Progress 2008

2008

PROGRESS

2008 PROGRESS EDITION

For the ones you’re close to, so are we. THE COMMERCIAL DISPATCH

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“Programming is the key to the future,” Dr. Del Phillips, superintendent for CMSD schools, said in August 2007 when he first presented the idea of magnet schools to the district’s Board of Trustees. “Individualized education is the way to go,” he continued. “The reason it is so successful is because it raises student achievement and it keeps students interested in school.” “Everybody is talented at something. Everyone is interested in something. If you can match the right child with the right things, wonderful things can happen,” Donald Waldrip, founder of Magnet Schools of America, assured board members. “You build it, you promote it, they will come.” If Waldrip’s prediction holds true, the fall of 2008 should see an influx of excited students as the doors open to Cook Elementary Fine Arts Magnet School, Stokes Beard Elementary Technology and Communication Magnet School, Fairview Elementary Aerospace and Science Magnet School, Franklin Elementary Medical Sciences and Wellness Magnet School and Sale Elementary International Studies Magnet School. “It keeps students engaged in school. It matches their instruction with what the overall theme of the school is,” Phillips said. CMSD will have a true magnet school concept, with every elementary school in the district planning instruction around one of five themes.

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“I think the biggest thing with magnet schools is the ability to have choice across the system,” Phillips offered. Many school systems operating with the magnet concept have one or two schools with themes. With all CMSD elementary schools offering a unique theme, parents and children will have what Tommy Prude, CMSD Board of Trustees vice president has called “true choice.” Prude has long been a proponent

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“The next generation of any endeavor usually rests on the shoulders of those who went before,” believes founder Gildea. “Our success includes parents, good teachers and the philosophy of Dr. Suzuki that teaches us that any child can learn if nurtured in the right environment.”

YMCA art and drama

The YMCA offers more than fitness and sports these days. The national YMCA and Columbus’ Frank P. Phillips Y view the arts and humanities as tools to build communities and strengthen families. “We’ve always been big in youth sports,” said local YMCA executive director, Charlie Box. “I suppose the reality hit us several years ago that not everyone is a jock that likes to play sports. It was then we started offering art.” The Y’s Young Artists Program offers five classes at its downtown location — two preschool art classes, homeschool art, after-school art and intermediate art with focus areas in drawing, painting,

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Nathan Parker, 8, paints during YMCA art class.

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That is the power of art!” Drama has also become a popular YMCA-sponsored endeavor. Under Terri Gillis’ guidance, productions including “Annie,” “Back to Mayberry” and “Pollyanna” have entertained local audiences and infected young thespians, as well as their parents,

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growing up with the

arts

Local groups bringing along a new generation of artists, one paintbrush and violin at a time text by JAN SWOOPE photographs by KELLY TIPPETT

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Art instructor Cynthia Mutch points to three containers of vivid paints. “Does anyone know what these are?” she asks the group of 5- to 9-year-olds in an art class at the Frank P. Phillips YMCA in downtown Columbus. Young Claire immediately stretches her hand high. “The primaries!” she eagerly answers. A 6-year-old seeing the rich red, yellow and blue primary colors through the eyes of a burgeoning artist is just one of the small artistic milestones celebrated each week in art centers, classrooms and studios throughout the city. The arts are the universal language, transcending all ages and cultures. They educate, enrich and entertain. And it’s no secret that a community vibrant with visual arts, music and theater has an advantage when prospective businesses and professionals come calling. So just how is Columbus going about the creative business of developing its next generation of artists, actors, musicians and art patrons? Much of it is under way within organizations like the Columbus Arts Council, Suzuki String Program and the YMCA. And Columbus Municipal School District parents will

