My Buccaneer Story: Dr. Jimmy Rivers

Dr. James “Jimmy” Rivers ’69
President Founding Class of 1969

I saw the CSU magazine with the cover showing Happy 60th CSU. I am honored to say I was a member of that first class and had the unique experience of staying at the St. John Hotel. It is now the Mills House, and when I tell people that was my dorm they are astounded. Let’s just say it was not what the Mills House is today. My roommate Bobby Cope ’69 and I arrived at the hotel in September 1965 to sign in to college. It was a big question to all of us about how this would work out because there were no upperclassmen to question. The hotel seemed old and in need of repair, but it would be our home for the academic year. We knew classes would be at the First Baptist Church in North Charleston. There were three ways to get there. You could drive or ride in a car, ride the city bus or ride the Blue School Bus owned by the college.

I had a work-study scholarship, so I was a part-time bus driver. The church facility was a great place to study and learn. There was a social hall area where food was served, and it was a place for students to gather between classes. In the fall of 1966, we moved to the new campus, lived in house trailers and attended class in two buildings for the year. Progress was fast, and over the next two years buildings and dorms were constructed. The decision to attend Baptist College was perfect for me. There were small classes and you got to know your professors. They were dedicated to teaching and you could sense they wanted you to learn. There is no doubt the influence of my professors shaped my life to help me achieve my career goals. The senior class gave me the honor of serving as President of the Founding Class.

I retired a few years ago as Professor and Chair, Department of Oral Rehabilitation, College of Dental Medicine, Medical University of South Carolina. The diploma on my wall still reads Baptist College at Charleston.