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aCknoWledgments In 2006, after plodding through graduate school three different times at three different universities, I rediscovered the joys of reading fiction. After a few light reads, I found myself drawn to the works of more complicated authors, including Cormac McCarthy and William Faulkner. Their rich characters challenged me to better understand human frailty, hidden subtleties, and larger symbolism. The most important truth from my foray into fiction is that good writers tell good stories. Whether penning fiction, a job description, or a work of history, writing is no easy task. In addition to having a strong story, authors need support from others willing to make sacrifices. I have been blessed with a host of unselfish individuals who made my journey possible. Mentioning them all is impossible, but a few deserve special praise. In 1994 I discovered the early years of the Tennessee Valley Authority in a graduate survey course. The class discussion led me to the library in search of more information, and over a decade later I am still plowing through those same sources. My graduate mentor, friend, and colleague, University of Louisville history professor Thomas Mackey, continues to give me remarkable encouragement and constructive criticism. So I begin by thanking him for his ongoing insights and for urging me to “press on” to the next challenge. In 2000, my path led to the University of Tennessee, where I amassed many debts. The following year I began a double life as a tenure-track librarian in the Special Collections Library and a doctoral student in the history department. By day I wore the hat of university archivist, trying to document and collect the history of the institution, but by night I read frantically to keep up with my graduate course work. After five years I brought the latter endeavor and the first stage of this project to a close. Financial support from both the history department and the University Libraries allowed me complete research at over a dozen repositories scattered across nearly a dozen states. Support from my University of Tennessee colleagues in the library and several history professors made the road much easier. In particular, Nick Wyman, Bill Eigelsbach, Elizabeth Dunham, and the entire LONNIE team in the Special xii Acknowledgments Collections Library challenged me to explore sources on the stacks that surrounded us, and I appreciate their valuable suggestions. Library Dean Barbara Dewey and retired Associate Dean Aubrey Mitchell also provided great encouragement . In the history department, Civil War scholar Steve Ash contributed a great deal to the conceptualization of this book and added unrecorded details on Knoxville’s seedy past. Emeritus history professor Paul Bergeron served as a vital sounding board for my ideas, and I treasure our conversations there in the reading room—his office was always open! But the most significant direction came from history professor Bruce Wheeler. From our first discussions he could see a final product and knew how to guide me through the choppy waters of research and writing. He should be further commended for taking on a graduate student while planning for his retirement. I miss our informal talks about university gossip, Betty Grable, and occasionally TVA. When given the chance, I will always order that second martini in his honor. Fellow archivists and librarians deserve special recognition for demonstrating an unyielding commitment to service. Archivists at the National Archives and Records Administration (in Atlanta; Washington, D.C.; New York City; and College Park, Maryland) helped facilitate access to federal records. For five years National Archives and Records Administration archivists William Davis, Rodney Ross, and Fred Romanski tirelessly located records and walked me through the process of declassification. While submitting over one hundred Freedom of Information Act requests, Gloria Ralph-McKissic in the FBI Freedom of Information-Privacy Acts Division and Brent Evitt in the Department of Justice’s Office of Information and Privacy shared their knowledge and recommendations of the sometimes tedious task of requesting government information . University archivists and special collections staff at a number of institutions earned their stripes by providing fast, effective answers to research queries and locating images. Staff at public and state libraries also helped locate obituaries, articles, and contacts at other institutions. In 2007, I left the Tennessee Valley behind to explore the New River Valley. I brought the project before a new set of colleagues and friends at Virginia Tech. I must thank the staff of Special Collections, Social Sciences Librarian Bruce Pencek, Director of Collections Management Paul Metz, and especially...

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