James Bouknight, MD, PhD (pronouns: He/His), white psychiatrist, speaks of growing up, family life, education and his personal and professional life. Born into a "close and loving family" in rural South Carolina, he grew up on a farm worked by others, his parents being teachers, and his maternal grandparents being a very supportive presence. He always knew he "wasn't like other kids", wasn't athletic, but excelled in school, attending Bishopville High School, as it was being integrated, calling off the junior senior. Aware of a flamboyant gay youth at school, and a gay man who was available for sex in Bishopville, Bouknight did not identify with them and was glad to start dating women when he attended Wofford, the fourth generation of his family to do so. Attending graduate school at Duke University was not a positive experience so Bouknight switched to the University of South Carolina where he had his first relationship with a man and earned his PhD in economics. He considers that relationship a "bad influence" since the man was closeted and engaged to be married. Bouknight then taught at Converse College, in an era when dating between professors and students was encouraged; he married the president of the student body, and their married life began well. He moved into the private sector and eventually became Chair of the Department of Business and Economics at Columbia College and his wife began law school. With time on his hands, Bouknight, keeping fit, began attending the YMCA in Columbia, SC, discovering it had an active gay scene, and his wife, learning of an affair he had with a man, demanded a divorce. It was a difficult time, leading to depression and financial straits. Finding a niche with happy, well-adjusted gay men in Columbia was a positive experience, and Bouknight began a relationship with Bob Stutts, another professor at Columbia College. At age thirty-five, he decided to enter medical school, realizing that the poor medical care his mother had received had led to her death. He attended the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston, was out, and was friends with many other gay medical students. He did his residency in psychiatry at the Department of Mental Health in Columbia, SC, founding and running an AIDS support group; he eventually worked for a hospital and had a private practice, including many LGBTQ patients. When his relationship with Bob Stutts ended, he met Ramsey Still, whom he married in Maryland in 2013. He became board certified in geriatric psychiatry, one of the first in the state, and now, semi-retired, lives with his husband in Charleston, SC. At the end of the interview, Bouknight speaks of the illness and eventual death of his medical school friend, Olin Jolley, MD, of AIDS, and how those who are ill and dying are often put in the unfair position of taking care of those who visit them.
Samuel Cooper (pronouns: He/His) discusses his upbringing, life history and beliefs, focusing often on the topic of being a gay African American man of faith. When his father, minister of Centenary Methodist Church, Charleston, SC, joined the military to become a chaplain, Cooper and his family began a peripatetic life that took them to various bases in this country and in Germany. Knowing early he was gay, seeing his homosexuality as a "gift," Cooper nevertheless suppressed it, eventually coming out to his family who accepted him, partially, he believes, due to his father having had counseled many LGBTQ men and women in the military. He notes both the benefits and liabilities of being Black and of being gay and describes an episode of crisis at Clemson University. A homophobic comment by a member of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes prompted him to leave that group, come out, join, and become an officer of Clemson's LGBTQ organization, the Lambda Society. He faced near dismissal from Mercer University's Walter F. George School of Law for being an advocate of LGBTQ visibility, and later in the interview he discusses the impacts racial prejudice, both Black and white, and homophobia, can have on clients he represents as a personal injury attorney. In his return to South Carolina working briefly in the Fourth Circuit Solicitor's office, he traveled the state; Cooper, throughout the interview, gives many details of various bars in Columbia, Myrtle Beach and Charleston, describing their appearance and layout and the groups attending them. Once relocated permanently to Charleston, SC, he attended the Metropolitan Community Church and its off shoot, Open Door. He discusses his relationship with his husband, Stavely Edgar, recounts some failed homophobic attacks against him, and notes little or no pushback against Edgar and himself as an interracial couple. He speaks of his religious faith, the Black church, his opinion of historically black colleges possibly limiting experiences for their students, and the threats menacing minorities and democracy due to the presidency of Donald J. Trump.
