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The themeof ourLouisville
convention was“Relationships andCommunities inthe Digital Age.”
But I was regu-larly surprised bymembers wonder-ing if we wouldentertain programs having little to say about new technologies.Programming a near record number of presenters does indicatethat we were inclusive.
The larger point is that in an age of new communication tech-nologies we continue to use the old ones. We still converse faceto face, we still speak in public, we still publish and read news-papers, we still partake of radio, television and films; some peo-ple even write letters and use film.
In short, as important and exciting as it is to study systemati-cally the emerging vistas of new communication media and formswe dare not lose sight of the fundamental elements of humancommunication from which they emerged.
Al Gore’s book, “The Assault on Reason,” provides a case in
point. Gore’s first argument is that American democracy wasbuilt on the assumption of an informed people able to engage inrational deliberation.
This informed populace required a free press and the ability toread. Reading is active and it permits the rereading of difficult orconfusing passages.
Television changed us from active consumers of informationby reading to passive consumers — mere spectators of gover-nance. Gore suggests that as we became a nation of spectators webegan to lose our ability to test carefully the arguments andproofs we were offered. How can we address this problem?
Gore’s second theme is that the Internet can fix what ailsAmerican deliberation. He finds hope in blogging and in onlineorganizing sites such as Moveon.org and RightMarch.com, aswell as his own project, Current TV, which allows people toexpress themselves with video streaming and flash animation.The goal, as Gore sees it, is to present “a cornucopia of ideas.”
As I read “Assault on Reason,” I found it fairly compelling, butin the end the pieces failed to fit. If the fundamental problem isour lost ability to test arguments, how will we suddenly learn totest the bloggers’ and online organizers’ arguments? And if every-one begins sharing all their views, how will we ever have time to
The primary and perhaps only way ofaccomplishing the duties of theSSCA line offices (Vice-President
Elect, Vice President and President) is toask others for help: to investigate prob-lems, to make decisions, to organize con-vention sessions, to formulate policies, etc.
Whatever success an officer has is attrib-utable almost entirely to asking the rightpeople in the right way to do the rightthing.
We are a voluntary association and peo-ple help only if they want to. We offer nocompensation and very, very few perks.
Our members are actively engaged in amyriad of professional and personal activi-
ties. Preparing lectures, grading papers,planning research projects, attending facul-ty meetings and advising students general-ly take precedence over association work,as do for some the needs of their familiesand communities.
No doubt these demands for our timeconstantly conflict and we balance themthe best we can; hoping that whatever weneglect temporarily can be rectified later.
My first duties as an officer involvedplanning the undergraduate honors confer-ence. More than 40 people helped withthese activities: reading and rating papersduring the Christmas holiday, chairingUHC sessions and advising undergraduatesabout graduate education.
As program planner for the ’06 conven-tion, I asked several dozen people to speakat the conference, lead workshops, review
C NNECTI NS‘ ’S O U T H E R N S T A T E S C O M M U N I C A T I O N A S S O C I A T I O N
VOL. 25, NO. 2FALL 2007
Director’sremarks
Page 2
SCJ Editor-Elect
Page 3
VisitingSavannah
Page 4
CaringConnections
Page 5
RememberingFrank Shirley
Page 7INSIDETHIS ISSUE
Volunteers make association run smoothly
Please see VOLUNTEERS, page 2
CHARLESTARDY
Past PresidentSouthern StatesCommunication
CRAIG ALLENSMITH
PresidentSouthern StatesCommunication
Communication lessons for digital age
Please see DIGITAL, page 5
Looking for a way to spotlight yourundergraduate or graduate programs?How about an ad in the 2008 SSCAConvention Program?
Your ad will provide visibility for yourprogram and support for SSCA. Ads areavailable in fourth-page, half-page andfull-page sizes. Check out the Web site orcontact me for more information. I lookforward to seeing you in Savannah!
