RUCKER, Brian R. 1961-

PERSONAL:

Born May 22, 1961, in Pensacola, FL; son of William R. and Shirley (Fortune) Rucker; children: Noah David. Ethnicity: "White (Southern)." Education: Pensacola Junior College, A.A., 1981; University of West Florida, B.A. (history), 1983, M.A. (history), 1985; Florida State University, Ph.D. (history), 1990. Religion: Christian. Hobbies and other interests: History.

ADDRESSES:

Home—P.O. Box 284, Bagdad, FL 32530.

CAREER:

Pensacola Junior College, Pensacola, FL, adjunct professor of history, 1990-96, associate professor of history, 1996—. Patagonia Press, founder, 1990—; University of West Florida, Pensacola, adjunct professor of history, 1993-96; Florida National Register Review Board, member, 1994-96.

MEMBER:

Florida Historical Society, Gulf South Historical Association, Pensacola Historical Society, Santa Rosa Historical Society, Society for Commercial Archeology.

AWARDS, HONORS:

Academy of Teaching Excellence, 2000; Golden Apple Award, 2000.

WRITINGS:

Jackson Morton: West Florida's Soldier, Senator, and Secessionist, Patagonia Press (Milton, FL), 1990.

A Bagdad Christmas: A Fictional Story about the Old Mill Town of Bagdad, Patagonia Press (Bagdad, FL), 1990.

Brick Road to Boom Town: The Story of Santa Rosa County's "Old Brick Road," Patagonia Press (Bagdad, FL), 1993.

Encyclopedia of Education in Antebellum Pensacola, Patagonia Press (Bagdad, FL), 1999.

Also, author of Exploring Florida Heritage: Panhandle/West Florida, Florida Humanities Council, 1991. Contributor of scholarly articles and book reviews to the Florida Historical Quarterly, Gulf South Historical Review, Pensacola History Illustrated, and Journal of Southern History.

EDITOR, EXCEPT AS NOTED

(Compiler) Index to Deaths and Marriages in Pensacola Newspapers, 1821-1865, Patagonia Press (Bagdad, FL), 1990.

Henry M. Brackenridge, A Topographical Description of Pensacola and Vicinity in 1821, Patagonia Press (Bagdad, FL), 1991.

(With Nathan F. Woolsey) F. F. Bingham, Log of the Peep O'Day: Summer Cruises in West Florida Waters, 1912-1915, Patagonia Press (Bagdad, FL), 1991.

(With Williams S. Coker and Bobbye S. Wicke) Regina M. K. Mandrell, Our Family: Facts and Fancies—The Crary and Related Families, Patagonia Press (Bagdad, FL), 1993.

Leora M. Sutton, The Excavation of Santa Rosa Pensacola: An Insider's Account, Patagonia Press (Bagdad, FL), 1993.

F. F. Bingham, From Pensacola to Belize: An American's Odyssey through Mexico in 1903; or, The Ransoming of the Richard A. Bingham, Patagonia Press (Bagdad, FL), 1997.

WORK IN PROGRESS:

Floridale: The Rise and Fall of a Florida Boom Community and Blackwater and Yellow Pine: The Development of Santa Rosa County, 1821-1865.

SIDELIGHTS:

Brian R. Rucker told CA: "Even as a child I was interested in writing, and I composed numerous short stories and even created a neighborhood newspaper. But history and archeology was always my first love, and I eventually acquired my Ph.D. degree in history from Florida State University in 1990. When approaching university presses concerning the publishing of my dissertation, I realized that regional historical studies were slighted by major academic presses because of the costs and limited profits such books would entail. Thus, in 1990, on a shoe string budget, I began Patagonia Press, created as a small, mail-order publishing company that would focus on the rich but often neglected historical and cultural legacy of the Gulf Coast, especially West Florida. The aim was to produce affordable volumes of high academic quality that would rescue valuable monographs, documents, and essays from never seeing the light of day. In essence, I hoped to produce material of a high scholarly level that university presses were unwilling to tackle because of limited markets. I am very happy to break even every year, realizing that the true reward is producing works that will endure and be used by future scholars. Since 1990 Patagonia Press has published fourteen titles dealing with Gulf Coast history and culture.

"My first love is research and writing. There is a great fulfillment in seeing a project through from inception until it appears as a book in my hands. I credit my family for their wonderful support and encouragement over the years. My list of most influential authors includes O'Henry, Mark Twain, Immanuel Velikovsky, and Henry M. Morris."