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“You see a lot of boating on the river,” said Miller. “It is one of the best places for bass fishing in the state, and there are several fishing tournaments on the river each year.” And despite its popularity, the river hasn’t gotten too crowded to enjoy. In fact, Miller believes the good boating practices observed by most who use the river keep it safe and accessible. “The river is well monitored, and great care is taken to make sure everyone is safe,” Miller, who is a member of a boating group called the Stump Jumpers, said. “We practice safe boating and because of this, the number of accidents have been down over the last few years,” she added. And the Stump Jumpers do more than just enjoy the water. They work to help others enjoy it as well, staging ski shows and helping teach children how to ski. The Tenn-Tom also serves as a major attraction, bringing many different people to the city of Columbus. It’s not uncommon to see people from northern states enjoying their time on the river around Columbus, Miller noted. Places such as the Columbus Marina on Columbus Lake near the Lock and Dam, and the people who operate them, act as some of the best ambassadors for the city. “The Marina is a great example of a place where you are able to dock, get gas and go out into town,” Miller said.

Allison Caldwell Floyd and Shane Floyd celebrate their wedding on the banks of the Tombigbee.

“Many people go into town during the off season that have traveled down the waterway from the North.” While the river provides her with great recreational opportunities, Miller said the memories provided by the river are just as important. The river is dear to her heart. “My child was on the river from the time he was born,” said Miller. “It is a great way to raise your children because it is a family atmosphere.” In addition to creating a good time for a family, the river also allows friends to get together.

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other places.” “I guess it’s just a lot easier for visitors from other countries to fit into a new place when the people who live in that place are so patient and willing to help them with whatever they need,” added Padar, who moved to Michigan when she was about 13 years old.

International offerings

As much as the international wives and their husbands enjoy living here, it might actually be Columbus that is getting the better end of the deal. International guests bring with

the world with the other wives in the group and with people we meet in the town.” Whether it’s a plate of sushi or the finest Thai cuisine, the wives are definitely excited about sharing their hometown — or rather home-country — delicacies with anyone they can. “We always bring food to all our them the cultures and — possibly (International Spouses Group) meetmost importantly — the food from ings,” said Japanese-native Mayumi their native countries. Yoshida. “It’s good to share Japanese “Every country has a different food and eat food from other places I taste,” said Padar. “Columbus doesn’t don’t usually have.” really have that many different tastes, “This is my first experience in the but we are sharing foods from all over South,” said Giacobbi. “I love to talk PROGRESS 2008 ◆ THE COMMERCIAL DISPATCH

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Fourth of July, Labor Day and Memorial Day are just a few of the days calling the Stump Jumpers to the Tombigbee and their pavilion there. “We get together and eat on the big holidays,” Miller said. “We have even had a wedding out there.” Even for those choosing to stay on land, the river still can provide some entertaining opportunities. The Riverwalk and Jazz Fest along with other outdoor activities tied to the river help provide a good time for those who prefer to stay dry. Often, the activities on the banks of the river also are enjoyed off shore as well. “During the Columbus Jazz Fest, there were several people in their boats hanging out and enjoying the music,” remembered Miller. “People would kill to have a river running downtown in their city,” added Miller. “The river has been a part of the community forever. So often, we just take for granted the fact that it runs through our community.” ■

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ments for a long time, adding crappie to the catch two years ago and catfish in 2007. An official announcement was set for March by the American Bass Anglers verifying booking of the Grand Slam Championship in Columbus. And Columbus has the 2009 Crappie Classic national, too. “We have a Southeast and Southwest division, and this is where they’ll meet up for nationals. Since Mississippi didn’t have a single event, we knew it would be a fair spot all across the board, and we knew we wanted to have it in Columbus because we’ve had our eye on it for a while,” said Deborah Talley, ABA national marketing director. Although the group has about eight divisions per state in the region, Mississippi only has one. That’s something they’re looking to change in the near future, and the city could benefit. This Grand Slam should bring around 200 boats to the area with one pro-angler and an accompanying nonfisherman per rig. The official tournament lasts one week, but Talley said many participants come in two weeks beforehand for practice. Hosting the event also makes Columbus eligible to bid on three other ABA national tournaments, which could mean rotating a different one in each year.

