Dr. Eva Golson-Profile

Dr. Eva Golson-Faculty Photo
Dr. Eva Golson-Teaching
May 7, 1965 newsletter written by Dr. Eva Golson

Dublin Core

Title

Dr. Eva Golson-Profile

Subject

Dr. Eva Golson's biography sketch, faculty photos, and personal writing

Creator

University of Montevallo English Department
Carmichael Library Archives

Source

Carmichael Library Archives

Date

1905-1985

Format

Images, PDF files, text

Type

Image, PDF files, text

Person Item Type Metadata

Birth Date

January 27, 1905

Birthplace

Prattville, Alabama

Death Date

April 4, 1985

Occupation

Professor

Biographical Text

A native of Prattville, Alabama, Dr. Eva Olivia Golson was one of three children. She received her A.B. from Huntington College in 1923, then the Woman’s College of Alabama. She was also the first woman to receive a PhD in English from the University of Chicago, and served as a professor at the University of Montevallo for 45 years. Her dissertation was titled “The Spelling System of the Glasgow Ms of The Canterbury Tales”. While at Montevallo, she helped spearhead the Honor’s Program, which named the senior seminar after her once she retired. She was also the faculty member to second the motion made by Dr. Hallie Farmer on October 13, 1955 to make Alabama College coeducational, a move that ended the era of an all woman’s college and ushered it into a new existence. (Alabama College 1896-1969 Pg 119)
She is described by Norman McMillan, former chair of the English department, as having “a style all her own, and a splendid style to be sure” and that her writing was full of “quintessential Golsoniana—the wit, the warmth, the irony, the style.” (April 4, 1985) Dr. Golson had a passion for horticulture, often discussing the flowers in bloom on campus in her newsletters. She was responsible for weekly newsletters that she typed and edited, discussing campus culture, the comings and goings of English faculty, the flora of the campus, and other notable happenings. They serve as vignettes into Montevallo’s everyday past, allowing glimpses into the social and mechanical happenings of the department and campus.

Bibliography

Alabama College 1896-1969
Carmichael Library Archives