Just who do you think you are, youngman?” my mother asked many times.My response was usually an apology
for my effrontery. I’ve always been very good at effrontery.
She’s always been very good at taking medown a couple of notches.
But this sentence can also be used as afair question, and so I ask, “who do youthink you are?”
I think that you, all of you, are theanswer to many problems facing SSCA aswe near our 80th year.
As Executive Director I get to hear froma lot of people who know what is wrongwith SSCA.
In fact, sometimes I can hardly get fromone meeting room to another at the con-vention without being pulled aside and toldwhat is wrong with SSCA. The negativeseems to be the prevailing sentiment. Thefact is that SSCA has problems, but it alsohas some very good aspects as well.
I think its most positive aspect is you.You have a lot of really good ideas abouthow SSCA can be improved.
What would you like the SSCA conven-tion to look like in five years? Are youhappy with the status quo?
Do you want us to be more like NCA? Orwould you like to see SSCA evolve intosomething radically different?
Should we be GREEN? Should we be theconvention that draws the best in cutting-edge research? Is that statement too cliché?
I wish I knew all the answers, but myheavy-handed point is that I think youknow the answers.
You are the people who have the ideasthat will make positive changes in SSCAfor the future.
You need to get involved and work tomake the changes that you want.
President Tardy posted a Call forNominations in this newsletter. Take a fewminutes and think about nominating your-self for a position.
If you miss that opportunity then go to adivision or interest group business meetingat the Savannah convention and get electedas an officer.
As a division officer you can help planyour division’s convention panels and takea role in the leadership of SSCA and takean active role in its future.
Just who do you think you are? A valuedmember of an organization that wants yourleadership, that’s who.
paper submissions for the Bostrom Award,organize the Hurricane Katrina researchpapers, review the late submission papers,lead round-table discussions, etc.
I also worked with 19 chairs of divisionsand interest groups, elected volunteers whopromoted, evaluated and organized theirpapers, panels and activities.
As president and chair of the Committeeon Committees, I secured the consent ofapproximately three dozen individuals toserve on standing and ad hoc committees.
Through the activities of all these volun-teers we were able to offer a unique educa-
tional experience for the undergraduates ofour region; provide a wide range of contin-uing education opportunities for our mem-bers; and, accomplish the essential func-tions of and probe new ways to improveour association.
On behalf of all SSCA members, I thankeveryone who performed association dutiesduring my tenure as an officer. We appreci-ate your efforts.
I wish I could offer something more tan-gible but the only rewards we can offer aresymbolic.
Moreover, I encourage everyone to say“yes” when you get the call or e-mail mes-sage from Craig, Jerry or Trish seekingassistance with the kinds of tasks Idescribed above. They can’t do their jobswithout you.
2
FALL 2007SSCA CONNECTIONS
VolunteersContinued from page 1
CONNECTIONSVOL. 25, NO. 2
FALL 2007
Connections is the official newsletter of the Southern States CommunicationAssociation (SSCA). It is published two
times a year by the Department of Communication and Journalism
at Auburn University.
J . Emmett W inn, Ph.D.Executive Director
Jenn i fer Wood Adams, Ph.D. Editor and Designer
Southern States Communication AssociationDepartment of Communication and Journalism
217 Tichenor Hall Auburn University
Auburn, AL 36849-5211
Who do you think you are?J. EMMETT
WINNExecutive Director
Southern StatesCommunication
JEAN L.DEHART
Marketing Director
Southern StatesCommunication
Buy convention ad, spotlight program
3
FALL 2007 SSCACONNECTIONS
Life as Southern CommunicationJournal editor continues to be busy,as manuscripts arrive from newly
received, to revised and resubmitted tofinally edited for publication.
It is hard to believe, but late this fall willbe time to start sending new manuscripts tothe Editor-Elect Mary Stuckey of GeorgiaState University. My work will continuethrough the next year, however, finalizingreviews and revisions of essays to go inVolume 73 of the journal.
