The Travelstead Room is conceived as a site of conscience and, as defined by Sebastian Brett and others:

“draws upon the power of memorialization by conceiving space as a forum for citizen engagement. Public memorials don’t seek to just honor; they generate conversations to consider lessons from the past and for the present and future.”

The Travelstead Room was dedicated in 2006 as a way to honor South Carolina educators and to bring the Travelstead story to a larger public sphere. The following exhibits are permanently installed in the Travelstead Room:

• Desegregation at the University of South Carolina
• Study of Progressive Schools
• The Legacy of Chester C. Travelstead
• SC Ambassadors of Education
• Presidential Letters

 

The Travelstead Award

This award honors the career of Chester C. Travelstead (1911-2006), Dean of the College of Education from 1952-1955, who with great courage stood up and spoke for the rights of others and furthered the struggle for racial integration and social justice in South Carolina. The Travelstead Award recognizes an individual who displays courage and who exemplifies those basic dispositions from the College of Education’s conceptual framework (the core values of justice, stewardship, intellectual spirit, and integrity). The Travelstead Award is given periodically and is determined by the museum’s advisory board.