Oral history interview with May Davidson, 2006

HT: Today is Friday, May 19, 2006. My name is Hermann Trojanowski and I am at the home of May Davidson in Davidson, North Carolina, to conduct an oral history interview for the UNCG [The University of North Carolina at Greensboro] Institutional Memory Collection. Miss Davidson, thank you so very much for talking with me today. If you would give me your full name and we'll use that as a test to see how we both sound on the tape recorder today.

MD: I'm May Davidson and I live in Davidson, North Carolina.

HT: Miss Davidson, could you tell me a few biographical bits of information about yourself. Where were you born?

MD: I was born at Huntersville, North Carolina. Huntersville was a very small town at the time that I was born. And my father was a farmer and I was one of 00:01:00four children; I was the youngest. And we had--at that time, the main crop was cotton with other side crops.

HT: Do you mind telling me when you were born?

MD: May the fifth, 1919.

HT: You mentioned your father. Could you tell me more about your family, about your siblings, about your mother?

MD: Well, we lived on a large farm which was settled in about--in the early part of 1700. And my father was one of, I think, around five children, I guess. What else do you want to know?

HT: Now your family has been in the United States a long time, it sounds like.

MD: Well, the family settled there in about 1750, I guess.

HT: So is Davidson a town named for your family?

MD: Yes, the family yes. It's named for General William Lee Davidson who spent the night with us at our place, I understand, the night before he was killed. He was a cousin. And there were four of us children. My oldest brother went to NC State [University] in Raleigh [North Carolina] and my younger brother attended Georgia Tech [University] in Atlanta. Elizabeth, my sister, went to UNCG as did I. We had one aunt who attended UNCG.

HT: Now where did you go to high school?

MD: I went to high school at a consolidated high school by the name of Long Creek [High School].

HT: Is that in Huntersville?

MD: It's near Huntersville.

HT: And do you recall what your favorite subject was in high school?

MD: I suppose, English.

HT: And of course, I know that you went to Woman's College [of the University of North Carolina] eventually. What made you decide to go to Woman's College in Greensboro?

MD: My sister. I think I heard her talking about it and decided that was for me.

HT: Now when you were growing up, that was the 1930s, during the height of the [Great] Depression. What was life like as you remember?

MD: Well, we did not have a lot of money, cash, but I wasn't aware that we were 00:04:00going through any hardship.

HT: You were living on a farm.

MD: Yes, it was on a farm. There had been a couple of thousand acres, but by the time I first remember it, I think it was around three or four hundred acres.

HT: Right. And you started at WC [Woman's College] in 1936, is that correct?

MD: I did.

HT: And what do you recall about your first impressions of the college in those days?

MD: It was very large. It was much larger than I had been accustomed to at school.

HT: And can you tell me about some of the courses you took; some of the favorite courses that you might have taken?

MD: Well, I enjoyed English and I think that really was the main course that I enjoyed the first year. I was really intimidated because things were so much 00:05:00larger and moved so much more rapidly than they did in the school that I attended in Long Creek.

HT: And you said English was your favorite subject. Who were you favorite teachers; or did you have one?

MD: No, I don't think I had a favorite. I didn't like biology, Miss--I'm trying to remember the lady who taught Biology. I was intimidated by her.

HT: Well, do you recall anything about the administration, such as W.C. [Walter Clinton] Jackson who was the president at that time?

MD: I remember Dr. Jackson being at chapel programs.

HT: Did you have any occasion to talk to him personally, one on one?

MD: No. No, I didn't. Occasionally, we'd see him driving around campus going from one place to the other.

HT: You mentioned the chapel programs. I'm little bit familiar with the chapel programs. Can you tell me a little bit what they were like in the 1930s?

MD: Well, we'd have to go to chapel once or twice a week, I believe. I'm really not sure about that but it was required attendance. Sometimes there was a speaker of some note. Of course, this was new to me. I had not been accustomed to such presentations such as that.

HT: And was it usually held at Aycock Auditorium?

MD: Always. We were seated alphabetically.

HT: So the whole student body attended.

MD: Yes. That's right.

HT: Do any of the programs stand out in your mind; like a famous speaker coming to town or something like that?

