From a one–room school house to a scholarship to Winthrop
Nelle Mulligan continues to love learning at the age of 103

By Rachel Haynie

Early education for Nelle Mulligan was following her father, a Confederate War veteran, around their York County farm. “He raised everything we ate, even collected the honey that went in our cakes.” To the occasional guest who stopped by, her father often served home-brewed locust and persimmon beer. “The first place he took them was to the well house to get something cold to drink. Sometimes it was just that good spring water from our well,” said Mulligan.

Later she learned her academic fundamentals in the one–room schoolhouse her father built on their 240–acre spread in York County. “One thing my father believed in was education,” said Mulligan, whose teaching career perpetuated his philosophy. “He paid a woman $30 a month to teach us children.” For years she and her siblings walked three and a half miles a day to school and back.

After that Mulligan rode a red sorrel side–saddled to school. “I saw two little boys along the way who had no way to get to school, so my father built a buggy so they could ride with me. “When I got to the 10th grade, my father closed the school and sent me to Winthrop Training School. I stayed in Rock Hill with an older sister.”

Finishing high school prepared Mulligan for a chance at a scholarship to Winthrop College, given by the United Daughters of the Confederacy. Her father took her in town to sit for the requisite tests that took her two and a half days to complete. “I didn’t know there were that many subjects published,” but she won the scholarship and started college.

She still remembers the names of her teachers; they were vital role models for the young girl who never knew her mother. “I had been in charge of cooking at home, so when it came time to go to the Model Home across the street, I was put in charge of frying the meat.”

Mulligan and 15 other female students lived at the Model Home where they practiced homemaking skills on a rotation of responsibilities. “I got an A in frying,” and that skill continued into her lifelong reputation for fried chicken. “My granddaughter’s husband really raved about my chicken,” but she credits her way with white gravy to her Aunt Polly whom she stayed with in Gaffney.

Education has been integral to Mulligan’s life and success. As she celebrates her 103rd birthday, she still loves learning new things and enjoys reading, seldom needing even reading glasses. “I have my own teeth and eat pretty much anything I want to. I am in no pain and take no medication.” Her most important lesson is to live life abundantly.