David E. Whisnant, Ph.D., is a historian and author whose work has focused on cultural history and policy in the Appalachian region and in Latin America. He is the author of four books, including All That Is Native and Fine: The Politics of Culture in an American Region (UNC Press 1983) and Rascally Signs in Sacred Places: The Politics of Culture in Nicaragua (UNC Press 1995). Retired from the faculty of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, he now does contract historical research and writing for the National Park Service and other clients through the consulting firm (Primary Source History Services) he runs with his wife, Anne Mitchell Whisnant.