A native of Sumter SC, Titus Duren, enrolled at Clemson University through a special program. Known as Clemson at Sumter, the program offered college-level courses and prepared students to enroll on campus. (The building is now USC Sumter, he said.) When he arrived on Clemson’s campus, he was a sophomore.
In this interview, Duren talks about the idea of “Integration with Dignity,” a theme that now defines the integration experience at Clemson University. While he believes that Clemson president, Robert Cook Edwards, made a dignified effort, Black students still faced numerous indignities. Duren recalled that one professor failed him though he thought he had a “C” in the class saying, some people were superior, and others were inferior. There was also name calling – the n-word – and things thrown at him. Beyond this, there was the indignity of Dixie being played during athletic events.
Such things were trying but overcome by the camaraderie shared among not only Black students but the larger Black community. On campus, Duren was a member of the Student League for Black Identity (SLBI) and a part of the Clemson Players. In addition to this, he recalled that custodians, cafeteria, and maintenance workers who had worked at Clemson their whole lives were especially proud of him and others Black students being there. Off campus, Duren spoke of how Dr. (Harold D.) Hill, a pharmacist in Seneca and the grandfather of actor Hill Harper, often opened his basement to Black students for parties while others fed or looked out for them.
Since leaving Clemson, Duren has maintained his ties to the university. Upon graduating, Duren became a teacher, football coach, and school administrator and he sent his best players to play at Clemson. He also helped found the Black Alumni Association.
