World War II (1939-1945)

McGuire, Frank Joseph

When the University of South Carolina hired McGuire to be the head basketball coach in 1964, no one dreamed that he would change the face of basketball in the Palmetto State forever. His teams started playing in the old 3,200-seat field house, but part of the deal that brought McGuire to Columbia ensured that a new coliseum would be built. In four years the team moved into the 12,401-seat Carolina Coliseum, one of the finest facilities in the South and soon to be known as “the house that Frank built.”

McKissick, James Rion

McKissick led the university through the tumultuous times of the Great Depression and World War II. With help through the New Deal, McKissick presided over the construction of a new library and five dormitories, as well as a general refurbishment of the campus. During World War II, McKissick guided the university into the war effort, establishing civilian pilot and laboratory technician training programs, adjusting the curriculum to include defense-oriented science and engineering courses, and establishing the nation’s first Red Cross nurse’s aide course.

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