UNC Charlotte Students and Alumni

This collection consists of oral history interviews with UNC Charlotte students and alumni.

Harold Pulley oral history interview 1, 2012 May 31
In this first of four interviews, Harold Pulley, North Carolina native and alumnus of the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, begins by discussing his family background including his father's acquisition of farmland in return for construction labor, his mother's education and personality, and his maternal grandfather's parentage and role in helping enslaved persons escape, fighting in the Civil War, and bootlegging. He recalls how his father's stories about the African-American experience during enslavement influenced him and comments on the role of stories in the enslaved community. Mr. Pulley discusses how interracial marriage was viewed during the late 19th and early 20th centuries, shares his and his family's experience living in Franklinton, North Carolina, during segregation, and describes the prejudice from both the black and white communities that he, his mother, and his siblings faced as persons of mixed race. He recalls vivid childhood memories of observing the aftermath of a lynching and explains how he was taught how to interact with white men. Other topics include influential teachers, educational and career pursuits of Mr. Pulley's twelve siblings, and comparison of life in Norfolk, Virginia, to that in Franklin County, North Carolina.
Harold Pulley oral history interview 2, 2012 June 26
In this second of four interviews, Harold Pulley, UNC Charlotte alumnus, recounts his college and military careers, discussing his time at Livingstone College, Gaston Technical Institute, and UNC Charlotte, as well as in the Navy Reserve and the Air Force. He comments on feelings in the local African-American community about UNC Charlotte, particularly in relation to Johnson C. Smith University, and describes his student experience at UNC Charlotte, including coursework, social connections, relationships with faculty, and race relations on campus. He recalls his first meetings with and impressions of Bonnie Cone and Loy Witherspoon, and briefly discusses fellow students Ben Chavis and Michael Carmichael. He also talks about his time in Vietnam, his struggle with post-traumatic stress disorder, his church involvement, his decisions to attend each higher education institution, and his lasting relationship with Bonnie Cone during his time as a student. Other topics include racial discrimination in the military, current events such as the Obama presidency, and the difference between black and white churches when it comes to handling church conflict.
Harold Pulley oral history interview 3, 2012 July 18
In this third of four interviews, Mr. Harold Pulley discusses his student experience at UNC Charlotte during the late 1960s and his connection to the civil rights movement in North Carolina. He describes Bonnie Cone's manner of speaking and interacting with students, and comments on how she handled race issues on campus. He also describes the faculty as a whole, recalling both acceptance and latent racism or anti-semitism among various members of the faculty. Specific faculty he describes are Dr. Herbert Hechenbleikner, Dr. Loy Witherspoon, Dr. Nish Jamgotch, and Dr. Pierre Macy, from whom he recalls taking French. He remembers Henry Kissinger's visit to UNC Charlotte and discusses the feelings on campus regarding the Vietnam War as well as the black student movement's beginnings in 1967, including connections between civil rights activism and Vietnam War protests. He briefly revisits his time in Vietnam and explains his involvement in the civil rights movement, particularly with the Southern Christian Leadership Conference. He shares about the Lincolnton community's response to the Ku Klux Klan's burning of a cross on a black veteran's grave and discusses Dr. Martin Luther King's visit to Johnson C. Smith University, his influence on Mr. Pulley and others, and his assassination. Other topics include Mr. Pulley's process of becoming ordained as a Baptist minister, his time in seminary, his interactions with Ben Chavis during his time at UNC Charlotte, and various jobs he held, such as at the High Shoals textile mill.
Harold Pulley oral history interview 4, 2012 August 28
In this fourth of four interviews, Mr. Harold Pulley resumes where he left off in the previous interview discussing Dr. Martin Luther King's assassination, specifically regarding the reaction at UNC Charlotte. He traces the history of black uprisings, describes the racial climate in New England, and contrasts Charlotte and Boston, both in terms of general culture and specifically of the black communities in each city. He discusses Dr. King's dissertation and its effect on his own perspective as well as Dr. King's legacy on the School of Theology at Boston University where Mr. Pulley attended seminary. He also explains his career choices, including what led him to go to school in Boston, and shares how Bonnie Cone, Loy Witherspoon, and other faculty members at UNC Charlotte helped him secure jobs and further his education. Other topics include Mr. Pulley's time in seminary, his personal writing goals, and reading practices. Mr. Pulley concludes by commenting on the current political climate and on political issues such as healthcare and by reflecting on the influence of UNC Charlotte, Bonnie Cone, Loy Witherspoon, and Robert Rieke on his life.
Valerie A. Grays oral history interview, 2019 September 27
In this interview, Valerie Grays, an alumna of the University of North Carolina at Charlotte shares memories of her time as a student at the university from 1980-1984. She discusses why she chose to attend the university, her first day as a student, involvement with student organizations such as student government, the Black Student Union, and Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. She also discusses winning homecoming queen in 1984 and being the third African-American woman on campus to hold this title.