African American Institutional Memory Oral History Project

Details

Who's responsible?: Martha Blakeney Hodges Special Collections and University Archives, UNCG University Libraries (Repository)
Where can I find more information?: No finding aid available.
Topics: Schools and Colleges
People
North Carolina
African-American History
Subject headings: University of North Carolina at Greensboro
Contributing Institution: Martha Blakeney Hodges Special Collections and University Archives, UNCG University Libraries

Pages

: Oral history interview with Ada Fisher, 2010; Ada M. Fisher (1947- ) graduated from The University of North Carolina at Greensboro (UNCG) in 1970. She received her medical degree from the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health in 1975. Before retiring to Salisbury, North Carolina, Fisher was with the National Service Corps, Martin Marietta Energy Systems, Inc., and Amoco Oil Company. Fisher describes the difficult time she had on campus at UNCG and the measures she had to take when she was treated differently because of her race. She discusses the tension on campus during the Civil Rights Movement and how Martin Luther King, Jr.'s death impacted the university. Fisher recalls her favorite faculty on campus including Chancellor James S. Ferguson and Vice Chancellor Mereb Mossman as well as Professors Elizabeth Bowles, Anna Reardon, and Hollis Rodgers. She explains how the Neo-Black Society was established at UNCG and her involvement with that organization. She also discusses her work with the Alumni Association. Fisher concludes the interview by talking about politics and world issues.

: Oral history interview with Alice Barnes Freeman, 2015; Alice Barnes Freeman (1946-) was born in Wilson County, North Carolina. This interview was conducted at UNCG in the Parrish Library of the alumni House. Barnes attended UNCG from 1964-1968 and majored in drama. Afterwards she worked in various locations as a teacher then worked for the City of Wilson in Wilson, North Carolina. This interview contains Barnes' biographical information, Barnes' decision to attend and transition into UNCG, academics at UNCG, extracurricular activities and social life at UNCG, dining hall experiences, Barnes' experience in the drama department at UNCG, interaction between African American students and the UNCG campus community, the Neo-Black Society, and general reflections about the student experience at the university.

: Oral history interview with Alice Garrett Brown, 2011; Alice Garrett Brown (1943- ) graduated in 1965 from The University of North Carolina at Greensboro where she was a music major. She taught music for thirty-six years in Greensboro City schools and Randolph County schools. Brown recalled growing up in Mocksville and Salisbury, North Carolina, and starting to play the piano in the third grade. She discusses her reasons for attending Woman's College of the University of North Carolina, now The University of North Carolina at Greensboro. Brown talks about the five black freshman students attending the college in 1961 being segregated in one area of her dorm; campus academics; college traditions; dorm life and her roommates; the 1960 Greensboro Sit-ins; male students on campus; social life; and the assassinations of President John F. Kennedy, Martin Luther King, Jr., and Malcolm X. She discusses music Professors Richard Cox and Elizabeth Cowling, singing in the campus Glee Club and Chorus, and being married to a Methodist minister.

: Oral history interview with Barbara Wesley Baker, 2011; Barbara Wesley Baker (1948- ) graduated in 1969 from The University of North Carolina at Greensboro (UNCG) with a BA in music education. In 1974, she received her MA from Columbia University in New York City and her PhD from the University of Maryland in College Park in 1978. Baker retired in 2008 after teaching choir at the Eleanor Roosevelt High School in Greenbelt, Maryland, for thirty years.Baker recalls growing up in segregated Kannapolis, North Carolina; participating in the 1961 civil rights protest in Fayetteville, North Carolina; and being taught piano and organ by North Carolina A&T State University Professor Charles Johnson Blue. She discusses being an organ major at UNCG; being taught by Professors Barbara Bair, Elizabeth Cowling, and Richard Cox; singing in the UNCG Choir; adjusting to campus life; and spending so much of her college life in the Brown Music Building. Baker recalls forming an informal singing group with Diana Barefoot, David Giddens, and Emmylou Harris that performed at the Four Faces Coffee House in Elliott University Center. She also talks about returning for her 40th UNCG Alumni Reunion and being disappointed on the emphasis placed on the 50th Reunion class with other classes more or less ignored. Since retiring in 2008, she has traveled all over the world as an invited music conductor, instructor, and speaker.

