Mildred English oral history interview, 2012 September 17

Description

In this interview, Mildred English, Monroe native and long-time employee of Charlotte College and the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, tells of her personal history and shares her first-hand knowledge of Bonnie Cone. She begins by speaking of her parents' occupations and her early education during the Great Depression. She recalls her first post-college job working at the American Association of Junior Colleges in Washington, D.C., and describes life in the city in the late 1940s and early 1950s. She explains her decision to go to graduate school and work with students and how she came to work as Business Manager at Charlotte College with Bonnie Cone. She describes the college's campus at Central High School, the circumstances surrounding its move to the new campus off Highway 49, and its induction into the UNC System. She discusses the politics of this inclusion, of Bonnie Cone's being passed over for the chancellorship, and of the UNC System in general. She recalls opposition to Charlotte College's growth and to Bonnie Cone's vision for the school and describes Miss Cone's management style, personality, work ethic, and passion for students and their success. Other topics include Ms. English's duties at Charlotte College, the contrast between faculty at Charlotte College and UNC Charlotte, Bonnie's Boys, the Charlotte College bell and barn, and festivities surrounding the new campus. Ms. English also relates the story of two female students, Martha Price and Rose Erwin, who completed their bachelor's and master's degrees solely through evening and summer classes at Charlotte College and UNC Charlotte.

In collections