LAKELAND, Fla. (March 1, 2007) — Florida Southern College’s Center for Florida History welcomes author Ace Atkins to the Florida Lecture Series on March 15. Atkins, the Robert and Rose Stahl Visiting Lecturer in Criminology, will discuss “The White Shadow.” The lecture will start at 7 p.m. in the William M. Hollis Seminar Room on campus. The author will sign copies of his book “White Shadow” following the lecture. The event is free and open to the public.

“Ace Atkins’ novel ‘White Shadow’ merges first-rate reporting with a flair for fiction.  His thrilling account of the slaying of Mobster Charlie Wall sizzles with the sights, sounds, and smells of Old Tampa,” said James M. Denham, professor of history and director of FSC’s Center for Florida History. 

Born in Troy, Ala., Atkins attended Auburn University where he honed his skills as both a writer and a defensive end on the undefeated 1993 Auburn University football team. Before turning to writing full time, Atkins worked as a crime reporter in the newsroom of The Tampa Tribune, earning a Pulitzer Prize nomination for his seven-part series on the 1955 unsolved murder of Tampa socialite and gambling king pin Charlie Wall. Atkins wrote two crime novels set in the South, “Crossroad Blues: A Nick Travers Mystery” (1998) and “Leavin’ Trunk Blues” (2001) while working as a reporter. Commercial success as a novelist and an offer to become a visiting journalism professor at the University of Mississippi convinced him to concentrate on writing full time. He wrote the highly acclaimed “Dark End of the Street” (2002), “Dirty South” (2004), and “White Shadow” (2006). The latter is based on his five years of research on the Wall slaying, including sealed court and police records, countless interviews with players of that period, and an extended research trip to Havana.

About the Florida Lecture Series 
The Florida Lecture Series is produced by the Center for Florida History under the direction of Dr. James M. Denham. The program brings speakers to the Lakeland campus who approach the issue of “Florida Life and Culture” from a wide range of disciplines, including history, public affairs, law, sociology, criminology, anthropology, literature, music and art. Its overall objective is to create an opportunity for members of the community, faculty, and student body to listen to, interact with and learn from leading scholars and specialists of the state’s history and culture.

About Florida Southern College
Founded in 1885, Florida Southern College is a private, comprehensive, United Methodist college with a liberal arts core. The college maintains its commitment to academic excellence through 38 undergraduate majors and distinctive graduate programs in business administration, education, and nursing. Florida Southern has a 13:1 student/faculty ratio, provides strong student/faculty mentorship programs, boasts 25 NCAA Division II national championships, and is ranked by U. S. News and World Report as one of the top ten Southern Comprehensive Colleges-Bachelors institutions and by the Princeton Review as a “Best Southeastern College.” Located on scenic Lake Hollingsworth, Florida Southern is the home of the world’s largest single-site collection of Frank Lloyd Wright architecture.