At the annual conference each year, the Association presents the Michael V. R. Thomason best book award on the history of the Gulf South. The award carries a $500 cash prize and a plaque, which is presented to the winner at the banquet during the annual conference.
To be competitive, submissions should highlight some aspect of the history and/or cultures of the states of the Gulf South and/or the Caribbean Basin. To be considered, books must be published during the calendar year June-June
To submit a book, three copies must be forwarded to the Center for Southeast Louisiana Studies, Box 10730, Southeastern Louisiana University, Hammond, Louisiana 70402 and addressed to the attention of Dr. Samuel Hyde. Books must be received no later than July 1st of the award year.
Each year, the Gulf South Historical Association presents the William S. Coker Award for the best paper presented at the annual conference by a graduate student. This award, which carries a $250 cash prize and a plaque, is presented at the banquet during the annual conference.
In 2022, the Board of Directors approved reviving the organization's journal Gulf South Historical Review. More information concerning the publication will be forthcoming.
To be competitive, submissions should highlight some aspect of the history and/or cultures of the states of the Gulf South and/or the Caribbean Basin. To be considered, books must be published during the calendar year June-June
To submit a book, three copies must be forwarded to the Center for Southeast Louisiana Studies, Box 10730, Southeastern Louisiana University, Hammond, Louisiana 70402 and addressed to the attention of Dr. Samuel Hyde. Books must be received no later than July 1st of the award year.
Each year, the Gulf South Historical Association presents the William S. Coker Award for the best paper presented at the annual conference by a graduate student. This award, which carries a $250 cash prize and a plaque, is presented at the banquet during the annual conference.
In 2022, the Board of Directors approved reviving the organization's journal Gulf South Historical Review. More information concerning the publication will be forthcoming.
Past Award Winners
William S. Coker Award |
Michael V.R. Thomason Book Award |
1997 Charles N. Elliott, Southeastern Louisiana University
1998 Thomas Ward, University of Southern Mississippi 1999 James W. Hunter, II, University of West Florida 2000 Michael Mizell-Nelson, Delgado Community College 2001 Mark Robert Wilson, Auburn University 2002 Carol Ellis, University of South Alabama 2003 Thomas Hulse, Florida State University 2004 Michael Mansfield, University of Alabama 2005 Sarah E. Lipscomb, Louisiana State University David J. Nelson, Florida State University 2006 None Awarded 2007 Scotty Kirkland, University of South Alabama 2008 None Awarded 2009 Scotty Kirkland, University of South Alabama 2010 Karen Cousins, University of North Florida 2011 Owen James Hyman, Southeastern Louisiana University 2012 Rylan Thomas, University of West Florida 2013 Matthew C. Greer, University of Southern Mississippi 2014 Joseph Floyd, Georgia State University 2015 Daniel A. Papsdorf, Duke University 2016 Evan C. Rothera, Pennsylvania State University 2017 Adam Carson, University of Arkansas 2018 Jonathan Ricau, LSU, Rural Life Museum 2019 Kathryn Patterson, Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College 2020 Jacob Gautreaux, Louisiana State University 2021 Sydnee Hammond, University of West Florida 2022 Jane Plummer, Texas Christian University 2023 Lauren Guillory, Southeastern Louisiana University |
2002 Paul Hoffman, Louisiana State University
2003 Michael Fitzgerald, St. Olaf’s College 2004 Alfred E. Lemmon, John T. Magill, & Jason R. Wiese, Historic New Orleans Collection 2005 Richard J. Follett, University of Sussex 2006 Rebecca J. Scott, University of Michigan 2007 J. Mark Souther, Cleveland State University 2008 None Awarded 2009 Judith K. Schafer, Tulane University 2010 Steven Noll & David Tegeder, Santa Fe College 2011 R.A. Lawson, Trinity College 2012 Philippe Girard, McNeese State University 2013 Joshua Rothman, University of Alabama 2014 Nathaniel Millett, St. Louis University 2015 G. Ward Hubbs, Birmingham Southern College 2016 Alejandra Dubcovsky, University of California Riverside 2017 Emily Suzanne Clark, Gonzaga University 2018 Samuel C. Hyde, Jr., Southeastern Louisiana University 2019 Cameron Strang, University of Nevada, Reno 2020 Adam Mandelman, University of Wisconsin Madison 2021 Karen Cox, University of North Carolina Charlotte 2022 Kari Frederickson, University of Alabama 2023 Paul H. Kapp, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign |
