Eli N. Evans
Eli N. Evans | |
|---|---|
 Photograph of Evans fromThe Charlotte Observerin 1973 | |
| Born | Eli Nachamson Evans July 28, 1936 Durham, North Carolina,U.S. |
| Died | July 26, 2022(aged 85) Manhattan,New York,U.S. |
| Occupation | Author, charity administrator |
| Language | English |
| Education | |
| Years active | 1971–2010 |
| Spouse |
Judith London
(m.1981; died 2008) |
| Children | 1 |
Eli Nachamson Evans(July 28, 1936 – July 26, 2022)[1][2][3]was aJewish-Americanauthor fromNorth Carolinawhose work encompassed explorations of the Jewish experience in theSouthern United States.[1]He "left his biggest mark as the author of three books exploring the culture and history of Jews in the American South", according to his August 2, 2022,New York Timesobituary.[1]
Early life and education
[edit]
Evans was the son ofEmanuel J. Evans,an American businessman and the first JewishmayorofDurham, North Carolina,[4]and Sara Nachamson. She was a daughter of retailers Eli and Jenny Nachamson, who owned the United Dollar Stores Company.[5]
He received aB.A.inEnglish literaturefrom theUniversity of North Carolinain 1958,[1]where he joined theTau Epsilon Phifraternity,[6]and served as "the first Jewish president of the student body." He served in theUnited States Navyfor two years, stationed in Japan. In the fall of 1958, he completed theNavy Supply Corps Schoolas anensignand was assigned to theUSS Saint Paul (CA-73).[7]After serving in the Navy, he went to graduate school, receiving aJ.D.fromYale Law Schoolin 1963.[1]
Career
[edit]After stints as aWhite Housespeechwriter for PresidentLyndon B. Johnson,[2]and as an aide to North Carolina GovernorTerry Sanford,Evans took a position with theCarnegie Corporation of New YorkinNew York City.[1]
In 1971, he publishedThe Provincials: A Personal History of the Jews of the South,which "set off a wave of interest in a culture that many people outside the region never knew existed".[1]Evans became president of theCharles H. Revson Foundationin 1977. He published a 1989 biography ofJudah P. Benjamin,a United States Senator from Louisiana and Secretary of State of the Confederacy, who was the first Jew to hold a Cabinet position in North America and the first to be elected to the United States Senate who had not renounced his faith, followed by an anthology of personal stories in 1993.[1][6]
He was elected to theAmerican Academy of Arts and Sciencesin 2001.[3][8]
Personal life
[edit]In 1981, Evans married Judith London ofMontgomery, Alabama,who he met inNew York City,and with whom he remained until her death in 2008. They had one son, Joshua.[1]
Evans died at a Manhattan hospital from complications ofCOVID-19,two days before his 86th birthday.[1]
Works
[edit]- The Provincials: A Personal History of Jews in the South(New York: Antheneum, 1973)—Reprinted, 1997 and 2005.[2]
- Judah P. Benjamin: The Jewish Confederate(New York: The Free Press, 1988).ISBN0-02-908880-1.
- The Lonely Days Were Sundays: Reflections of a Jewish Southerner(1993).
- Overview: The War Between Jewish Brothers in America, inJews and the Civil War: A Reader(eds. Jonathan D. Sarna & Adam Mendelsohn; NYU Press: 2010).
References
[edit]- ^abcdefghijRisen, Clay (August 2, 2022)."Eli N. Evans, Who Wrote About Jews in American South, Dies at 85".The New York Times.
- ^abcLanger, Emily (July 28, 2022)."Eli Evans, 'poet laureate' of the Jews of the South, dies at 85"– via WashingtonPost.
- ^ab"Eli N. Evans".American Academy of Arts & Sciences.2 July 2023.
- ^Richardson, Lynn."The Bull City—A Short History of Durham, North Carolina"(PDF).Durham County Library. Archived fromthe original(PDF)on 2010-06-12.Retrieved2010-07-15.
- ^Kuber, Gary (2010-07-14)."322-328 West Main - United Department Store/Belk-Leggett".Endangered Durham.Retrieved2010-07-15.
- ^ab"Evans' Literary Success More Than Just A Story"(PDF).The Plume. 1998. p. 14.
- ^"On Cruiser",The Durham Sun,Durham, North Carolina, volume LXX, number 212, November 3, 1958, page 1-B.(subscription required)
- ^"Member Directory".American Academy of Arts and Sciences.
External links
[edit]- "Collection Number: 05210 Collection Title: Eli N. Evans Papers, 1965-2008".University of North Carolina.
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Other | |
- 1936 births
- 2022 deaths
- 20th-century American Jews
- 20th-century American male writers
- 20th-century American non-fiction writers
- 21st-century American Jews
- 21st-century American male writers
- 21st-century American non-fiction writers
- American male non-fiction writers
- Deaths from the COVID-19 pandemic in New York (state)
- Fellows of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences
- Jewish American non-fiction writers
- Military personnel from North Carolina
- Speechwriters for presidents of the United States
- United States Navy officers
- University of North Carolina alumni
- Writers from Durham, North Carolina
- Yale Law School alumni