No. 884 Michael Searles, 2016

File — Box: 79, Folder: 17

Staff Only

Scope and Contents

Cowboy Mike Searles, Professor Emeritus of History at Augusta University, talks about his career as a historian, his time in the Western History Association, and his public persona as “Cowboy Mike.” He grew up in Edwardsville, Illinois, took a BA in history at Southern Illinois University in 1964, and later completed his MA at Howard. Long interested in the American West and particularly in African American Western history, he taught high school and college before taking his position at Augusta University in the early 1990s. An avid member of the Western History Association for over twenty years at the time of the interview, he nonetheless regards it as having evolved into an almost exclusively academic organization that emphasizes professional advancement at the expense of camaraderie and welcoming attitude, contrasting it with the Western Writers of America, another longtime favorite. Professor Searles also discusses his work on African American history in the West at some length and gives credit to Al Broussard, Quintard Taylor and others for inspiring him along the way.
Project: Western History Association oral history project.
Interviewer: Greg Smoak.

Dates

2016

Conditions Governing Access

Twenty-four hour advanced notice encouraged. Materials must be used on-site. Access to parts of this collection may be restricted under provisions of state or federal law.