“If these two tournaments go as well as we’re hoping, we expect to get the national field trials next year and the Region 6 Bird Dog Field Trials in December,” said Tsismanakis. “These hunters and fishermen who come in for events here really make an impact on our economy, but it’s an almost invisible source of tourism unless you’re involved.”

Funding the fun

The CVB’s entire mission is about drawing events to the area, and big fun takes funding. That capital comes from a 2-percent restaurant tax collected on businesses that make more than $325,000 per year in food sales. “That’s our seed money to bring in festivals and other events,” Tsismanakis said. “This year we had a $135,000 grant budget and $130,000 for sports events — and that’s not counting the advertising, trade shows and public relations.” That grant budget, which exceeds last year’s numbers by more than $30,000, is split between local events to help foot the bill of bringing tourists to town. It goes out in trickles: $15,000 to the Tennessee Williams Tribute and Tour of Victorian Homes, $10,000 to the new Jazz & Blues Festival, $4,000 for Roast-n-Boast. Additionally, it costs about $2,000 Sniffing out the new to bring the celebs for the Braves Fox hunting and bird dog trials are camp, $6,000 for Dizzy Dean, another couple of major attractions. $25,000 for the Grand Slam Since the first American fox hunt Championship and a whopping was held at Waverley, the chase has $90,000 for the Crappie Classic. been a local tradition. Sometimes there are sponsors to The local chapter of the National help absorb the expense. Fox Hunt Association held about 20 They also reap the benefits of the events at the Black Prairie Preserve duradded tourism dollars. ing the past season. That yield comes in the form of And the CVB secured both the hotel room fees, gas profits, travel National Derby Dog Field Trials necessities and dining out. Championships and the Black Prairie Tourism officials estimate that for Bird Dog Field Trials Championship for every $1 a city spends on tourism, it this spring. receives $8 in return. Although the number of teams per And the more the CVB can help tournament varied, each one consisted bring in, the more money they have of about five handlers who stayed in town with their animals for the two- to from taxes to make the next year even better. ■ five-day event.

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years. Shaherazad’s is open for lunch and dinner every day except Monday.

Toro on Highway 45 North, Garibaldi Mexican Restaurant on Military Road and La Fiesta and Mexican Kitchen on Mexican restaurants Alabama Street. In Starkville, El It’s easy to find Mexican food Sombrero is on Eckford Drive and establishments in the Golden Triangle, Mexico Tipico, Mi Hacienda and La including some that serve authentic Magnolia are all on Highway 12. Mexican dishes, along with fast-food Southern cooking is great, but why and chain restaurants. not treat your taste buds to the flavors In Columbus, a few include Mi of the globe? ■

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sushi bar, where customers can watch the preparation.

A new thing

Pang made it his mission to entice Columbus area residents to try something entirely new. It took awhile, but he counts his effort a success. “When we first started, about 10 percent customers eat sushi, and 90 percent order from kitchen,” said Pang, who believes most people who do not like sushi simply haven’t tried it. “After so many years, the local customers try it, now 90 percent eat sushi, and maybe 10 percent order from kitchen.” Pang is assisted by his wife, Yen, whom he brought to Columbus soon after he arrived here. The Pangs now have two young children. “We’re so happy here. Every year, we have a lot of good, loyal customers. A lot of people from the base, when they leave, leave a paper on the table, saying ‘Thank you for the good food.’ They never forget us.” Pang has opened another small restaurant in Tuscaloosa, Ala., but plans to remain a Columbus resident. “People here so nice. Like family, like best friend.” Little Tokyo is open Tuesday through Saturday for lunch from 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Dinner is served from 4:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday, and 4:30 p.m. to 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday.

Customers can watch as Kenny Pang, owner of Little Tokyo, prepares their sushi and sashimi. Opposite: Lisa Dakhlalla, who owns Starkville’s Shaherazad’s along with her husband, Oda Dakhlalla, prepares food at the restaurant.

getting wider.

