Hunter Cole and Elizabeth Spencer Collection

Elizabeth Spencer (1921-2019) was born in Carollton, MS. She received her BA from Belhaven College in Jackson, MS, and her MA in literature from Vanderbilt. She also later taught at the Northwest Mississippi Community College and the University of Mississippi. She was the author of nine novels, several collections of short stories, one memoir, and one play. Her many literary accomplishments include being nominated for the Pulitzer Prize in 1957, and being a five-time winner of the O. Henry Prize for Short Fiction.

Hunter McKelva “Mack” Cole’s (b. 1938), a native of Laurel, Mississippi, graduated from Millsaps College in Jackson, in 1960. Cole taught English at Jones County Junior College before joining the University Press of Mississippi. He was associate director and marketing manager of the Press when he retired in 2003. His book, The Legs Murder Scandal (2010), is about a 1935 murder in Laurel.