In honor of Duke’s Centennial, The Chronicle is highlighting pivotal figures and events throughout the University’s history. Here we take a look at Shoe Leather Day in October 1949:
The C1 didn’t always exist — nor was it always free.
Long before the C1 shuttled students back and forth between East and West Campus, students hopped on buses operated by Duke Power, now known as Duke Energy. With “Duke University” printed on the front and “Duke Power Company” inscribed on the side, these buses were accessible to all Durham residents and students.
However, riders had to purchase tokens to ride the bus. This was the norm until August 1949, when Duke Power raised the prices of East-West transit for Duke students by 66.6%, compared to a 33.3% increase for other Durham residents. The hike triggered widespread student dissent over the unequal fare rates.
This price increase prompted sustained protests by the student body dubbed “Shoe Leather Day.” The demonstration exhibited unrelenting student efforts in the first major show of student spirit since the pre-war years.
Work to alter the price hike began amicably. The Student Government Association (SGA) attempted to negotiate with Duke Power to lower the bus fares.
“We will ask the State Utilities Commission to reduce the present rate of three tokens for a quarter to the same rate that Durham school children now enjoy, four tokens for a quarter,” said then-SGA President Bob Hazel in an interview with The Chronicle on Oct. 7, 1949.
SGA was not the only advocate against the fare hikes. Law students compiled legal materials and consulted lawyers, but to no avail. Even then-President Hollis Edens also spoke with Duke Power, although they did not grant his request to lower the fares.
The students quickly took an alternative approach.
Art Steuer, a columnist for The Chronicle, first proposed the idea to strike — inspired by a conversation with his advisor, Hubert Humperdink. The strike became known as “Humperdink’s Shoe Leather Day.” Soon after, his idea came to life.
Ahead of the big day — sponsored by The Chronicle and SGA — students across campus were asked to either walk or catch rides with other students between campuses, according to an Oct. 14, 1949, Chronicle article. In a survey conducted by The Chronicle, the paper found that 39 men out of 50 were interested in participating in the boycott “if one was well organized.”
Alas, on Oct. 17, 1949, the first empty bus arrived at West Campus, representing an indication of what would follow.
That day, Duke Power’s stock dropped 10 points in the stock market as students protested the bus rate. At 7:30 a.m., one Chronicle member estimated 48 students making the mile-and-a-half walk from East campus for their morning classes.
Students and teachers were called upon to offer rides to shuttle students between the campuses. Shortly after 9 a.m., nearly 45 cars lined up bumper-to-bumper on the main quad, with even some faculty offering rides to students. The Chronicle estimated “no less than five professors,” drove students to support the cause.
“The surplus of cars over the number of students needing rides continued unabated through the morning and well into the afternoon. At no time were students waiting on West Campus stops forced to walk to the other campus,” read an Oct. 17, 1949, article published by The Chronicle.
While most of the boycott consisted of students finding alternative ways to commute across campus, the protest wasn’t entirely peaceful. Although a brief stint, late Monday morning, a group of students attempted to turn over a campus bus.
Concerted in their effort, “Shoe Leather Day” extended to “Shoe Leather Week,” a reference to all the shoe soles worn out by hundreds of students boycotting the buses, walking to class or carpooling. The event marked one of the most significant displays of unity and collective action by the Duke community.
Dubbed the “Bus-less Revolution,” by a Chronicle headline, the demonstration received national coverage from news outlets such as the Associated Press, Knoxville News Sentinel, the Omaha World-Herald, the Clarion-News, the Columbia Record, the Athens Banner-Herald and others.
Before any formal statement from the administration, Duke faculty and administrators offered passing support. In a morning lecture, Dr. Negley of the Philosophy Department told his class, “This is the first time in my three years at Duke that the student body has been anything but apathetic … more power to ‘em.”
Even Edens made rounds through the strike center, as student activist Dean Cox assisted with shuttling students across the University.
By the second day of the protest, it became clear this wasn’t a short-lived effort. Duke administration realized students would not easily surrender, and renewed its efforts to negotiate with Duke Power for a lower fare.
Initially, this pressure was to no avail.
“Duke Power Company officials seem to have a very limited vocabulary consisting of two words — “NO” and “COMMENT,” read an Oct. 17, 1949, Chronicle article.
However, the students didn’t relent. According to an Oct. 21, 1949, Chronicle article, “By Thursday the excitement and novelty of the first two days had worn off, and the student body had settled down to a quiet but determined boycott of the offending bus company.”
In early November, however, the protests started to die down, leaving the SGA to wholly manage. Hazel expressed that it “would not help” to extend the boycott another two weeks, despite calls from students. So, after two weeks, the boycott concluded and Duke Power maintained its fees.
It wasn’t until 14 years later in 1963 that Duke began its own bus service between East and West Campus — now known as the C1, and free of charge to all passengers.
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Sarah Diaz is a Trinity first-year and a staff reporter for the news department.