Middle Eastern cuisine

In Starkville’s Cotton District, the mood switches to the Middle East where The latest, and perhaps most authenstudent life mixes with baba ghanouj, (a tic, Italian restaurant in the area is smooth dip-like sauce made from roastMario’s Italian Restaurant at The Abbey ed eggplant,) and other Ottoman delicain Starkville. cies like stuffed grape leaves and falafels “We have an all-new menu and in the tiny Shaherazad’s on Maxwell cheaper prices,” owner Mario Perez said Street. of the downtown Starkville eatery. Operated by Oda Dakhlalla, his wife, Chinese cuisine With dishes like Penne al Forno Lisa Dakhlalla, along with their three Whether you’re looking for Mandarin, ($7.50 at lunch) or portobello mushsons and a little help from students at Szechuan, Hunan or Cantonese, there rooms and shrimp stuffed into ravioli Starkville High School and Mississippi are restaurants to satisfy a craving for ($8.95) along with the red-checkered State University, Shaherazad’s brings flaChinese cuisine, too. tablecloths and candles dripping down vors and the ambiance of the Arab world To mention a few, in Columbus, old Chianti bottles, this Main Street to Starkville. there’s A Gold Star Chinese Restaurant bistro transports you directly to Little Italy “I wanted people to see a little about on Highway 45 North, China House on or better yet, Rome itself. Muslim life, that what you don’t see on Alabama Street, China Royal, Peking Mario’s has no shortage of pasta rang- TV,” is the way Lisa Dakhlalla described Chinese Restaurant and Buffet City, on ing from rigatoni to gnocchi and sauces her restaurant. Highway 45 North. In West Point, there’s stretching from marinara to clam, or simOda Dakhlalla grew up in Bethlehem, China Buffet on Highway 45 Alternate ply — meatballs. just outside of Jerusalem, and many of If Japanese or Asian-inspired cuisine Mario’s serves lunch and dinner, and the dishes are traditional foods found in doesn’t appeal to your tastes, don’t is closed on Monday. Middle Eastern countries. In Columbus, diners can find Italian despair. Eating out in the Golden Triangle Lisa Dakhlalla is American by birth, fare at The Green Olive owned by chef keeps getting easier as the choices keep and grew up in New Jersey. The family Sarah Labensky. getting more plentiful. And it’s partly has lived in Starkville for about 26 because the international table keeps 118

For Italian

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Fine Arts Magnet

Five new magnet themes are set to debut in city elementary schools in August. While all schools will teach the same core curriculum, each will have a specific magnet theme — fine arts, technology and communication, medical sciences and wellness, aerospace and science or international studies. “I think exposure to the arts allows children to express themselves, develop confidence in their abilities to be creative and recognize beauty through the diversity displayed in art,” Columbus Superintendent of Education Dr. Del Phillips commented. “And an appreciation for performing and visual arts develops a well-rounded child prepared to think more critically about the world around them.” The fine arts magnet school, which is planned for Cook Elementary School, will benefit from partnering with the Joy Fan, practices violin with fellow Suzuki Strings members. In Columbus Arts Council. “The new fine arts magnet school will be a great equalizer the foreground is Daniel Jones. in our community. No longer will students be able to take art, dance, strings, music and drama only if their parents can with the acting bug. afford it,” Rowland said. “And really, isn’t that what ‘No Child “We look for plays or musicals with a positive message of Left Behind’ is all about?” inspiration or hope,” said Gillis, who has also worked closely The Spanish cubist painter and sculptor Pablo Picasso once with Fairview Baptist Church’s drama team. “I really think that said, “Every child is an artist. The problem is how to remain what this theater program is about is reaching out to young an artist once he grows up.” people who need to be inspired, who want to connect. It can Thanks to a dedicated cadre of teachers, mentors and bring people from the place of being unsure of themselves to visionaries, many children in and around Columbus are being realizing how truly valuable they are.” allowed the chance to do just that. ■

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A Contributor to Columbus’ Past, Focused on Columbus’ Future

