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Integration CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 War II veteran who applied to the USC Law School in 1946. Wrighten was denied admission, but took the school to court. A federal judge gave South Carolina three options: admit Wrighten to USC’s Law School, provide him legal educa tion somewhere else in the state or close down the law school alto gether. So USC decided to create a black law school in Orangeburg. West said there were other cas es of blacks applying at USC, but that they didn’t go to court. USC was forced to face integration, however, on Oct. 31, 1962, when Henrie Montieth Treadwell, a Columbia na tive, sued the school in feder al court after her application was rejected. “It was really the result of a meeting at a church and listening to more of the senior people speak about the importance of my atten dance,” she said. Treadwell studied biology as an undergraduate at USC and is now program director of the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, a nonprofit service organization. A court oi'der for integration followed on July 10,1963. “There were some who were friendly, and there were others who probably just did not know how to respond, so they did noth ing,” Treadwell said. In’the meantime, two other black students, Robert Anderson and James Solomon, applied to USC and enrolled in September 1963 with Montieth. “You felt in some ways as if you were on an island, in the midst of a big sea, not knowing which way things were going to go,” Treadwell said. At the same time, she said the experience was calm, and “there was no fear or anxiety, just cau tious optimism.” James Solomon, who was studying for his graduate degree, said his experience was probably different from that of the under graduates. He was 33 years old at the time, he said, and in a rela tively new graduate program that involved about 11 other students. “I did not live on campus, so most of my contact with persons on campus was with the professors and these students in my classes,” boiomon saia. 1 had no problems really with any of those groups.” With the ex ception of a stu dent protest in May 1963 that in cluded a cross burning, there were no ostensi ble outbursts of violence — an at mosphere which both the state government and the administra tion wanted to maintain. “There was a strategy made and a commitment on the part of some of the state officials that you did not want to have a situation similar to what happened at Ole Miss, in which a lot of people were shot and wounded” and even killed, said Sellers. “USC found it self on the other end of the ex treme, and that is civility and law and order prevail.” Thorne Compton, who was a freshman at USC in 1963, said that everybody was worried about vi olence to some degree. “People didn’t want Carolina to look bad, and so people were con cerned, I think,” said Compton, who is now the interim associate dean of the College of Liberal Arts at USC. “There were people who were unpleasant and people who were racist and people who be haved very badly, but after the first semester, it sort of settled down.” Treadwell said it’s difficult for her to put into words how the ex perience helped her, but that it was worth the effort. “I cannot imagine my life with out it,” she said. “Whatever per sonal sacrifices I made, the choice was the right one to attend.” And now, she will be in atten dance Thursday, 40 years after she first enrolled on USC’s campus, part of a ceremony that is planned to look ahead as well as behind. “It celebrates the fact that after years of denying equal opportuni ty to African Americans, the University of South Carolina de cided that the era of segregation needed to be put behind us,” USC PrpeiHpnt AnHrPwSnrpn<;pn caiH “We need to remind ourselves that it wasn’t always the way that it is now, and we also have to remind ourselves that the job isn’t done yet, that we still have more hur dles to clear.” Sellers said he agrees that there is still work to do, but he stressed the importance of re membering. “The University of South Carolina has had a unique role in developing a diversity in its stu dent population, and I think that that has been very beneficial,” said Sellers, who attributes much of this to Sept. 11,1963. He said it “sets a tremendous example” for students trying to make their way today “when you go back and see that young people in another era stepped onto the stage of history and actually brought about change.” Comments on this story?E-mail gamecockudesk@hotmail.com “You felt in some ways as if you were on an island, in midst of a big sea, not knowing which way things were going to go.” HENRIE MONTIETH TREADWELL ONE OF USC'S FIRST BUCK STUDENTS Events Sept. 11,2003 1 P.M. TO 3 P.M. A pane! of scholars from universities nationwide will discuss “The State of African American Studies” in Lumpkin Auditorium on the eighth floor of the Darla Moore School of Business. 6 P.M. TO 8 P.M. The first three black students who integrated USC in 1963, Henrie Montieth Treadwell, James Solomon and Robert Anderson, will discuss their experiences as part of a panel including Sen. Fritz Hollings and Judge Matthew Perry. This event will be held in the Campus Room of Capstone House. A reception with jazz music will be held afterward. PHOTO COURTESY OF USC ARCHIVES From left, Anderson, Montieth-Treadwell and Solomon walk out of theOsborne administration building as registered USC students. Sprint. FREE PCS Phones for a limited time with a one-year PCS Advantage Agreement. M K I Anytime Minutes /$ M 1 a month $10 a month more gets you*: ► Unlimited Night & Weekend Minutes ► Unlimited PCS to PCS Calling'* ► Long Distance included on calls to anywhere in the U.S. from anywhere in NC, SC and GA while on the Sprint Nationwide PCS Network *For a limited time only with activation of an Area-wide Plan. College ID required. Enter to win a free Sanyo 8100! ! Take this entry form to your nearby Sprint Store and register to win. (Name________ 1 “ -.— — E-mail 1 f o. ! Phone_ 1 r i ).<pi Visit Sprint at the Gamecock Rallies each Friday Night prior to home USC Football games. 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