About the Author
Tom Ward has served as editor-in-chief of four newspapers. He has authored, edited, or ghost-written dozens of books and hundreds of published articles.
His education includes a Master's in International Affairs from King's College London and Juris Doctor and History degrees from The University of Alabama.
As an author, his books include Alabama's bicentennial book (distributed by its Department of Archives and History), the history of the Grove at Ole Miss, the Mississippi Series of novels set in the Magnolia State, and other works of fiction and nonfiction.
Editing and ghost-writing projects include books by authors accomplished in professional sports, the U.N. Security Council, business entrepreneurship, human rights advocacy in Africa, and the U.S. judiciary.
Sample Content from The Grove
From Chapter One of The Grove
Postured in the middle of the Ole Miss campus, the Grove stands as a 10-acre, gently rolling declaration of Southern charm punctuated by stately magnolias, oaks and elms.
For 358 days each year, visitors and natives alike find themselves struck by its serene elegance. Students sit cross-legged, studying on the timelessly maintained grounds. Parents play with toddlers, snapping keepsake photos. Couples in the autumn of their earthly journeys enjoy dusk-time walks. Power walkers from every decade move to the rhythm of their iTunes list. Or maybe they’re just riveted by the plot of their audiobook. Photographers take shots of the recently graduated or engaged, often at the arch honoring the 1962 undefeated Ole Miss team.
And then there is the other Grove. For the remaining seven or eight days each year, it undergoes an astonishing transformation. The gently sloping green grass becomes a sea of red, white and blue tents. Innumerable moving people wear the same colors.
Nations have won wars and celebrated with less joy. The scene stands like a big bundle of the fourth of July, New Year’s Eve and VE Day.
“It’s like Las Vegas or New York,” explained Brett Brewer. “Even if you’ve seen it on television, you can’t really get it until you’ve been there.”
Brewer should know. He and his brother Gunter are alumni of the football program and most notably part of Ole Miss royalty. Their dad, Billy Brewer, coached Ole Miss for over a decade, played for the Rebels in the 1950s and founded the Walk of Champions on the Grove. Brett is a businessman in Memphis and rarely misses an Ole Miss home game.
Gunter Brewer, a longtime college football coach, has experienced just about every major college scene. “No matter where I go as a coach, I’ve never seen anything like the Grove,” he added. The Grove has been named by ESPN, Sports Illustrated, Bleacher Report and many others as the best tailgating venue in the world of college football. While that is a generally accepted truth, the Grove is about so much more than tailgating. It has served as the scene for history. It has inspired poets, propelled novelists and entertained concertgoers. The same place served as both the backdrop of the university’s most regrettable moment and a landmark of open-mindedness during a heated presidential campaign.
Yes, the Grove is about tailgating, but that is a little like describing Rembrandt as a painter. It just doesn’t capture the entire story.
