Steely, MelWagner, DonUniversity of West Georgia. Georgia Political Papers and Oral History ProgramUnited States, Georgia, 32.75042, -83.50018Oxford, W. Cliff2004-10-18W. Cliff Oxford was born and raised in Waycross, Georgia, attended West Georgia College in Carrollton, Georgia and earned his MBA from Emory University in Atlanta. He donated a substantial amount of funding to the Goizueta School of Business at Emory University, which subsequently named its executive MBA program after Oxford. In 1995, he founded Support Technologies Inc., alongside his former wife, ultimately selling the business in 2003. In 2004, Oxford unsuccessfully ran for the U.S. Senate.; Interviewed by Dr. Mel Steely and Professor Don Wagner on October 18, 2004 at the UWG-TV studio.; Oxford begins by talking about his family, which he considered working-class, and discusses their involvement with the railroads in Waycross, GA. He speaks of the transition from a rural school system to a state university, noting that the quality of education was not very good. He speaks of the church as a social function during his childhood and of a controversy that had involved an African American woman wanting to attend a local church in his hometown. Oxford divulges that he had an early interest in politics, remembering watching presidential debates on the television as a young man. This interest eventually inspired him to pursue a degree in Political Science at West Georgia College in 1981, where most of his extracurricular activities involved politics in one way or another, eventually leading the campus Young Democrats. He discusses the Democratic Party in Georgia and its lack of cohesion. After graduating from West Georgia College, he began working for UPS and attended Emory University in pursuit of an MBA. In 1996, Oxford was initially encouraged to run against Newt Gingrich for Georgia's 6th Congressional District, but the party ultimately opted for Michael Coles as their candidate instead. Oxford then speaks of his next race for senate, his strategies, and his message. Looking back, Oxford discusses what he would have done differently were he able to run for senate again. He then goes into a discussion on the perception of the differences between the Republican and Democratic identities, as well as how race is still a factor in current politics. Oxford ends by speaking of the need for a strong leader in the state Democratic Party.video/mp4engCarrollton, Ga. : University of West Georgia Special Collections in association with the Digital Library of Georgiahttp://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/Georgia Political Papers and Oral History Program oral history interviews. Annie Belle Weaver Special Collections, Irvine Sullivan Ingram Library, State University of West GeorgiaGeorgia--Politics and government--1865-1950Georgia--Politics and government--1951-Atlanta Journal-ConstitutionEmory University--Alumni and alumnae--InterviewsUniversity of GeorgiaUniversity of West GeorgiaCharles Schwab CorporationChick-Fil-A CorporationInternational Business Machines CorporationUnited Parcel ServiceBirmingham (Ala.)Cobb County (Ga.)Mableton (Ga.)Plains (Ga.)Ware County (Ga.)Waycross (Ga.)Oxford, W. Cliff--InterviewsOral history interview with W. Cliff Oxford, 2004 October 18MovingImage