Viva Voce: Charleston Library Society Oral Histories
Dublin Core
Title
Viva Voce: Charleston Library Society Oral Histories
Creator
Charleston Library Society
Date
2022-2023
Subject
Charleston (S.C.) -- History.
Subscription libraries -- South Carolina -- Charleston.
Libraries -- South Carolina -- History.
Description
The Charleston Library Society was founded in 1748, and ever since it has been devoted to preserving the historical memory of the city and Lowcountry. CLS has amassed an expansive library and archival collection and has developed numerous programs to promote Charleston history and its significance. For over two and half centuries, CLS has successfully become an influential part of the community it seeks to record, and is itself a major feature of the social and intellectual map of the region.
Recent generations have witnessed rapid changes in the city and in the life experiences of its residents. Uniquely rich and interconnected networks within its society, and the society of Charleston itself, are always changing. The Library Society believes there is a substantial need to preserve these daily, but vital, experiences.
The title of this project, "Viva Voce" means "with the living voice" or "by word of mouth" in Latin. An ongoing effort, the CLS Oral History Project seeks to highlight the social life of the city, especially those parts in which CLS has itself played an active role. This will be done through personal interviews with involved and venerable members of the Charleston community, whose experiences are insightful perspectives on the past. By archiving the narratives of our neighbors, we hope to preserve a body of knowledge that will inform and engage those who come after us.
Recent generations have witnessed rapid changes in the city and in the life experiences of its residents. Uniquely rich and interconnected networks within its society, and the society of Charleston itself, are always changing. The Library Society believes there is a substantial need to preserve these daily, but vital, experiences.
The title of this project, "Viva Voce" means "with the living voice" or "by word of mouth" in Latin. An ongoing effort, the CLS Oral History Project seeks to highlight the social life of the city, especially those parts in which CLS has itself played an active role. This will be done through personal interviews with involved and venerable members of the Charleston community, whose experiences are insightful perspectives on the past. By archiving the narratives of our neighbors, we hope to preserve a body of knowledge that will inform and engage those who come after us.
Publisher
Charleston Library Society
Rights
Copyright Charleston Library Society. All requests for permission to publish or quote from manuscripts must be submitted in writing to the Special Collections Librarian. Permission for publication is given on behalf of the Charleston Library Society as the owner of the physical items and is not intended to include or imply permission of the copyright holder, which must also be obtained by the researcher.
Format
audio/mp3
Type
Audio
Source
Ms. 29, Charleston Library Society Oral History Collection
Language
English
Collection Items
Henry Grimball (interviewed by Lisa Hayes on January 5, 2024)
Henry Grimball was born in Charleston in 1948. The Grimball family has long connections to South Carolina and to the Library Society, going back at least to the “brick” membership of Nathaniel Heyward in 1835. Mr. Grimball relates stories of his…
Martha Rivers Ingram (interviewed by Lisa Hayes and Danielle Cox on November 29, 2023)
Martha Ingram was born in Charleston in 1935. She grew up downtown and went on to study history at Vassar. Mrs. Ingram shares about her family’s visits to the Library as a little girl and she recounts her job as a DJ at her father’s radio station…
Dr. Mariano La Via (interviewed by Laura Mina on September 15, 2023)
Mariano La Via was born in Rome in 1926. La Via was a young man living in Italy during World War II and describes those harrowing times, losing friends, and then arriving in New York by sea, and seeing the Brooklyn Bridge. An immunologist, Dr. La…
Jack Alterman (interviewed by Lisa Hayes on September 5, 2023)
Jack Alterman was born here in Charleston and has had a long career as a professional photographer. Mr. Alterman reflects on his family’s life and their dress shops on King Street, along with all of the changes he’s seen downtown during the last…
Dr. Richard Porcher (interviewed by Jessica Mischner and Lisa Hayes on August 24, 2023)
Richard Porcher was born in 1939 in Charleston. He grew up in Moncks Corner and has had a long career as a biologist. Dr. Porcher has written several books on cotton, wildflowers, rice culture and cultural history. He served on the Library’s board…
Ann Igoe (interviewed by Elsa McDowell on August 17, 2023)
Ann Igoe was born in Florence, S.C. in 1935. She grew up in Darlington, S.C. A teacher of modern dance, Ms. Igoe has been in Charleston since 1959. She and her late husband Harold (“Skipper”) Igoe were participants in the poetry group that met at…
Richard M. Lilly (interviewed by Lisa Hayes on June 5, 2023)
Richard Porcher was born in 1939 in Charleston. He grew up in Moncks Corner and has had a long career as a biologist. Dr. Porcher has written several books on cotton, wildflowers, rice culture and cultural history. He served on the Library’s board…
Harriet McDougal (interviewed by Lisa Hayes on May 23, 2023)
Harriet McDougal was born in Washington, D.C. in 1939. Her father was a naval officer, stationed here in Charleston right after World War II. She grew up downtown and, after college in New York, worked in various publishing houses. She started her…
Jenks Gibbs (interviewed by Sister Buchanan and Lisa Hayes on May 9th, 2023)
William Jenkins (“Jenks”) Gibbs was born in 1938 in Charleston. He grew up downtown and had a career in banking and shipping. He served in the US Coast Guard and is a descendent of the Ball and Simons families. Mr. Gibbs discusses changes he’s…
Cathy Sadler (interviewed by Lisa Hayes on May 1, 2023)
Cathy Sadler was born in Vicksburg, MS in 1949. She was promised a job at the Library Society when she was five and went on to work at the Library for nearly forty years, first as Librarian from 1971 to 1978, and then as Head Librarian, from 1979 to…