Bonnie E. Cone oral history interview 7, 1987 December 8

In this second of a series of interviews conducted by Dr. Ed Perzel (former Chair of the Department of History and Associate Dean for the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences at UNC Charlotte), Bonnie Cone reflects on her childhood, youth, and early adult years. She discusses life in the early twentieth century in Lodge, South Carolina, recalling her family life, pastimes, friendships, chores, memories of playing and teaching piano, and attending school. She describes her childhood home, family gatherings, and the role the church played in her family's life. She recollects her college experience at Coker College as well as memorable teachers from both high school and college. Regarding her parents, Ms. Cone reflects on lessons she learned from them, recalls the death of her father and her mother's subsequent move to live with her in Charlotte, and comments on her father's political views on issues of party and race as well as on her own political involvement. She discusses her first teaching jobs out of college in towns like McColl and Gaffney, South Carolina and explains how she came to Charlotte and met and worked for Elmer Garinger at Central High School. Other topics include her graduate studies and teaching at Duke University; her recollections of World War I and the Great Depression; her work at the Naval Ordnance Laboratory in Washington, D.C. during World War II; and friendships and major influencers in her early adult years. Ms. Cone concludes the interview by describing how the land for the present campus of UNC Charlotte was obtained and why the site was chosen over others.