Very shortly a special issue will be pub-lished on Communication and Commit-
ment in Close Personal Relationships,Guest Edited by Lynne Webb.
During the next year, the highly-submit-
ted-to (28 manuscripts!) special issue onCommunication Issues Related toHurricane Crises will be published with the“cream of that crop,” guest edited by JohnPatton and Rob Ulmer.
It has been a humbling experience to beable to read, evaluate, and I hope help toeventual fruition such a wide variety offascinating research taking place in ourfield.
I greatly appreciate the efforts of every-one who contributes to the excellence ofSCJ by being submitters, reviewers oreventual readers of manuscripts.
Southern Communication Journal editor busy, humbleJOHNMEYER
EditorSouthern
CommunicationJournal
At the SSCA business meeting inLouisville, Ky., the membershipelected Mary E. Stuckey Editor-
Elect of the Southern CommunicationJournal on recommendation by a commit-tee appointed by President Charles Tardy.
Stuckey is a professor of Communica-tion and Political Science at Georgia StateUniversity.
She received her doctoral degree fromNotre Dame in 1987. She went to GeorgiaState in 2000, after working at theUniversity of Mississippi for 13 years.
She has authored, edited and co-editedeight books, and has published scholarlyarticles in a variety of Communication andPolitical Science journals.
She is the co-winner of the 2007 toppaper award for the SSCA’s Public Addressdivision. One of her recent books,“Defining Americans: the Presidency andNational Identity,” was the winner of theinaugural Couch Center’s Bruce Gronbeckaward for Political Communication schol-arship.
She has an active service record inPolitical Science, Communication, herdepartment, college and university.
She served as Book Review Editor forRhetoric and Public Affairs for manyyears, and is now on its editorial board.
She also sits on the editorial boards forjournals such as The Quarterly Journal ofSpeech and Presidential Studies Quarterly.She has chaired the SSCA Public Address
section, and is Vice-Chair Elect of thePolitical Communication section at NCA.
She is a member of NCA’s DiamondAnniversary Award Committee.
Stuckey’s research covers the Americanpresidency, the American mass media andminority politics, with a special emphasison American Indian politics.
While her work is generally qualitative,she was trained as a social scientist.Stuckey intends to welcome the researchfrom all aspects of the discipline in SCJ, asone of the best things about that journal isits tradition of inclusion.
She teaches courses ranging fromPolitical Communication and Media andAmerican Politics to Identities and TheRhetoric of Hatred.
She regularly teaches CommunicationPedagogy, a required course for all depart-mental teaching assistants and Ph.D. stu-dents.
She is the winner of numerous teachingawards, including the SSCA’s 2006 JohnSisco Teaching Award.
She lives in Atlanta, cheers for theFighting Irish, and can be reached [email protected].
SSCA selects Stuckey as SCJ editor-elect
DR. MARY STUCKEY
The new SSCA Web site is a greatresource for our members. It always hasthe most up-to-date information about ourconvention, elections and business.
Please take a moment to familiarizeyourself with our Web site at
http://www.ssca.net and check it often forinformation.
Some of its many features include:• Updated information about our con-
vention including the convention programand pre-registration
• Bios and platforms for the candidatesin our election
• Latest association news• Most recent calls and announcements• SSCA Committee assignments and
more.
Check out SSCA Web site for updated association information
P lease join usin Savannahnext spring. It
is a wonderful citywith excellent res-taurants, a vibrantriverfront area, andlong, colorful, his-torical and artistictraditions.
There is a lot to see and do both with the conference and in thecity. The conference theme is “Communicating to Change theHuman Condition” and the conference promises to be profession-ally engaging.
Let me highlight a few of the conference programs.THE PLENARY SESSION
The featured plenary speaker for the 2008 conference will beProfessor Katherine I. Miller of Texas A&M University. Her pres-entation is entitled “Communication and Care: Tensions inPersonal and Professional Life.”
