Remembering the Days: A USC Podcast

A statue of Richard T. Greener is on display on the University of South Carolina campus as a tribute to the first Black graduate of Harvard College and the first Black professor at the University of South Carolina. But there was more to Greener's life than merely being a "first."

Ninety years ago, the pathways crisscrossing the Horseshoe were just that — dirt pathways that were dusty in dry weather and muddy when it rained. A young English professor devised a campaign to convert the paths to brick-covered walkways without spending a penny in state funding. 

Dress codes and curfews persisted at the University of South Carolina until well into the 1960s, but were mainly focused on female students. Kit Smith, a 1967 graduate, recalls the dire consequences of returning to campus 15 minutes late. 

The 1961 Carolina-Clemson football game was a close-fought match that ended with a dramatic goal line stand. But the most memorable part of that game began during the pre-game warmups, when things weren't at all what they appeared to be. 

University of South Carolina architect Derek Gruner likes to say that walking across the Carolina campus is like a visual lesson in American architecture from the past two centuries. Join us for a stroll and learn more about some of the university's most iconic buildings. 

Come time travel with us to the Carolina campus in 1840. All you need is a sense of imagination to experience the sights, sounds and smells of the campus in a very different time.

What was it like in America and on the Carolina campus a hundred years ago during the Roaring '20s? Contrary to popular belief, not everyone was having a roaring good time, but that memorable decade brought lasting change to the university and the nation. 

The Mighty Sound of the Southeast, the University of South Carolina's Marching Band, celebrates its 100th anniversary this fall, and what a century it's been! Find out what the band has in common with Elvis Presley and how you can enjoy a virtual concert on Facebook. 

The towering shade trees on the historic Horseshoe aren't the original specimens that were planted nearly 200 years ago. But there are some pretty old ones there — and, with a little effort, you can grow your own piece of Carolina's urban forest.

Forty years ago, Cocky was born. But that feisty garnet-feathered bird wasn't the University of South Carolina's first mascot.

In May 1970 America was turned upside down amid anti-Vietnam War protests, including a deadly confrontation between National Guardsmen and students at Kent State University. The University of South Carolina wasn't immune to the societal unrest, and things turned ugly on campus in several incidents 50 years ago this month. 

For the past 40 years, women have outnumbered men in the University of South Carolina's student body. But the history of women on campus goes back to the institution's beginning, long before women were even allowed to attend. 

Painting the college president's horse green, removing wooden steps from the only building on campus, serenading professors with tin pans — those were just some of the pranks that students pulled at South Carolina College in the 19th century. Campus archivist Elizabeth West explains why those free-spirited students rebelled against the puritanical rules imported from New England colleges. 

Today's COVID-19 landscape of quarantines and sickness bring to mind another pandemic — the 1918 influenza outbreak that hit hard on the University of South Carolina campus. One young student, Gadsden Shand, answered the call of duty and helped keep many of his classmates alive.

Like many early 19th century colleges, South Carolina College had a complicated history with enslaved people. One of them was named Jack, and almost everyone agreed he was a vital cog in the college’s academic mission.