Martha Thomas Fitzgerald Papers - Accession 273

The Martha Thomas Fitzgerald Papers consist of biographical data, correspondence, minutes, newspaper clippings, memoranda, reports, and photographs (of particular interest are the many photographs of rural S.C. school houses in the 1920s). The collection pertains to Mrs. Fitzgerald’s work with the South Carolina Department of Education, the South Carolina House of Representatives, and her work with various civic organizations such as the Altrusa Club, the League of Women Voters, the Daughters of American Colonists, United Daughters of the Confederacy (UDC), Business and Professional Women’s Club (BPW), Delta Kappa Gamma, South Carolina Vocational Rehabilitation, and the Salvation Army. There is also information on the Status of Women Commission Council on Aging, agriculture, Queens College, University of South Carolina, Winthrop University, Columbia University, public health, South Carolina history, City of Columbia, South Carolina, and Richland County, South Carolina. Correspondents include Strom Thurmond and three letters from John F. Kennedy when he was senator. Mrs. Fitzgerald was the first woman elected to the South Carolina House of Representatives in a general election.

Interview with Frances Case

In her October 11, 2012 interview with Robert Ryals, Frances Case details her experience at Winthrop from 1947-1951. In particular, Case provides insight into the many rules and regulations students had to follow concerning dress, the Blue Line, curfew, cars, and smoking. Case speaks about student and dorm life, and her experience as a graduate student at Columbia University in New York City. Case concludes her interview by discussing her involvement with Winthrop since she graduated. This interview was conducted for inclusion into the Louise Pettus Archives and Special Collections Oral History Program.