This document, which is called a "finding aid," describes an archival collection.
In the course of daily life, individuals, families, organizations, and businesses create and keep information about their
activities. When such records are no longer needed on a day-to-day basis, a portion judged to possess enduring historical
value may be preserved and maintained as archival collections. Archival records take many forms, including correspondence,
diaries, financial and legal documents, photographs, and sound recordings. Archival materials may also include maps, scientific
data, artifacts, and electronic records such as emails or databases.
Prepared by archival staff, finding aids provide a history of the person or organization that produced the collection, an
overview of the collection, and a detailed list of the collection's contents.
Finding aids are used by researchers to determine whether materials within a collection may be relevant to their research.
While not exhaustive, finding aids help researchers identify the particular boxes or folders that may hold items of interest.
Descriptive Summary
Abstract:
William ("Bill") Saunders, a community and Civil Rights activist in Charleston, South Carolina, was an organizer and lead negotiator of the
Charleston Hospital Stike of 1969. In 1970, Saunders established the Committee on Better Racial Assurance (COBRA) to address
race-related community problems and provide assistance to community members in need. He also operated the AM radio station
WPAL from 1972-1998.
This collection includes materials relating to the personal and professional life of William "Bill" Saunders. A very small portion of the papers contains personal materials such as biographical material, clippings, and correspondence.
The majority of the collection documents Saunders' civic involvement from the late 1960s to 2004, with organizations such
as the Committee on Better Racial Assurance (COBRA), Charleston Area Community Relations Committee, and Sea Island Comprehensive
Health Care Corporation. A limited number of newspaper articles relate to Saunders' role in the 1969 Hospital Workers' Strike.
The largest portion chronicles the establishment and early operation of COBRA, though later COBRA materials are included.
Saunders' ten-year tenure as South Carolina Public Service Commissioner is also reflected, while a small amount of materials
relate to Saunders' run for South Carolina Senate in 1980. A portion of the collection contains materials relating to WPAL
radio station, including audiocassette tapes of various programs from 1990 to 2002. Also includes subject files containing
articles and publications relating to many local issues.
Title:
William ("Bill") Saunders Papers, circa 1950 - 2004
Creator:
Saunders, William, 1935-.
Repository:
Avery Research Center at the College of Charleston
William ("Bill") Saunders was born on February 14, 1935 in New York. At the age of eighteen months, he moved to Johns Island, South Carolina
to live with his maternal grandparents. There, he grew up working on his grandparents' farm and on others in the area. He
attended Mt. Zion Elementary School on Johns Island and Burke High School on the Charleston peninsula.
In 1951, Saunders joined the United States Army and fought in the Korean War until the summer of 1952.
During the 1960s, Saunders became involved in the Civil Rights movement in Charleston, organizing an armed self-defense group
and publishing a radical newspaper called the Lowcountry Newsletter. He participated in the 1969 Hospital Workers' Strike and helped negotiate the resolutions to this strike. In the 1970, Saunders
established the Committee on Better Racial Assurance (COBRA), an organization whose primary purpose is to mediate problems
and facilitate communication within the Charleston community. In addition, COBRA assists underprivileged citizens through
various programs, gaining particular attention for its Sickle Cell Anemia awareness program.
In 1972, Saunders became the co-owner of AM radio station WPAL, the first radio station to return to the air after Hurricane
Hugo. He became the sole proprietor of the station in 1985 and continued to operate WPAL until 1998.
Saunders ran for South Carolina Senate in 1980, and held a ten-year tenure on the Public Service Commission of South Carolina
from 1994 to 2004. In 2004, William "Bill" Saunders returned to the full-time administration of COBRA.
This collection includes materials relating to the personal and professional life of William ("Bill") Saunders. A very small portion of the papers contains personal materials such as biographical material, clippings, and
correspondence. The majority of the collection documents Saunders' civic involvement from the late 1960s to 2004, with organizations
such as the Committee on Better Racial Assurance (COBRA), Charleston Area Community Relations Committee, and Sea Island Comprehensive
Health Care Corporation. A limited number of newspaper articles relate to Saunders' role in the 1969 Hospital Workers' Strike.
The largest portion chronicles the establishment and early operation of COBRA, though later COBRA materials are included.
Saunders' ten-year tenure as South Carolina Public Service Commissioner is also reflected, while a small amount of materials
relate to Saunders' run for South Carolina Senate in 1980.
A portion of the collection contains materials relating to WPAL radio station, including audiocassette tapes of various programs
from 1990 to 2002. Also includes subject files containing articles and publications relating to many local issues.
Awards and Honors: South Carolina Broadcasters' Hall of Fame, 1993
Box 1 Folder 10
Event Invitations and Programs
Box 1 Folder 11
Correspondence, 1974-2004 and undated
Box 1 Folder 12
Speaking Engagements, 1972-1998
2.2. Community and Cultural Organizations
Box 1-2 Folder 13-18
Blue Ridge Institute: Conferences, 1976-1996
Box 2 Folder 19
Blue Ridge Institute: Correspondence, 1975-1999
Box 2 Folder 20
Blue Ridge Institute: Membership
Box 2 Folder 21
Center for Community Change, 1981
Box 2 Folder 22
Citizens' Committee of Charleston County, 1976-2000
Box 2 Folder 23
Coastal Plains Human Development Coordinating Council: Correspondence and Meetings
Box 2-3 Folder 24-27
Coastal Plains Human Development Coordinating Council: Research Materials
Box 3-11
Committee on Better Racial Assurance (COBRA)
Includes materials created during the establishment and early operation of the Committee on Better Racial Assurance (COBRA),
which was founded by William "Bill" Saunders in 1970 to assist with community race relations and provide various housing, health, and other assistance services
to community members in need.
Boards of Directors: A Study of Current Practices in Board Management and Board Operations in Voluntary Hospital, Health and
Welfare Organizations, 1974
Box 26 Folder 245
Education
Box 26 Folder 246
Federal Publications: Census Bureau
Includes The Social and Economic Status of the Black Population in the United States: An Historical View, 1790-1978 and related materials.
Box 26-27 Folder 247-248
Federal Publications: Federal Register, 1979-1980
Box 27 Folder 249
Federal Publications: Grants
Box 27 Folder 250
Federal Publications: Housing and Urban Development
Box 27 Folder 251
Federal Publications: United States Civil Service Commission, 1976-1979
The nature of the Avery Research Center's archival holdings means that copyright or other information about restrictions may
be difficult or even impossible to determine despite reasonable efforts. The Avery Research Center claims only physical ownership
of most archival materials.
The materials from our collections are made available for use in research, teaching, and private study, pursuant to U.S. copyright
law. The user must assume full responsibility for any use of the materials, including but not limited to, infringement of
copyright and publication rights of reproduced materials. Any materials used for academic research or otherwise should be
fully credited with the source.
Preferred Citation
[Identification of item], William "Bill" Saunders Papers, Avery Research Center, College of Charleston, Charleston, SC, USA.
Processing Information
Processed by Felice Knight, June 2006, and Jessica Farrell, August 2010
