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55 to St. Philip’s, found a job in the school office, and worked and went to school there for two years. After two years at St. Philip’s, Miss Bowden paid for Sanford to go to Spelman College, located in Atlanta, Georgia. She only stayed one year but had it not been for Bowden, who had taken a liking to Sanford, she says that she could not have gone to school. “I’m really thankful to St. Philip’s,” said Sanford. “I enjoyed going to school there. That was in ’ or ’. I’m almost eighty and Rose is right behind me, so I guess we did the best we could, huh?” Rose M. Hall, 1940s Rose says that she went to St. Philip’s because her sister, Serelia, went there. When she arrived, there was a small dormitory, not even divided into rooms, where most of the students from out of town lived. Rose and Serelia were among the last girls in the dormitory, for the year after they arrived, the dormitories were discontinued. Rose knew Miss Bowden very well, for she lived in the dorm upstairs from Bowden and worked in her home, cleaning house for her seven days a week. Rose was in Bowden’s home many times when Bowden was away attending a meeting or perhaps across the street at the college . There were thirteen girls living in the house at the time, all from out of town. They had meals on the campus, at the cafeteria. “We’d get up, rush to the bathroom, clean up, go eat breakfast and then go downstairs to class. After class, I’d Oral Histories, 1940s When World War II became a reality, African American soldiers fought alongside others, first in segregated units and later in integrated divisions. Then, in , when President Harry S. Truman signed into law a bill instituting integration in the military, for the first time, African Americans had the force of the law behind them in regard to equality of treatment. Rose McCann Hall and Serilia McCann Sanford, two sisters from Egypt, Texas, were St. Philip’s students in that era. They had each attended a boarding school in Conroe, Texas, prior to becoming students at St. Philip’s. Their former boarding school, however, did not have junior college status. There were nine children in their family, and all earned college degrees; one earned a PhD. They laughingly said, “We started going to school and didn’t know when to stop.”  Serelia McCann Sanford, Student, 1940s When Serelia Sanford went to St. Philip’s, she was a little country girl who had just finished high school. There was no money for college at that time, and she and her parents were wondering what she would do. She had never heard of St. Philip’s Junior College until a Miss Johnson said to her, “Say now, I know a lady in San Antonio who needs somebody like you.”Sanford had worked for Johnson , who recommended her to Miss Bowden, so she went  Students, Faculty, and Administrators from the 1940s St. Philip’s enrollment, while growing, was still small. World War II was a threat and integration in the United States had not yet become law. Finding finances in the amount needed was a continuing struggle for the students. 56 • Chapter 10 Bowden had moved out of the building with the students and Ruth Madison was dean. Bowden, who served wine and other foods at her business and professional women ’s meetings, would say to Hays, “whatever food is left, the girls may eat,” continuing with, “take this to the girls.” But what she didn’t know is that the girls had already been there to get some; Hays had given them food and wine out the back door. Bowden did not offer wine to the girls nor did she know Hays was dispensing it, but Hays was sure that since Bowden was serving wine at her meetings, she would not miss the wine given to the girls. Hays graduated from St. Philip’s at the top of her class and won another scholarship to Wiley College and this time, she was allowed to accept the scholarship. After finishing Wiley, Hays returned to San Antonio and moved into a small apartment located in the back of Bowden’s house, on the corner of Mittman and Hedges. Hays lived in the apartment for perhaps two to three years after finishing Wiley College. Clara Etta Williams Williams, a student...

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