: Oral history interview with Carolyn Suezette Brown Roney, 2011; Carolyn Suezette Brown Roney (1946- )<BR><BR>Roney recalls growing up in segregated Eastern North Carolina and wanting to become a medical doctor. She discusses her choice to attend UNCG because it had a strong science program, her first days on campus and learning that all the freshmen black students were housed together in Coit Residence Hall, being in the Glee Club for four years, and always being busy with biology and chemistry labs. Roney talks about campus traditions such as class jackets, class rings, and formal dances. She recalls meeting her future husband, Clensy Roney, on a blind date at the Grand Junior Ring Dance, attending Howard University Medical School for a few semesters before deciding to leave and get married, and being a United States Air Force wife and mother for twenty-one years. Roney concludes the interview by discussing her twenty-three year career with the Federal Investigative Service and her son, Trent, who graduated from UNCG in 1991.XXXX7124

: Oral history interview with Charlotte Renee Byrd, 2015; Charlotte Ren'e Byrd (1951-) was born and raised in Greensboro, North Carolina. Byrd attended UNCG from 1969-1973 and majored in psychology. After graduation, Byrd had a varied career including working for the City of Greensboro, the Guilford County school system, and First Citizen's Bank. This interview includes Byrd's biographical information, descriptions of the African American community in Greensboro (particularly locations and former uses of buildings in eastern Greensboro along Market Street), description of childhood in segregated Greensboro, student protests at Dudley High School and North Carolina Agricultural & Technical State University, academics and professors at UNCG, the Neo-Black Society, campus and social life at UNCG, interactions between students at UNCG and other colleges in the area, university alumni, dorm life at UNCG, and changes to the university's campus (particularly Tate Street).

: Oral history interview with Clara Withers Berryhill, 2013; Clara Withers Berryhill (1939- ) graduated in 1962 from Woman's College of the University of North Carolina, now The University of North Carolina at Greensboro, with a degree in mathematics. After graduating, she taught in Washington, DC and then worked as a systems engineer at IBM, as a computer programmer at Goddard Space Flight Center, and as a financial programmer at Howard University in Washington, DC. Berryhill retired as the bursar from Howard University and then worked for a computer company called Software in Chicago, Illinois. Currently she is involved with community work and several local bridge clubs in the Washington, DC area. Berryhill discusses growing up in segregated Charlotte, North Carolina; the importance of education in her family; and her high school physics teacher and mentor Julian Powell who helped her prepare to attend the historically white Woman's College. She recalls arriving on campus in 1958, being housed in Shaw Residence Hall with other black students, and meeting upperclassmen JoAnne Smart and Bettye Tillman (both Class of 1960). Berryhill vividly remembers the Ku Klux Klan throwing Molotov cocktails at her dorm's windows, participating in the 1960 Woolworth Sit-ins with Claudette Graves (Class of 1961) wearing her green Woman's College class jacket, and the lack of social life on campus. She also talks about learning to play bridge while in school and being discriminated against by her health teacher.

: Oral history interview with Dorothy L. Moore-Duncan, 2013; Dorothy L. Moore-Duncan (1948- ) graduated from The University of North Carolina at Greensboro (UNCG) in 1969, majoring in political science. She has a law degree from Temple University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and worked for the National Labor Relations Board in Philadelphia until she retired in 2013. Moore-Duncan talks about growing up in segregated Rowland, North Carolina, the importance of education in her family, and attending 'Saturday School' at Bennett College in Greensboro while still in high school. She recalls her reasons to attend UNCG instead of a historically black college, meeting five black students during her first days at UNCG with whom she has formed lasting friendships, and social activities at North Carolina A&T State University. Moore-Duncan discusses attending the Council on Legal Education Opportunity (CLEO) program at Wayne State University in Detroit, Michigan; attending Temple Law School; and working for the National Labor Relations Board as a field attorney and regional director in Philadelphia.

: Oral history interview with Edith Mayfield Wiggins, 2011; Edith Mayfield Wiggins (1942- ) was one of five African American students admitted in 1958 to the Woman's College of the University of North Carolina (WC), now The University of North Carolina at Greensboro. After graduating from WC in 1962, she received her Master of Social Work at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 1964. Wiggins retired as interim vice chancellor of student affairs at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Wiggins discusses living in Greensboro, High Point, and Winston-Salem, North Carolina because her father was a Methodist minister and the family moved frequently. Wiggins recalls visiting the Woman's College before she graduated from high school and being made welcome by the black students on campus. She discusses how helpful the Shaw Residence Hall black housekeepers, Annie Reeves and Victoria Johnson, were to all the early African American students, the lack of social life on campus because there were no black males, and working on campus plays. Wiggins recalls the 1960 Greensboro Sit-ins, segregated downtown Greensboro, and how segregation has shaped her life.

