USC in 1965, and when she married years later, she

asked Mims to be in her wedding. “It was no big deal, really," Monteith said. "It

would have been unusual for me to not have her in my wedding.”

Family, careers and life left little time to connect until six years ago. Mims found

Monteith the way many contemporary reunions begin — on the Internet. “Our

friendship has endured,” Monteith said. “It was like no time had passed.”

Mims lives on Edisto Island, Monteith lives in Atlanta, but the two meet regularly

at Kiawah Island and bring their families together. “It’s been very special,” Mims said.

“She and I have a regular, ordinary friendship.”

Q: What was the greatest challenge for our first black students?The hiring of an African-American professor and the admission of black

students — less than a decade after the end of slavery — were part of an

extraordinary and daring experiment.  Against the backdrop of Recon-

struction, African-American students sought to advance their education

even as they fought to overcome widespread doubts about their mental

and intellectual ability to succeed.  Imagine the striking irony in 1873 of

looking upon the Horseshoe or touring Rutledge College and witnessing

men and women of color as students at the most influential institution of

higher learning in South Carolina (pictured below).

Q: How did that brief desegregation shape the later one?Even as the period of Reconstruction came to an abrupt halt and even as the

forces of white supremacy sought to uproot important political and social

advances, professor Richard T. Greener and many of the students he men-

tored believed that emancipation was an ongoing and never ending struggle. 

Their efforts and their vision laid the groundwork for the change that gripped

our nation generations later. Our archival records show very clearly that

the architects of the modern civil rights movement were astute students of

history and frequently referenced the goals and “deferred dreams” of the

Reconstruction era. 

Q: What is the legacy of Richard T. Greener, usc’s first black professor?As law librarian Michael Mounter’s research indicates, professor Greener was

a remarkable intellectual and scholar. One contemporary described him as

a “gentleman of high culture and fine literary talent.” While some white stu-

dents departed campus in protest of Greener’s hire, a courageous few broke

convention and sought enrollment in his classes.  Among Greener’s many

accomplishments, for which he should be commended, is recruiting a stellar

group of students to USC from across the state and the country and for sav-

ing and reorganizing the university’s library collection.  Beyond the walls of

the University, Greener maintained a steadfast commitment to equal rights

and social justice.

usc historian Bobby Donaldson has documented usc’s first desegregation, which occurred during Reconstruction, nearly a century before the his-toric events of 1963. As he explains, the tumultu-ous period from 1873-1877 left a lasting but often overlooked legacy.

Q&A

The color of friendship

BY FRENCHE BREWER

Usc times 9/9/2013 3

sig HuittFreshman in the fall of ’63; reporter for the Gamecock

Before I got to USC I was aware of what was about to hap-

pen there and, of course, I was aware that Harvey Gantt

had desegregated Clemson earlier that year. I remember

in our orientation that the point was made that USC

could do it just as well if not better than Clemson.

Thorne comptonFreshman in the fall of ’63; on debate team with Robert AndersonIn those days, to register you went to Osborne and picked up

a stack of cards, then you went around campus to the build-

ings where those classes were taught. You stood in line and

waited to get to the teacher that you wanted to study with

and they signed you into the course. For most people it

was kind of a daylong thing that took place all over cam-

pus. So while their registration was simple—and that was

a plus, certainly for them—it was also very different from

the experience that everybody else had. It was good and

bad. Standing in line for history 101 you may have wished

somebody could have stood there for you. On the other

hand, it was also part of sort of figuring out the university.

John Wertz sr.sophomore in the fall of ’63; Robert Anderson’s debate partner

When you face something like this, both sides come

out. One of the reasons Robert liked the debate team, I

think, was that he got accepted for who he was. When

he was around campus there were so many people who

wanted to be his friend because he was the first black

student. They wanted to promote that cause. And there

were others who were the exact opposite, who opposed

him, not because of anything he said or did but because he

was black. He really had a hard time with that.

Making a commitment“When I became the university's first chief diversity officer, Dr. Pastides said, ‘The university’s commitment to diversity is not about what we say. Rather our com-mitment is found in what we do.’ To that end, the university is doing well, but we can do better. We can be more strategic about how we create an environment where our political, cultural, religious and social differ-ences are no longer a source of debate, but embraced and celebrated as what makes us a better university.”  

—John Dozier, the university’s chief diversity officer and special adviser for online student services, who was named to the post last spring

opening doorsFreshman year can be a daunting experience for any student, and usc takes this critical time seriously with programs like university 101. The Minority Assistance Peer Program (MAPP), a part of the Office of Multicultural student Affairs, pairs an experienced student mentor with new Gamecocks. The program works diligently to establish positive networks for the student’s matriculation—academically, socially and culturally.

“There is something for everyone at carolina. At first it feels large, but once you get here, it becomes cozy,” says De’shara Gadson, a senior mentor and math major. “For me, I’ve enjoyed being in MAPP. We have an opportunity to make connections, and it has opened a lot of doors for me.”

‘eMbRAcing cHAnge, FulFilling tHe dReAM’ eventsAlthough the commemoration of usc’s desegre-gation begins with a free public presentation by civil Rights champion Diane Nash on sept. 11 at 7:30 at the Koger center for the Arts, additional events are scheduled throughout the year.

sept. 208:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m., McKissick Museum. “If you Miss Me at the Back of the Bus.” exhibit

7-10 p.m., McKissick Museum. “come Together” gala and art sale, featuring works from the civil Rights-themed exhibit “If you Miss Me at the Back of the Bus.”

sept. 267 p.m., school of Law auditorium. 2013 Adrenee Glover Freeman Lecture in African American Women’s studies featuring poet Nikky Finney, usc’s John H. Bennett Jr. chair of south-ern Literature and creative Writing.

oct. 57:30 p.m. Booker T. Washington Auditorium “Festival of spirituals,” usc Gospel choir.

oct. 15 south caroliniana Library Opening of an exhibit exploring usc’s original desegregation in 1873 as well as its subsequent desegregation in 1963. 

nov. 67 p.m. Koger center Alvin Alley II Dance concert. (Tickets required.)

