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Acknowledgments Iwish to begin by thanking Tony Freyer and Kari Frederickson for the innumerable kindnesses they have shown me over the years. And I wish to acknowledge the influence of several professors from years ago, people who inspired (but never pushed) me to do something more with my talents— Patricia Rose, Sally Hadden, Maxine Jones, Robert Rubanowice, and Valerie Conner. My editor at Louisiana State University Press, Rand Dotson, has been very patient for the past several years and never once questioned why I felt the need to rewrite the book completely on an annual basis. I also want thank Michael Perman, who carefully examined each year’s iteration as the outside reader for the press. And though they are unaffiliated with any press, Mike Fitzgerald and Neal Hughes graciously read and critiqued an entire draft at a very early stage. At the end, Christian McWhirter not only read but also thoughtfully and meticulously edited every page of the book. As a graduate student at the University of Alabama, fellowships from the History Department and the university’s Graduate Council kept me going at a critical stage, and I am grateful for the two faculty research grants I received from the University of West Alabama. Whether in person or by mail, the staffs of several archives and libraries made my work much easier. I wish to publicly acknowledge the Alabama Department of Archives and History, Mississippi Department of Archives and History, Hoole Special Collections Library at the University of Alabama , Bounds Library of the University of Alabama School of Law, Samford University Library, Birmingham Public Library, Athens County Archive , University of New Orleans, New Orleans Public Library, National Archives Regional Facilities in Atlanta, Forth Worth, and Philadelphia, Tennessee State Library, Texas State Library, Library of Virginia, Virginia Historical Society, West Virginia University, Schomburg Center of the New York Public Library, and the reference desks and interlibrary loan 253 254 Acknowledgments coordinators for the University of Alabama, the University of West Alabama , and the Florida State University. Finally, when I undertook to thank all of the others who had a hand in getting me here, I found that the list grew very long and very maudlin. So it’s probably best that I simply list the friends, acquaintances, and graduate assistants who helped me in any substantive way (whether they led me to a source, read a draft, made copies, tracked down documents, sat with me at a microfilm reader, commiserated with me, or listened while I talked through an idea): Neal Hughes, Paul Pruitt, William Warren Rogers Sr., Norwood Kerr, Ricki Brunner, Ed Bridges, Pat Causey, Anna Bedsole, Sheila Limerick , John Ratliff, Kathy Edwards, Merrily Harris, Al Brophy, David Beito, Anita Yesho, Drew Walters, Andrew Huebner, Mark Boulton, Cinnamon Brown, Lesa Shaul, Christina Barnes Huckabee, Joe Danielson, and Arlene Royer. At the University of West Alabama, I’ve enjoyed the unflagging support of number of administrators. In particular, I wish to acknowledge the two deans I’ve worked under in the College of Liberal Arts, Dr. Patricia Beatty and Dr. Tim Edwards, Dr. David Taylor, Provost and Vice-President for Academic Affairs, and Dr. Richard Holland, University President. Last, I wish to note the support and friendship of my late department chair, Dr. David Warren Bowen. Rarely did a day pass without David asking me if I’d finished the book yet, and he frequently followed that up with a brief lecture on the importance of finishing said task. I don’t know whether he actually thought I might not or if he was just teasing, but it is source of deep regret that he did not live to see this book’s completion. ...

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