the societal norms. these women were given an opportunity to play professional baseball. the first season was called the all-american girls softball league. wrigley realized these were good ballplayers. people came to watch them. the size of the ball changed. ultimately it became the all-american girls professional baseball league. $45-85 aen were paid week. that was enormous, enormous amount of money. and they got to do it playing baseball. something you would never have dreamed was possible. >> watch the entire lecture tonight at 8:00 p.m. and midnight eastern on c-span3 "american history tv."

>> all weekend, american history tv is featuring hattiesburg, mississippi. hattiesburg was incorporated in 1884. the city was known for its lumber and wrote industries -- and railroad industries in the late 19th century. posted by our comcast partners, our c-span staff visited sites showcasing the city's rich history. learn more about hattiesburg all weekend here on american history tv. >> i get up early in the morning. i go to bed about 10:00, to 11:00. mel be honest, it keeps working and trying to make a living. our whole family were workers. i worked when i was able to. i worked all the time, night and day.

i just worked and saved my money. i put it in the bank. i put so much in the bank. over, turned my business i didn't owe anybody anything. >> oseola mccarty was wonderful. she was a short lady about five feet. she probably weighed 85, 90 pounds. if i had to sum her up in a nutshell, she was amazing. she went to school. she only made it to the sixth grade. however she was a smart enough to start doing laundry. ironedhed clothes and clothes for the government people at camp shelby and for some who lived in hattiesburg. she made a fortune. she started off by boiling

clothes in a big tub at her house on miller street. at the back of her house was a long porch, very long. that is where she would hang the post. she would wash them, hang them up to dry, and when she ironed them, she would put them out as well. she started by charging a dime, it you can believe that. from a dime, i guess she went up to a quarter, and $.50, then maybe a dollar. what was amazing about her -- and it would be great if a lot of us could do this -- she put her money up and never spent it. she checked it in a little buggy. at some point her mother said, you know, you need to get rid of this money. it's amounting. what she did was take it to the bank. that's how she learned to put money in the bank. it grew and it grew and it grew. then one morning she went to the

bank and the banker told her that she had $280,000 in terms of estate. of that money, she took hundred $50,000 --$150,000 and give it to the university of southern mississippi so that african-american students could go to school. >> the story of the gift begin when she went to trustmark here at hattiesburg. what paul did was weighed out 10 dimes that represented 10% of her savings, which would amount to to hundred $60,000. she divided --$260,000. she wanted 10% to the church. she gave 3 other dimes to relatives, and the remainder to the university. [applause] >> she is giving usm $100,000.

[laughter] >> she gave $100,000 to the university in 1995. she doesn't it with a reference to african-american students and that round of financial -- and that were not of financial means. the first award was given in the mid-90's, who was a hattiesburg resident. mrs. mccarty made her donation in 1995 and almost instantly became a national celebrity or sorts, which was confusing to her. she did not understand that she had done anything special. she was a woman of great faith. faith was important to her. work was important to her. she was living out the values of her faith in making this gift. when people started giving her attention for it, she did not understand it. of course, everyone else understood that this is not how most people lived their lives.

most people don't do things, save every penny that they have earned and give it away so that others can thrive. >> it ended up with people calling from washington for her to come. the amazing thing for me was, miss mccarty wanted to go, but she did not want to fly. dr. lucas came to me and asked me if i would mind being her companion for these different places. like on oprah winfrey, we went on that show. they came into the dressing room, they were applying her makeup, which she did not need, but they did that. opera came -- oprah came in. she got in her knees and said, i am will periphery. -- i am oprah winfrey. she said, i am glad to have you on my show. she said, glad to be here.

oprah got up and i talked with her for a few minutes, and she went out. mrs. mccarty said, i watch her on television. and i said, i know that you do. >> she had never been on an airplane, then she was traveling all over the country, carrying the olympic torch. and so it changed dramatically. this woman who had really never left hattiesburg, who had never seen the university just a couple miles away, was now sitting on the couch with opera. -- with oprah. >> we have a store here in hattiesburg calle hotd hudsons -- called hudsons. she wanted to get a coat. people started to gather. some person said to me, mrs. tucker, whited to give that -- why did did she get that usmersity -- that money to and not another school?

i said, you should ask her, because she is right over there. i went and got her, the lady asked her to send question. she said well, god told me who to give it to. the black students at the university of southern mississippi, god is the one that told me who to give it to. >> we are on the county's berg campus of -- on the hattiesburg campus of university of mississippi. probably the most significant gifts was the presidential citizen's medal from president clinton, which is the second highest honor given to private citizens of the u.s. >> we wish we have more people like you. i am very proud of you. i thank you so much for what you have done, for the example you set for those all across america. >> i can tell you she was in

love with president clinton. only because he was the first president that invited her to the oval office and treated her as though she was great. and in fact, the outfit that she wore in the oval office, the president asked someone to go out and pick her out and outfit. when she died, she had the same outfit. >> she was honored by carrying the olympic torch in 1996. an interesting part of that story, that was the first time she ever wore shorts in her life. at the university of southern mississippi, we presented her with an honorary doctorate, the first ever awarded at this institution. >> she was also honored with an honorary degree from harvard. here are some of the tools of her trade, her washboard and pot

that she washed clothes in. this pot here, she would place it over a wood burning stove. she would boil the water and wash the close in -- wash the clothes in there, along with these wash boards. these would be for delicate items. >> i was with her from 1995 through her death, 1999. when they called and took her home to hospice, the one good thing i remember -- i was on my way to work and i heard something tell me say, go see ms. mccarty. she said, what are you doing here? i said, i came to see about you. she said, i'm okay. i said, let me share with you. if i've ever done anything to you or said anything to you in any way that was not pleasing to you, or to the lord, will you

forgive me? and she said, you don't have to-- i said no, i'm just saying that. will you forgive me? and she said yes. and if i said anything to you, will you forgive me? and i said yes. and that was when the last times i talked to her. what i found was a blessing for me because of her. i give. whenever i got, i give. >> she said, are you miss mccarty? i said, i am. i said thank you. staff cities tour recently traveled to hattiesburg, mississippi to learn about its rich history.

learn more about hattiesburg and other stops on the tour at c-span.org/citiestour. you're watching american history tv, all we can't, every weekend on c-span3. congratulations to the class of 2016. today is your day of celebration. you have earned it. >> the voices crying for peace and light. your choices will make all the difference to you and to all of us. >> do not be afraid to take on cases or new jobs or new issues that stretches your boundaries. .> respect your summer abroad and the specter of living in your parent's's basement after this graduation day is not likely to be your greatest concern. >> throughout this month, watch

commencement speeches to the class of 2016 in their entirety from colleges and universities around the world, by business leaders, politicians, and white house officials on c-span. professor kevin schultz discusses how the left wing and right wing in the 1960's were influenced by 2 friends from opposite ends of the political spectrum, conservative william buckley and liberal norman mailer. throughout the 1960's, in public and in their writings, they debated america's political affairs, including vietnam, civil rights, and of the cold war. scholz describes their political differences and close relationships in his book, "buckley and mailer: the difficult friendship that shaped the 1960's." this is part of a day long summit at grand valley state in, grand rapids michigan. >>