Dr. Lloyd Johnson, professor of history at Campbell University, has reviewed a book on LeRoy Collins, governor of Florida during the Civil Rights era. Collins became nationally known as a “Spokesman for the New South” for his open-minded attitude toward desegregation. Johnson reviewed the book, “Floridian of His Century: The Courage of Governor LeRoy Collins” by Martin A. Dyckman for the “The International Social Science Review.”Serving as governor from 1955-1961, Collins gained recognition for establishing Florida’s Community College System and for his work on desegregation following the Brown v. Board of Education decision which declared racial segregation of the public schools unconstitutional. In 1964, Collins was appointed director of Community Relations Services by President Lyndon Baines Johnson, an organization created under the Civil Rights Act. He attended the march on Selma, Ala.., led by Dr. Martin Luther King in 1966.”Without doubt, Dyckman has produced an excellent biography of Florida’s greatest governor of the 20th century,” Johnson writes. “Collins evolved from a segregationist to a man who followed his conscience and did what he believed to be morally right.”Dr. Lloyd Johnson is the author of a book on Welsh settlers in the South, “The Frontier in the Colonial South: South Carolina Backcountry, 1736-1800,” and has made numerous presentations on his research in Wales, Britain and the U.S. He has also appeared in the BBC documentary, “Roots in Wales.” In addition he has published entries in the “Encyclopedia of North Carolina History,” the “African-American Encyclopedia of History,” and the “Encyclopedia of South Carolina History.” He has been a book review contributor for scholarly publications, including the “Journal of Southern History,” “North Carolina Historical Review,” the “William & Mary Quarterly,” “Baptist History and Heritage,” and the “Georgia Historical Quarterly.” His article on the Welsh in the Carolinas was published in “Western Mail,” a national newspaper of Cardiff, Wales.
Johnson reviews book on pivotal southern governor