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Papers of President Paul Hardin III 

Hardin, Paul III
Papers, 1967-1974
[bulk 1968-72]
Record Group 208
3 cubic feet, in 3 boxes

Biographical note: Paul Hardin, III became the eighth president of Wofford College on September 1, 1968.  A graduate of Duke University who was first in his class at Duke Law School, Hardin practiced law in Birmingham for two years before joining the faculty of the law school at Duke.  He rose through the ranks, and was a full professor in 1967 when the Wofford Board of Trustees elected him to succeed Charles Marsh as president of the college.  He took office on September 1, 1968 and was inaugurated the following April. 

     As president, Hardin served during four years of rapid change at Wofford.  The son of South Carolina’s Methodist bishop, Hardin had to mediate between the college’s various constituencies, including the students, faculty, alumni, and the Methodist church.  He also sought to direct student activism in a constructive manner.  Under his administration, the Code of Student Rights and Responsibilities was written.  His administration saw the liberalization of the alcohol policy and the first moves toward full coeducation.  The college also instituted an open speaker’s policy.  None of these moves was without controversy, and his files reflect this.  Hardin’s administration saw a more free form of debate than had existed in previous years, with Hardin himself attempting to participate in and direct the debate.  His term ended somewhat abruptly, when he accepted the presidency of Southern Methodist University in the spring of 1972. 

Organization:  Organized into three series: 1: College Papers; 2: Inauguration; 3: Clipping and Photograph files

Access: Unrestricted

Summary:   President Hardin’s office files contain correspondence relating to numerous aspects of the college in the 1960s.  Principally, the college papers consist of correspondence with the deans, with faculty, with alumni and donors, and with some students.  Some of his speeches and statements are also included in this section.  There is a substantial amount of material relating to his inauguration in April 1969.  Of particular interest are the letters regarding the change in the alcohol policy and critical of speakers at the college. 

Cite As: Papers of President Paul Hardin, III, Sandor Teszler Library, Wofford College.

Location: Archives, Sandor Teszler Library, Wofford College, Spartanburg, SC 29303-3663

Related Materials:  Papers of President Charles F. Marsh, Papers of President Joab M.Lesesne. 

Accessioned on April 21, 1988 by transfer from the President’s Office.  Second accession in 2003-04 from the President’s Office, with papers of President Lesesne.  Arranged by Phillip Stone on May 24, 1999, and arrangement refined in 2005.  Arrangement refined in July 2011 to account for new materials from the president’s office.  

Finding Aid: Folder listing

Folder listing

Folder     Contents

Box 1

  1. Admissions
  2. Alumni Affairs
  3. Annual Reports
  4. Athletics
  5. Athletics Conference Decision
  6. Commencement
  7. Council of Wofford Associates, 1967-1972
  8. Prof. Darrel Christensen and the Hegel Symposium
  9. Dean of the College Philip S. Covington
  10. Development
  11. Dick Gregory
  12. Fraternities
  13. LEAP
  14. Main Building Fire, 1971
  15. Peggy Heim and Planning
  16. Phi Beta Kappa
  17. Public Relations
  18. ROTC
  19. Student Affairs
  20. Student Unrest
  21. Trustees
  22. The Advocate
  23. George F. Baker Trust
  24. Consultation on Church Union
  25. General Electric Foundation
  26. Math Grant
  27. National Merit Scholarship
  28. The National Science Foundation
  29. G&L Pfeiffer Research Foundation
  30. SC Commission on Higher Education—Committee on Private Higher Education
  31. SACS
  32. South Carolina Reorganization Commission

Box 2

  1. Alcohol Policy Correspondence, October 1970
  2. Alcohol Policy Correspondence, November 1970
  3. Alcohol Policy Correspondence, December 1970-October 1971
  4. Faculty Correspondence
  5. Correspondence with Bishop Paul Hardin, Jr.(Father)
  6. General Correspondence, 1967-1970
  7. General Correspondence, 1971
  8. General Correspondence, 1972
  9. Library Correspondence
  10. Roger Milliken Correspondence, 1968-1972
  11. WSPA Correspondence
  12. Speech File
  13. Biographical Press Clippings & Ephemera
  14. Wofford Departure
  15. Press Clippings, 1967
  16. Press Clippings, 1968
  17. Press Clippings, 1969
  18. Press Clippings, 1970
  19. Press Clippings, 1971
  20. Press Clippings, 1972
  21. Post Presidential
  22. Photographs
  23. Portrait Unveiling

Box 3

  1. Election as President of Wofford
  2. Arrival, Inaugural
  3. Inauguration [1]
  4. Inauguration [2]
  5. Inauguration, Personal Letters [1]
  6. Inauguration, Personal Letters [2]
  7. Inauguration, Regrets From Colleges and Universities [1]
  8. Inauguration, Regrets From Colleges and Universities [2]
  9. Inauguration, Congratulations and Credentials

Subjects:  Wofford College--Education--20th Century;  Wofford College--Administration; Hardin, Paul III; Methodist Church--Education; Student activism; Alcohol use.