MD: It's too long ago. [laugher]

HT: That's fine. Well, I know you were quite active in numerous clubs on campus. Can you tell me about that? I know you were a member of the Dikean Club [Society] and the YMCA and the Young Democrats [Club].

MD: Well quite a few of those gatherings were preceded by a speaker, who was a person of note, and this was new to me, of course, but really I do not recollect any specific program.

HT: Well, what did you girls do for fun in the late '30s? What did kind of social life did you have?

MD: Well, you continued you your relationships with friends back home if they 00:08:00would come up and visit you and my family didn't come too frequently. I just don't recall that it was anything outstanding because my family was of the opinion that I was going to WC to be there on campus and not to be at home. I was told that, so I did a lot of reading and had friends that you gathered together with and giggled, and told stories, and related funny things that had happened, but nothing outstanding.

HT: Right. I understand you were quite restricted in those days; that you were not allowed to go downtown without permission and that sort of thing. Do you 00:09:00have any stories?

MD: I complied.

HT: You complied.

MD: I complied. I remember my roommate and I walking downtown; and that was a long walk too, as I recall.

HT: Did you ever walk downtown?

MD: I walked from UNCG campus downtown.

HT: There was a streetcar running from campus.

MD: I guess there were streetcars.

HT: Did you ever take those downtown?

MD: I don't recall it.

HT: I know some of the girls did work on campus at the library or the dining hall. Did you do any of that sort of thing?

MD: No, I didn't.

HT: Okay. And, let's see, and I think that you said earlier that you did not have a favorite teacher on campus.

MD: No, I did not have a favorite teacher.

HT: And we've already talked about W.C. Jackson. Did you know Harriet Elliott? 00:10:00MD: Yes. Excuse me, back up. She was my favorite teacher.

HT: Oh, okay.

MD: I took all the courses that she taught, which were only two; Federal Government and I don't know whether it was State Government. I took everything that was offered in political science. And her lectures were very interesting. She told about seeing the President in person and I think that that was very interesting to know--to have contact with somebody who had contact with the president.

HT: She was quite active in the Democratic Party at that time and had a lot of connections including President [Franklin D.] Roosevelt, up in Washington.

MD: She spent time at the White House and took her little dog--his little dog 00:11:00for a walk and it got loose from her. I remember her telling me about that. But, fortunately, she was able to retrieve him.

HT: Was Miss Elliott walking the dog or something like that?

MD: Yes. The President had a little black dog. I'm trying to recall the dog's name, but she was taking it to walk on the grounds of the White House.

HT: And how about Katherine Taylor?

MD: Yes, I liked her very much and Miss Louise Alexander also.

HT: Do you have any recollections of any stories about either Miss Alexander or Miss Taylor?

MD: No, I don't. I just recall that I liked their presentations.

HT: Now, I think your degree was in Secretarial Science.

MD: Yes, Secretarial Science; Secretarial Administration.

HT: Right. What made you decide to go into that particular field?

MD: Well, I enjoyed typing in high school and I had thought that I'd like it. I don't know what formed my interest in that particular thing. I was interested in it. I was interested in attempting it. And I also took some education courses in case decided I'd like to teach.

HT: And do you recall any of the instructors from that particular field?

MD: Education?

HT: No, Secretarial Administration.

MD: Oh.

HT: Albert, was it Keister?

MD: Dr. Keister was in Economics. He taught Economics courses.

HT: Right, and wasn't he head of the department at that time?

MD: Yes, he was. I can't--I don't recall the name of the man who taught some typing courses.

HT: Well, I looked up in the late 1930s catalog and the names that were mentioned in addition to Professor Keister were Patty Spruill--

MD: Oh Miss Spruill, yes.

HT: --and Maude Adams.

MD: Miss Adams. I was fortunate in not having her.

HT: Oh really, why was that?

MD: Well, she had a reputation for being very difficult and hard. Hard I guess was the word.

HT: And what did she teach?

MD: Typing.

HT: Typing. Okay.

MD: I had Miss Spruill.

HT: And another name that was mentioned was G.H. Parker. And I don't know if G.H, I'm presuming is a man, but I'm not one hundred percent sure about that.

MD: Did you say Carter?

HT: Parker. P-A-R-K-E-R.

MD: Parker. I don't recall him.

