Edwin C. Epps collection of Pat Conroy

This collection documents Dr. Edwin C. Epps’ research process for his dissertation on Pat Conroy’s year teaching on Daufuskie Island, South Carolina, as well as presentations of that research at various University of South Carolina locations. Epps attended the University of South Carolina for both his Masters in English and his Doctorate in Education. While pursuing his doctorate, Epps worked with Dr. Craig Kridel, E. S. Gambrell Professor of Educational Studies, for his dissertation, titled, Pat Conroy and the Daufuskie Island School, which was published in 1993, the same year he graduated with his Doctorate in Education. Epps currently lives in Spartanburg, SC, where he taught at Spartanburg High School for over thirty years. In addition to his doctoral work and work as an educator, Epps wrote Literary South Carolina (2004), has been published in other publications such as Still Home: The Essential Poetry of Spartanburg, and is part of the Hub City Writers Project. The majority of the collection is Epps’ interview materials as he conducted research – he interviewed a variety of people who knew, worked with, and/or were friends with Pat Conroy when he taught at the Mary Field’s School on Daufuskie Island from 1969 to 1970. The interview materials are a combination of letters of introduction, letters with research questions, handwritten notes on face-to-face or phone interviews, and personal correspondence. The interview materials focus primarily on identifying Pat Conroy’s teaching influences and impact. The collection also includes manuscript materials, from both Epps and others. The manuscripts from others are related to Daufuskie Island and its history – one manuscript in particular is authored by Billie Burn, whom Epps interviewed for his dissertation research. Epps’ manuscripts are drafts for presentations he gave at the University of South Carolina for an exhibit opening at the McKissick Museum in 1993 and for the First Year Reading Experience in 1994. Additional notes and description occur at the beginning of each series in the finding aid.