Fellows of the Gulf South Historical Association
Randall Broxton, 2008
Randall Broxton is a history professor at Pensacola State College where he has been employed for many years. Professor Broxton is listed in the Directory of American Scholars, Who’s Who in America, and Who’s Who Among America’s Educators. He is a member of Kappa Delta Pi and is active in the Pensacola Historical Society, Florida Historical Society, Gulf Breeze Historical Society, Bagdad Village Preservation Association, White House Historical Society, Southern Historical Association, National Trust for Historic Preservation, Santa Rosa Historical Society, Atlanta Historical Society, and many others. He is a founder of the Gulf South History and Humanities Conference (1968) and has served as president of this organization. Broxton is the founder and has served as sponsor of the Jared Sparks Historical Society of PSC (1994). He is a member of the Academy of Teaching Excellence at Pensacola State College. Among his publications is The History of the Gulf South History and Humanities Conference. He speaks across the southeast and enjoys meeting people.
Randall Broxton is a history professor at Pensacola State College where he has been employed for many years. Professor Broxton is listed in the Directory of American Scholars, Who’s Who in America, and Who’s Who Among America’s Educators. He is a member of Kappa Delta Pi and is active in the Pensacola Historical Society, Florida Historical Society, Gulf Breeze Historical Society, Bagdad Village Preservation Association, White House Historical Society, Southern Historical Association, National Trust for Historic Preservation, Santa Rosa Historical Society, Atlanta Historical Society, and many others. He is a founder of the Gulf South History and Humanities Conference (1968) and has served as president of this organization. Broxton is the founder and has served as sponsor of the Jared Sparks Historical Society of PSC (1994). He is a member of the Academy of Teaching Excellence at Pensacola State College. Among his publications is The History of the Gulf South History and Humanities Conference. He speaks across the southeast and enjoys meeting people.
Michael V.R. Thomason, 2011
Michael Thomason, a native of West Palm Beach, FL was educated at The University of the South (Sewanee) where he received his BA in History in 1964. He subsequently received his MA (1966) and PhD (1968) from Duke University. He came to the University of South Alabama in Mobile in 1970. where he worked in the History Department, rising to Full Professor in 1977. He also founded (1978) and directed the University Archives until his retirement from the university in 2006. The Archives, since renamed the McCall Library, specializes in the history of Mobile and south Alabama. It has a large historic photograph collection as well. Dr. Thomason published several books on local and state history and edited The Gulf South Historical review for all of its 21 issues. He got involved in the Gulf South History and Humanities Conference while editing the GSHR at the end of the 1970’s and has been active in the association ever since. After a long and diverse academic career, he is enjoying retirement at his home in Mobile.
Michael Thomason, a native of West Palm Beach, FL was educated at The University of the South (Sewanee) where he received his BA in History in 1964. He subsequently received his MA (1966) and PhD (1968) from Duke University. He came to the University of South Alabama in Mobile in 1970. where he worked in the History Department, rising to Full Professor in 1977. He also founded (1978) and directed the University Archives until his retirement from the university in 2006. The Archives, since renamed the McCall Library, specializes in the history of Mobile and south Alabama. It has a large historic photograph collection as well. Dr. Thomason published several books on local and state history and edited The Gulf South Historical review for all of its 21 issues. He got involved in the Gulf South History and Humanities Conference while editing the GSHR at the end of the 1970’s and has been active in the association ever since. After a long and diverse academic career, he is enjoying retirement at his home in Mobile.
