Holy Hills of the Ozarks: Religion and Tourism in Branson, Missouri

• Acknowledgments
• Chapter
• Johns Hopkins University Press
• pp. vii-ix
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Acknowledgments

Most of this project was completed while I was a graduate student or faculty member at the University of Kansas, and many individuals affiliated with that institution are due thanks. Gratitude must first be extended to Pete Shortridge. His keen eye for detail, thorough editing skills, and perceptive comments transformed this subject matter into a work that I feel is clear, concise, and informed. Norm Yetman, Bob Antonio, Tim Miller, Sandi Zimdars-Swartz, and Ed Canda must also be recognized for their contributions to the dissertation from which this manuscript emerged. I have known most of these scholars for over a decade, and in addition to regarding them as skilled mentors, I am also thankful to count them as friends. Throughout this process, Brad Carter has been an invaluable colleague, comrade, and volunteer research assistant. From its inauguration, he has offered thoughts, critiques, and pertinent materials that course their way through all chapters.

A number of researchers and scholars working in and around the Ozarks have also been of tremendous assistance. Lynn Morrow, director of Local Records at the Missouri State Archives, has been ever willing to share his bounty of insights on the region and his wonderful collection of postcards, some of which appear in this book. Lynn has authored dozens of articles on the Ozarks, and his study of turn-of-the-century Branson tourism was an inspiration for my own initiative. Laura Jolley also generously assisted with the preparation of the book’s illustrations. John Schmalzbauer at Missouri State University has provided multiple opportunities for me to present my work to audiences. These occasions allowed me not only to fine-tune thoughts during the latter stages of the project but also offered excellent venues for critique from individuals intimately familiar with Branson. John’s ongoing interest in and support of my scholarship is deeply appreciated.

I was fortunate to receive funding from two sources for this study. Money provided by the State Historical Society of Missouri allowed for substantial fieldwork and archival research. A yearlong dissertation fellowship from the Louisville Institute offered the ability to focus solely on writing, and input from other Institute fellows and scholars proved indispensable. I thank both of these organizations for their assistance.

I have also received much support and encouragement from people associated with the Johns Hopkins University Press. I first met Henry Tom at a conference in 1998, when this project was in its infancy. Thankfully, he remained in contact and expressed his continuing enthusiasm for my scholarship as it grew and matured. I have also appreciated the opportunity to work with series editor Bob Orsi, whose studies of lived religion were truly inspirational while I was a graduate student. His comments on and critique of my manuscript helped to mold it into a work that I hope at least partially reflects the skillful and rigorous nature of his own scholarship. This book also profited from the superb editing of Grace Carino, who is to be commended for both this effort and her patience during a time when I was mired in difficult personal circumstances.

The roll of individuals in Branson who have offered their thoughts and time is too extensive to enumerate. However, hundreds of people have expressed an interest in this project and worked with busy schedules to meet with me and discuss their views on the topic. I hope their generosity is reflected in the ethnographic quality and detail found throughout. I would like to mention a few who offered substantial contributions in many forms. These include Howard Boyd, Richard Freihofer, Don Gabriel, Peter Herschend, Michael London, and Raeanne Presley. Nahum Tate, while not an Ozark resident, is also owed much gratitude for sharing family documents, genealogical materials, and personal stories about his ancestral links to the region. Finally, when researching in the field, basics like room and board can sometimes be difficult to arrange. I was often fortunate to be accommodated by Carol and Terry Smith, who offered their home and willingly listened to the travails of my research undertaking.

I have been a student for all but a few years of my life. Such utter immersion in learning would not have been possible without the constant support of my parents. Their unwavering confidence in my abilities has allowed me to cultivate a sense of inquiry that they initially instilled. My one great regret concerning this project is that my father passed away just months before its completion. He was an erudite man, and for many years, I looked forward to pridefully handing him a copy of the book and thanking him for making it possible. While working on a study that often involves miraculous things, two miracles did indeed come into my own life. Clara and Gus have encouraged this project in ways too numerous to list. Their captivating smiles, hearty laughs, simple words, and boundless wonder have truly been catalysts for this work. Finally, since the nascence of this study, Marcia Fisher has always unconditionally believed in my ability to complete a daunting enterprise and has taken every step along this long road with me. Without her strength, confidence, patience, insight, and love, I would never have made it to this point.