UNCG Institutional Memory Collection

The University of North Carolina at Greensboro (UNCG) Institutional Memory Collection was established in 2006 by the University Archives to preserve the history of UNCG through oral histories. Archives staff members have interviewed alumni, faculty, and staff to record the untold memories of their experience at the University. The African American Institutional Memory Project, part of the Institutional Memory Collection was established to preserve the memories of the black alumni who attended the college during the 1960s.

Details

Who's responsible?: Martha Blakeney Hodges Special Collections and University Archives, UNCG University Libraries (Repository)
How much has been digitized?: This collection has been digitized in its entirety.
Where can I find more information?: No finding aid available.
Topics: Schools and Colleges
People
North Carolina
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 Dr. Rebecca Adams, 2017; Dr. Rebecca Adams was born September 21, 1952 in Toldedo, Ohio. She received her BA in Sociology at Trinity College, and her MA and Ph.D. in Sociology from the University of Chicago. She joined the faculty at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro in August of 1983, and has held several positions. Some positions include: Professor and Gerontology Program Director, Associate Provost for Planning and Assessment,Professor of Sociology, and Assistant to the Dean of Continual Learning. In her interview, Dr. Adams discusses her early life, Gerontology Department, the Grateful Dead Project, and UNCG.

: Oral history interview with Dr. Rebecca Adams, 2018; Dr. Rebecca Adams was born September 21, 1952 in Toldedo, Ohio. She received her BA in Sociology at Trinity College, and her MA and Ph.D. in Sociology from the University of Chicago. She joined the faculty at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro in August of 1983, and has held several positions including: Professor and Gerontology Program Director, Associate Provost for Planning and Assessment,Professor of Sociology, and Assistant to the Dean of Continual Learning. In her interview, Dr. Adams continues her discussion on the Gerontology Program, the Sociology Department, and her time at UNCG.

: Oral history interview with Lynne Agee and Carol Peschel, 2017; Lynne Agee was born October 7, 1938 in Roanoke, Virginia. She earned her bachelor's degree from Longwood College in 1971, and her master's degree from Radford university in 1981. Agee began her coaching career at William Fleming High School. She next coached at Roanoke College for three years starting in 1978. Agee came to UNCG in 1981 and coached the women's basketball team through Division's III, II, and I. She also coached both men's and women's tennis and served as Associate Athletic Director and Senior Woman Administrator during her tenure at UNCG. Coach Agee retired in 2011, after 30 years as coach at UNCG. Her basketball teams final record was 602-334 mark overall and a 556-311 record for her time at UNCG. At the time of her retirement, she was the 21st NCAA Division I coach to reach 600 career wins and the first women's basketball coach to lead a team to the NCAA tournament in all three divisions. Carol Peshcel was born March 7, 1960 in Portsmouth, Virginia. Peschel played college basketball at Roanoke College before transferring in her Senior year to UNCG in 1981.That team (in Coach Agee's first year at UNCG) attained a 25-3 record and reached the Division III national championship game. Peschel was UNCG's first female All-American in any sport and was also named to the All-Tournament team. Peschel spent three years at 1st Home Federal Savings and Loan in the corporate services department. She got her start in insurance as a property and casualty planner when the bank developed an internal agency. In 1986, Peschel began working as a financial planner for the Principal Financial Group, where she earned her life insurance license. After serving as a part-time coach for three years, Peschel became the program's first full-time assistant coach in 1987. She was named associate head coach in 1988. Peschel earned her bachelor's and master's degrees in business administration from UNCG. She retired in 2011.

: Oral history interview with Bonnie Angelo, 2009; Bonnie Angelo (1924-2017) graduated in 1944 with a degree in art from Woman's College of the University of North Carolina, now The University of North Carolina at Greensboro. After graduating, she worked as a journalist for the Winston-Salem Journal and Sentinel, Newsday, and Time Magazine. Angelo also hosted the Washington, DC, TV program, Panorama, for ten years and published two books, First Mothers: The Women Who Shaped the Presidents and First Families: The Impact of the White House on Their Lives. Angelo recalls being a student at Woman's College during the World War II, working on Pine Needles, the college yearbook, and being editor-in-chief of Pine Needles in 1943-1944. She talks about social life on campus and Professors Louise Alexander, May Bush, and Gregory Ivy. She mentions events that influenced her such as the bombing of Pearl Harbor in 1941, rationing during World War II, and the drowning of a child in the campus lake. Angelo discusses being London Bureau chief for Time Magazine from 1978 to 1986 and the interesting interviews she conducted with Margaret Thatcher, Prince Charles, and other notable public figures.

: Oral history interview with Dr. William Au, 2022; Dr. William Au is a Class of 1972 Alumni and was instrumental in starting the Men's Soccer team at UNCG in 1971-1972. He was born in Hong Kong in 1946 and came to UNCG in 1969 to begin his college career. In this interview, Dr. Au discusses his family background, early education, and growing up in Hong Kong. He explains his reasons for coming to Greensboro, North Carolina to attend UNCG, his experiences here as a Chinese American, and his life as an undergraduate male at UNCG shortly after it had become coeducational. He contrasts the culture of his native Hong Kong and the US, and explains that it was one of his goals to come to America and learn its culture. Dr. Au discusses how the UNCG Men's Soccer team got its start from a group of guys who wanted to play soccer at UNCG for fun, into a formal club, and then into a varsity team for the 1971-1972 school year. Much of this was done through his work of promoting, leading, and scheduling matches with other local schools even before they were a formal team. Au also discusses the further successes of the soccer program after he left and how he has kept up with the program since. Dr. Au discusses his world wide career in Developmental Biology and cancer research, which has including working at universities in Texas, China, and Romania. Au concludes the interview by talking about what UNCG means to him and how he has stayed in contact with the school.