Samuel C. Hyde, Jr., 2013
Samuel C. Hyde, Jr. is Leon Ford Endowed Chair, Professor of History, and Director of the Center for Southeast Louisiana Studies at Southeastern Louisiana University. He is author or editor of nine books including the award winning "Pistols and Politics: Feuds, Factions and the Struggle for Order in Louisiana's Florida Parishes, 1810-1935" (LSU Press, 2018) and script writer and producer of five docu-drama films including "American Crisis, American Shame: The National Consequences of Coastal Erosion," recipient of a gold medal at the New York International Independent Film Festival and a Special Jury Remi Award at WorldFest Film Festival 2010 among other awards. He contributed to the reorganization of the Gulf South Historical Association in 1998, served three terms as president, and ten years as Executive Director of the GSHA 2003-2012.
Samuel C. Hyde, Jr. is Leon Ford Endowed Chair, Professor of History, and Director of the Center for Southeast Louisiana Studies at Southeastern Louisiana University. He is author or editor of nine books including the award winning "Pistols and Politics: Feuds, Factions and the Struggle for Order in Louisiana's Florida Parishes, 1810-1935" (LSU Press, 2018) and script writer and producer of five docu-drama films including "American Crisis, American Shame: The National Consequences of Coastal Erosion," recipient of a gold medal at the New York International Independent Film Festival and a Special Jury Remi Award at WorldFest Film Festival 2010 among other awards. He contributed to the reorganization of the Gulf South Historical Association in 1998, served three terms as president, and ten years as Executive Director of the GSHA 2003-2012.
Deanne Love Stephens, 2022
Deanne Love Stephens is a Professor of History at the University of Southern Mississippi, where she is the Associate Director for the School of Resilience, College of Arts & Sciences. She also is the Executive Director of the Gulf South Historical Association. She was past director of the Katrina Research Center at USM. She also served as President of the Gulf South Historical Association in 2008, and has been Executive Director since 2012. She is the author of Plague Among the Magnolias: The 1878 Yellow Fever Epidemic in Mississippi (2009, University of Alabama Press) and The Mississippi Gulf Coast Seafood Industry: A People’s Story (2021, University of Mississippi Press), as well as numerous articles in the Journal of Mississippi History, Journal of the Mississippi State Medical Association, The Southern Quarterly: A Journal of Arts & Letters in the South, and Perspectives on Race, Ethnicity, and Power in Maritime America. Stephens has also contributed chapters to books ranging from nursing in disasters to gambling in Mississippi. She has been awarded the Butch Oustalet Award for Service (2012) and the Butch Oustalet Distinguished Professorship Research Award (2021), as well as the Mississippi Humanities Councils’ Scholars Award (2002), the Faculty Senate/University President’s Award for Community Service (2010), and the Senior Faculty Teaching Excellence Award in the College of Arts & Letters (2012). She has served on the Mississippi Historical Society Board of Directors and is currently serving on the Mississippi Humanities Council Board of Directors and the University of Mississippi Press Board of Directors.
Deanne Love Stephens is a Professor of History at the University of Southern Mississippi, where she is the Associate Director for the School of Resilience, College of Arts & Sciences. She also is the Executive Director of the Gulf South Historical Association. She was past director of the Katrina Research Center at USM. She also served as President of the Gulf South Historical Association in 2008, and has been Executive Director since 2012. She is the author of Plague Among the Magnolias: The 1878 Yellow Fever Epidemic in Mississippi (2009, University of Alabama Press) and The Mississippi Gulf Coast Seafood Industry: A People’s Story (2021, University of Mississippi Press), as well as numerous articles in the Journal of Mississippi History, Journal of the Mississippi State Medical Association, The Southern Quarterly: A Journal of Arts & Letters in the South, and Perspectives on Race, Ethnicity, and Power in Maritime America. Stephens has also contributed chapters to books ranging from nursing in disasters to gambling in Mississippi. She has been awarded the Butch Oustalet Award for Service (2012) and the Butch Oustalet Distinguished Professorship Research Award (2021), as well as the Mississippi Humanities Councils’ Scholars Award (2002), the Faculty Senate/University President’s Award for Community Service (2010), and the Senior Faculty Teaching Excellence Award in the College of Arts & Letters (2012). She has served on the Mississippi Historical Society Board of Directors and is currently serving on the Mississippi Humanities Council Board of Directors and the University of Mississippi Press Board of Directors.