Ennis Rees


Ennis Samuel Rees, Jr. was an American poet and professor. He was named by Governor Richard Wilson Riley as the third South Carolina Poet Laureate from 1984 to 1985.

Biography

Early life and education

Rees was born in Newport News, Virginia, on March 17, 1925. His parents were Ennis Samuel, Sr., and Dorothy Drumwright Rees. In high school, he participated in track and lettered in football, focusing more on athletics than academics. He was also student body vice president and his senior class vice president as well.
He graduated from the College of William & Mary with an A.B. degree in 1946 where he was Phi Beta Kappa and received the Botetourt Medal. He then went on to obtain both his M.A., in 1948, and Ph.D., in 1951, from Harvard University.

Career

After graduating from Harvard with his M.A. degree, Rees became an English instructor at Duke University in 1949 while still pursuing his Ph.D. from Harvard. He remained at Duke until 1952 when he became an instructor at Princeton University from 1952 to 1954. He then began a long career at the University of South Carolina in 1954, eventually becoming a full professor in 1963. He remained a professor at the university until his retirement in 1988.

Poet laureateship

Rees was named to be South Carolina's third poet laureate by Governor Dick Riley in 1984. Originally a life-time appointment, Riley changed the position some during his governorship and appointed Freeman to only a one-year term of office.

Personal life

Rees was married to the former Marion Lott. They had three children.

Awards and honors

In addition to his published books, some of Ennis' work has appeared in Journal of English, The Southern Review, The New Republic, and Germanic Philology.

Non-fiction