HT: So, you said you liked Miss Spruill very much, is that correct?

MD: Yes, Miss Spruill was very nice.

HT: Well, do you recall any outstanding events relating to people or faculty members or administration that you can remember from the time you were a student at WC from 1936 to 1940? Does anything stand out? This was right before the war.

MD: No, I don't.

HT: I understand that when the girls graduated at that time, there were Daisy Chains leading up to the front door. Can you describe what that was like? We don't have that anymore, so I am not exactly familiar with how that worked.

MD: I'm sorry, but I can't tell you how it worked. I remember standing on campus and looking at the people come in with the Daisy Chains. I think that the sophomores were the ones responsible for getting them together. I guess they went out to the roadsides and got the flowers to make the chains up, but I just don't have much recollections of it. I remember my family was there for the 00:16:00program, but I guess I was more taken up with them than the chains.

HT: Now when you were at WC, did you go home on occasion?

MD: No. Just went when we had scheduled holidays.

HT: And how did you get back and forth?

MD: On the train.

HT: Okay. And did you take any trips while you were in college during vacation time, to New York or Washington?

MD: No. I didn't.

HT: Well, after you graduated in 1940, what did you do next?

MD: I worked with Royal Typewriter Company in Charlotte [North Carolina] and I hadn't been working there very long when I had an attack of appendicitis and 00:17:00ended up in the hospital. And I went back after the surgery, after I recuped from that and worked for a short time and then I made an application--well no I didn't make the application; the North Carolina Department of Agriculture sent one of their personnel by to interview me to see if I would be interested in working in Raleigh in a secretarial position; and I was. So I went down to Raleigh and I was there for a couple of years, I guess. I worked in the publications division for Louis Wilson who was--had been a newspaper reporter for the Winston-Salem paper before he came to the Department of Agriculture. And 00:18:00then I went to--was offered a job--I think I made the application, I'm sure I did. I went to Washington--was getting ready to go to Washington and they persuaded me with maybe an increase in salary to forget about Washington and continue in Raleigh, which I did. Then some time after that, the congressman from the district that included Charlotte approached me about working for Congressman Ervin and so I took that job and enjoyed it a great deal; decided I 00:19:00wanted to continue. I don't know how far you want me to go into it.

HT: Now you mentioned, Congressman Ervin, was that later Senator Sam Ervin?

MD: It was his brother.

HT: The brother. Do you recall his first name?

MD: Joe.

HT: Joe.

MD: Joe Ervin.

HT: So he was the congressman from North Carolina.

MD: No, he was the congressman from this congressional district.

HT: Oh, I see. Okay.

MD: This congressional district.

HT: I see. Okay.

MD: Which included maybe five or six counties.

HT: So this was probably all before the war [World War II] that you're talking about and during the war years.

MD: The war was over.

HT: Oh, was it?

MD: It was over after I--I had been in Washington just a short time before the President died, Roosevelt died, and then he was re-elected. No, he was not 00:20:00re-elected, I'm sorry, that's confusing. Congressman Ervin died and Senator Ervin was selected to fill out his unexpired term. So I worked for Senator Ervin for about a year before another congressman came into office, and that was Hamilton Jones. I worked for Mr. Jones until he was defeated and then I--after he was defeated I took a job with Congressman [William M.] Colmer, C-O-L-M-E-R, [clock chimes] from Mississippi.

HT: Could you spell that one more time, the clock was a little on the loud side.

MD: Competition. I worked for Congressman Colmer, C-O-L-M-E-R, who represented the Gulf Coast of Mississippi. I worked for him for about five years. Then I took a job with Senator Ervin who had been appointed to the Senate in the meantime. And I worked with him for eighteen years.

HT: Wow. Do you recall what year you started working for Senator Sam Ervin?

MD: I should. No, I don't.

HT: That' fine. What was Senator Ervin like? Can you describe him for me?

MD: Well, he was just an ideal person. He--when he had his mind on his work, 00:22:00which was usually most of the time, he was in another world and was very, very busy with taking care with his--all of his congressional duties. It's hard to describe him really and truly. He had time to talk with you, but most of the time he was real busy and had his mind on what he was going to do next.

HT: Can you describe the type of work you did to him?

