Michael “Cowboy Mike” Searles always had time to give people a hearty hello.
On Friday, his friends and colleagues said their goodbyes.
A campus memorial service was held for the longtime history professor at Augusta University, celebrating the life, accomplishments, and uniqueness of an educator who embraced historical research and encouraged countless others to do the same. Remembering individuality.
Mr. Searles passed away on June 23, just 12 days shy of turning 81.cent birthday.
“He loved his job, his students, the university, and his community. Basically, he exuded happiness 24/7,” said Dr. Yana Sanderg, professor emeritus of Spanish at AU. Told. “I never saw him depressed. I never heard a crossword from him. He created happiness wherever he went. That may sound really idealistic. But when it comes to Cowboy Mike, it’s all true.”
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Although Searles’ general knowledge of history was extensive, he was well known nationally as a leading authority on the often overlooked black cowboys of the 19th century American West and the black U.S. military cavalrymen known as the Buffalo Soldiers. I was there. Searles visits dozens of elementary schools each year to talk to students about the important role of cowboys in black history.
He is also a regular columnist for Waynesboro’s True Citizen, where he writes insightful articles that use history as a springboard to candidly address contemporary issues such as racism, poverty, and gun violence. There were many things.
One of his former students, Travis Wagner, is currently an assistant professor in the University of Illinois’ School of Information Science.
“He treated each student as a vessel to imagine new ways of making history and use them as a way to advocate for contemporary issues,” Wagner said in a statement to AU History Department Chair Ruth McClelland. – stated in comments read out by Dr. Nugent. , Anthropology and Philosophy.
On the AU campus, Searles’ relentless enthusiasm for his job and making friends was as well-known as his trademark cowboy hat, and he was almost never far from his mind. Although he retired in his 2012 year, he remained a well-known presence on campus.
“I asked him, ‘Mike, do you ever get depressed? Do you ever get depressed about anything?'” said Lee Ann Caldwell, professor emeritus of history at AU. He is the volunteer director of the school’s Georgia Historical Research Center. and the university’s resident historian. “And he didn’t answer right away. Finally he said, ‘No, really not, because I have too many blessings.’
“Michael Searles, also known as Cowboy Mike, left a legacy of kindness and dedication, not only academically, but also to Burke County, here at the University, and to many communities across the West,” she said. “There is so much to celebrate in such a full life.”