The McCottry Smith Family papers

Andy McDonald McCottry (1887-1962), formerly of Kingstree, South Carolina, received his teachers certification from the Normal and Polytechnic College in Abbeville, SC. From a young age, he was an active member of the Zion Presbyterian Church and held roles such as deacon, clerk, and elder. Mr. McCottry worked as a pullman porter on the Southern Atlantic Coast Lines Railroad Company. Through this occupation, he helped create and mobilize the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters union in Charleston.

Lucile Turner (1886-1965) graduated from the Avery Normal Institute in 1907. She then began teaching on James Island and later became a seamstress for Belk and Kerrison department stores.

Lucile and Andy married on June 27, 1917. Their eldest child, Ruth McCottry (Wiley) (1917-1987) graduated from Bennett College with a bachelor’s degree in elementary education. She later received her master's in speech therapy from the University of North Carolina. She eventually accumulated thirty-four years of teaching experience in North Carolina schools.

The second child, Turner McDonald McCottry, M.D. (1919-1996), was also a graduate of the Avery Normal Institute. He soon graduated from Johnson C. Smith University in Charlotte, North Carolina and Meharry Medical College in Nashville, Tennessee. Dr. McCottry practiced medicine in Charleston for forty-three years while also piloting his own plane throughout the southeastern United States. Once married, his wife Dr. Catherine McKee McCottry began practicing beside him beginning in 1952. Turner then served as chief of staff at McClennan Banks hospital and played an integral part in the construction of the new and improved hospital built in 1957. Through all of his efforts, Dr. McCottry supported the integration of medical societies in South Carolina during the 1960s.

The McCottry's third child, Cynthia Elizabeth McCottry (Smith) (b. 1922) graduated from the Avery Normal Institute in 1941 and continued her studies in education at Bennett College. She later received her master’s in education from New York University in 1956. She returned home and began teaching at various Charleston County public schools and spent a few years teaching at the Avery Normal Institute during its transition from a private institution to a public school. She was well known for her contributions and public service and maintained a lasting impression on the community. She eventually became an active member and volunteer of the Avery Research Center for African American History and Culture.

The youngest child, Gloria McCottry (Harris) (d. 2012) graduated from Dillard University with degrees in English and Drama. She was a pivotal in integrating the Navy Yard as a clerk in the 1940s. She also held jobs as a probation officer, public speaker, and dramatist.

Cynthia McCottry Smith was one of the Avery Research Center's initial collection donors, (c. 1983) and she has consistently added to her family's collection in the years since. To say her collection is rich is an understatement. Her papers signify in part:

Her education at Avery Normal Institute, Bennette College, New York University, and continuing education at local state institutions.

Her dedicated profession as a teacher, totaling thirty-six years of experience at the Avery Institute, Archer Elementary, Sanders-Clyde Elementary, and Julian Mitchell Elementary. Featured in this collection are numerous awards for exemplary teaching and letters of gratitude from former students.

Smith's papers also reflects the life of a proud, devoted member of various clubs and organizations. These include but are not limited to: The Charleston Links Chapter, the Phillis Wheatley Literary and Social Club, Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority, and the Avery Insititute of African American History and Culture committee board. Through these groups and their physical reminants, we are provided insight to a woman who is genuine in her playfullness, creativity, and fierce identity as a Charlestonian civil rights activist.

Excerpts of Charleston life and activities are also chronicled in Smith's collection, which will prove to be invaluable to future researchers. The collection houses an extensive geneology, history, and celebration of the McCottry, Turner, and Smith families. These materials are an illustration and tribute of a life well-lived, utilized, and thoroughly enjoyed. Known to the Avery Research Center as "Avery's Angel", we are delighted to highlight her achievements.