Factors such as advances in biomedical sciences and demo-graphic trends have increased the importance of communicatingcare in a variety of contexts across the lifespan.
The process of “compassionate communication” can presentrelational challenges for those providing and receiving care.
Further, as the borders between public and private life becomeincreasingly blurred, these challenges are faced by a wide array ofindividuals. In this address, Miller considers the dilemmas andtensions facing human service professionals and family membersas they care for others. VICE PRESIDENT’S SPOTLIGHT SERIES
The Vice President’s Spotlight Series programs will take threeforms. First, some Spotlight programs will focus on the confer-ence theme “Communicating to Change the Human Condition.”
For example, one Spotlight program will focus on scholarshiprelated to hate speech and will feature research by Michael Waltman,of the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, and others.
Another spotlight panel will have an instructional focus and dis-cuss important issues related to service learning with the hope thatmore of our members and their students might alter the humancondition in their communities by including a service learningcomponent in their classes. It will include presentations byRichard Conville of the University of Southern Mississippi andothers.
Second, some spotlight programs will focus on work completedby some of our Past Presidents. The programs will be entitled“Continuing the Conversation.” One of the planned programs enti-tled “Continuing the Conversation on Metaphor and RhetoricalDepiction” includes Michael Osborn discussing his groundbreak-ing work and will include presentations by Celeste M. Condit andMartha Watson.
Third, some spotlight programs will focus on newcomers tothe Southern region. The programs will include three scholarsthat have either recently moved to the South, or who haveaccepted their first faculty position at a Southern institution. Theidea is to introduce our membership to these new scholars andtheir work.
I hope you will join us in Savannah. The programs will certainly contribute to your professional
development and intellectual stimulation.
4
FALL 2007SSCA CONNECTIONS
Forsyth Park in Savannah, Ga.
Looking forward to springconference in Savannah, Ga.
JERRYHALE
Vice PresidentSouthern StatesCommunication
BY PAM BOURLAND-DAVISLocal Arrangements Committee Chair
For me, Savannah’s resistance tochange was its saving grace. The citylooked inward, sealed off from the
noises and distractions of the world at large.It grew inward, too, and in such a way thatits people flourished like hothouse plantstended by an indulgent gardener.
The ordinary became extraordinary.Eccentrics thrived. Every nuance and quirkof personality achieved greater brilliance inthat lush enclosure than would have beenpossible anywhere else in the world.
This is the Savannah described by John
Berendt in “Midnight in the Garden of Goodand Evil” in 1994, a Savannah established in1733 by General James E. Oglethorpe, as aplanned city. It is one of the few places thathas maintained the integrity of its originalplan throughout its 275-year history.
To experience the history and eccentricitiesof Georgia’s first city while also recognizingits acquiescence to the present and future,plan to arrive at the conference early and stayas long as possible to have time to balanceSSCA programming with some sightseeing.
In Savannah, long recognized for its hospi-tality, the visit will be an easy one. Bring yourtennis shoes to explore the historical districtstretching out from the hotel.
Architecture from the 1700s and 1800sabounds, including well-preserved Geor-gian, Greek Revival and Gothic examples.
Bring a camera to capture everythingfrom ironwork to peeks into private gardensall found around the original town squares— 21 of the 24 remain.
Within the historic district, one can findthe First African Baptist Church offFranklin Square, built by the oldest congre-gation in America dating to 1788. Built in1859 by slaves, it played a role in theUnderground Railroad and was a base forthe Civil Rights movement.
Savannah: Conference host city boasts unique history, eccentricities
Please see SAVANNAH, page 7
5
FALL 2007 SSCACONNECTIONS
Thanks to eve-ryone whoparticipated
in Caring Connec-tions in Louisville.
We had anotheramazing year.
Members usedCaring Connectionsas a way to encour-age graduate stu-dents, recognizecolleagues and thank mentors.
