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FSC history professor wins book award

LAKELAND, Fla. (May 1, 2002) - Dr. James M. Denham, professor of history at Florida Southern College, has won the Florida Historical Society's 2002 James J. Horgan Award For Outstanding Book in Florida History for his work, "Florida Sheriffs: A History 1821-1945." The book is published by Sentry Press of Tallahassee and underwritten by the Florida Sheriff's Association.

Denham and co-author Dr. William Warren Rogers, professor emeritus of history at Florida State University, will receive the Horgan Award at the Society's annual banquet on May 24 at the Lakeside Inn in Mt. Dora.

In a press release issued by the Society, Dr. Jose Fernandez of the University of Central Florida and chair of the selection committee said, "Bill Rogers and Mike Denham have provided an important look at an important element of county politics in Florida. They have focused their attention on county sheriffs who were important political figures in Florida and who also operated on the front lines of law enforcement. This is a major contribution to understanding the political dynamics of early Florida."

The Horgan Book Award is presented annually by the Florida Historical Society and is named in honor of the late Dr. James J. Horgan of Saint Leo College.

About Florida Southern College
Florida Southern is a four-year, private, co-educational liberal arts college affiliated with the United Methodist Church. The college offers more than 40 undergraduate majors and a master of business administration degree accredited by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools. Located in Lakeland, Fla., the college is home to the largest, single-site collection of Frank Lloyd Wright architecture in the world.

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