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ll,.C:KNC\\'I.IEllGMIENiS Small-town America inspires many people in many walks of life: from townsfolk on the street willing to share impressions with me to scholars in diverse fields who write and speak about small towns. Without their help this book could never have been written. My interest in landscapes was nurtured by Edward T. Price of the University of Oregon during the halcyon years of the late 1960s. Many graduate students, including Larry Ford, Gale Dixon, Dick Fusch, Stan Demars, and the late Aaron Gallup, shared their insights about American towns. Mike Schneerer, graduate student at the University of Minnesota, travelled extensively with me in 1971-72 in search of townscapes and inspired me to begin recording my ideas about Main Street. As an architectural design student, Ken Pavelchak at Antioch College shared many astute observations in the 1970S, as did geography student Tom Harvey. Nina Myatt and intern Scott Sanders ofthe Antiochiana Collection at Antioch College provided historic photographs of Yellow Springs. Barbara Bailey, careful observer of Oregon's towns, wrote an inspirational book on that subject that serves as model for detailed regional townscape study. Mary Means, formerly of the National Trust, shared many observations in the early seminal years of the national Main Street Project. Popular culture authority Margaret King provided inspiration in the form of insightful observations about American popular culture, and local historian Trella Romine, of Caledonia, Ohio, helped by sending me photographs and information. Robert Puschendorf of the Nebraska State Historical Society provided information on the state's new Main Street Program, and Susan Roth of the Minnesota Historical Society provided historical photographs of Owatonna; Sandy Elder of the California State Historic Preservation Office located photos of the Sacramento Valley Delta town of Locke; Julian Campbell, chair of the Bloomfield, Iowa Historic Preservation Commission, and Loren Horton of the State Historical Society of Iowa in Iowa City provided important information about Iowa communities. Chandler Jackson of the University of Texas at Arlington and Merri Greenwood of Dallas located lyrics of 1970S songs about Main xvi 1 Acknowledgments Street. Katherine (Kit) Goodwin, Gerald Saxon, Marcelle Hull, and Jane Boley of UTA also provided information on Southwestern towns from the University's excellent Special Collections; David Narrett of UTA's History Department kindly shared important information about Colonial Dutch towns with me, and other members of the department, including Ken Philp, Stan Palmer, and Don Kyle, were very helpful. My friend William (Bill) Dunaway inspired me by relating stories of growing up near the courthouse square in Decatur, Texas, and of his genealogical travels to his ancestor's home town of Shelbyville, Tennessee. Cynthia Beeman, Frances Rickard and Anise Read ofthe Texas Historical Commission willingly shared information on historic buildings and the Texas Main Street Program; Steve Gordon, Mary Anne Peters, Sandy Davies, Jeff Brown, and David Simmons of the Ohio Historical Society gladly assisted in the searches for information on towns in the Buckeye State. Karal Ann Marling and Andrew Lainsbury ofthe University ofMinnesota helped find important information about the early Disney "imagineers ." Rheba Massey of the Fort Collins, Colorado, Public Library's Local History Office kindly shared information and showed me historic buildings in the community. Arthur Hart of the Idaho Historical Society provided information on architectural details. Senior Secretary Darlene McAllister of the University of Texas at Arlington deserves special thanks for typing numerous drafts of the manuscript and providing editorial suggestions as the manuscript took form. Wayne Franklin never lost faith in this book and offered guidance and encouragement. These good people, and many more that I have not mentioned, deserve my sincere thanks. ...

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