Dr. Lewright Browning Sikes, age 68, died Tuesday, September 25, 2012 after a lengthy illness. Dr. Sikes was born in Rutherford County, TN in 1944 and was the son of the late McCulloch Hord and Judith Browning Sikes. Dr. Sikes received his B.A. degree from Maryville College and his M.A. and Ph.D. degrees from the University of Tennessee of Knoxville. He was a Professor of History at Middle Tennessee State University for 26 years. He was the author of The Public Life of Pierce Butler (1979), the editor of Nick Hardeman: A Civil War Novel (1993) and the author of articles and/or reviews in The Georgia Historical Quarterly, The Tennessee Historical Review, The North Carolina Historical Review, The Journal of the Early Republic, The Journal of American History, and Boarder States: Journal of the Kentucky-Tennessee American Studies Association. He presented and/or critiqued papers for many organizations including The Southeastern American Society for Eighteenth Century Studies and the Society of Historians of the Early American Republic. Dr. Sikes was the recipient of several grants from The National Endowment for the Humanitities and Middle Tennessee State University. His field of interest was Colonial and Early National America. His retirement gift of 160 rare books to the MTSU library was the core of the start-up collection of books for the Special Collections unit of the University Library. Dr. Sikes was a professional musician and performed with many organizations including the Nashville Symphony Chorus, the Nashville Opera, the Jackson Tennessee Symphony, and a number of churches in Tennessee. Dr. Sikes is survived by his two daughters Mary Elizabeth Sikes of Hendersonville and Parri (Todd) Thurman of Knoxville; granddaughters Camilla Marie Thurman and Karenna Pearson Thurman; sisters Judith (Scott) Farrell, Mary McCullough German, Lucy Karnes, Martha Felker, and Jane (Richard) Renner. Visitation will be 4:00 until 8:00 PM Friday at Woodfin Funeral Chapel, Murfreesboro. The family requests that in lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to The Comprehensive Care Center Foundation in Nashville, TN in memory of Dr. Sikes. Online condolences can be made at www.woodfinchapel.com. Woodfin Funeral Chapels 615-893-5151.