Narrative

On August 28, 1963, an estimated 250,000 people made their way to Washington, D.C. to demand civil and economic rights for African Americans. In attendance at the March on Washington was Gloria Dreher Eaddy of Columbia, SC, who later became a friend and mentor to Dr. Bobby Donaldson, a professor at the University of South Carolina. They spoke with StoryCorps in 2024.

William Starrett has been dancing since he was a small child. His talent was recognized early, earning him the spotlight with prestigious dance companies such as the Royal Winnipeg Ballet, American Ballet Theatre, Eglevsky Ballet, and The Joffrey Ballet. Since settling in Columbia, SC, he know directs the South Carolina Ballet.

In 2024, Pam Sulton invited her friend, Yvonne Smith, to join her at StoryCorps to share what inspired her to become a doula and some of her experiences along the way, a conversation Sulton hopes to leave as a legacy for her family so that they may know how much she enjoyed helping bring new life into the world.

Sawyer Drayton was just two years old when he first met Charlotte, who is now his step-mom. Together, they’ve bonded over their many adventures. 

The summer after Peyton Wooldridge of Chester, S.C. graduated from Mary Baldwin University in 1968, two of her female classmates went to Vietnam to serve during the war. One of those classmates wrote to her, encouraging her to also come and serve, saying, “This will change your life.”

After three months of explosive ordnance and heavy equipment training by the U.S. Army, 18-year-old Roger Thompson arrived for duty in Vietnam in March of 1968. During his service, he witnessed firsthand the terrors of war, which inspired his lifetime mission of helping fellow veterans who struggle with both the physical and mental effects of combat.

In 2021, Thompson and his friend, Kym Klapperich, both of Travelers Rest, sat down to discuss his experience with StoryCorps, a national initiative to record and collect stories of everyday people. This excerpt was selected and produced by Linda Nunez.

Upon graduating at age 17 in June of 1967, Michael Richardson pondered his future and longed for a career. In December of that year, he decided to enlist in the U.S. Army, where his training began in January 1968 at Fort Benning, Georgia. It was there that Richardson had his first experience working in snowy conditions.

Karen Kustafik is a City of Columbia Park Ranger. She and her friend, Margaret Clarkson, met and bonded over their love for Columbia’s natural resources, and in particular, its system of rivers, which flow through the heart of the city.

William Justice and Taylor Gilliam began their friendship in 2017 as client and attorney. Since his early childhood in West Columbia, Justice had experienced several arrests and incarcerations.

At the turn of the 20th century, the South Carolina State Farmers Market was simply known as “Columbia’s City Market,” located on Assembly Street. It was there that George Oswald and his family labored daily, arriving before the sun rose, then packing up well past sundown.