Pat Patterson (pronouns: He/Him/His) speaks of family life, childhood, growing up, coming out, his political activism through drag performance, interactions with the Methodist Church, and his perceptions of the LGBTQ community. Born and reared in a loving and accepting family environment in Spartanburg, SC, he attended Wofford College, the 37th family member to do so. “I’m a Palmetto tree with fairly deep roots,” he notes. He came out in graduate school at the University of SC, and speaks about the founding of its Bisexual Gay and Lesbian Association (BGLA) and how he assumed his drag persona Patti O’Furniture, “a bully pulpit to raise awareness,” on a dare. At various points in the interview, Patterson speaks of the stratification of the LGBTQ community (“part of our charm and part of our problem”), with most of the focus on Charleston, identifying the conservative “blazer gays” who practice “an odd social decorum” at private parties, the “SIN” or service industry gays who are more out, and other socially and geographically distanced groups. He speaks of racism, and racial and trans insensitivity, the difference between the Charleston Pride and the Columbia, SC-based South Carolina Pride organizations, the gay rugby team, the Charleston Blockade, and K. J. Ivery, once a student of his and now an out trans officer of the Charleston Police Department. Having first done AIDS work in Columbia, SC with his friend Bill Edens, he became involved with the SC Equality Coalition, and he mentions a variety of other LGBTQ organizations and leaders. He began commuting to Charleston to perform drag at the bar Patrick’s, eventually moving there, arranging performances at Dudley’s, and he now also performs at brunches, breweries and bingo, usually emceeing, giving his tips from the audience to charity and passing the hat at performances for different causes and organizations. Straight audiences, he notes, are often more appreciative, and in describing his own indoctrination into drag, he shares some of the vocabulary, mentions those icons who influenced him and praises Jay White for his Brooke Collins performances. He names and describes many bars throughout the state, speaks of his evolution as a performer and activist, as well as the need to be aware of how unintended insults or slurs can occur. Making distinctions between religion and faith, the latter very important to him, Patterson also describes his family’s attachment to their local Methodist congregation in Spartanburg and their dedication to liberalizing the Methodist Church in general.
Correspondence from Stephen Hoffius, Director of Publications for the South Carolina Historical Society, to Cleveland Sellers regarding Grace Jordan McFadden interviews with Civil Rights movement participants.
Correspondence from H. A. Larson, Division Director for the South Carolina Employment Security Commission, to Charleston Branch of the NAACP regarding the recipient's contribution account having been classified as "inactive" as of March 31, 1993. Enclosed South Carolina Employment Security Commission forms.
Correspondence from Barbara Kingston, Secretary for the Charleston Branch of the NAACP, to C. W. Stevenson, General Manager of the Columbia, South Carolina Holiday Inn, regarding the third annual Woman of the Year Contest and NAACP Freedom Fund Dinner.
Correspondence from Barbara Kingston, Secretary for the Charleston Branch of the NAACP, to J. Ruckstuhly, General Manager of the Columbia, South Carolina Marriott Hotel, regarding the third annual Woman of the Year Contest and NAACP Freedom Fund Dinner.
Correspondence from Barbara Kingston, Secretary for the Charleston Branch of the NAACP, to Gary Tucker, General Manager of the Columbia, South Carolina Ramada Inn, regarding the third annual Woman of the Year Contest and NAACP Freedom Fund Dinner.
Correspondence from Dr. W. F. Gibson, President of the South Carolina Conference of Branches of the NAACP, to Dwight C. James congratulating the recipient on his being elected as 5th Vice President of the South Carolina Conference of Branches of the NAACP.
Correspondence from Cheryl Thompson, System Vice President of Intercultural Affairs and Professional Development at the University of South Carolina, to Septima P. Clark thanking Clark for "taking time to share some of the history of Charleston with the Elderhostels."
South Carolina Conference of Branches of the NAACP memorandum from David A. Fashion, Chairman of the Finance Committee, to Delbert Woods regarding an outstanding financial balance.
Correspondence from Wallace Brown, Director of the State of South Carolina Office of the Governor, to J. Arthur Brown regarding "a letter from New York University regarding Gladys Marie Hazel."
Correspondence from Wallace Brown, Director for the State of South Carolina Office of the Governor, to Dolores S. Greene, Project Director for the Peters Field Human Services Corporation, Inc., regarding Peters Field Human Services Corporation expenses.
Correspondence from Wallace Brown, Director of the State of South Carolina Office of the Governor, to J. Arthur Brown regarding Peters Field Human Services.
Correspondence from William Saunders, Executive Director for COBRA, to Jan Burns, Contract Services Specialist of the S. C. Department of Social Services, regarding housing assistance services for the Fiscal Year: July 1, 1978 to June 30, 1979.
Correspondence from William Saunders, Executive Director for COBRA, to Jan Cooke, South Carolina Department of Social Services, regarding the Minor Home Repair Proposal.
Correspondence from William Saunders, Executive Director for COBRA, to Jan Cooke, Contract Services Consultant of the S. C. Department of Social Services, regarding housing assistance services for the Fiscal Year: July 1, 1978 to June 30, 1979.
Correspondence from William Saunders, Executive Director for COBRA, to David N. Smith, Assistant Director for the Contract Management Unit for the South Carolina Department of Social Services, regarding a Housing Assistance contract.
