Cold War Dixie

Acknowledgments

One does not successfully conclude a twelve-year scholarly journey without racking up a lot of debts. So it is with this project. First and foremost, this book would not have been possible without the generosity of the former employees of the Savannah River Plant/Site and of the residents of Aiken and Graniteville who shared their insights with me about the impact of the Cold War on their communities. I am especially grateful to Dr. Walter Joseph and Mr. Willar Hightower, who spent many hours talking with me and who served as particularly perceptive guides to the region and its transformation. I was fortunate to have had the expert assistance of many archivists, fellow historians, and other history professionals along the way, including Stan Price at the Gregg-Graniteville Library; James Farmer Jr., who pointed me in the direction of the John Shaw Billings Collection; Elliot Levy, Brenda Baratto, and Mary White of the Aiken County Historical Society; Allan Riddick; Henry Fulmer, Beth Bilderbeck, and Herb Hartsook at the South Caroliniana Library; Jon M. Williams of the Hagley Museum and Library; George Wingard Jr. of the Savannah River Archaeological Research Project; Mary Beth Reed of New South Associates; Caroline Bradford of the Savannah River Site Cold War Historic Preservation Program; and James E. Cross, archivist of the Strom Thurmond Collection at Clemson University. Grants from the National Endowment for the Humanities and the Institute for Southern Studies at the University of South Carolina helped get this project off the ground. Colleagues, staff, and students at the University of Alabama, especially Larry Clayton, Lisa Dorr, John Giggie, Andrew Huebner, Howard Jones, Larry Kohl, Michael Mendle, George Rable, and Josh Rothman provided and continue to provide a great support network. Two years ago, I took on the duties of department chair. Our wonderful staff—Kay Branyon, Christina Kircharr, Ellen Pledger, and Fay Wheat—made transitioning to a twelve-month position incredibly easy. I am grateful to Dean Robert Olin and Associate Dean Carmen Burkhalter of the College of Arts and Sciences for granting me a sabbatical to ACKNOWLEDGMENTS xii · A C K N O W L E D G M E N T S work on this book but mostly for their patience as I struggled to balance my duties as department chair with the demands of finishing a book. Undergraduate student Nick Theodore contributed careful research from the U.S. Census. Graduate student Joseph Pearson read an entire draft of the manuscript and offered useful suggestions at a critical juncture in the project. Eric Rose, a history graduate student from the University of South Carolina, conducted research for me when I could not get to Columbia. My greatest debt goes to my family—immediate and extended. My in-laws, Otis and Esther Melton, shared their memories of growing up in Graniteville and provided me a place to stay while I conducted my research. My husband, Jeff, gave me the idea for the book and remained enthusiastic about the project for more than a decade. He read each chapter more than once and often brought his considerable literary skills to bear. I have dedicated this book to my daughters, Olivia and Rebecca. Although their arrivals greatly delayed the completion of this book, I would not have had it any other way. ...