The Encyclopedia of E. Evelyn Gandy

Welcome to The Encyclopedia of E. Evelyn Gandy!

This online encyclopedia is an ever-evolving project that seeks to create a comprehensive portrait of one of Hattiesburg's most famous citizens and a USM alumni, Edythe Evelyn Gandy.

Entries in this encyclopedia are researched and written by Southern Miss students and cover topics ranging from Gandy’s pioneering career as Mississippi’s first female Lieutenant Governor to the study of the objects, awards, design, and records found within her historic home and in the Gandy Collection in the USM archives.

Starting with the first encyclopedia entries posted in the fall of 2023, this organically growing project seeks to explore the many facets of the history of Gandy’s home, life, and legacy, and to bring those histories into conversation with the dynamic society that Mississippians live in today.

The various exhibitions and articles, both digital and physical, as well as the many interactive elements of this exhibition are created by Southern Miss students enrolled in HIS 350: Public History in Theory and Practice.

Outside of the collections in the historic Gandy House, the primary archival source base is the Edythe Evelyn Gandy Personal Papers located in the Special Collections and Historical Manuscripts at the USM Library: https://specialcollections.usm.edu/repositories/3/resources/1225

If current USM students want to contribute a piece to The Encyclopedia of E. Evelyn Gandy, contact Prof. Winters at john.winters@usm.edu for more information.

(Banner image: Evelyn Gandy's historic home in Hattiesburg, MS. Photograph by John C Winters, Assistant Professor of History.)