Maurice J. "Socky" O'Sullivan (born 1944) is a historian and literary scholar who specialises in the history of Florida. As the Kenneth Curry Professor of Literature at Rollins College in Winter Park, Florida. Professor O'Sullivan has lectured and published extensively on the state's art and history, religion and politics, literature and culture.
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He and Rollins History Professor Jack Lane have been recognized as founders of the interdisciplinary Florida Studies movement with their book The Florida Reader (Pineapple Press), 1991; paperback 1995), the first comprehensive collection of writings about Florida, and through teachers' workshops for the Florida Endowment for the Humanities and the Florida Humanities Council.
Biography
Born in Jersey City, New Jersey (July 15, 1944), the son of Maurice and Agnes O'Sullivan, Professor O'Sullivan attended St. Peter's Prep before receiving his Bachelor's degree from Fairfield University (1966) and his Master's and Doctoral degrees from Case Western Reserve University (1967, 1969). After several years at Ohio State, he joined the Rollins faculty in 1975. At Rollins he has served as President of the Faculty and Chair of the English Department and Humanities Division.
Director of the Florida Center for the Shakespeare Studies, in 2005, he became publisher of the Angel Alley Press at Rollins and is a senior partner in the Dan McGuinnis Irish Pubs in Nashville. He serves on the board of the Florida Historical Society. Professor O'Sullivan currently lives in Orlando.
O'Sullivan has been featured at FreedomFest in 2007, 2008, and 2009. He is a member of the Catholic Church.
Awards
In 2002, the Rollins Trustees awarded him the William Fremont Blackman Award for distinguished service. While at Rollins, he has received two silver medals in the Council for the Advancement and Support of Education National Teacher of the Year Program, the Bornstein Award for Scholarship, the Arthur Vining Davis Award, the Hamilton Holt Teaching Award, and two Hugh McKean Awards.
He has also served twice as President of the Florida College English Association, which gave him its Distinguished Colleague Award in 2003, and as President of the College English Association in 2006.