University of North Carolina at Asheville
D. Hiden Ramsey Library
Special Collections/University Archives

Oral History Register
for

Allene Sugg Highsmith

OH-VOA H54 Al

Asheville Citizen-Times [1962-09-30]
Voices of Asheville Oral History Collection
D.H. Ramsey Library Special Collections, UNCA

Title

Creator

Dorothy Joynes for Voices of Asheville Oral History Collection

Subject

LCSH:
Highsmith, Allene Sugg
Asheville (N.C.) -- History
Universities and colleges -- North Carolina -- Asheville
University of North Carolina at Asheville
Education -- North Carolina -- Asheville -- History

Subject

Keyword:
UNCA ; Head Start ; YWCA

Description

Abstract:  Highsmith discusses her involvement with the development of UNCA.  She describes some of the central problems and issues that arose while trying to achieve university status, and discusses several factors that influenced the growth and development of the school.  She describes her husband's goals for the university, and how he worked to achieve them.  She also discusses her other involvements in the community, describing her interest in helping the poor, and her activities with Head Start and the YWCA.  She talks about certain social and historical circumstances that shaped UNCA over the years, from integration to the Vietnam War.  She discusses her children, and the people that have influenced their development.

Publisher

D. H. Ramsey Library Special Collections, University of North Carolina at Asheville, NC, 28804

Contributor

Date

Electronic Record Issued: 2002-05-08

Type

Sound ; Text ; Image

Format

Physical Description: 9-page abstract ; 1 90-minute audiocassette and 1 copy ; 1 CD copy; 3 color photographs ; newspaper articles and brochures

Identifier

http://toto.lib.unca.edu/findingaids/oralhistory/VOA/D_H/Highsmith_A.html

Source

OH-VOA H54 Al

Language

English

Relation

References: VOA John Reynolds Oral History ; VOA Walter Boland Oral History ; The University of North Carolina at Asheville. The first 60 years by William Edward Highsmith

Coverage

Acquisition

Donor number: 146 ;  Date of acquisition: 1998

Processed By

Dorothy Joynes, Ruth Beard and staff

Interview Date

Interview Location

Biography

List of names

Side 1:

[1/1] Introduction

[1/5]  Newspaper clipping of 1962 referring to a woman's role as "First Lady of Asheville Biltmore College" is discussed.

[1/19]  Her husband spent most of his time in Raleigh trying to get funds for the college.

[1/28]  The college was running on a shoe string - full professors were poorly paid and the first buildings were small.  The science building had a lab appropriate for a high school and looked like a sock factory. [Dr. David Brown, Ainsley Whitman, Mary Roberts Reinhart, Gertrude Ramsey]

[1/66]  She became a Den Mother (boys 5 and 8) and worked in the Asheville Day Nursery. [Lena Cravett, June Elmore]

[1/93]  It was her idea to house nurseries in the projects in an effort to break the poverty cycle.

[1/113]  Head Start was going well but able to serve only half of children who qualified.

[1/124]  With the court decision - Brown vs. Board of Education - the schools were integrated.  Tiny Tots had been set up for blacks by the United Way.  Kindergartens were introduced. [Governor Hunt]

[1/147]  By the time she worked with the YWCA the two Y's had combined and the building on South French Broad was under construction. [Thelma Caldwell]

[1/164]  The library on UNCA campus is discussed.  She describes the lights, red front doors and structure.  Tony, she feels, is a Renaissance man and was fascinated by his collection of locks. [Tony Lord, David Brown]

[1/218]  She describes the people in the community and those who were involved in making the Junior College into a state university. [Tony Lord, Mary Parker, Josephine Schafer, Hiden Ramsey, Mary Ramsey, Governor Dan Moore, Virginia Dameron, Louis Lipinsky, Joan Edward, Louis Edward, John Reynolds, Manley Wright, Gertrude Ramsey, Alfred Miller]

[1/294]  The first people she met were the members of the Board of Trustees.  With the change to university status the board changed and the original group worked themselves out of their jobs.

