From Nanih Waiya Mound to Koinonia Farm, from beauty pageants to Pentecostal churches, from rural electrification to blues music, from grits and gravy to cracklin’ bread, from Bessie Smith to Elvis Presley, from the Lost Cause to the Civil Rights Movement, from Little Dixie to the Upper Neck, from circuit riders to the Chitlin Circuit, the American South has developed its own distinct quilt in the greater tapestry that is American culture. At the University of Mississippi, in a building that went unfinished because of the Civil War, an innovative program has been exploring the South’s nuances for a generation. 
From its modest beginnings at the University of Mississippi in 1977, the Center continues to expand on its original mission to examine and document all aspects of Southern culture. This year in November, the Center celebrates 25 years of excellence, devoted to researching, documenting, and teaching about the American South. It is an appropriate time to reflect on the Center’s accomplishments as well as to note the support that has made such work possible. Moreover, it is important to renew the commitment to continuing that work, through the annual Friends of the Center program. 
Eunice Milton Benton, a Southern Studies alumna, puts it best: “Friends of the Center nurture and sustain it. No living entity survives without this kind of support. It is life-giving stuff.” The Friends of the Center program has funded scholarships for graduate students, allowing them to work in a variety of programs from oral history projects to producing a Grammy-nominated gospel album. In addition, Friends has made possible original research by faculty and students. Noted conferences on Faulkner and civil rights expand the reach of the Center beyond the campus, providing educational opportunities for everyone. Current graduate student Kay Walraven asserts, “The Center does such important work, and has given me, as a student of Southern culture, so many invaluable experiences and opportunities. Without the energies of the Center’s devoted and generous supporters, that wouldn’t be possible.” 
Building on past accomplishments, the Center looks ahead to the next 25 years, with an endowment devoted to studying the future of the South, expanding our documentary capabilities through film and video, enlarging our archival collections, and continuing our outreach to local communities through the development of cultural tourism, museums, and curriculum for teachers at all levels. 
This work is vital and needs the support of committed Friends to be effective. Please show your support for the Center for the Study of Southern Culture by becoming a Friend of the Center. If you are already a Center Friend, consider renewing your membership with an annual contribution. The generous support of our annual fund donors has enabled us to become the model for regional studies for 25 years. Please help us to continue that tradition and to begin building new ones. Information on how to become a Friend of the Center can be found on the back cover, or on the Center’s Web page at http://www.olemiss.edu/depts/south.

Susan M. Glisson and Andrew C. Harper