Title: Kenneth Hammond Oral History, September 11, 2009.

Identifier: UA95.16   (https://digital.lib.ecu.edu/61826)

Description: In this oral history interview Kenneth Hammond speaks about his time at East Carolina University as a student and an employee from 1969 to 1991. He discusses his motivations for attending ECU, the founding of and his participation in the school's first African American Greek organization, Alpha Phi Alpha, and his role as a student Attorney General in the campus judicial system. He identifies Dr. Albert Connelly of the ECU School of Business as a mentor, describes the support he received from Dr. Connelly, and speaks about his participation in the North Carolina Fellows Program and Student Government. Beginning as a student and continuing after graduation, Hammond was employed at increasing levels of responsibility for managing student programs, first in Wright Building and then Mendenhall Student Center upon its opening. He describes his reactions to the opening of Mendenhall Student Center, the facilities and activities in Mendenhall, and makes comparisons to the old Wright Student Center. Hammond also describes debate over renovations to Mendenhall in the early 1980's, various campus entertainments and events, the involvement of Dr. Andrew Best and others in ongoing civil rights efforts in Greenville and ECU, and how he used his position to advocate for minority student organizations. Interviewer: Patrick Cash.