The interpersonal connection made through the use of these sim-ple cards is probably the most valuable part of this fund raiser.
In addition to expressing appreciation for those with whom youshare a professional relationship, Caring Connections strengthensSSCA by providing a consistent source or revenue for our Awards.This year we raised enough money to fully fund the Shirley Award.
In the four years we have held Caring Connections it has gener-ated enough revenue to fund four awards at the $5,000 level. This isa great accomplishment that would not have been possible withoutthe members’ support. Our next goal is to fund the Sisco Award atthe $5,000 level.
If you are interested in making a donation or helping to raisemoney to honor John Sisco, please contact me at [email protected].
Although we make every effort to see that convention attendeesget their Caring Connections, sometimes we simply do not findeveryone.
As you may know, preordered Caring Connections can be pickedup with convention name tags.
This only becomes problematic if the honoree does not attend theconvention.
If you purchase Caring Connections at the convention, pleasedeliver them to your honoree to ensure that person gets his or herrecognition at the convention.
Out of the 250+ Caring Connections sold this year, here is a listof people honored with Caring Connections who we were not ableto reach at this year’s convention.
Honoree Honored by
Danielle Willliams Emmett WinnRyan Loyd Trudy HansonM. Lane Brune Craig SmithEdward Pappas Craig SmithConnie Mckee Trudy HansonKathy B. Smith Craig SmithDavid Dewberry Lynne WebbMichaela Meyer Katherine Hendrix
Thanks to everyone who supported Caring Connections this year!
Everyone planning to attendSSCA’s 78th Annual Conven-tion, April 2 to 6, 2008, at theHyatt Regency Savannah, Ga.,is strongly encouraged to makehotel reservations early.
The Hyatt Regency offersgreat facilities and great prices.Space at the hotel will fillquickly at our low rate.
SSCA room reservations aredependent on space availabilityand are only guaranteed untilFeb. 25, 2008.
You can find all the reserva-tion information at: http://www.ssca.net /convent ion-info/index.php.
Make your hotelreservations earlyconsume, critique and respond to them all
— even thoughtlessly? If we do not dothat now, how will it get better with a larg-er cornucopia?
It seems to me that the answers to thesequestions are to be found in our class-rooms. New communication technologiesoffer great promise, but a great many suchpromises have gone unfulfilled or, worse,backfired on us.
It is people who ultimately use themedia of communication, and it is we whoteach people how to use them well.Perhaps we should begin by working onsome of these pedagogical challenges inour classes:
1. Exposure to attitude discrepanttexts.
Television remotes, magazine subscrip-tions and Web bookmarks all invite ourstudents to lead increasingly insular lives.
Any assignment that asks them to ven-ture into someone else’s world for the pur-pose of understanding life in the other per-son’s shoes without passing judgmenthelps to provide a more accurate picture ofthe world.
2. Everyone is now a researcher.Instead of treating research as some-
thing advanced students do only forpapers, treat it as that which we all do toavoid foolish mistakes.
Web information is not censored, butneither is it validated or refereed. Anyexercise that asks students to verify dataand to carefully test claims has the poten-tial to sharpen their reasoning.
3. Combine argumentation anddramatism.
My late friend Bernie Brock used to saythat Kenneth Burke’s writings couldexplain anything. However, to the extentthat we have concentrated on identifica-tion and polarization rather than argumen-tative proofs we have contributed to theunderstanding of governance as a socialdrama of Us versus Them.
Any exercise that asks students toimprove the argument of someone theyadmire provides a corrective path.
It is impossible to say what new com-munication technologies today’s studentswill use when they plan academic confer-ences.
But I am confident that they will alwaysneed to engage people and ideas differentfrom themselves, verify data and testclaims and discern when their allies haveweak arguments and their adversariessound ones.
Fortunately, these are the lessons we arebest prepared to teach.
