b'She Wanted MoreMayor Alfred Mae DrakefordBy Connie Davis RouseAlfredMaeDrakeford,thefirstAfricanAmericanthe back for her salon. In the interim, she worked in femaleMayorofCamden,SC,couldneverhaveanothersalonforfiveyearsuntilshelearnedthat imagined the amazing life God planned for her whenDuPontwashiringinCamden,AfricanAmericans, she was just a small child. Born intoo, and the pay was much higher Paterson, New Jersey, her parentsthan that of a cosmetologist.Also, divorcedwhenshewasjusttwooneMondaywhenhersalonwas years old and she and her brother,closed,hergrandfatherrequested George,weresenttolivewiththat she come back to help him in theirmaternalgrandparents,thecottonfieldfortheday.She CarrieandAlfredNeal,ontheirsaidthemoresheworked,the workingfarminthe WhiteOaklongertherowbecame,andshe CreekareaonHighway97invowed to God that if he would just Camden.Theirmotherremainedget her to the end, she would never employedinNewJerseywhichworkinthatcottonfieldanother wascommonplaceinAfricandayinherlife.Immediately,she American families back then.appliedtoDuPontandaskedher husband to do the same. She was Alfred,amasculinenamethathired and then, Ernest. They were plagued her with harassment as aabletoliveoff$50aweek,saved child, eventually gave her strengththe remainder to build their home, asshelatertracedhergenealogyborrowing only $10 thousand, but and learned that as far back as sheAlfred Mae wanted more. could search, there was an Alfred ineverygeneration.HermotherWhen we are not at the table, it is sadWORK, FAMILY, explainedtoherthatshedesiredbut truewe are not thought of.COLLEGEtonameherfirstchildafterher Mayor Alfred Mae Drakeford Within a year and a half, she was father,however,herhusbandthefirstAfricanAmericanfemale quickly dispelled that notion andtobepromotedfromwithin gavehisnametohisfirstson.WhentheirsecondDuPontasa1stlinesupervisor.Managing20to28 childwasagirl,hermotherimmediatelysoftenedpeopleandworkinghardtofulfilleveryrequired the Alfredwith Maeandthus, AlfredMaewasbenchmark of the plant to rise to become number 1, born.Shegrewtolovehernameasshelovedtheshe watched as White line supervisors were promoted grandfather whom she was named for. over her. By now, they had a beautiful little daughter, Anardentstudent,AlfredMaegraduatedfromKimberly.Sheaskedtobeconsideredforashift thesegregatedJacksonHighSchoolin1962.supervisoryposition.WhileherWhitecounterparts Hergrandparentscouldnotaffordtosendherdidnotallhavecollegedegrees,hersupervisor tocollege.Sheattendedcosmetologyschool,wasinformed her she needed a college degree. Okay, Ill named valedictorian of her class and married Ernestgooutandgetmeone,andshedid.Notjustany Drakeford in 1966 who was an automotive mechanicdegree but one from the University of South Carolina fortheForddealership. Theydecidedtoworkhard,in 3years while being married, rearing a daughter, savetheirmoney,andbuildahomewithashopinand working on rotating shifts as a line supervisor. Sheattendedschoolfulltimebetweenshiftbreaks, 8IMARA'