We must give credit when credit is due.

Mr. Richard Reed should be complimented on his outstanding articles in The Times and Democrat about the former presidents of S.C. State. His articles have been informative and informational, and provide a documentational representation of the times.

His view of the past, since he did not actually live in the mist of it, needs some correction. Credit is due to those who were actually responsible.

Now known as S.C. State University, it was known, as printed by Mr. Reed, as The Colored Normal, Industrial, Agricultural and Mechanical College. Not known by most is how the college began. After the end of the Civil War, Reconstruction, blacks were elected to the S.C. House and Senate. After a year or two, the white members of those bodies “asked” the black representatives to resign or not run for re-election IF they wanted a college in South Carolina to educate the black population. S.C. State is here, so …

President B.C. Turner became president during a turbulent time. The whole country was changing, especially the South. Brown vs. Board of Education was in the forefront of the news.

Brown won and “Separate But Equal” was no longer the rule of the land.

The S.C. Legislature followed the federal mandate. This all occurred prior to Turner’s administration.

In the article by The T&D, “Turner commenced his duties by ‘employing’ an outstanding faculty.” Those individuals were already on staff. He should not receive credit for hiring them. Keeping them, maybe.

Finally, “Between 1950 and 1967, there were a total of 23 building projects completed on the campus.” Most if not all were initiated before he became president as a result of “separate but equal education.”

“We will keep things separate, but we will try to make them equal.”

—Daniel W. Walker III, Orangeburg

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