COLUMBIA, S.C. — Not every day, someone has their likeness immortalized in bronze at the University of South Carolina.
But in April of this year, that happened to James Solomon Jr., as he and two other former students, Henrie Monteith Treadwell and Robert Anderson, were honored for desegregating the university.
USC briefly desegregated following the Civil War, but by 1880, it had closed and reopened as an all-white institution.
It would be over 80 years before Solomon and his fellow students made history on Sept. 11, 1963, when they became the first Black students at USC since Reconstruction.
Activist and former legislator Jim Felder reflects on Solomon’s impact at USC.
“It was very important. Remember, 1963 was a tough year," Felder said. "We had the assassinations of Kennedy and Evers. Clemson was the first to integrate, and then USC integrated in September. But it was great for him to break the ice so that those doors would be open because they were closed to us through the years.”
Before enrolling at USC, Solomon attended Morris College, earning a degree in chemistry before serving on the school’s faculty from 1960 until 1973, including three years as an administrator.
After his time as a graduate student in the mathematics department in South Carolina, Solomon continued to serve his fellow citizens.
Dedicated to education, he served on the Sumter school board and as chairman of the Richland One School District.
“He touched a lot of lives at the educational level, at the church level and all around. So when one gives that much of himself, it becomes a legacy, and you cannot forget him,” Felder said.
Solomon was involved in various community groups, including United Way, the Urban League and the Palmetto Development Group.
Columbia Urban League President and CEO James McLawhorn remembered Solomon fondly.
“When I think of Dr. Solomon, I think of, think of him as a humanitarian, someone who was really deeply concerned about the welfare of others," McLawhorn said. "So, his humanitarian efforts parallel what our mission was at the Urban League."
Later in his career, Solomon held several positions in the state government, culminating as the State Director of the Department of Social Services from 1984 until 1992.
For all of his efforts, he was a two-time recipient of the Order of the Palmetto, the state’s highest honor.
James Solomon Jr., a lifelong champion of equal rights, education, and family, died Friday at 94.
But his legacy will live on each time students pass the statue bearing his likeness.