The Autobiographies of Katharine Dupre Lumpkin, Lillian Smith, and Pauli Murray
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W&M ScholarWorks Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects Theses, Dissertations, & Master Projects 1997 Sites of Southern memory: The autobiographies of Katharine Dupre Lumpkin, Lillian Smith, and Pauli Murray Darlene O'Dell College of William & Mary - Arts & Sciences Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.wm.edu/etd Part of the American Literature Commons, and the History Commons Recommended Citation O'Dell, Darlene, "Sites of Southern memory: The autobiographies of Katharine Dupre Lumpkin, Lillian Smith, and Pauli Murray" (1997). Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects. Paper 1539623904. https://dx.doi.org/doi:10.21220/s2-9akc-vs73 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Theses, Dissertations, & Master Projects at W&M ScholarWorks. It has been accepted for inclusion in Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects by an authorized administrator of W&M ScholarWorks. For more information, please contact [email protected]. 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SITES OF SOUTHERN MEMORY: THE AUTOBIOGRAPHIES OF KATHARINE DUPRE LUMPKIN, LILLIAN SMITH, AND PAULI MURRAY A Dissertation Presented to The Faculty of the American Studies Program The College of William and Mary in Virginia In Partial Fulfillment Of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy by Margaret Darlene O'Dell 1997 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. UMI Number: 9805163 UMI Microform 9805163 Copyright 1997, by UMI Company. All rights reserved. This microform edition is protected against unauthorized copying under Title 17, United States Code. UMI 300 North Zeeb Road Ann Arbor, MI 48103 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. APPROVAL SHEET This dissertation is submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy Approved, January 1997 — V'T + Susan V. Donaldson C g j (jpCUK^r Cam Walker Colleen Kennedy Jacmifelyn/tyn/Dov0k'Hall The'universitiy of North Carolina-Chapel Hill Robert A. Gross 11 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. In Memory of the Children Who Lost Their Lives in The John D. Long Lake: Michael, Alex, Courtney, Meleana, Kinsleigh, and Cody Dedicated to E.B. and Jake and the Other Children of South Carolina Who Offer Joy, Hope, Love, and Constant Renewal iii Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. TABLE OF CONTENTS Page ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ..................................... V PREFACE ......................................... vii ABSTRACT ............................................... XV CHAPTER I. IN MEMORY O F ........................ 2 CHAPTER II. "HIS FLOWER-STREWN G R A V E " ........ 79 CHAPTER III. "FORGOTTEN GRAVES OF MEMORY" . 142 CHAPTER IV. THE GRAVEYARD ...................... 184 CHAPTER V. TO MEET HER M A K E R ................... 234 BIBLIOGRAPHY .................................... 259 iv Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS Without the support and guidance of many people, I would have been unable to complete this project. In her capacity as my advisor, Professor Susan V. Donaldson read many drafts of this work and commented in precise, helpful, understanding, motivational, and encouraging ways. Her critiques, while always discerning, were framed in the language of a diplomat and often delivered over a hearty, jovial lunch. Professors Colleen Kennedy and Cam Walker examined the drafts in December, with many exams to evaluate and grades to post, and in spite of the season, asked provocative questions and offered invaluable suggestions. Professor Bob Gross kindly came to the project later that winter and extended his expertise, asking me useful questions about each of the three writers. I was fortunate to have taken courses from all of these individuals during my studies at William and Mary and thank them for being dedicated teachers as well as astute readers and scholars. Professor Jacquelyn Hall from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill served as the outside reader of my dissertation. Besides her insightful comments on my work, her own works have done much to influence me both academically and personally. At important moments, grants from the Commonwealth Center for the Study of American Culture and from the Grants and Research Office at the College of William and Mary have helped me to complete archival research in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and in Athens, Georgia. I appreciate the help of the librarians of the Wilson Library at the University of North Carolina, the Schlesinger Library at Radcliffe, the Hargrett Library at the University of Georgia, the University of Florida Library, the South Caroliniana Library, and the South Carolina Historical Society, with a special thanks to Anne Womack, Mary Ellen Brooks, Carmen Russell, John White, Alan Stokes, and Pat Hash. Also, I am much indebted to Annie Laurie Peeler and Estelle Smith from the estate of Lillian Smith. Ms. Peeler graciously allowed me to see a side in the life of Lillian Smith I could not have otherwise known. In the early days of my work, Sarah Bird Wright, Beverly Peterson, Valerie Gill, and Phyllis Hunter offered many promising insights to my project and also provided a much needed group of support and camaraderie. In his role as mentor and friend, Dr. John Idol followed the golden rule while often deserving the purple heart. He and Margie Idol housed me during my trips to Chapel Hill, restoring my sanity after long archival hours with evening laughter over such topics as Union-speak and tales from Deep Gap. And I owe a special word of gratitude to Priscilla Dooley, who has patiently helped me through the “mind” v Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. fields of academic life, and who has always said "Yes" to my goals when I could only see "No." My friends have offered encouragement, laughter, and, at crucial times, financial support. I thank them for their Saturday morning calls, for their spring break visits, for their expertise in dream interpretation, goat behavior, and French wines. I also want to thank Nancy and Scott Keim and Billy Winslow— all of whom I love dearly— and especially Kim Winslow, who listened to my woeful tales of academic isolation and read drafts of my work even after her own job had run her ragged. I am grateful to both of my sisters for showing me what it means to be an artist and for encouraging me, through word and deed, to be strong, capable, vocal, and tenacious. My parents, who have seen me through school longer than they could have possibly imagined, deserve a round of applause. Their lives have often been complex and difficult ones, but they have taught me much about the human condition and the human spirit, as have the lives of their own parents and siblings. And many thanks to all of my teachers, family and friends. Of course, any mistakes are entirely my own. vi Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. PREFACE On October 25, 1994, in Union, South Carolina, Susan Smith drowned her two young sons in the John D. Long Lake. The ensuing media attention, the early search for a black man Smith accused of kidnapping the children, Smith's eventual confession, and the recovery of the children's bodies shocked the small textile community. In the investigations leading to Smith's trial, the town continued to endure the tragedy, despair, fear, and guilt associated with years of family and community secrets concerning incest, domestic violence, suicide, racism, mental illness,