: Oral history interview with Edwina White Thompson, 2015; Edwina White Thompson (1951-) was born in Greensboro, North Carolina. Thompson attended UNCG from 1969-1973 and majored in sociology. Afterwards she worked in North Carolina in a variety of social welfare positions. She also served as First Lady of Winston-Salem State University in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, from 1985-1995 when her husband was appointed Chancellor. This interview contains Thompson's biographical information, details about attending Catholic elementary and high schools in Greensboro, information on her social welfare work in North Carolina, her views on social life as a UNCG student, and her experiences as a sociology major who participated in a joint internship placement program between UNCG and North Carolina A&T University.

: Oral history interview with Ernestine Davis Ledbetter, 2015; Ernestine Davis Ledbetter (1950-) was born and raised in Nashville, North Carolina. She attended UNCG from 1969-1973 and majored in math. After college, Ledbetter worked as a programmer for Bell Labs/AT&T. This interview describes Ledbetter's biographical information, decision to attend UNCG and transition to the university, the Neo-Black Society, dorm life, the dining hall, social life on campus and extracurricular activities, campus traditions, interactions between students along with faculty and administration, political atmosphere on campus, and general reflection of the UNCG experience.

: Oral history interview with Esther M. Shelton, 2015; Esther M. Shelton (1951- ) was born in Durham County, North Carolina, and grew up in the town of Rougemont. Shelton graduated from UNCG in 1973 with a bachelor's degree in psychology. After working as a social worker for a number of years in North Carolina, she returned to UNCG and earned a master's degree in business administration in 1987. She continued working as a certified public accountant. This interview contains Shelton's biographical information, details about her life growing up in Rougemount, her perceptions of student life at UNCG, and her feelings about interactions with faculty and administration.

: Oral history interview with Francine McAdoo Scott, 2013; Francine McAdoo Scott (1942- ) graduated from The University of North Carolina at Greensboro (UNCG) in 1964, majoring in sociology. She received her master's in education from Indiana University in Bloomington, Indiana. Scott remembers her reasons for choosing to attend the UNCG instead of a historical black school, her adjustment to an all-white campus, being housed with other black students in a separate section of Coit Residence Hall, and her lack of a social life on campus. She discusses the inequity of black and white public educational institutions and the 1960 Greensboro Sit-ins. Scott also talks about being able to buy a hot dog but not being able to sit down to eat it at a Tate Street drug store; teaching English at her Alma Mater, Dudley High School in Greensboro, North Carolina, after graduating from UNCG; moving to Chicago, Illinois, and working for the local government; and working as a community and schools site coordinator at Dudley High School.

: Oral history interview with Harriet M. Poe, 2015; Harriet M. Poe (?-) was born and raised in East Spencer, North Carolina, near Salisbury. She attended UNCG and graduated in 1971 with a degree in sociology and social work. After working for several years as a social worker, Ms. Poe went on to a career as an investigator with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. This interview contains information about Poe's biographical background, early education, decision to attend UNCG, transition to college life, dorm life on campus, UNCG academics, social activities on campus, interactions with students at A&T University and Bennett College, the Neo-Black Society, interaction with campus employees, alumni relationships with the university, reflections about the student experience at UNCG, and career after graduation.

: Oral history interview with Irene Cooper Harrington, 2012; Irene Cooper Harrington (1945- ) graduated in 1968 with an English degree from The University of North Carolina at Greensboro (UNCG) and returned for a Master of Arts in Education Administration, graduating in 1979. After college, she worked at Wachovia Bank, Guilford Technical Institute, the Neighborhood Youth Corps, Bennett College, and Guilford College.<BR><BR>Harrington talks about her family life in segregated Henderson, North Carolina; favorite subjects in high school; and her decision to attend UNCG instead of a historically black university. She recalls the delay coming to the university until January 1964 because she had to work to earn money for college expenses, missing out on the freshman experience, and adjusting to life at a predominately white institution. Harrington mentions her roommates: Yvonne Cheek (Class of 1967), Suezette Brown Roney (Class of 1967), Alice Garrett Brown (Class of 1965), and Paulette Jones Robinson (Class of 1966). She discusses academics and prejudice on campus, being the only black student in all her classes, and her social life at North Carolina Agricultural and Technical University. Harrington talks about attending UNCG as a graduate student in the late 1970s and comparing that experience with her undergraduate experience. She concludes the interview by talking about the influence UNCG had on her life.XXXX7098