MD: I was in charge of all correspondence that came in from veterans from North Carolina and from men and women who were on active duty in the military; and 00:23:00that was a lot of correspondence.

HT: And so someone else handled other types of correspondence?

MD: Yes. When I first started working on the Hill [Capitol Hill], I took dictation and then when I went over to the [United States] Senate, I did my own correspondence and moved up from taking dictation.

HT: Well, how did you like living in Washington?

MD: I enjoyed it. There was a lot of interesting things to do and see.

HT: Do you recall any outstanding events during your eighteen years with Senator Ervin?

MD: Well, all the days and weeks of Watergate could have been interesting but 00:24:00you were so busy with what had come across your desk that you really didn't have too much time. You'd stay up late to hear a replay of the hearing proceedings of that particular day.

HT: That was the summer of 1973, I recall.

MD: Right.

HT: So, what kind of hours did you have to work during that period time? Was it extended hours?

MD: Senator Ervin did not go in for extended hours. He thought--he said if you set a pattern of working late, people would continue to take advantage of it and--but if you had--if I had something that I was working on, a particular case, I stayed there if it was necessary to get the information -- get it back 00:25:00to the family, but generally speaking, we did not work long hours in Senator Ervin's office.

HT: So even during Watergate, you continued working with veteran's correspondence. Is that correct?

MD: Yes, plus getting answers to things they referred to about Watergate and the letter that was relating to their personal problems.

HT: How large a staff was involved in Senator's Ervin's office at that time? Do you recall?

MD: There were only about eight of us, I guess. Of course, he was on a number of committees and committees handled the correspondence relating to--I've lost my 00:26:00train of thought now--but you'd get a letter about a veteran's problem and they would say what they thought about proceedings relating to Watergate and so you would have to get an answer to that in addition to having to take care of the veteran's problem.

HT: So you would try to answer each piece of correspondence once it came in with some sort of--that's amazing. Well, when did you retire from Washington, D.C.?

MD: Well, when Senator Ervin retired, I retired. Then I worked for Governor [Jim] Hunt keeping up with legislation that related to various things he was interested in.

HT: So you moved back to Raleigh?

MD: No. I stayed in Washington and did the hearings for the Federal legislation; legislation that was being considered in Washington as opposed to Raleigh. See, I told you I wouldn't have much to tell you.

HT: That's fine, that's fine. Now that's Governor Jim Hunt?

MD: Yes. I did that for, I guess, a couple of years and then I came back to Charlotte and I worked with the Economic Development Division of the Chamber of Commerce; the Charlotte Chamber of Commerce.

HT: Well, of all the jobs you've had, which did you enjoy the most?

MD: The Washington--either--I don't know which I enjoyed more. I guess I enjoyed the Senate more.

HT: And did you have any exciting events happen to you while you were in Washington other than the Watergate? Did you go on any interesting trips or meet any interesting people?

MD: No. I can't think of anything that was really outstanding.

HT: So, after you worked for the Charlotte Chamber of Commerce, did you fully retire after that?

MD: I did.

HT: Then you moved back here to Davidson?

MD: I came home to Davidson. I bought a condo in Charlotte and I was there, I guess, I lived there for about eight years, and then I came up here in 1993.

HT: Here in Davidson?

MD: Yes.

HT: Well, Davidson is a beautiful small town. I've been up here a couple of times; to the college mainly. It's very nice.

MD: Yes, it is a pretty town. I think that the campus is lovely.

HT: It is very, very pretty. And how long have you lived at this retirement village?

MD: I came in '93.

HT: Great. Well, Miss Davidson, I don't have any other questions, formal questions, for you, do you have anything you would like to add to the interview today that perhaps I have not thought about asking or do you want to elaborate on something? Anything that comes to mind will be fine.

MD: Really, I just don't recall.

HT: That's fine. Well, I do appreciate your time so much and I have enjoyed meeting you today.

MD: Well, I'm sorry I'm not a better subject, but as I told you, I just don't remember a lot of that stuff.

HT: That's fine. That's fine. Well, again, thank you so much, it has been really nice meeting you.

MD: Well, thank you for taking time from your busy schedule.

HT Well, you're so welcome. I'm glad to come down and visit with you and bring you greetings from the chancellor and everybody else at UNCG. Well, thanks.