DigitalContinued from page 1
FRANCESBRANDAU-
RDC ChairSouthern StatesCommunication
BROWN
Caring Connections strengthens relationships, association
Professors are requested to encouragetheir students to submit papers to theTheodore Clevenger Undergraduate
Honors Conference (UHC). This is an important part of the SSCA
convention. It provides students with a “firstexposure” to the how we showcase researchin the Communication discipline and pro-vides a means for students to showcase theirown work.
Not only is the UHC a forum for studentresearch and opportunity to receive scholar-ly feedback, it offers students the opportuni-ty to meet scholars in their areas in interest.
It also allows them to pursue informationabout what the various graduate programs inthe Southern region may offer to them as ameans of achieving their professional goals.
Any students currently enrolled as under-graduates are eligible to submit papers.
Both single and multiple-authored papersare welcome. The author(s) of the top-ranked paper will receive a $100 cash awardand a plaque.
All participants in the UHC will be recog-nized at an Undergraduate Honors Confer-
ence Awards Breakfast. Each paper will be reviewed by two
scholars and presenters will receive feed-back on their work at the convention.
Please see the detailed call for papers inthis newsletter and online at http://www.ssca.net.
While attending the convention, I hopethat you will attend several sessions of theUHC to see what these young scholars areinterested in and to provide them with yourinput for furthering their work. If you areinterested in serving as a paper reviewer andpanel discussant, please contact me.
6
FALL 2007SSCA CONNECTIONS
CALL FOR PAPERSTheodore Clevenger Undergraduate
Honors Conference in Communication
Deadline for Submission: Dec. 15, 2007Undergraduate students are encouraged to
submit papers to the Theodore ClevengerUndergraduate Honors Conference (UHC) tobe held in conjunction with the annual conven-tion of the Southern States CommunicationAssociation, April 2-6, 2008, at the HyattRegency Hotel in Savannah, Ga.
Papers may address a diversity of theories,topics, and methodologies of study in commu-nication. It is not necessary, but papers mayfocus on the convention theme, “Communicat-ing to Change the Human Condition.”
Any students currently enrolled as under-graduates are eligible to submit papers. Bothsingle and multiple-authored papers are wel-come. In the case of multiple-authored papers,one student must be designated as the lead/sub-mitting author who will present the paper.Students only may present ONE PAPER.Papers are to be submitted by STUDENTSONLY. Students’ professors are NOT to submitpapers.
The author(s) of the top-ranked paper willreceive a $100 cash award and a plaque. Allparticipants in the UHC will be recognized at anUndergraduate Honors Conference AwardsBreakfast.
Submissions are not to exceed 25 pages inlength, are to be double-spaced with one-inchminimum margins in 12-point font. Page lengthincludes all references, tables, figures andappendices. Papers are to be void of sexist lan-guage and include a 100-150 word abstract.With the exception of the title page, the namesand institutional affiliation are not to appear atany location in the paper.
All UHC authors are expected to attend theconvention. Submission implies the authors’intentions to be in attendance if the paper isaccepted for presentation. All UHC participantsare expected to support SSCA by paying the$50 UHC fee and registering for the convention(the fee includes the convention registration fee,a ticket for attending the UHC AwardsBreakfast, and one issue of the SouthernCommunication Journal and access to theSSCA newsletter, Connections).
Papers are to be submitted electronically asword or pdf attachments [email protected]. The subject line of the e-mail is to contain the phrase: “UHC PaperSubmission.” The e-mail message must haveattached: (a) a submission letter requestingreview of a paper submitted to the UHC includ-ing the title of the paper, author(s)’ names, insti-tutional affiliations, mailing addresses, tele-phone numbers, and e-mail addresses and astatement explaining any audio-visual equip-ment requested for presentation (NOTE: AVequipment is extremely expensive and may notbe available. Please request that AV equipmentbe provided only if absolutely necessary). In theevent the paper addresses the conference theme,please note this in the submission letter. SSCAreserves the right to disqualify any paper.