: Oral history interview with Jackie B. Sparkman, 2013; Jackie B. Sparkman (1946 - ) graduated in 1967 from The University of North Carolina at Greensboro (UNCG), majoring in history and political science. After graduating, she worked for the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. While working at HUD, Sparkman earned a law degree at Temple University. After graduating from law school, she worked for the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission in Philadelphia, the Bell Telephone Company of Pennsylvania, and the Philadelphia School District. Currently Sparkman is in private practice in Washington, DC. Sparkman recalls growing up in segregated Greenville, North Carolina, applying to college, and adjusting to college life at UNCG. She remembers the various jobs she held while attending college to pay for her schooling, her roommates, making lifelong friends with fellow black students, the few black men on campus during the 1960s, and writing the script for the Junior Class Show called 'A Girl's Dream.' Sparkman talks about her first job in the Housing Assistance Administration with HUD in Philadelphia, attending night law school at Temple University while working at HUD, and being the first African American lawyer at the Bell Telephone Company of Pennsylvania.

: Oral history interview with Janet Harper Gordon, 2011; Janet Harper Gordon (1942- ) was one of seven black students admitted in 1960 to the Woman's College, which later became The University of North Carolina at Greensboro. She graduated in 1964 with a degree in history and master's degree in 1973. Gordon recalls growing up in segregated Harpertown, North Carolina, and applying to Woman's College. She discusses attending the University as an undergraduate and graduate student. Gordon recalls the segregated conditions in the residence halls, businesses on Tate Street, and downtown Greensboro. She recalls raising two daughters alone after her husband died and teaching middle and high school in Charlotte and Greensboro, North Carolina.

: Oral history interview with JoAnn M. Clark, 2015; JoAnn M. Clark (1950-) was born in Edward, North Carolina. Clark graduated from UNCG in 1972 with a degree in speech pathology. Clark also obtained a graduate degree in speech pathology from UNCG. Afterwards, Clark worked as a speech pathologist for clinics, in public school systems, and as a college professor before working with various companies in training and development. This interview contains Clark's biographical information, recollection of first days at UNCG, academics at UNCG, interaction with UNCG employees, the Neo-Black Society, student interaction with students from North Carolina Agricultural & Technical State University and Bennett College, social and cultural life at UNCG, dorm life at UNCG, the political atmosphere on UNCG's campus, and reflections about time spent as a student at UNCG.

: Oral history interview with JoAnne Smart Drane, 2008; JoAnne Smart Drane (1938- ) graduated in 1960 from Woman's College of the University of North Carolina, now The University of North Carolina at Greensboro. She was one of the first two African American students to be accepted and to attend the college. Since her graduation, she has been very involved with the university serving on many committees, including the Alumni Committee, the Advisory Council, the Chancellor Search Committee, and the Board of Trustees. Drane discusses her life in segregated North Carolina, including her experience as one of the first African Americans to attend the Woman's College. She recalls her limited social life and her treatment by the faculty, staff, students, and the university community. She mentions her favorite teachers, Eugene Pfaff and Warren Ashby. Drane briefly discusses the 1960 Woolworth Sit-ins. She also describes her involvement with the campus since her graduation in 1960.

: Oral history interview with Jon McKinley Brawner, 2015; Jon McKinley Brawner (1946-) was born and raised in High Point, North Carolina. Brawner attended UNCG from 1967-1970 and majored in chemistry with an ACS certification. After graduation, Brawner worked as a chemist and in product development for various companies. This interview describes Brawner's biographical information, early education and experience at North Carolina Central University in Durham, North Carolina, Brawner's decision to attend UNCG, the Upward Bound program, men's housing at UNCG, academics at UNCG, social and campus activities at UNCG, the university's community reputation, political atmosphere on campus, reflections about Brawner's UNCG experience, and Brawner's career as a chemist.

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