Larry Estridge Oral History

Larry Estridge graduated Furman in 1966. At Furman he was President of the Student Body and also received the Hughes Perpetual Trophy for ROTC Outstanding Army Cadet. He spent almost 20 years on the Furman University board of trustees. In this 2004 oral history Mr. Estridge talks about growing up in Rock Hill, SC, and how he became interested in Furman. He discusses his first impressions of the new campus, President Plyler, and Dr. Bonner. He gives details of life as a Furman student on the new campus, and discusses some of the student traditions at that time. He discusses fraternities during those years, and the issues with the Baptist Convention. He praises President Gordon Blackwell and Betty Alverson, and details working with them as President of the Student Body. Mr. Estridge speaks of his time as an ROTC cadet during the Vietnam Era, Joe Vaughn and desegregation at Furman, as well as the student protest years. Mr. Estridge goes into great detail about his integral role in Furman\u27s separation from the South Carolina Baptist Convention, and he ends the oral history praising the leadership of President John Johns, Minor Mickel, and Alester Furman during that difficult time.https://scholarexchange.furman.edu/oral-histories/1033/thumbnail.jp