June 4, 2007

CONTACT: Robert S. Davis, History Department, Wallace State Community
College, 256/352-8265, robert.davis@wallacestate.edu



WALLACE PROFESSOR PUBLISHES IN NATIONAL JOURNAL



Robert S. Davis of the History Department at Wallace State Community
College-Hanceville recently published an article in one of the most
prestigious journals in the United States, the "Journal of African
American History," better known by its former title of the "Journal of
Negro History." His contribution consisted of an article on the ironies
of how slaves in the Civil War South helped their would-be liberators
(federal soldiers) seeking to escape from their own captivity by the
Confederates. Inspiration for this article came from a Winslow Homer
painting, "Near Andersonville," depicting a slave woman watching the
return of an escaped Union prisoner. The journal used the picture for
its cover. Material for the text grew out of research for Davis' recent
book, "Ghosts and Shadows of Andersonville: Essays on the Secret
Histories of America's Deadliest Prison."



Professor Davis has more than 1,000 publications in his bibliography,
including contributions to "Prologue: the Quarterly of the National
Archives," "Journal of Military History," "Documentary Editing," and the
"Harvard Business History Review," as well as several state journals. He
has worked at Wallace State for 17 years and, in addition to teaching
history and geography classes, serves as director of the Family &
Regional History Program, a unique institution at Wallace State
Community College for helping the public explore genealogy through
books, microfilms, websites, field trips and classes. For more
information on this program call (256) 352-8263. Davis holds graduate
degrees from North Georgia State College and University, which recently
published an article on him in its alumni magazine; and the University
of Alabama at Birmingham; and has done graduate course work at the
University of Alabama at Huntsville. Bob Davis resides in Blountsville
and is married to the former Nancy Murphree.



Robert S. Davis, author and history professor at Wallace State Community
College in Hanceville, at the Andersonville National Historic Site.

  Kristen Holmes
  Director, Communications and Marketing
  Wallace State Community College
  P.O. Box 2000
  Hanceville, AL 35077
  256/352-8118
  E-mail: Kristen.Holmes@WallaceState.edu