Dr. Randy Cross to Speak at UNA Commencement Ceremony May 14

Apr. 21, 2011

FLORENCE, Ala. – Calhoun Community College English instructor Dr. Randy Cross will be the keynote speaker at the University of North Alabama spring 2011 commencement ceremony May 14 at 10 a.m. in Flowers Hall.

Cross, who is the co-editor of the T.S. Stribling autobiography “Laughing Stock,” is a two-time Fulbright scholar and author. An experienced lecturer on Southern literature and history, he will speak to more than 600 UNA graduates as they embark on their futures.

The UNA alumnus has written the introductions for three of Stribling’s literary works and published several scholarly works in numerous academic journals, which include “American Literature,” “The South Atlantic Review” and “The Mark Twain Journal.” He retired as a lieutenant colonel for the Tennessee Army National Guard in 2001, traveled to Brazil and Portugal and earned a Ph.D. in English from the University of Mississippi in 1977.

Cross received bachelor’s and master’s degrees in English from UNA and became an instructor at Calhoun Community College in 1982. Well-known for his love of American literature, Mark Twain and storytelling, he starred in a performance called “Life Makes Me Laugh” in 2006, where he spoke at the Princess Theatre in historic Decatur, Ala., about his life experiences and observations.

For more information, contact the UNA President’s Office at 256-765-4211.