Glenda Gilmore: North Carolina Roots Led to Her Interest in History

Omar Ford, in the Beaufort Gazette (May 14, 2004):

Beaufort High School is a decidedly different school than it was during the 1970s, recalls Glenda Gilmore a professor at Yale.
Gilmore was a budding history teacher at Beaufort High when the Supreme Court's 1954 Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, Kan., decision was finally impacting Beaufort in 1970.

Little did the eighth generation North Carolinian know that her experience in Beaufort would pave the way for her to become a professor at Yale.

"I loved to teach, and I love history," she said while sipping on a cold glass of iced tea hours before giving the commencement address at the University of South Carolina Beaufort's 2004 spring graduation.

Her experience teaching Gullah children, descendants of slaves who inhabited the Sea Islands, changed her view on history and exposed her to a culture that remained undocumented in most history books.

"I knew nothing about African-American history -- I learned so much history from my students," she said.

It was a history that would cause her to dig for more and even return to the classroom as a student.

Gilmore received her doctorate degree from the University of North Carolina in 1992 and began her career as a Peter V and C. Vann Woodward Professor of History at Yale in 1994.

"I never imagined I would be doing this," she said.

Gilmore, who has published several books, has frequently appeared on PBS documentaries and National Public Radio.

Her latest book, scheduled to be released in 2005, is called "Defying Dixie: African Americans at Home and Abroad" and describes the history of blacks in the South from 1915 to 1948.

Her old friend Lila Meeks, vice chancellor for Advancement at USCB, describes Gilmore as being energetic and has a natural link with her students.

"Dr. Gilmore is a rare combination of a scholar and a human being who's very involved with her discipline and her subjects," Meeks said.

In her opening speech to the class of 2004, Gilmore stressed that she missed Beaufort greatly, particularly the smell of the magnolia trees and the area's rich history -- both things she will never forget.

"I don't know if I'll come back or not," she said before the ceremony, "but I'll carry (Beaufort) with me everywhere I go."