In her latest book, "At Home in the Heart of the Horseshoe," USC's first lady Patricia Moore-Pastides gives readers an inside look into life in the heart of USC's campus. Her motive behind writing the book was to give a glimpse of what it’s like to live in the president’s house.
“In the beginning I felt a little bit like we lived in a museum because everything was so perfect and beautiful," she said. "But it was actually through writing the book and interviewing some other people who lived here that I learned about their lives, like when families who lived here with children and they had, you know, kids running through the house and animals and everything. It made it really seem like a home.”
The book includes a history of the house, interviews of families who lived there previously and a pictorial tour of the house and gardens. Moore-Pastides also shares highlights of her family's time there as well as how the house has been dressed up for different events.
The University of South Carolina’s presidents’ house was originally a duplex for faculty families. It became the president’s house in 1952, later housing eight presidents’ families. The Pastides family frequently hosts events in an effort to create a sense of community. Mrs. Moore-Pastides said her favorite event is the all-faculty party, which honors her husband's heritage with a Greek theme.
Beyond the big events, Moore-Pastides enjoys being situated in the central part of campus.
“It’s nice on a nice day when you look out on your front yard and you have people studying and playing frisbee and walking their dogs ... it's like a mini Central Park in our front yard," she said.
Moore-Pastides wrote this book in hopes of creating a keepsake for current USC students and alumni. "At Home in the Heart of the Horseshoe" is available for preorder on the USC press website and is for sale in the student bookstore and gift shops in Columbia.
"I feel like part of a legacy, that has a long, long history,” Moore-Pastides said."I feel like the book would make a nice remembrance for graduates."