Marion Gressett (1902-1984) and Hyman Rubin (1913- ) confer on strategy, January 31, 1978. Gressett, elected to the state Senate from Calhoun County in 1937, was known as the "Silver Fox" for his striking appearance. A powerful figure in South Carolina politics because of his longevity in the Senate and his control of the Senate Judiciary Committee, he led the fight to thwart desegregation of the schools in the 1950s and 1960s, but later helped convert the Governor's Advisory Committee on Human Relations to a permanent state agency, the Human Affairs Commission. He worked to make Martin Luther King, Jr.'s, birthday a state holiday, and helped write desegregation plans for the state colleges and universities in 1961. Rubin (1913-), born in Charleston, graduated from the University of South Carolina with highest honors, and was elected to the Senate in 1967.
Courtesy of "The State" newspaper.
