Dr. William K. Scarborough, 87, died May 17, 2020, at his residence in Hattiesburg.
Graveside services were held on Tuesday at Roseland Park Mauseoleum. A memorial service will be held at a later date.
The son of James Blaine and Julia Kauffman Scarborough, Scarborough was born in Baltimore, Maryland, on Jan. 17, 1933. He grew up in Annapolis and graduated with Phi Beta Kappa honors from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 1954.
After serving on active duty as a gunnery department division officer aboard the U.S.S. New Jersey (BB-62) from 1954-1956, Scarborough received a master’s degree from Cornell University in 1957 and a Ph.D. in American history from the University of North Carolina in 1962. After brief teaching stints at Millsaps College and Northeast Louisiana University, he joined the faculty of the University of Southern Mississippi where he taught for 45 years. He served as chair of the History Department from 1980-1990.
A nationally recognized scholar in antebellum Southern and Civil War history, Scarborough was the author or editor of six books, numerous articles and papers, and 76 book reviews. His most notable publications were his three-volume edition of “The Diary of Edmund Ruffin” and his 2003 book, “Masters of the Big House.”
He was a past president of the Mississippi Historical Society and the St. George Tucker Society.
The recipient of numerous teaching and research awards from USM, he received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the University Research Council in 2011.
An avid golfer, Scarborough was an enthusiastic sports fan and was a devoted supporter of the athletic programs at his beloved University of North Carolina.
He was a member of the Phi Beta Kappa Society, the Southern Historical Association, the historical societies of Mississippi and South Carolina, the American Association of University Professors, the American Legion and the Sons of Confederate Veterans.
He was preceded in death by his wife of 60 years, Patricia Carruthers Scarborough; his half-brother, Ernest N. Scarborough of Newark, Delaware; his half-sister, Lucille Richardson of Charlotte, North Carolina; and his sister-in-law, Elizabeth Lennartson of Palm Coast, Florida.
He is survived by his daughter, Catherine Lee Krohn and husband Robert of Annapolis, Maryland; his son, William Bradley Scarborough and wife Charlotte of Plano, Texas; numerous grandchildren and great-grandchildren; and many other family members and friends.
Memorial contributions may be made to the History Department at USM.
