Typewritten version of the address given by Prof. William Cain, former Citadel professor, entitled "Economic Reconstruction after the Confederate War." Cain discusses the economic and social condition of the state toward the end of World War I.
Mathew Rabon was born in Charleston, South Carolina in 1981. As an undergraduate student at the College of Charleston, he became one of the organizers of Occupy Charleston after watching news coverage of the Occupy Wall Street protests in the fall of 2011. The Wall Street protests against social and economic inequality inspired similar efforts across the country. Rabon created the first Facebook page for the Charleston group and helped convene its first “general assembly” meeting on October 6, 2011 at Gage Hall of the Unitarian Church in Charleston. In the interview, Rabon argues that the group enjoyed success in confronting Republican presidential candidates who were in the state in the lead up to the South Carolina primary. Occupy Charleston challenged the populist credentials of the Republican candidates by spotlighting their close ties to corporate interests. During a November 10, 2011 campaign appearance at Patriot’s Point in Mt. Pleasant, Senator Michele Bachmann was temporarily forced to leave the stage after being confronted by Occupy activists. Rabon was also among the ten occupiers arrested on November 23 for trespassing after they attempted to sleep for a second night in Marion Square. Finally, Rabon discusses his role in Occupy’s demise and reflects on its legacies.
The former Charleston mayor discusses family storytelling. He considers himself and his mother's side of the family to be introverted. His father's side are talkative, "Irish" storytellers. Riley shares family lore he received as a child. These include impressions of his father and his political associates, including Senators James F. Byrnes and Fritz Hollings. He also shares family stories and impressions of memorable relatives, including his grandfather J. Edwin Schachte's involvement with the Knights of Columbus, his uncle Lawrence G. Riley's life in the merchant marine, and pranks with his uncle John E. Riley. Riley lore also ties the family to the Civil War through his great grandfather Henry Oliver, a Confederate veteran. After the Civil War, Oliver walked home from Richmond, Virginia. The interview concludes with Rileys childhood memories of World War Two.
Beverly Stark was born in Lansing, Michigan. She joined the Dominican Sisters of Adrian after completing her junior year in high school. Vatican II and the civil rights movement framed her formative years. Stark remembers an immersion experience working with farmworkers in the Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico that was key to her understanding of the capitalist economy and its consequences. In 1974, Stark and her friend Sister Mary Trzasko moved to Cincinnati, Ohio to work at the St. James Church outreach center. For the next ten years, they engaged in grassroots organizing. In 1985, Stark and Trzasko moved to Beaufort, South Carolina where they resided for thirty years. There, Stark worked with the Upward Bound Program with the Technical College of the Lowcountry, and Trzasko founded the after-school program Thumbs Up. After retirement, they moved to Charleston and became members of St. Patrick Church. They continued working in social justice and got involved with Charleston Area Justice Ministry and Charleston Alliance for Fair Employment. In 2019, Stark and her lifelong friend moved back to Adrian, Michigan.
Robert “Rabbit” Lockwood grew up on the South Battery in Charleston, South Carolina. In his interview, Lockwood describes his long and rich family history, which dates back to the earliest Europeans in South Carolina, including two family members who were blockade runners for the Confederacy during the Civil War. Lockwood’s family tradition of seafarers includes his grandfather and great-uncle who were harbor pilots in Charleston. During his early years, he attended Gaud School for Boys and Charleston High before majoring in Civil Engineering at The Citadel. After graduation, Lockwood became an apprentice harbor pilot, working at the Charleston Harbor until he retired at the age of seventy. In his reflections, Lockwood considers himself lucky to have been able to keep this job and avoid the fate of many of his classmates, who served in Vietnam. He also shares some of his more memorable experiences as a harbor pilot.