SSCA DIVISIONS• Applied Communication• Communication Theory• Community College• Freedom of Speech• Gender Studies• Instructional Development• Intercultural Communication• Interpersonal Communication
• Language and SocialInteraction• Mass Communication• Performance Studies• Political Communication• Popular Communication• Public Relations• Rhetoric and PublicAddress• Southern Forensics
INTEREST GROUPS
• Association forCommunicationAdministrators (ACA)• American Society for theHistory of Rhetoric• Ethnography• Kenneth Burke Society
The SSCA Nominating Committee seeksself- or other nominations for three impor-tant offices: (a) Vice-President Elect, (b)SSCA’s Representative to the NCALegislative Assembly, and (c) SSCA’sRepresentative to the NCA NominatingCommittee.
The Vice-President Elect plans theUndergraduate Honors Conference in 2009,plans the 2010 annual convention as VicePresident and then serves as President.
Candidates for the NCA LegislativeAssembly should be committed to attend-ing the NCA and SSCA conventions during
the three-year term of this position, and thisyear’s candidates must represent communi-ty/two-year colleges.
Our representative to the NCANominating Committee participates in theselection of the candidates for NCA 2ndVice President and other offices, and mustcommit to attending the NCA convention in2008 as well as the 2008 and 2009 SSCAconventions.
Send nominations to Charles H. Tardy(SSCA Immediate Past President andNominating Committee Chair) by Oct. 1 [email protected].
SSCA seeks officer nominations
PATRICIAAMASON
ElectSouthern StatesCommunication
Vice-President
Students encouraged to submit papersto undergraduate honors conference
7
FALL 2007 SSCACONNECTIONS
BY ROBERT E. FRANK
Last April at the annual SSCA conven-tion, I chaired a panel of theUndergraduate Honors Conference
that included one of the two recipients of theFranklin Shirley awardfor an outstanding pa-per.
During our conversa-tion I was not surprisedto discover that this tal-ented young man hadno idea who FranklinShirley was. As newgenerations of scholarsjoin our association,SSCA must pass alongthe knowledge of who made us what we aretoday.
In this essay I will attempt to re-introduceFranklin R. Shirley, a man who played a vitalrole in the developing of communication ona local, state, regional and national level.
A graduate of Georgetown College in hisnative Kentucky, Shirley is best rememberedas a North Carolinian politician and a WakeForest University professor.
After teaching high school in Kentuckyand Tennessee, Shirley taught for two yearsat Carson Newman College in Tennesseewhile completing a master’s degree inSpeech from Columbia University.
After completing his M.A. in 1948,Shirley accepted a position at Wake Forest asits director of debate and theatre programs.
At that time speech and theatre were not sep-arate majors, but were a part of English.
In 1959, he earned his Ph.D. from theUniversity of Florida. His dissertation onNorth Carolina reconstruction governorZebulon Vance was later published.
His career at Wake Forest lasted until1983, a period of 34 years. During this time,Shirley began a speech and theater major;developed and chaired a new department tohouse speech and theatre; added a radio pro-gram and station to the department; directeda nationally competitive debate team; startedtwo debate tournaments that continue to thisday; began what is one of the longest run-ning high school debate workshops in thenation; led the development of a master’sprogram that has produced many membersof our discipline; and perhaps most impor-tantly, won the love of thousands of students.I was one of those students.
While Shirley was active in the NationalSpeech Association (now the NationalCommunication Association), his profes-sional home was in the SouthernCommunication Association (now SouthernStates Communication Association).
In 1966-1967, Shirley served as the asso-ciation’s president.
He was a regular attendee at the conven-tions. As a master’s student at Wake Forest,I attended my first Southern convention withShirley and then debate coach, MerwynHayes, in New Orleans. Through their lead-ership I learned that attending a conferencewas a combination of scholarship, associa-
tion business, meeting old friends and mak-ing new, as well as enjoying some of thelocal cuisine.
