for life. Personal life A member of the Presbyterian church, Ragan was also a lifelong member of the Democratic Party. Ragan married Marjorie Usher in 1939. They were married for 56 years and had two daughters. Ragan died in Southern Pines, North Carolina at the age of 80. Legacy In 1981, St. Andrews University established the Sam Ragan Awards, are given annually to honor contributions to fine art. Barton College founded the Sam and Marjorie Ragan Writing Center in their honor. In 2003 the North Carolina Literary and Historical Association paid tribute to Ragan's memory by establishing the Ragan Old North State Award Cup for Nonfiction. Elena Ruehr composed a musical piece titled "Exodus", based on four poems by Ragan. The work was commissioned by the Coastal Carolina Chamber Music Festival and premiered during the 2005 season. Books Back to Beginnings: Adlai E. Stevenson and North Carolina. [Co-authored with Elizabeth S. Ives]. Charlotte, N.C.: Heritage Printers, 1969. Collected Poems of Sam Ragan. Laurinburg, N.C.: St. Andrews Press, 1990. Journey into Morning. Laurinburg, N.C.: St. Andrews Press, 1981. Listening to the Wind. Laurinburg, N.C.: St. Andrews Press, 1995. The New Day. [Editor]. Zebulon, N.C.: Record Publishing Company, 1964. Poetry under the Stars. [Editor; Friday Noon Poets]. Durham, N.C.: Moore Publishing Company, 1979. To the Water's Edge. Durham, N.C.: Moore Publishing Company, 1971. The Tree in the Far Pasture. Winston-Salem, N.C.: John F. Blair, Publisher, 1964. A Walk into April. Laurinburg, N.C.: St. Andrews Press, 1986. Weymouth: An Anthology of Poetry [Editor]. Laurinburg, N.C.: St. Andrews Press, 1987. References Further reading Sam Ragan Papers Inventory at The University of North Carolina Retrieved September 10, 2016 Biography and Photograph of Sam Ragan at North Carolina Writer's Network. Literary Hall of Fame. Retrieved March 30, 2005 McDonald, Agnes. "Sam Ragan: Gentle Minder of the Arts." Carolina Arts 1 (Autumn 1981): 36–37. Morgan, Neil. Sam Ragan. Chapel Hill, N.C.: North Caroliniana Society, 1981. Imprint No. 5. Roberts, Nancy. "The Mission of Sam Ragan." In The Goodliest Land: North Carolina. Text by Nancy Roberts; photographs by Bruce Roberts. Garden City, N.Y.: Doubleday, 1973. pp. 46–47, 51, 53. "Special Sam Ragan Issue." Sandhills/St. Andrews Review 41 (1992). Tributes to Sam Ragan in Pembroke Magazine, No. 17, 1985: 139–148. External links Inventory of the Sam Ragan Papers, 1948–1996, in the Southern Historical Collection, UNC-Chapel Hill 1915 births 1996 deaths Barton College alumni American male journalists 20th-century American journalists