Today’s Project 100 memory from Pauline Boykin Schneider.  She was born and raised in Bridgeton, New Jersey.  She attended and graduated from Bridgeton High School in 1961.  Her father was a welder, and he also owned his own barbershop in Bridgeton.  Her mother, also Pauline Boykin, studied at Glassboro State in the 1930s, and she became a teacher in Bridgeton, eventually becoming focused on art. She later returned to Glassboro State College and earned a graduate degree and then became a professor in the Art Department.  Pauline graduated from Glassboro State College in 1965 with a bachelor's degree in secondary education and social studies.  When she graduated, she had hoped to enter the Foreign Service and to see the world.  She ended up getting a scholarship from the Ford Foundation and moved to Washington, D.C.  Her plans shifted when she met Roy Schneider, and they soon married.  She later earned a master's degree in urban studies from Howard University (1972) and a J.D. from Yale University Law School (1977).  She then spent four years in the Jimmy Carter White House in the Office of Intergovernmental Affairs/Secretary to the Cabinet.  After this, she worked for four years for the District of Columbia where she was the Director of the Office of Intergovernmental Relations in the Office of the Mayor.  Ms. Schneider then began private practice in1985 at Hunton & Williams, LLP.  Following this, she became a partner and head of the Public Finance Group at Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe, LLP.  From there, she joined Ballard Spahr where she was a partner and worked as a bond lawyer.  She retired in 2016.  Ms. Schneider has received numerous awards for her contributions to the legal profession, including the 1999 Margaret Brent Women of Achievement Award from the American Bar Association Commission on Women.  She was the first African American woman president of the District of Columbia Bar (1994-95). In addition, she has served on the Boards of Directors for many for profit and not for profit local and national companies and professional organizations, as well as several education and community groups. She was recognized as the Rowan University Distinguished Alumnus in 2001.  She joined the Rowan University Foundation Board of Directors in 2009.

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Glassboro State was the closest and most affordable place for me and my family.  I considered a few other places, but I was one of six children. None of the others were realistic.   

When I began, I wanted to be a teacher like my mother.  However, I wasn’t thinking that carefully about my academic path.  I just wanted to get a college degree, and I knew that would not be that easy given my family’s financial situation.  I chose social studies over English.  I thought it would be a bit more different from what I had done in high school.

I commuted every day from Bridgeton.  I couldn’t afford to live on campus.  It was more difficult for me to connect with my fellow students and faculty because I was always on the go.  Some days I was just focused on getting through the experience, as opposed to getting as much out of my time there as I might have.  I only remember my faculty vaguely all these years later.  One of the names that sticks out to me is Richard Porterfield.  I came from a family where my mother was a teacher, so I already knew about a lot of what I was learning in my education classes. 

Regarding discrimination as an African American at Glassboro State, I do not personally recall any offensive or hostile occurrences from faculty or my fellow students.  I feel very lucky.  Southern New Jersey was an interesting place to grow up.  There were many migrant workers at the time.  Philadelphia was close, however, and it was great to be able to go there to see a world that was very different from rural south Jersey.

I was involved with Student Government Association, where I was a Senator.  This was in the SGA’s early years.  I think it became more important in later years.  I made two very good, life-long friends at Glassboro State, namely Phyllis Wolfe and Lois Maxwell Jackson.  They live near me to this day in Washington, D.C.

Glassboro State was a special place for me because it allowed me to do things that I otherwise wouldn’t have been able to do.  I came from a large family with parents who cared about education.  They also understand that there were costs to consider. Of course, I would have loved to have gone to Harvard or Yale.  My parents were as supportive as they could be, and it was so valuable to me that Glassboro State was close by and affordable.  I am proud of my time there and my education.

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This is part of the Department of History’s “Project 100,” the collection and sharing of one hundred memories by Glassboro State College and Rowan University alumni and staff.  One memory will be released per day in the 100 days leading up to October 20, 2023, the date of a reunion celebrating the 100^th anniversary of the founding of Glassboro Normal School, later Glassboro State College, and now Rowan University.  The reunion will take place at 7pm at the Summit City Farm and Winery in Glassboro, New Jersey.  Registration for the reunion will be open from July 11^th and will remain open until the venue reaches its 100-person capacity (or October 13^th if capacity never reached).  We do anticipate that the reunion will sell out, so please register as soon as possible by visiting the Alumni Office’s registration page here:  alumni.rowan.edu/historyreunion2023.

You can also find the up-to-date set of Project 100 memories on the Department of History’s webpage.  William Carrigan arranged, interviewed, transcribed and/or edited these memories.  Laurie Lahey proofread and helped edit the final versions.  If you wish to share your own memories, please email Dr. Carrigan at carrigan@rowan.edu.  Alumni with Facebook accounts are encouraged to join the RU/GSC History Alumni group here:  https://www.facebook.com/groups/251485937221524.