Correspondence from William Saunders, Executive Director for COBRA, to Donald Tudor, Deputy Director for the Division of Economic Development and Transportation, regarding COBRA matters.
Correspondence from John P. O'Keefe, Executive Director for the County of Charleston Manpower Department, to Robert Landreth, South Carolina CETA Consortium, regarding the Trident Work Education Council.
Correspondence from Zora Salisbury and Gayle Clark, President and Program Chairman for the South Carolina Association for Health Education (SCAHE), to William Saunders regarding the SCAHE's second annual meeting.
Correspondence from Thomas L. Johnson, Assistant Librarian for the South Caroliniana Library at the University of South Carolina, to Septima P. Clark regarding the future of her personal papers.
Correspondence from William Saunders, Executive Director for COBRA, to Virgil L. Conrad, Commissioner for the South Carolina Department of Social Services, regarding an audit exception for 1975 to 1976.
Correspondence from Robert E. David, Executive Director for the South Carolina Employment Security Commission, to William Saunders of the Committee for Better Racial Assurance regarding the new Computerized Applicant Screening Program.
Correspondence from R. E. Pittman, Chief of Community Programs for the United States Department of Agriculture, to William Saunders, Executive Director for COBRA, regarding a preapplication for the Comprehensive Planning Survey.
League of Women Voters of South Carolina's Legislative Newsletter, Vol. XII, February-March 1978, including information on the 1978 General Assembly, E.R.A., Senate Subsistence Pay, Education, Child Welfare, Environmental Legislation, State Legislature, and Restration and Election Laws. Addressed to Septima P. Clark.
League of Women Voters of South Carolina's South Carolina Voter, Vol. XXVII No. 6, including information on State Government Day, Environmental Calendar, Belva High, Poll Managers, and other legislative issues. Addressed to Septima P. Clark.
League of Women Voters of South Carolina's South Carolina Voter, Vol. XXVII No. 6, including information on council, the 1978-79 budget, and other budgetary issues. Addressed to Septima P. Clark.
Correspondence from J. Arthur Brown of COBRA to O. Frank Thornton, Secretary of the State, requesting a Certified Duplicate Copy of the Amendments to the COBRA Charter as executed in December 1973.
Correspondence from William Saunders, Executive Director for COBRA, to James Clyburn, State Human Affairs Commissioner, regarding editorials, "Mayor Riley and Black People" and "Letter to the Editor."
Correspondence from Thomas L. Johnson, Assistant Librarian for the South Caroliniana Library at the University of South Carolina, to Septima P. Clark regarding an article, questionnaire, and potential visit to Charleston, South Carolina.
Correspondence from Liz J. Patterson, Chair History Component of the South Carolina Internation Women's Year Committee, to Septima P. Clark regarding the committee's state conference themed, "Barriers-Fallen."
Photocopy of letter from President of First Federal Savings and Loan Association of Charleston, South Carolina Howard F. Burky to University of South Carolina Provost Dr. Keith E. Davis endorsing Septima P. Clark's nomination for an honorary degree at University of South Carolina.
Photocopy of letter from Charleston County Public Schools Superintendent of Schools Alton C. Crews to University of South Carolina Provost Dr. Keith E. Davis endorsing Septima P. Clark's nomination for an honorary degree at University of South Carolina.
Photocopy of letter from Vice-Chairperson of Constituent Board of Trustees of the Charleston County Public Schools Montez O. Martin, Jr. to University of South Carolina Provost Dr. Keith E. Davis endorsing Septima P. Clark's nomination for an honorary degree at University of South Carolina.
Photocopy of letter from State of South Carolina House of Representatives congressman Clyde M. Dangerfield to University of South Carolina Provost Dr. Keith E. Davis endorsing Septima P. Clark's nomination for an honorary degree at University of South Carolina.
Photocopy of letter from Member of the Charleston County Council Lonnie Hamilton, III to University of South Carolina Provost Dr. Keith E. Davis endorsing Septima P. Clark's nomination for an honorary degree at University of South Carolina.
Photocopy of letter from Charleston County Council Chairman James A. Stuckey, Jr. to University of South Carolina Provost Dr. Keith E. Davis endorsing Septima P. Clark's nomination for an honorary degree at University of South Carolina.
Photocopy of letter from United States Senator Ernest F. Hollings to University of South Carolina Provost Dr. Keith E. Davis endorsing Septima P. Clark's nomination for an honorary degree at University of South Carolina.
Photocopy of letter from Member of Charleston County Council Gordon B. Stine to University of South Carolina Provost Dr. Keith E. Davis endorsing Septima P. Clark's nomination for an honorary degree at University of South Carolina.
