Green Pond, SC

I forgot Ken's birthday. Need a way to reach back in time, a temporal shift telephone.

Citadel

FAULKNER, SHANNON RICHEY
First woman enrolled at The Citadel as a member of the Corps of Cadets. Born 1975, Powdersville, S.C. Her application for admission was accepted in January 1993, then rejected when it was learned that she was female. She brought suit in the U. S. District Court for the District of South Carolina, Charleston Division, for admission on grounds of equal protection under the law. Judge Weston Houck ruled in her favor (Faulkner v. Jones, 858 F.Supp. 552, decided July 22, 1994). Faulkner began taking classes, but still was not admitted to the Corps. In 1995 the U. S. Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals reaffirmed the District Court's ruling, paving the way for her admission as a cadet (Faulkner v. Jones, 51 F.3d 440, decided April 13, 1995). Before the courts Faulkner was represented by the New York City law firm of Shearman & Sterling (lead counsel: Valorie Kay Vojdik); The Citadel by the Charleston law firm of Barnwell, Whaley, Patterson & Helms (lead counsel: Dawes Cook). Faulkner joined the Corps of Cadets on August 15, 1995. One week later she resigned, citing exhaustion and complaining of maltreatment. A lawsuit for damages ensued. The following year, after the U. S. Supreme Court ruled that the Virginia Military Institute's policy of excluding women was unconstitutional (United States v. Virginia, 518 U.S. 515, 116 S.Ct. 2264, 135 L.Ed.2d 735, decided June 26, 1996), The Citadel changed its admission policy and began actively recruiting women. The Federal District Court required The Citadel to make quarterly reports on its progress in integrating female cadets into the school. This requirement ended in 2002 because The Citadel had made outstanding progress in coeducation. Shannon Faulkner subsequently made a career as a secondary school teacher. (Sources: Catherine S. Manegold, In Glory's Shadow: Shannon Faulkner, The Citadel, and a Changing America. KF228 .C53 H36 2000; Washington Monthly, vol. 29, Oct. 1997, pp. 4-9; National Review, vol. 46, August 1, 1994, pp. 49-52; Brian Hicks, "Lawsuit's Dismissal Marks End of Era at The Citadel," Post and Courier, March 30, 2002, p. 1A; "Fresh Start: Shannon Faulkner Opened the Door for Women in The Citadel. Now She Opens Minds to Shakespeare," People Weekly, June 28, 2004, p. 145) (DH) Knob Knowledge

Padgett Thomas Barracks

Front sally port. This building was destroyed and rebuilt two years after this photo was taken.

brass

the Citadel, Charleston, SC

"What do Plebes(Knobs)Outrank? Sir/Ma'am, the President's cat, the Commandant's dog, and all the captains at VMI, Sir/Ma'am." (Source: Guidon, 1998-99, p.74.) [Although The Guidon, 1998-99 uses the term "Plebes." The fourth classmen at the U.S. Naval Academy and at the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy are called "plebes." "Knobs" has been a unique term for The Citadel's fourth classmen for at least 35 years. Why does The Guidon continue to use another college's vocabulary?--HN]
-from Knob Knowledge

Citadel mess

KNOB KNOWLEDGE

Knobs--4th classmen--have always had to pop off at mess. Originally they could be asked any question. They would come over to the library to find the answer. Later, in the 1970's, the questions were limited to facts pertaining The Citadel in some way. Since the same questions were asked from year to year the librarians kept a box of 3 x 5 cards with the answers. This later was put in paper format and in 1976 it was put on the computer. It has expanded to include all sorts of Citadel lore and history. Tenatively, a question could be asked about any of the topics, but most of the information will never be asked by knobs. It will be asked by administrators and others. Alumni appear to read it thoroughly and even people who have no connection with The Citadel keep sending comments. At mess, the answering and asking of questions was at one time called, "stump the stars." Today, Knob Knowledge is restricted to what can be found under "M. Fourth Class Knowledge" in the The Fourth Class Knowledge Manual. The Knob Knowledge file on the Daniel Library Web site was originally created by LTC Herbert T. Nath.-
Daniel Library, the Citadel

the Citadel

uniform cloth made by the Charlottesville Woolen Mill until 1962