Fields, Richard, May 14, 2012
Scope and Contents
The Dart Library Oral History Project contains five oral histories conducted by Dr. Robert Chase, the Avery Research Center's public historian. They document individuals' experiences of using the library at Dart Hall and attending dances in the second floor of the Hall. Participants also discuss family history, their memories of Jim Crow segregration in Charleston, and their professional careers.
The oral histories are arranged alphabetically by last name at the file level. More information about the content of each oral history can be found in the abstract at the file level of each interview.
Dates
- Creation: May 14, 2012
Access Restrictions
No restrictions.
Full Extent
From the Collection: .209 linear feet (1 half Hollinger box, 5 CDs)
Language of Materials
From the Collection: English
Abstract
Judge Richard Fields begins by discussing his parents, John and Mary Fields, their relationship to Beaufort, their annual return to the Lady's Island for Decoration Day, his father's job as a barber, his childhood, and how he remembers segregation. He continues by discussing his memories of Dart Library and the upstairs dance hall, as well as his boy's club, "The Sentimental Seven," and the parties they threw. He also discusses his decision to attend West Virigina State College as well as his attendance at the Avery Normal Institute, how reading made him want to be a lawyer, his time at law school at Howard University, his decision to return to Charleston to practice law and be closer to his family, and his career as a litigator and the transition to being a judge. He concludes by discussing the importance of Dart Library and reading.
The oral history is conducted by Dr. Robert Chase.
Repository Details
Part of the Avery Research Center for African American History and Culture Repository
125 Bull Street
Charleston South Carolina 29424 United States
843-953-7608
averyresearchcenter@cofc.edu