In addition to his contributions to WakeForest and to his discipline, Shirley was alsoan active Democratic politician in Winston-Salem, N.C. He served on the school board,was twice elected to the city’s Council ofAldermen, and in 1970 was elected themayor of Winston-Salem, a position that heheld for two terms.
Before intercultural communication was amain area of communication, Shirley waspracticing the principles that we now teachin our classrooms. As the chair of WakeForest’s Urban Affairs Council in Winston-Salem, he worked tirelessly to improve racerelations in the community. And during hisentire political life Frank Shirley continuedto teach his full load at Wake Forest.
Shirley has been remembered by many.His name has been added to Wake Forest’snational debate tournament, the Franklin R.Shirley Dixie Classic and to the top studentpapers in SSCA’s Undergraduate Honor’sConference.
To those who knew him, he was a charac-ter! He gave quite a first impression with hislock of white hair dangling over his fore-head, a pipe usually dangling out of hismoutha nd always ready to tease when anychance arose. But he was always there tohelp and support when needed. For thosewho want to know more about “Fess”Shirley, the Wake Forest University DebateWeb page offers some interesting material.
Franklin Shirley: Remembered for his contributions
SHIRLEY
The third oldest Jewish congregation inAmerica has its home in the Temple MickveIsrael.
Also located in the historic district is theoldest museum in the South, the TelfairMuseum of Arts and Sciences; adjacent to itis a recent contemporary-style addition.Savannah City Market and SavannahCollege of Art and Design (SCAD) alsoshowcase a variety of contemporary art andfilm exhibits. River Street will host its “FirstSaturday” event during the conference whichwill provide an easy walk from the hotel fora variety of local foods and fares.
Film buffs may want to visit some of thelocal sites used in films over the past twodecades such as “The Legend of BaggerVance,” “The Gingerbread Man,” “Midnight
in the Garden of Good and Evil,”“Something to Talk About,” “Now andThen,” “Forest Gump” and “Glory.”
For visitors returning to Savannah, this tripmight be the one to take in a little shopping ata wide variety of contemporary stores, bou-tiques, and antique and art shops. Many ofthese are within a fairly easy walking dis-tance from River Street to Broughton Street.River Street itself is lined with former cottonstorage buildings and factor offices where thecotton trade flourished for many decades.
Consider renting a car for a beach trip (itwill likely be windy and cool there, but wortha picnic), Fort Pulaski or the light house, allwithin about 20 miles of the hotel. Savannahalso lays claim to the first golf club inAmerica, and a variety of courses are withinan easy driving distance between Savannahand Hilton Head.
Whether staying close to the hotel or ven-turing off, local restaurants offer menus rang-
ing from traditional homestyle cooking, tearooms and seafood to more contemporarytapas and sushi bars. Many will ask aboutLady & Sons which is within walking dis-tance, and will require two trips — one tomake reservations (beginning at 9:30 a.m. forlunch, and 3:30 p.m. for dinner) and one toreturn for a meal, with no time guarantee.Clary’s from “Midnight in the Garden ofGood and Evil” also is worth a trip.
With everything so easily available and soreadily inviting, however, don’t forget aboutthe conference with traditional programmingas well as receptions on River Street. JerryHale has organized a conference that maywell parallel Berendt’s summary of Savan-nah. Eccentricities aside, 75-plus years ofSSCA along with the lure of Savannah prom-ise an extraordinary conference in “the hostcity.”
Check out www.savannahvisit.com formore information.
SavannahContinued from page 4
FALL 2007SSCA CONNECTIONS
C NNECTI NS‘ ’Dr. J. Emmett Winn, Executive DirectorSouthern States Communication AssociationDepartment of Communication and Journalism217 Tichenor HallAuburn UniversityAuburn, AL 36849-5211
Non-ProfitOrganizationU.S. Postage
PaidAuburn, AL
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