Dorothy Spruill Redford

Dorothy Spruill Redford
BornAugust 07, 1943 (1943-08-07) (age 81)
Columbia, North Carolina
DiedSeptember 30, 2023
OccupationAuthor, historian
NationalityAmerican
Alma materQueens College and East Carolina University

Dorothy Spruill "Dot" Redford (born August 7, 1943 - died September 30, 2023[1]) is an author, historian and former executive director of Somerset Place, a state historic site near Creswell, North Carolina. She is best known for the published account of her research into her family history, Somerset Homecoming: Recovering a Lost Heritage.

Biography

Dorothy Spruill Redford was born in Columbia, North Carolina on August 7, 1943.[2] She grew up in Queens, New York, and attended Queens College.[2] Inspired by Roots and her daughter's questions about her ancestors, Redford began to research her family history.[3] Redford spent nearly ten years researching her connection to the enslaved population of Somerset Place. In 1986, her research inspired the first Somerset Homecoming, a reunion of more than 2,000 descendants of the enslaved community of Somerset Plantation.[4] She co-authored a book about her family history and the reunion with reporter Mike D'Orso in 1988, the same year she began working as a program consultant at the Somerset Place State Historic Site.[4] She served as the site director from 1990 until her retirement in 2008. Redford was influential in transforming the interpretation of slavery at Somerset Place, creating a model of inclusive interpretation. Her efforts led to the reconstruction of a number of buildings related to the enslaved community, including slave cabins and the hospital, which is now the only interpreted slave hospital anywhere in the United States.[5] Redford received an honorary doctor of letters degree from East Carolina University in 2010.[6]

References

  1. ^ "Dorothy Spruill Redford - View Obituary & Service Information". Dorothy Spruill Redford Obituary. Retrieved 2024-02-19.
  2. ^ a b Redford, Dorothy Spruill (1988). Somerset Homecoming: Recovering a Lost Heritage. Chapel Hill, NC: The University of North Carolina Press. ISBN 0807848433.
  3. ^ Moose, Debbie (9 June 1991). "Woman's journey unlocks powerful past". The News & Observer. Raleigh, NC. p. E1.
  4. ^ a b Roberts, Frank (21 August 2008). "Work of N.C. history advocate brought lives of slaves to light". The Virginian-Pilot. Hampton Roads, Virginia.[permanent dead link‍]
  5. ^ "John Beaver and Dot Redford Retire" (PDF), Carolina Comments, 56 (4): 117–151, October 2008, archived from the original (PDF) on 2012-07-10, retrieved 2014-02-21
  6. ^ "Bowles to deliver ECU commencement address" (Press release). ECU News Services. 30 April 2010. Archived from the original on 25 February 2014. Retrieved 21 February 2014.