Virginia Spencer Carr Scholarship

Virginia Spencer Carr (1929-2012)

Virginia Spencer Carr, a professor of English at Columbus College (Columbus State University) from 1969-1985, is best known for the detailed biography The Lonely Hunter, about the life of famed Columbus writer, Carson McCullers. Dr. Carr's interest in Carson McCullers bloomed early in her studies, when she was teaching in Savannah in the early 1960s and a student asked to write a paper about McCullers. After writing her dissertation on McCullers at Florida State University, Dr. Carr came to Columbus College as a faculty member and began her extensive research and writing on the McCullers biography, which was published in 1975. After leaving Columbus College in 1985, Dr. Carr served as a Professor of English at Georgia State University and went on to write biographies on writers John Dos Passos and Paul Bowles. She also wrote extensively on Katharine Anne Porter and Tennessee Williams. Virginia Spencer Carr's dedication to studies of Carson McCullers is truly invaluable, and The Lonely Hunter is easily considered the most significant biographical work on McCullers.

The Virginia Spencer Carr Scholarship

Founded in April 2012, this scholarship honors the memory of former CSU English Department faculty member, Virginia Spencer Carr, and her valuable contributions to studies of Columbus author, Carson McCullers, in the biography The Lonely Hunter. An incredibly well-researched and comprehensive work, The Lonely Hunter charts the course of Carson's life here in Columbus and follows Carson on her journey to New York to become a successful, world-renowned author. As Dr. Carr's work shows in such detail, Carson immersed herself in the artistic communities of her hometown and her adopted home in New York City. Therefore, it is fitting that the scholarship in Dr. Carr's name supports students studying in New York, following in both Carson's footsteps and in Dr. Carr's work on Carson. The scholarship benefits English majors who participate in CSU's New York Arts Program, which takes students to study in New York City for three weeks to one month each May/June.

To Give to the Scholarship:

Please mail donations to: The Carson McCullers Center

c/o CSU Department of English

4225 University Ave.

Columbus, GA 31907