April 10, 2007

LIVINGSTON, Ala.—The University of West Alabama welcomes a pair of university administrators and authors for the Black Belt Scholars Luncheon and Book Signing on Friday, April 20 at noon at the Bell Conference Center. The featured presenters are Dr. Robert W. Halli, Dean of the University of Alabama Honors College, and former UWA provost and history professor Dr. James P. Pate. A book signing in Webb Hall Parlor will follow the luncheon.

Dr. Robert W. Halli, the founding Dean of the Honors College at The University of Alabama, is a native of Maryland who took his bachelor’s degree from Boston College and his master’s degree and doctorate from the University of Virginia. He has been a member of the English faculty of The University of Alabama since 1972, and he teaches, and publishes on, English Renaissance literature, ballads and folksongs, the detective novel and the macabre. His authoritative edition of the state’s folksongs, An Alabama Songbook, was published by The University of Alabama Press in fall 2004.

Dr. James P. Pate, Dean of the Advanced Education Center at the University of Mississippi at Tupelo, received his bachelor’s degree from Delta State University and his master’s degree and doctorate in history from Mississippi State University. Pate was a member of the UWA history faculty from 1967 until 1993, and he was inducted into the Society of the Golden Key, the highest honor bestowed upon a UWA graduate or faculty member. His teaching and research specializations include Southern Native Americans, 18th century Southwest frontier, 18th and 19th century U.S. military history and historic preservation and public history. Pate has published several articles and books in his areas of interest.

Books by both Halli and Pate will be available for purchase at the book signing conducted by the University of Alabama Press.

The Black Belt Scholars Luncheon, which is held in conjunction with the Sucarnochee Folklife Festival, is open to the public. The event is free for UWA students, but a $5 contribution is requested from other attendees. Please RSVP to Dr. Tina Jones at tnj@uwa.edu or (205) 652-3752.