Last Tuesday’s blog post talked about the early administrative and trustee deliberations about desegregation at the college. Today’s post talks about the final decision to desegregate, the announcement, and the reaction.
Throughout the spring of 1964, Wofford trustees considered the desegregation issue. The special study committee of the Board of Trustees, chaired by the Rev. Dr. Francis T. Cunningham, reported to the February and May meetings of the board with its recommendation that “no qualified student be barred from Wofford College on account of race.” The board discussed the matter at both meetings, though the minutes do not indicate anything of the substance of the discussion. At the May 12, 1964 meeting, the board voted to endorse the college’s statement of admissions as it was printed in the catalogue, with the assurance “that said statement of admissions policy is applicable to all students who may apply, regardless of race or creed.”
The board left it to President Marsh’s discretion as to when and how to make the announcement of this decision. He waited a week before notifying the faculty, staff, and students. No official press release was made, but within a day of the announcement to the campus, the local news media were on the story.
Marsh wrote to the trustees on June 3 to update them on the reaction to the announcement and to talk about plans for implementing the decision. He told the trustees that his office “has received both favorable and unfavorable comments on the action of the Board. The twenty-five favorable communications have come from a variety of sources—alumni and non-alumni, lay and ministerial—and have been most heartening. Four have included financial contributions. In addition to the two communications from churches withdrawing financial support, we have received eighteen other unfavorable communications. Six have been anonymous and of a scurrilous nature. Four have been sincere letters expressing sorrow and withholding fairly regular financial support. We have had no unfavorable comment from students or faculty members and no student withdrawals which appear to be related to our recent action. Our Alumni and Commencement exercises were well attended and happy occasions with no untoward incidents.”
Marsh continued to receive mail from various college constituents throughout the summer. The archives has several folders of letters from all over the state and from other parts of the country expressing support for the decision, opposition to the decision, or outright disgust with Marsh and the college. Some of the letters are quite harsh in their criticism.
Marsh and the trustees anticipated the controversy would boil over at the meeting of the South Carolina Methodist Annual Conference in June. Marsh pre-empted an attack from churches and lay members who objected to desegregation by taking the floor before the appointed time and making a strong statement explaining how and why the college chose to act as it had. Though there was a debate, supporters of the college prevailed in a floor vote.
All that remained was for the college to weather the criticism and to successfully admit and enroll the first African-American student.
We’ll save that for next time.
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