“We’re so happy here. Every year, we have a lot of good, loyal customers. A lot of people ... when they leave, leave a paper on the table, saying ‘Thank you for the good food.’ They never forget us.” — Kenny Pang

platter

text by VICKY NEWMAN and SKIP DESCANT photographs by KELLY TIPPETT

In an age of air travel at supersonic speeds, it’s not inconceivable for jet setters to fly to a distant continent for an authentic international meal at the drop of a hat. Or, with easy access to inexpensive cruises, it would be entirely possible to cruise down south of the border for real Mexican food. But for those who prefer to remain closer to home, opportunities are ample in the Golden Triangle to sample some flavors of the greater world. Got a taste for sushi? Forget jetting to Japan. In Columbus, Little Tokyo offers sushi (cooked fish) and sashimi (raw fish), as well as tempura, steaks and more. Vietnamese immigrant Kenny Pang brought Japanese sushi to town in 2003, when he opened Little Tokyo on Highway 45 North. After immigrating to the United States in the early 1990s, he had worked in Jackson at a Chinese restaurant, and for a while operated a Chinese restaurant. When he decided to pursue his own restaurant business, Pang says he was looking for something different to offer customers, as well as a different location. Through a friend, Pang discovered sushi, and decided to learn how to prepare it. Then, by accident, he discovered Columbus in 2002. “I said, ‘What town is this? It is a pretty good town.’ I found The W and Columbus Air Force Base. I decided to try to stay here.” Pang opened Little Tokyo and introduced sushi to the area. Pang personally makes different kinds of sushi at the

Top row from left, rainbow rolls and Columbus rolls from Little Tokyo add colorful variety to traditional sashimi; eel sauce and fish eggs accent the flavor of this Little Tokyo sushi, pictured with tempura; sweet and sour chicken are served with an egg roll from Peking Chinese Restaurant.

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ENGLISH

OPTIONAL

Golden Triangle enriched by influx of international residents text by NEAL WAGNER

From Thailand to Ecuador, Columbus Air Force Base draws an international contingent of pilots, instructors and trainees every year. And they don’t travel alone. More than 20 pilots’ wives from every corner of the earth have banded together to share the cultures of their native countries, talk about their travels across the globe and, well, just have a good time while they’re here in the South. While some may view Mississippi as having a homogenous society, these women couldn’t disagree more. And, in fact, they are bringing new cultures to the area by the truckload — KELLY TIPPETT whether they realize it or not. “My husband (Tech. Sgt. Robert Padar) was stationed in Hawaii before we moved here,” said Jerry Padar, who is originally from Thailand. “Believe it or not, I actually like it here more.” Padar and a few other members of the International Spouses Group at CAFB said they believe it is hard to find another culture as unique as Mississippi. “Sure it’s a small place, but I love it, and all the other wives seem to like it as well,” said Karolina Giacobbi, a Beirut native and head of the International Spouses Group. “I don’t know how to explain it, but everything here and all the people here just look happy. Everybody I meet 110

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down here is kind and nice to me. If you ever have a problem, it’s like every single person wants to help you,” Giacobbi said. Even international wives who lived in America before coming to CAFB agree that Columbus — and the South — is unlike any other part of the world. “I went to college in Utah, so I’m a little more naturalized than some of the other out-of-country wives here,” said Ecuador native Angela Adamson. “But still, Mississippi is totally different from the West and definitely very different from Ecuador. Everyone here is just so much more outgoing and friendly than they are in those

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STORY Convention and Visitors Bureau talks up the Friendly City

text by MELANIE CROWNOVER

photographs by KELLY TIPPETT

Tell a native about the wonders of Columbus and you’re probably preaching to the choir; show an outsider and you may have met your new neighbor. That’s a truth the Columbus Convention and Visitors Bureau deals in every day. Sunrise to sunset, the crew labors to get out the gospel that The Friendly City of Possum Town is the place to be. Unlike some of their counterparts in other towns, though, these gurus of making it look good start with some pretty promising material. Everyone knows the basics: Tennessee Williams, Market Street Festival, Pilgrimage and Friendship Cemetery. But now the CVB is making the city a premiere sports destination just in time for an influx of new people from the introduction of companies like SeverCorr and Paccar into the Golden Triangle.

