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“C” is for Cash, Wilbur Joseph (1900-1941)

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“C” is for Cash, Wilbur Joseph (1900-1941). Author. A native of Gaffney, Cash studied at Wofford, and then enrolled at Wake Forest University where he wrote for student publications. After graduation, he tried a number of ventures including law school, teaching, and journalism. In 1929 his essay “The Mind of the South” appeared in the American Mercury magazine. A New York publisher contracted with Cash to write a history of the American South. Cash’s masterpiece and only work, The Mind of the South appeared in February 1941 to wide critical acclaim. An instant classic, the book has not been out of print since its initial publication, the work sought to dispel myths of the “Old South” by tracing the pervasive influence of racism on southern history and culture. Wilbur Joseph Cash died six months later.

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Dr. Walter Edgar has two programs on South Carolina Public Radio: Walter Edgar's Journal, and South Carolina from A to Z. Dr. Edgar received his B.A. degree from Davidson College in 1965 and his Ph.D. from the University of South Carolina in 1969. After two years in the army (including a tour of duty in Vietnam), he returned to USC as a post-doctoral fellow of the National Archives, assigned to the Papers of Henry Laurens.