Henrie Monteith Treadwell, the first Black alumna of the University of South Carolina, passed away on October 27.
At the age of 16, Dr. Treadwell filed a lawsuit against the University of South Carolina after she was denied admission. Her suit was successful and led to the university’s integration. Along with the late Robert Anderson and James Solomon, Jr., Dr. Treadwell registered for class on September 11, 1963, making the three students the first African Americans admitted to the University of South Carolina since the Reconstruction era. In 1965, Dr. Treadwell earned her bachelor’s degree in biochemistry, becoming the university’s first Black graduate since Reconstruction.
“With the passing of Henrie Monteith Treadwell, the last of USC’s three brave desegregation pioneers, we acknowledge the profound role she played in defining our values as an institution,” said Michael Amiridis, president of the University of South Carolina. “Henrie made clear that she broke racial barriers at USC not in a spirit of fear, but with great determination and hope, knowing that she was leading a path that others must and would follow. She lived a monumental and inspiring life, and we are forever grateful for her immeasurable contributions to our university, our state and our nation.”
Later in life, Dr. Treadwell earned a master’s degree in biochemistry from Boston University and a Ph.D. in biochemistry from Atlanta University (now Clark Atlanta University). She then conducted postdoctoral research in public health at Harvard University.
Dr. Treadwell went on to have a long career with the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, working to address pressing international public health issues. In her later years, Dr. Treadwell served as the founding executive director of the Community Voices project at the Morehouse School of Medicine in Atlanta, where she conducted research on strengthening marginalized communities.
