Separate But Equal?

On October 23, 1958, a coal mining disaster in Springhill, Nova Scotia, trapped 174 men underground, and the first international event broadcast live on television brought intense attention to the rescue. To use that publicity and promote tourism to Georgia, state administrators invited the last 19 survivors and their families to Jekyll Island. The plan unraveled when Governor Marvin Griffin, a staunch segregationist, learned that one of the miners, Maurice Ruddick, was black. Ruddick, the last man rescued from the collapsed mine and known as "The Singing Miner" for keeping up morale by singing, joking, and praying during the nine days underground, was ordered to be segregated from the others during the Georgia stay. Although the other miners wanted to refuse the trip, Ruddick agreed so their vacation would not be spoiled. The widely publicized visit exposed the stark difference between the island's segregated facilities: the other survivors and their families stayed on the north end with a new hotel, swimming pool, and fine dining, while Ruddick, his wife, and their youngest children were placed in trailers on the south end. In response, the local black community welcomed the Ruddick family with fishing, dinner, a community gathering, babysitting, and a talent show, an outpouring of hospitality that eased a painful situation. Asked how it felt to be segregated, Ruddick answered diplomatically, "I seem to be enjoying myself just as much as the others."

Jekyll Island, Georgia · United States