Vance, Rupert Bayless, 1899-1975

Sociologist.

Rupert B. Vance (1899-1975), Kenan professor of sociology at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, was associated with the Institute for Research in Social Science at the University from the 1920s to the 1970s. He was a leading sociologist of the American South and actively encouraged social, political, and economic changes in the region.

Rupert Bayless Vance was born in 1899 in Plummerville, Arkansas. He received a masters degree in economics from Vanderbilt University, then, in 1926, joined the faculty of the Sociology Department of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He remained at Chapel Hill for forty years, playing a leading role in the introduction of the sociological study of the South.

Vance was a prolific writer, publishing seven books and hundreds of articles. Through his writings, teaching, and public appearances, he made it clear that he was not only interested in the analysis of social problems. Following the lead of his mentor Howard W. Odum, Vance often went beyond analysis, daring to suggest solutions and urging the South to embrace economic, political, and social progress. Vance's approaches to his work evolved along with the discipline of sociology, and, in the 1950s and 1960s, he concentrated on new statistical methods and demography.

Vance's interests and activities ranged beyond sociology. He served, for example, on the governing board of the University of North Carolina Press and was active in community work. Rupert Vance died on 25 August 1975.

For additional information see sketches of Vance by Edgar T. Thompson in The Encyclopedia of Southern History and by Elizabeth McGehee in Encyclopedia of Southern Culture (1989).