/David Sansing, esteemed historian, who lived a most wonderful life and knew it

David Sansing, esteemed historian, who lived a most wonderful life and knew it

However, that was not the way Willie Morris, the brilliant Mississippi author, introduced Sansing back to me in the 1980s. Willie said, “Rickey! This is Professor David Sansing,” his eyes twinkling at the next line. “But, more importantly, Dr. Sansing has the Emperor of South End Zone.” This was back in the days when Vaught-Hemingway Stadium’s south end zone was just bleachers. This was before concrete, glass, and luxury suites. It was back in the days when an eclectic group of writers, professors and bartenders, as well as bohemians, would come together to cheer on the Ole Miss Rebels. They were known as the South End Zone Rowdies. Sansing was a respected faculty member who could have sat at the 50-yard line. His wife, Lib and Sansing preferred the end zone. One Friday night, all end zoners gathered at the now-gone-but-never-forgotten Hoka theatre and restaurant for a pep rally for the next day’s game. They decided to elect officers. Sansing, a beloved figure, was unanimously elected president. Sansing declared himself Emperor as his first and perhaps only official act. He was. For life. Sansing was much more. Sansing was a gentleman of courtliness and kindness. He was a scholar and a teacher. He also wrote history and text books. He was an orator, encourager, and a good listener. He was proud to be a father and grandfather, and so proud of his grandchildren and children, all Ole Miss graduates. He was a passionate sports fan and approached every game with childlike enthusiasm. Although his Rebels were 21 points underdogs against mighty Alabama, Sansing saw the possibilities. Yes, he was optimistic about sports. He also had a positive view of life. Even Mississippi was a topic he believed in. His last book, “The Other Mississippi”, was about Mississippi’s best nature. It is the one that the rest of the world seldom hears or reads. Sansing wrote, “Many may recall the anxiety and fear of disorder that predated the massive integration of public schools in Mississippi in spring 1970.” “The success of that transition was made possible by the public school teachers and the foot soldiers of the army called The Other Mississippi. Few people are aware of the fact that black football players such as Walter Payton made that transition safer and more acceptable. He later wrote, “To recognize Mississippi is to acknowledge that Mississippi was not racialized; that all Mississippians were not bigots, that all Mississippians did not condone injustice.” It’s to acknowledge that both whites and blacks stood up against injustice and prejudice. Many of them, including Vernon Dahmer and Medgar Evers, Clyde Kennard, Fannie Lou Hamer and Clyde Kennard, gave their last full effort to the cause justice and freedom for all.” Sansing wasn’t so confident to believe that The Other Mississippi had won. He wrote that “The fight against injustice, ignorance, and poverty may never end.” The true goal may not be to win, but to continue the fight. Malcolm White, executive director at the Mississippi Arts Commission, first met Sansing as a young boy in Perkinston. His father was the football coach and administrator of Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College. White’s father, Harold White, employed Sansing as a history teacher. White stated, “I grew-up with his family.” He and my dad were close friends. He was a thoughtful and kind man that I loved. This is something I will always remember: On Saturdays, our families would drive to Highway 49 in two cars, to Perkinston, where we would find the signal for Ole Miss football games. We would just listen and sit down. “Ole Miss almost always won back then.” That is how Sansing preferred it. Sansing, a Greenville resident, held degrees from Mississippi College, and Southern Miss. But he loved Ole Miss dearly. He earned his Ph.D. at Southern Miss while he was teaching at Perkinston. Sansing applied for a job as a teacher at Ole Miss in 1970 and was hired. He found his home in Oxford. He is the author of “The University of Mississippi: a Sesquicentennial History”, which is the definitive history of Ole Miss. Richard Howorth, former mayor of Oxford, and chairman of the Tennessee Valley Authority, was one of Sansing’s first students at Ole Miss. Howorth, an English major who took Sansing’s Mississippi history class as an elective while he was a senior, did so on the advice of his friend, who said, “You can’t leave Ole Miss with this class.” Howorth discovered why. Howorth stated that he learned so much. David was engaging and enthusiastic about the lessons he gave. He invited students to visit his office and have a one-on-1 conversation. I accepted his invitation and I can recall him looking at me in the eye and saying, “You are a person who can make a difference to Mississippi.” Howorth was impressed by Sansing’s ability to connect with all of his students. In 1994, Sansing officially retired as a professor at Ole Miss. After that, he began to write its history. He didn’t stop writing or working. Between the ages of 85 and 81, he wrote three books during his final five years of life. The Nautilus Publishing Company, the Oxford publisher Neil White (The Nautilus Publishing Company), which is also the author of “Sanctuary of Outcasts,” published Sansing’s three last books. Neil White and Sansing became friends naturally. Neil White said, “It’s a cliché, now, to compare a death with ‘a library burning,’ but it was true in the case David Sansing. Neil White said, “David gave all of us an example of how we should live. His enthusiasm was unabashed and childlike, right up to the end. He was rare combination of a great writer and a humanist who understood the value of drama and candor, as well as the human heart. He told the truth about our controversial historic figures, while at the same time considering the feelings of their children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren.” To have known Sansing is to imagine him struggling with writing Mississippi history about Theodore Bilbo or Ross Barnett, while worrying about how it would make their descendants feel. Sansing was a former student in divinity and took the Golden Rule to heart. He treated others as he would like them to treat him. He would never want his great-grandchildren or grandchildren to see him in a negative light. Sansing loved his grandchildren, all five. Perry’s youngest granddaughter, Lizzie Sansing Eaves was married to Lizzie Sansing Eaves on June 29th, a week before her grandfather died. David Sansing, his entire family and many close friends were there for a joyful occasion just days before his death. Perry Sansing, Ole Miss special advisor to the Chancellor of governmental affairs, stated that “Mom & Dad danced with all of us, it was so blessed.” David Sansing was aware that he was blessed. Bonnie Brown, a former Ole Miss staffer, said that Sansing was the most fortunate of all men in an interview last August. How lucky am I, good Lord! I am the most happy, contented human being on the planet. It is a blessing to have known that.” A memorial service will take place Wednesday, July 10, 2019, at Paris Yates Chapel at University of Mississippi with Rev. Don Gann will officiate. Visitation will take place on Tuesday, July 9th at 4 – 6 p.m. at West Hall at Waller Funeral Home. An exclusive graveside service will take place at Oxford Memorial Cemetery.