Odum, Ralph Emerson (Odom)
Ralph Emerson Odum (December 11, 1913 - June 5, 1966), a.k.a. 'Odom', was an American lawyer, state government official, amateur historian, and publisher. He was born in Waycross, Georgia, but grew up in Lakeland, Florida, taking a degree in law at Stetson University. He served as legal officer for the Naval Reserve from 1946 to 1949. In 1949, he joined the staff of the Florida State Attorney General. Odum served as Florida's Assistant State Attorney General in the 1950s and 1960s, overseeing the legal battles associated with the desegregation of Florida's schools and universities. He was decidedly anti-integration. He was also a treasure hunting historian. Although not a hunter himself, he was fascinated by the stories of lost treasures in Florida. He produced one map, a pictorial map of Florida's sunken treasure, which appeared in many variants and several editions.
AKA: Odom
The map that spurred a treasure hunting craze!
This is a c. 1958 Ralph Odum and Walter Sanford pictorial treasure map of Florida. The map captured the imagination of Floridians, spurring a short 'treasure-hunting' craze! (more details)