About the First Four


BUILDING BRIDGES BREAKING BARRIERS


“You and I have a moral and a civic responsibility to live our lives so when we prosper, we help others to model our examples of doing good, changing the world for the better.”


-Dr. Cynthia Plair Roddey ’67 during her May Commencement address


Sixty years ago, Dr. Cynthia Plair Roddey knew that eyes were upon her as she walked to graduate classes as the first African-American student to integrate then-Winthrop College. Flash forward to May 4, 2024, and all eyes were fixed on her for a different reason: she delivered the Commencement address at both undergraduate Commencement ceremonies (listen here) and received an honorary doctorate of humane letters. Her inspiring Commencement address earned her a lengthy standing ovation from those in attendance.


During the address, Roddey said, “This year we are celebrating the 50th anniversary of coeducation and the 60th anniversary of desegregation. These students challenged disparities in education as they related to race and gender. My Winthrop experience has been an invaluable bridge from academic life to a 53-year career in education from preschool to the university level. As the college progressed to university status, I have progressed from being a mentee to a mentor. This change has been a long process for me, and a number of professors, colleagues, family and friends have


2 guided me in my social activism.” Read more


Roddey, who became the first African-American student to earn a graduate degree, and three other trailblazers – Delores Johnson Hurt ’68, the late Arnetta Gladden Mackey ’67 and Sue Frances Meriwether Steed ’67 – have been hon- ored over the years for their bravery and historic contributions as the first Black students to enroll at Winthrop. The Alumni Association bestowed upon them the 2017 Distinguished Service Award, and the S.C. House of Representatives passed a resolution in 2021 praising their efforts related to integration at Winthrop.


This year, in recognition of the 60th anniversary of integration, a special gala was held April 6 that celebrated their legacies. Kambrell Garvin ’13, principal attorney and owner of Kambrell Garvin Law Firm, and a current member of the S.C. House of Representatives, delivered the gala’s keynote address. Additional events are planned for later this year, including an integration exhibition that the Louise Archives and Special Collections will showcase during Homecoming and Reunion this November.


3 about the university’s integration history, milestones and achievements, and other Winthrop Firsts.


Cynthia Plair Roddey: first Afri- can-American graduate student, and she is widely acknowl- edged as the first African-Amer- ican woman to enroll at the university. She earned a M.A.T. in library science.


Read more.


Delores Johnson Hurt: chosen by the NAACP Legal Defense Fund to be one of the first undergraduate African-Ameri- can students to enroll at Win- throp. She was a residential student and earned a bachelor’s


degree in French. Read more.


Sue Frances Meriwether Steed: first African-American student to earn a degree at Winthrop (B.A. in biology). She transferred to Winthrop in the fall of 1964 from Tennessee Agricultural & Industri- al State University. Read more.


Arnetta Gladden Mackey: one of the first African-American undergraduate students to enroll at Winthrop. Mackey, who earned a B.A. in biology, roomed with Hurt. She passed away in 2009. Read more.


Seated from left: Steed, Hurt, Roddey and Mackey’s family members posed with faculty (standing) during an April 6 gala that honored the four Winthrop integration trailblazers.

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