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Grace Jordan McFadden pioneered as the first African American woman hired at a professiorial rank in the College of Humanities and Social Sciences at USC and the first African American woman to receive tenure in that college.
Her service to the Univerity is legendary. In 1986, she became Founder and Director of the Oral History and Cultural Project, which made USC an important repository of information on the Civil Rights Movement in South Carolina. Her 25-part videotaped series, "The Quest for Human Rights: Oral History of Black South Carolinians", later aired statewide on SCETV and is considered today to be the premier model for oral history presentations.
In 1988, she accepted another important challenge as Director of the African American Studies Program at USC. Under her leadership, major symposia and conferences were held at the University.
She excelled as a teacher and when physical limitations prevented her from teaching in the classroom, she welcomed students into her home and continued to share her love of history.
Among the many awards she received, her most treasured was the 2003 John McFadden Award for Outstanding Service to Youth presented by the Benjamin Elijah Mays Academy for Leadership Development at the University of South Carolina.
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