Jan. 28, 1963 - Desegregation came without incident today to South Carolina’s educational system as Clemson College enrolled its first Negro. More than 150 state and local law enforcement officers stood guard on the campus and in the surrounding area to see that no disorder marred the admission of Harvey B. Gantt (pictured) of Charleston. A few student bystanders muttered in the background as the 20-year-old youth emerged smiling from a black sedan and made his way through a crowd of more than 150 newsmen into Tillman Hall. But the picketing, the jeering mobs, and the violence that have sometimes accompanied racial change in the South were absent. Mr. Gantt, who was admitted under a Federal court order issued early this month, said he was “very pleased” with his reception. “I feel a little anxious, naturally,” he said. “This is the feeling you get when you attend a new school.” Mr. Gantt will study architecture at Clemson.
Comments