James Wayne Flynt (born October 4, 1940) is University
Professor Emeritus
''Emeritus'' (; female: ''emerita'') is an adjective used to designate a retired chair, professor, pastor, bishop, pope, director, president, prime minister, rabbi, emperor, or other person who has been "permitted to retain as an honorary title ...
in the Department of History at
Auburn University. He has won numerous teaching awards and been a
Distinguished University Professor for many years. His research focuses on Southern culture, Alabama politics, Southern religion, education reform, and poverty. He was the first Editor-in-Chief of the online ''
Encyclopedia of Alabama
The ''Encyclopedia of Alabama'' is an online encyclopedia of the state of Alabama's history, culture, geography, and natural environment. It is a statewide collaboration that involves more than forty institutions from across Alabama that share the ...
''. Flynt received his
Bachelor of Arts
Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four year ...
degree from Howard College (shortly before its reorganization as
Samford University) in 1961 before taking his
Master of Science
A Master of Science ( la, Magisterii Scientiae; abbreviated MS, M.S., MSc, M.Sc., SM, S.M., ScM or Sc.M.) is a master's degree in the field of science awarded by universities in many countries or a person holding such a degree. In contrast t ...
(1962) and
Ph.D.
A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, Ph.D., or DPhil; Latin: or ') is the most common degree at the highest academic level awarded following a course of study. PhDs are awarded for programs across the whole breadth of academic fields. Because it is ...
(1965) from
Florida State University. After teaching at Samford for 12 years, he joined the faculty at
Auburn University in 1977, where he remained until his retirement in 2005. He was a friend of author
Harper Lee.
Biography
Growing up, Flynt moved around the South frequently with his parents because his father held a series of sales jobs. The family landed a couple of occasions in
Anniston, Alabama
Anniston is the county seat of Calhoun County in Alabama and is one of two urban centers/principal cities of and included in the Anniston-Oxford Metropolitan Statistical Area. As of the 2010 census, the population of the city was 23,106. Acc ...
, where Flynt graduated from high school in 1958.
Flynt has written 13 books that focus largely on the historical, economic and social fabric of Alabama, including ''Poor But Proud: Alabama's Poor Whites'' (1990), and he co-wrote ''Alabama: A History of a Deep South State'', both of which were nominated for
Pulitzer Prizes
The Pulitzer Prize () is an award for achievements in newspaper, magazine, online journalism, literature, and musical composition within the United States. It was established in 1917 by provisions in the will of Joseph Pulitzer, who had made ...
. He is editor-in-chief of the online ''Encyclopedia of Alabama'', a partnership of Auburn University and the
Alabama Humanities Foundation. In 1993 he was the subject of an
Alabama Public Television
Alabama Public Television (APT) is a state network of PBS member television stations serving the U.S. state of Alabama. It is operated by the Alabama Educational Television Commission (AETC), an agency of the Alabama state government which ho ...
documentary.
In 2002, the
University of Alabama
The University of Alabama (informally known as Alabama, UA, or Bama) is a public research university in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. Established in 1820 and opened to students in 1831, the University of Alabama is the oldest and largest of the publi ...
journalism department named Flynt as the winner of the Clarence Cason Writing Award, given to an author writing about or closely identified with the state of Alabama. He was a longtime friend of
Harper Lee, the author of ''
To Kill a Mockingbird
''To Kill a Mockingbird'' is a novel by the American author Harper Lee. It was published in 1960 and was instantly successful. In the United States, it is widely read in high schools and middle schools. ''To Kill a Mockingbird'' has become ...
;'' and gave the eulogy at her funeral.
Flynt wrote a book about his friendship with Lee after her death in 2016 titled ''Mockingbird Songs: My Friendship with Harper Lee'' (2017). He was inducted into the
Alabama Academy of Honor The Alabama Academy of Honor recognizes one hundred living Alabamians for outstanding accomplishments and services to Alabama and the United States. . By act of the Alabama Legislature, only one hundred living people may be members at any time. Up t ...
in 2006. Wayne Flynt was presented the
Eugene Current-Garcia Award in 2004.
Flynt and his late wife Dorothy have two sons, Sean and David.
Bibliography
''Mockingbird Songs: My Friendship with Harper Lee,''2017, published by HarperCollins.
''Keeping the Faith: Ordinary People, Extraordinary Lives,''2011, published by the
University of Alabama Press
The University of Alabama Press is a university press founded in 1945 and is the scholarly publishing arm of the University of Alabama. An editorial board composed of representatives from all doctoral degree granting public universities within ...
''Alabama: The History of a Deep South State,''2010, published by the
University of Alabama Press
The University of Alabama Press is a university press founded in 1945 and is the scholarly publishing arm of the University of Alabama. An editorial board composed of representatives from all doctoral degree granting public universities within ...
''Alabama in the Twentieth Century,''2006, published by the
University of Alabama Press
The University of Alabama Press is a university press founded in 1945 and is the scholarly publishing arm of the University of Alabama. An editorial board composed of representatives from all doctoral degree granting public universities within ...
''Alabama Baptists,''2005, published by the
University of Alabama Press
The University of Alabama Press is a university press founded in 1945 and is the scholarly publishing arm of the University of Alabama. An editorial board composed of representatives from all doctoral degree granting public universities within ...
* Dixie's Forgotten People: The South's Poor Whites, 2004, published by Indiana University Press
''Poor but Proud,''2001, published by the
University of Alabama Press
The University of Alabama Press is a university press founded in 1945 and is the scholarly publishing arm of the University of Alabama. An editorial board composed of representatives from all doctoral degree granting public universities within ...
''Taking Christianity to China,''1997, published by the
University of Alabama Press
The University of Alabama Press is a university press founded in 1945 and is the scholarly publishing arm of the University of Alabama. An editorial board composed of representatives from all doctoral degree granting public universities within ...
* Mine, Mill, and Microchip: A Chronicle of Alabama Enterprise, 1986, published by Windsor Publications, Inc.
* Southern Poor Whites: An Annotated Bibliography with Dorothy S. Flynt, 1981, published by Garland Publishers
* Montgomery: An Illustrated History, 1980, published by Windsor Publications, Inc.
* Cracker Messiah: Governor Sidney J. Catts of Florida, 1977, published by Louisiana State University Press
* Duncan Upshaw Fletcher: Dixie's Reluctant Progressive, 1971, published by Florida State University Press
References
Further reading
"Wayne Flynt." ''Gale Literature: Contemporary Authors'' (Gale, 2018).
{{DEFAULTSORT:Flynt, Wayne
1940 births
Living people
21st-century American historians
21st-century American male writers
American male non-fiction writers
Auburn University faculty
Florida State University alumni
Samford University people
People from Anniston, Alabama
People from Pontotoc, Mississippi
Historians from Alabama
Historians from Mississippi