Alabama Historian to Receive UA’s 2016 Cason Award

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — The University of Alabama College of Communication and Information Sciences, along with the journalism department, has named award-winning author Dr. Harvey Jackson III winner of the 2016 Clarence Cason Award in Nonfiction Writing.

Jackson, a 1966 alumnus of UA, is the author, co-author or co-editor of 15 books on Southern history, including “The Rise and Decline of the Redneck Riviera: An Insiders History of the Florida-Alabama Coast” and “Inside Alabama: A Personal History of My State.”

He served on the editorial board of the Anniston Star, was the past president of the Alabama Association of Historians and the Alabama Historical Association, and retired from teaching at Jacksonville State University in 2013. He lives in Seagrove Beach, Florida.

“Hardy Jackson writes history as history is lived, not with static and rigid sentences but with warmth and grit and feeling,” said Rick Bragg, Cason Award selection committee member and a previous recipient of the award.

The award is named for Clarence Cason, who founded UA’s department of journalism in 1928. Each year, UA bestows the honor on a recipient with a strong connection to Alabama and whose writings have made a critical contribution to the journalism and literature of the South.

“Hardy Jackson is a distinguished author who will join a strong network of past Cason winners who have contributed to literature and storytelling in the state of Alabama,” said Dr. Mark Nelson, dean of the College of Communication and Information Sciences.

Tickets for the luncheon honoring Jackson are $35. The luncheon will be from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Friday, March 4, at the Hotel Capstone. Jackson will accept the award and speak at the luncheon. To order tickets, phone Sheila Davis at 205/348-4787 by Feb. 25.

Jackson will also give a free public address at 6:30 p.m. Thursday, March 3, in 216 Reese Phifer. No reservations are necessary for the free event.