[1/307]  The college alumni didn't make it to university level because of the requirement to have 700 FTE (full time equivalent in students). [Governor Terry Sanford, Robert Phillips, Manley Wright, John Reynolds]

[1/347]  William Highsmith considered it his mission to secure university status.  He had done this in 5 years in Florida. [Dr. Oliver Carmichael]

[1/375]  John Reynolds is the nephew of A. C. Reynolds.  The university is now in it's 6th location.  Some professors were teaching for free and the total library budget was $600 a year. [John M. Reynolds, Nancy Reynolds, Manley Wright, Betty Wright]

[1/417]  Asheville had two teachers' colleges and A-B Tech, so UNCA didn't have to bother with these areas of study.  Because of all these schools the standard of living in the area has been raised.

[1/439]  Except for teachers, many graduates are lost to other states.  

[1/460]  She describes her husband (a beautiful tribute) and how they met.  She had been working on her PhD when they met. [William Highsmith]

[1/560]  As Mrs. Highsmith she had a multiple job - from assisting new members of the staff in locating in the city to entertaining 50 to 250 people. [Nona Woodson]

Side 2:

[2/3]  She found just the house she wanted at 62 Macon Dr.  She didn't want to bring 2 boys up on camps where they would be treated as pets.  She told the board which house she had been looking into and they bought it for the university for $1,000 cheaper.  The house was able to accommodate many people in warm weather and she found it better to entertain there than in Owen Conference Center. [Anne Pearlman]

[2/62]  The Highsmith University Center is an improvement over the Lipinsky Center but it was too small by the time it was built. [Bertram King]

[2/91]  Because of growth, the space and funds were always inadequate to comfortably fill the needs.

[2/101]  She said that the smaller the university and the farther from the center the longer one waits.  The mountain students are as bright as any in the world.

[2/125]  She refers to article in UNCA Today Fall 1992 referring to the standing of the University.  The philosophy has been challenged but it still stands.  This is a teaching institution - not a publish or perish one - the professors stay because they like to teach and they like the community.

[2/165]  The mixture in the student body adds to UNCA's strength and she hopes that tuition won't be raised so much that out-of-state people can't attend.

[2/175]  For a number of years students went to England with professors to study in Oxford.  They could go for 6 weeks for $600.  She and Dr. Highsmith went to watch one year.  N.C. State runs the program now.  The rates are too high today.

[2/216]  The Vietnam War caused student turmoil across the country.  At UNCA there were faculty members who opposed the war and many debates were held.  The students went on strike for several reasons - rehiring of professors whose contracts had expired, cafeteria, etc.  Some 15 students struck, they never missed a class and "Kenny declared it a success" (see newspaper clips). [Kenneth Wright]

[2/254]  With the change from a jr. college to a 4 year university, academic standards, required by the registrars office in Chapel Hill, had to be raised.  Out of 40 original professors only 2 remained to the end.  The tri-mester system did not dovetail with the university system and had to be changed.  Bright young professors out of grad school found this a good place to raise a family. [Teddy Uldricks, Arnold Wengrow]

[2/336] She was selected by Hunt to be on the Board of Election.  A donkey, once a store decoration in Ivy's was presented to her (see photo - she wouldn't let me take one of her!). [Governor James B. Hunt, I. C. Crawford, Mrs. Nona McDonald]

[2/421]  The Bynum Collection was given to the library (see Shepard tape). [Katharine Shepard, Mrs. Bynum, Curtis Bynum]

[2/426]  She spoke at a black church on Woman's Day in 1971 on "women in times like these" (see enclosure).  Now whites no longer asked to talk to black church ladies.

[2/461]  She tells about her sons (they both have doctorates) and the influences in their lives.  She refers to Dr. Highsmith's adopted children. [Edward Highsmith, John Highsmith, Dr. Kenneth Ray, Dr. Ed Isby, Sandra Hay Highsmith, Dana Yavakin, Rebecca Yavakin Sulock]

[2/571]  Her major activity today is the Salvation Army after-school program in West Asheville.

Thanks.

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