Oral history interview with William I. Ward Jr., March 21, 1975
Subtitle: interview B-0072, Southern Oral History Program Collection (#4007)
Contributors: Moye, William T., interviewer; Southern Oral History Program; University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Documenting the American South (Project); University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Library
Edition: Electronic ed.
Publisher: University Library, UNC-Chapel Hill
Published: 2008
Place of publication: [Chapel Hill, N.C.]
Language: eng
Subjects: Interviews; Lawyers; Metropolitan government; Politics and government; Charlotte-Mecklenburg Charter Commission
Other titles: Interview B-0072, Southern Oral History Program Collection (#4007); Interview with William I. Ward Jr., March 21, 1975; Oral histories of the American South.
Description: William I. Ward Jr., served on the Charter Commission to form a proposal for the consolidation of Mecklenburg County, North Carolina, during the late 1960s and early 1970s. A former United States Assistant District Attorney, Ward grew up in rural Alamance County and later moved to Davidson in Mecklenburg County, where he practiced law. When the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Charter Commission was formed, Ward was employed by Duke Power Company in Charlotte; because he had already spent much time in Charlotte and was a prominent figure in the community, he was a natural choice for serving as Davidson's representative on the commission. Ward discusses various aspects of the Charter Commission primarily on its activities in the late 1960s, opposition to consolidation from northern Mecklenburg County, and his thoughts on the failed vote in 1971. In his explanation of why some towns--particularly those in the northern part of the county--opposed consolidation, Ward argues that citizens in the more rural areas feared that they would be overlooked because most resources would benefit the more populous areas, notably Charlotte. In articulating his point, he focuses on topics such as the county water system, taxation, internal improvements, and partisan politics. In addition, he addresses such related issues as school busing and the representation of African Americans.
Notes: Title from menu page (viewed on November 4, 2008).

Interview participants: William I. Ward Jr., interviewee; William (Bill) Moye, interviewer.

Duration: 00:51:07.

This electronic edition is part of the UNC-Chapel Hill digital library, Documenting the American South.  It is a part of the collection Oral histories of the American South.

Text encoded by Kristin Shaffer.  Sound recordings digitized by Aaron Smithers.

Text (HTML and XML/TEI source file) and audio (MP3); 2 files: ca. 80.2 kilobytes, 93.6 megabytes.

Original version: Southern Oral History Program Collection, (#4007), Series B, Individual biographies, interview B-0072, Manuscripts Department, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Original transcript: 17 p.

Funding from the Institute of Museum and Library Services supported the electronic publication of this interview.

Mode of access: World Wide Web.

System requirements:  Web browser with Javascript enabled and multimedia player.