Oral History of William Foster, interviewed by Robert Pickering and Tessa Updike, 12-13 June, 2019
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Watch video clips from the interview here.
William Foster is the brother of Charles Foster, who was The Citadel’s first African American graduate of the Corps of Cadets. Charles Foster desegregated the Corps of Cadets in the fall of 1966 as a member of Golf Company, and was the only African American cadet at The Citadel during his freshman year. He graduated with a degree in Business Administration in 1970 and entered the Army as a Second Lieutenant. After serving in the Army, Foster moved to Dallas, Texas, where he died in a tragic fire in 1986.
In this interview, William Foster describes his and his brother’s early lives growing up in Charleston, and talks about their family, the schools they attended, and the Emanuel AME Church that they were members of. Foster describes his experience as a student at the University of South Carolina, where he was one of eight black students on campus, and talks about his brother’s decision to attend The Citadel and his experience as a cadet and after graduation.
The Citadel is grateful to William Foster for providing this invaluable resource for our researchers, students, faculty, staff, alumni and community. Charles Foster's story is a significant piece of Citadel history, and this interview helps us to better understand his life and experience.
Oral history interviews are a method of collecting historical information from a narrator with firsthand knowledge of historically significant events. These interviews are primary materials, and by nature reflect the personal opinion of the narrators. As with any primary resource, these interviews are not to be viewed as the final and definitive source for any subject.