April 11Garden dedication (adjacent to Osborne Administration building).

April 12Koger center for the Arts closing ceremony produced by the Department of Theatre and Dance and the school of Music.

University of soUth Carolina alUmni magazine

fall 2013

Class of 2017Nik’Toshia Giles

ladsoN, s.C.

plusCirCa ‘63

PerfeCT PiTCh

The MusiC MaN

Portions of this article previously appeared as part of the feature “circa ’63” in the Fall 2013 edition of carolinian maga-zine. To receive the next three issues of carolinian donate $50 or more to the Family Fund at giving.sc.edu.

“There is something for

everyone at Carolina”

recollecTions

University of soUth carolina4

Vol. 24, No.14 Sept. 9, 2013USC times is published 20 times a year for the faculty and

staff of the University of South Carolina by the Division of

Communications.

the University of South Carolina does not discriminate in

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uscTIMEs

Managing editor: liz McCarthy

Designer: linda Dodge

Contributors: peggy Binette, Craig

Brandhorst, Frenché Brewer, Glenn Hare,

thom Harman, Chris Horn, page Ivey,

Steven powell, Megan Sexton and

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Photographers: Kim truett

To reach us: 803-777-2848

or lizmccarthy@sc.edu

Campus correspondents: patti McGrath, Aiken

Candace Brasseur, Beaufort

Shana Dry, lancaster

Jane Brewer, Salkehatchie

Misty Hatfield, Sumter

tammy Whaley, Upstate

Annie Smith, Union

Submissions: Did you know you can submit photos, stories

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Big changes for carolina’s comprehensive universities and regional campuses.

Aikenwas named a 2012 and 2013 Great college to Work for by the chronicle of Higher Education, opened the Veteran student success center, was designated a Military-Friendly campus and welcomed chancellor sandra Jordan.

beAuFoRtadded baccalaureate degree programs in art, sociology, communications, education, nursing and a concentration in coastal ecology and conservation; and tripled research and grant support over five years to more than $1.5 million annually.

upstAtecompleted a $184 million master plan that increased classroom space, academic support facilities, parking and streetscapes, housing and athletic and recreational

facilities; and opened its George Dean Johnson Jr. college of Business and Economics.

pAlMetto collegewas launched in spring 2013, bringing together resources from the entire usc system to offer baccalaureate courses online under chancellor susan Elkins.

usc lAncAsteRopened the Native American studies center.

usc sAlkeHAtcHiehas raised more than $8 million in grants and private support.

usc suMteRhas had three Governor’s Professor of the Year recipients in the past 19 years, including 2012 professor of the year Hendrikus E. van Bulck.

usc unionhas had three Magellan scholars in the past five years.

SyStemwide

focUs cArolinAThis year usc President Harris Pastides completes his fifth year at the helm of south carolina’s flagship university. One of his major initiatives, Focus carolina, has served as the university’s strategic plan for success. Here’s a breakdown of that plan featuring a few recent highlights.

Focus on Quality While USC’s focus on quality continues to

be recognized by the media, the university

pushes to be better than ever. Recent ac-

complishments and new initiatives include:

• The Honors College ranked No. 1 in “A

Review of Public Honors Programs”;

• The Provost’s Faculty Replenishment

Initiative to recruit 250 new professors

by 2015.

Focus on Innovation

A 21st-century institute of higher education

needs to be as creative as it is resourceful.

USC has been both, with highlights including:

• the launch of the McNair Center for Aero-

space Innovation and Research;

• growth of South Carolina’s SmartState

program, which supports 20 endowed chairs

in areas such as nanotechnology, advanced

materials and alternative energies.

Focus on Diversity

Fifty years ago USC opened its

doors to all qualified students regardless of race.

More recently, Carolina has been recognized for

its ongoing diversity efforts as exemplified by:

• a Safe Zone Ally program that trains staff,

faculty and students to create a supportive

environment for all;

• INSIGHT into Diversity magazine naming USC

a top university for diversity.

Focus on Access and Affordability USC already awards nearly half of all

baccalaureate degrees earned at public

institutions in South Carolina. New access

and affordability programs include:

• Palmetto College, which enables students

to complete 60 hours of certain degree

programs online;

• On Your Time Graduation, a program offer-

ing unprecedented scheduling flexibility.

Focus on Global competitiveness USC's global reach is reflected in bold new pro-

grams and a history of results, including:

• the Confucius Institute, which improves under-

standing of China through education, research

and exchange programs;

• a U.S. News and World Report No. 1 ranking for

the Moore School’s undergraduate international

business program for 16 consecutive years.

Focus on community Engagement USC cultivates community engagement through

outreach programs and other efforts, including:

• Cocky’s Reading Express, USC’s innovative

literacy program, which delivers free books to

children in every county in the state;

• Booker T. Washington High School renovations

completed, providing alumni of the historic

African-American school a gathering place.

Focus on Leadership A forerunner in first-year experience programs,

USC is expanding leadership opportunities

through new initiatives, including:

• the Carolina Leadership Initiative;

• a new Graduation with Leadership

Distinction to recognize students

for their efforts to become the

next generation of leaders.

10 a.m. Horseshoe

Rain location: Russell House

sc.edu/sotu#UofSCsotu

celebrate our

university

9.182013