A Scholar Under Siege
A Scholar Under Siege is an opera in two acts by contemporary American composer Michael Braz. Braz also wrote the English language libretto for the opera which was composed for the centenary of Georgia Southern University. It premiered on April 20, 2007 in Statesboro, Georgia. Historical background and synopsis The opera takes as its subject the historic confrontation between Georgia governor Eugene Talmadge and Marvin Pittman who was president of Georgia Teachers College which later became Georgia Southern University. This episode in Georgia history is sometimes known as the "Cocking affair." In brief, Talmadge fired Walter Cocking who was dean of the College of Education at the University of Georgia. Talmadge accused Cocking of championing integration, in this case the admission of African American students to historically all-white educational institutions. Talmadge flamboyantly declared that he would fire anyone who stood for "communism or racial equality". Talmadge fired Pittman for supporting Cocking against Talmadge. As a result of the firings, the teacher's college lost its accreditation. Students rallied, and Pittman and Cocking were eventually rehired. A Scholar Under Siege closely follows this story line with fictional dialog added for narrative effect. Pittman emerges as the hero and moral center of the