Photocopy of letter from Senator of Charleston and Georgetown Counties Dewey Wise to University of South Carolina Provost Dr. Keith E. Davis endorsing Septima P. Clark's nomination for an honorary degree at University of South Carolina.
Letter from former Charleston County School Board member T. M. Rhodes to University of South Carolina employee Leon M. Elam endorsing Septima P. Clark's nomination for an honorary degree at University of South Carolina.
Photocopy of letter from Robin S. Bluestein to University of South Carolina Provost Dr. Keith E. Davis endorsing Septima P. Clark's nomination for an honorary degree at University of South Carolina.
Correspondence from James B. Edwards, Governor for the State of South Carolina, to Septima P. Clark regarding the reimbursement "for the lost wages when [Clark] was unjustly required to resign [her] job [in 1956]."
Photocopy of letter from Area Assistant Superintendent David J. Mack, Jr. to University of South Carolina Provost Dr. Keith E. Davis endorsing Septima P. Clark's nomination for an honorary degree at University of South Carolina.
Photocopy of letter from a variety University of South Carolina employees to University of South Carolina Provost Dr. Keith E. Davis endorsing Septima P. Clark's nomination for an honorary degree at University of South Carolina.
League of Women Voters of South Carolina's South Carolina Voter, Vol. XXVI No. 2, including information on the Russell Damn and various legislation issues. Addressed to Septima P. Clark.
League of Women Voters of South Carolina's Legislative Newsletter, Vol. X, June-July 1976, including information on constitutional revision, state legislative procedures, environmental quality, education, and registration and election laws. Addressed to Septima P. Clark.
Correspondence from Thomas L. Johnson, Assistant Librarian for the South Caroliniana Library at the University of South Carolina, to Septima P. Clark regarding a potential interview and future of her personal papers.
Correspondence from Bernice Robinson to Donald Fowler, Chairman of the Democratic Party of South Carolina, regarding Robinson's position at the Institutional Development and Economic Affairs Service.
Correspondence from Miller C. Foster, Jr., Clerk, and M. W. Sharp, Deputy Clerk, to Honorable Samuel W. Phillips regarding the legal case between the National Board of the Y.W.C.A. of the U.S.A. and the Y.W.C.A. of Charleston, S.C., Civil Action No. 70-180. Enclosed legal case materials.
Correspondence from Daniel R. McLeod, Attorney General for the State of South Carolina, to Esau Jenkins regarding a speaking opportunity at Zion Olivet United Presbyterian Church.
South Carolina Council on Human Relations published pamphlet regarding public welfare in South Carolina intended for citizens in need of assistance, containing information on applying, investigation, decisions on applications, how to appeal, other facts, and eligibility requirements.
Correspondence from L. S. James, Field Representative for the South Carolina Council on Human Relations, to Esau Jenkins regarding annual meeting attendance.
Photocopy of correspondence from James W. McGrath, Administrative Assistant for the South Carolina Tax Commission, to Francis X. Archibald, Deputy Director of the South Carolina Commission for Farm Workers, Inc., informing the recipient that the organization is exempt from South Carolina Income Tax.
Oath of Allegiance signed by Minnie (Rachel) Mordecai Lazarus, wife of Edgar M. Lazarus, which states she will abandon all allegiance to the Confederate States of America.
Five dollar Confederate greenback issued on February 17, 1864 and redeemable two years after the ratification of a treaty of peace between the Confederate States of America and the United States of America. Printed by Evans & Cogswell in Charleston, South Carolina and engraved by Keatinge & Ball of Columbia, South Carolina.
Ten dollar Confederate greenback issued on February 17, 1864 and redeemable two years after the ratification of a treaty of peace between the Confederate States of America and the United States of America. Printed by Evans & Cogswell in Charleston, South Carolina and engraved by Keatinge & Ball of Columbia, South Carolina.
A cash book for Robert F.W. Allston for the years 1823-1843. The book includes account transactions conducted by Allston including payment of overseer wages, the hiring out of enslaved people, transportation, taxes, governesses, nurses, crops, sundries, and cloth distributed to slaves. This book also includes accounts between Allston and other individuals including the Estate of Charlotte A. Allston (primarily for the purchases of blankets, shoes, and cloth for enslaved people) and an account with Mary P. Jones. The last several pages of the book contain cash ledgers. Allston explicitly notes accounting related to Matanza Plantation, later known as Chicora Wood. Other account records do not explicitly state plantation sites.
Letter from Willie Williams, Jr. of Willie Williams Real Estate to Septima P. Clark regarding Community Development Act of Columbia, South Carolina and Housing and Community Development Act of 1974. Enclosed Community Development Act materials and Summary of the Housing and Community Development Act of 1974.