: Oral History interview with Towsif Aziz, 2017; Towsif Aziz was born March 2, 1995, in Los Angeles, California. He is currently studying Pre-Dentistry at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. He has been highly active in the Muslim Student Association (MSA). In his interview, Mr. Aziz discusses his early life, time studying abroad, the Muslim Student Association (MSA), and UNCG.

: 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 Dr. Denise Baker, 2017; Dr. Denise Baker was born in Detroit, Michigan in 1946. She received her Bachelor's from the University in 1968, her Master's from the University of California at Santa Barbara in 1970, and her Ph.D. from the University of Virginia in 1975. Dr. Baker joined the faculty of The University of North Carolina at Greensboro in 1975 where she has served in several positions including: Professor, Head of the Department of English, and Associate Dean. Her research interests include medieval literature, especially Julian of Norwich and the Middle English Mystics, and Langland's Piers Plowman. In her interview, Dr. Denise Baker discuss her early life, the Department of English, and her time at UNCG.

: Oral history interview with Dr. Kate Barrett, 2017; Dr. Kate Barrett was born February 2, 1935, in Manhattan, New York City, New York. She joined the faculty at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro in January 1970 and retired in 1997. Dr. Barrett is still active on campus and works with the Weatherspoon Art Museum and other departments. Her areas of focus were on teaching education in physical education with emphasis on children's programs and the development of skillful movement. In her interview, Dr. Barrett discusses her early life, the Department of Kinesiology, and her time at UNCG.

: Oral history interview with Joyce Bass, 2015; Joyce Kaye Sanders Bass (1950-) was born and raised in Raleigh, North Carolina. Bass attended UNCG from 1969-1973 and afterwards taught high school English in Virginia and North Carolina. This interview describes Bass' biographical information, decision to attend UNCG and transition into the university, dorm life at UNCG, social activities and extracurricular activities at UNCG, campus traditions including class jackets and rings, academics at UNCG, and overall reflection of the UNCG experience.

: Oral history interview with Dr. Walter Beale, 2016; Dr. Walter Beale was born in 1945, in Potecasi, North Carolina. He received his BA from Wake Forest University, and his MA and Ph.D. from the University of Michigan. Dr. Beale joined the faculty at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro in 1971, where he would later become the Head of the English Department, and Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences. His research interests include: linguistics, rhetoric, and the theory of discourse. In his interview, Dr. Beale discusses his early life, time at UNCG, and his administrative positions while at UNCG.

: Oral history interview with Darius Bennett, 2017; Mr. Darius Bennett was born October 27, 1994, in Charleston, SC. He will be graduating from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro with his Bachelor's in Nutrition. In his interview, Mr. Bennett discusses his early life, his study abroad experience, and UNCG.

: 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 Dudley Bokoski, 2017; Mr. Dudley Bokoski was born on October 20, 1956 in Texas. He graduated from The University of North Carolina at Greensboro in 1979. Mr. Bokoski is currently serving as President of the Alumni Association. In his interview, Mr. Bokoski discusses his early life, time at UNCG, and his involvement with the alumni association.

: 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.

: 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 Joshua Burns, 2021; Joshua Burns was born in 1999, in Abingdon, Virginia, but grew up in Caldwell County, North Carolina. While there, he attended and graduated from South Caldwell High School. Burns is a first generation college student and lived with a family that he was close to instead of his biological family. In fact, it was this family's son that introduced Burns to UNCG. In this interview, Burns discusses his early life and family; attending UNCG as a first generation college student; his role in student leadership; study abroad in Poland (cut short by the pandemic in Spring 2020) and his involvement in Lloyd International Honors College and UNCG Teacher Education Fellows. Burns details his experience living in the COVID pandemic while attending UNCG over the course of Spring 2020 to Spring 2021. Burns also comments on important current events of that time including the 2020 presidential election, Black Lives Matter movement, and the January 6th attack on the US Capitol. Burns concludes the interview by talking about his future plans for his final year of college and further ahead, as well as what UNCG means to him and how it has affected his life. At the time of this interview Mr. Burns was set to graduate in Spring 2022.

: 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 Martha Jo Hightower Campbell, 2012; Martha Jo Hightower Campbell (1947- ) graduated in 1969 from The University of North Carolina at Greensboro (UNCG) with a degree in sociology. She retired as director of the Winston-Salem Workforce Development Department.<BR><BR>Campbell recalls growing up in segregated Winston-Salem, North Carolina; attending St. Ann's Academy for eleven years; transferring to Atkins High School for her senior year; becoming interested in sociology; and participating in civil rights marches while in high school. She talks about the upper-class African American students at UNCG who informed the new black students about which professors were prejudiced and should be avoided. Campbell discusses the Neo-Black Society and the events it sponsored, dances on campus that brought the white and black students together, general campus social life, her involvement in a campus play, and her student employment in the dining hall. She remembers meeting Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. in Winston-Salem and the impact his assassination had on her as well as on the UNCG and North Carolina A&T State University campuses. Campbell concludes the interview by talking about how attending UNCG influenced her life and prepared her for working in the social services and government areas.XXXX7125

: Oral history interview with Dr. Robert Cannon, 2016; Dr. Robert Cannon was born November, 1946, in Wilmington, Delaware. He earned his Ph.D. from the University of Delaware in biology. Dr. Cannon's research interests include microbial/molecular genetics, microbial ecology, and textile application of bacterial cellulose. He has published several articles, and has worked with several professional organizations during his time. Dr. Cannon joined the University of North Carolina at Greensboro's Biology Department in 1972. In his interview, Dr. Cannon discusses his early life, UNCG, his community work, and the Biology Department.

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