Jean Wampler Cash (Con't)
Jean W. Cash was born in Broadway, VA and has the honor of having a local road, Wampler Road, named after her family. An instructor since 1959, she received her Ph.D. in English at University of Mississippi in 1983. Cash, long-time teacher and scholar, possesses that rare spark that makes her tenacious enough to achieve anything she puts her mind too. Throughout the years, she has studied southern literature extensively, and has become one of the leading experts on the southern writers, Larry Brown and Flannery O'Connor. Of her many accomplishments, she can include teaching five decades of students, publishing two books, contributing to two essay collections, penning various articles and reviews, and presenting papers at countless conferences. Her written work conveys her immense expertise and her work in the classroom has inspired many students to greatness. A woman with many skills, Cash is not only knowledgeable, but is also passionate. In truth, she is so passionate that she is determined to continue teaching throughout her retirement.
Even though she is retired, she still teaches college courses each semester. In each of her classes, she demands an unparalleled expectation for excellence. On the first day of each class, she distributes a syllabus that is nearly twenty pages long. In these pages, she outlines exactly what she expects from her students, and while this openness may intimidate some students, others learn to treasure it. She admits, “I guess you could call me a ‘stickler for detail.’”
The magic in her classroom lies in the details. Unlike many younger professors, Cash's classroom is free of technological clutter and new age classroom philosophy. Her teaching style is simple, effective, and timeless. Classroom desks, organized in neat columns, still face her lectern at the front of the room. From that podium, she lectures, largely without notes or visual aids, and relies heavily on her memory. Reflecting on the beginning of her teaching career, she recalls spending “[her] time reading, trying to catch up on all that [she] didn’t know.” A half a century later, it's hard to come up with something she hasn't already spent countless hours exploring. Still, Cash spends her time outside of the classroom researching and working on new projects and ideas. She prides herself on staying ‘current’—something made obvious by her tasteful green Ray Ban eye glasses.
In truth, she doesn't need the latest technologies to captivate her students: her mere presence engages their utmost attention. Perhaps it's because they know that, on top of inspiring 54 years worth of students, Cash is a noteworthy scholar. In the last decades, she has undertaken major projects and has published two biographies. Her 2002 biography on Flannery O'Connor, Flanner O'Connor, A Life, was an uphill battle because the book was not authorized. While this lack of authorization presented a challenge by making her research more tedious, it did little to dishearten her efforts. In 2011, she published Larry Brown, A Writer's Life; this time, Cash had support from Brown's widow, mother, and friends. Her book, the first biography of Larry Brown, will inspire subsequent biographies. In 2011, Mississippi University for Women awarded her book the esteemed Eudora Welty Prize. In 2012, she received the C. Hugh Holman Award for the same work.
As both a teacher and a scholar, Jean W. Cash is an example to live by; her passion for her work is so obvious that it is contagious. Her teaching method is pure and effective, and her students leave her classes transformed. In these ways, and in others, it is incredibly fortunate that she has had a hand in producing over five decades of enlightened students; at the same time, she has produced books that will pass on her expertise for years to come. Currently, Cash balances her time between teaching and working on her latest project, a collection of essays on Southern writers. As hard as she has worked over the years, she deserves a restful retirement, but, thankfully, her extraordinary passion keeps propelling her forward.
Even though she is retired, she still teaches college courses each semester. In each of her classes, she demands an unparalleled expectation for excellence. On the first day of each class, she distributes a syllabus that is nearly twenty pages long. In these pages, she outlines exactly what she expects from her students, and while this openness may intimidate some students, others learn to treasure it. She admits, “I guess you could call me a ‘stickler for detail.’”
The magic in her classroom lies in the details. Unlike many younger professors, Cash's classroom is free of technological clutter and new age classroom philosophy. Her teaching style is simple, effective, and timeless. Classroom desks, organized in neat columns, still face her lectern at the front of the room. From that podium, she lectures, largely without notes or visual aids, and relies heavily on her memory. Reflecting on the beginning of her teaching career, she recalls spending “[her] time reading, trying to catch up on all that [she] didn’t know.” A half a century later, it's hard to come up with something she hasn't already spent countless hours exploring. Still, Cash spends her time outside of the classroom researching and working on new projects and ideas. She prides herself on staying ‘current’—something made obvious by her tasteful green Ray Ban eye glasses.
In truth, she doesn't need the latest technologies to captivate her students: her mere presence engages their utmost attention. Perhaps it's because they know that, on top of inspiring 54 years worth of students, Cash is a noteworthy scholar. In the last decades, she has undertaken major projects and has published two biographies. Her 2002 biography on Flannery O'Connor, Flanner O'Connor, A Life, was an uphill battle because the book was not authorized. While this lack of authorization presented a challenge by making her research more tedious, it did little to dishearten her efforts. In 2011, she published Larry Brown, A Writer's Life; this time, Cash had support from Brown's widow, mother, and friends. Her book, the first biography of Larry Brown, will inspire subsequent biographies. In 2011, Mississippi University for Women awarded her book the esteemed Eudora Welty Prize. In 2012, she received the C. Hugh Holman Award for the same work.
As both a teacher and a scholar, Jean W. Cash is an example to live by; her passion for her work is so obvious that it is contagious. Her teaching method is pure and effective, and her students leave her classes transformed. In these ways, and in others, it is incredibly fortunate that she has had a hand in producing over five decades of enlightened students; at the same time, she has produced books that will pass on her expertise for years to come. Currently, Cash balances her time between teaching and working on her latest project, a collection of essays on Southern writers. As hard as she has worked over the years, she deserves a restful retirement, but, thankfully, her extraordinary passion keeps propelling her forward.