James Tsismanakis, executive director of the Columbus Convention and Visitors Bureau, displays some literature about The Friendly City.

Knocking one out of the park

out celebration. “The Red Barber event was huge for Columbus, and we’re hoping to get a Gov. Haley Barbour recently told the Mississippi Tourism Association the museum in here later on, but it’s not the only major baseball event we have state needs to focus on outdoor here,” said James Tsismanakis, CVB tourism because it’s a virtually executive director. untapped gold mine. The Kent Willis Straight Path And there’s no outdoor pastime bigBaseball Camp concluded its fourth ger than baseball. season in January. Willis, a minor That’s one market where Columbus league pitching coordinator for the has hit a home run. Atlanta Braves, brought some of the The city got national attention from team down each year to train future The New York Times and Washington Post for the February celebration of the area all stars ages 7-14. The talent this late sportscaster Red Barber’s centenary. year included pitcher Kyle Davies, outfielder Jeff Francouer and catcher Brian Barber, who was born and lived in Columbus until age 10, earned the first- McCann. The CVB also knocked one out of ever Ford C. Frick award from the the park in 2007 by winning a second Baseball Hall of Fame and induction three-year contract to host the Dizzy into the Radio Hall of Fame. The Columbus tribute included dedi- Dean Baseball World Series. That event brought about 500 participants and cation of a historic marker near their supporters to the city fields last Barber’s childhood home, video tribyear for a four-day playoff in July. utes from sports greats like Tommy Lasorda and lectures from former Hooking the big ones National Public Radio host Bob The bureau likewise had success utiEdwards and “Voices of the Game” lizing the community’s Tennesseeauthor Curt Smith. The CVB donated cash to the cause Tombigbee Waterway access as a tourism booster. and helped the Remembering Red The CVB has brought in bass tournaBarber Committee promote the soldPROGRESS 2008 ◆ THE COMMERCIAL DISPATCH

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Index of Advertisers

4 County EPA .................................................................71 45 Package Store ........................................................115 Alarm One .....................................................................30 Ability Works .................................................................86 American Eurocopter ....................................................25 Annunciation Catholic School ........................................68 At Home with Bassett .....................................................23 Bacco Materials ...........................................................102 Baptist Memorial Hospital-Golden Triangle....................13 Baptist Memorial Hospital-Golden Triangle...... Back Cover Beans & Cream ..............................................................17 Bella Interiors ...............................................................55 Beltone .........................................................................97 Bennett Ophthalmology .................................................84 Brickerton Day Spa..........................................................7 Cable One ......................................................................93 Caledonia Natural Gas....................................................99 Cash & Carry Building Supply ........................................46 Ceco Building Systems ...................................................24 Century 21-Doris Hardy & Associates, LLC .....................15 CFC Transportation ........................................................66 Children’s House of Montessori .....................................54 CHS Insuragroup ...........................................................74 City of Caledonia ............................................................45 Coldwell Banker-West Realty..........................................69 Columbus - Lowndes Development LINK ........................65 Columbus Accounting and Tax Service .............................4 Columbus Bank Association...........................................68 Columbus Brick Company .............................................11 Columbus Cardiovascular Care ......................................70 Columbus Convention and Visitors Bureau ......................1 Columbus Eye Clinic ....................................................107 Columbus Historic Foundation ......................................58 Columbus Light and Water Department..........................10 Columbus Lowndes Recreation Authority .....................107 Columbus Lung Physicians, PLLC ...................................89 Columbus Municipal School District ................................5 Columbus Ob-Gyn Specialty Center, PLLC .......................59 Columbus Orthopaedic Clinic ........................................39 Commercial Dispatch ..................................................109 Community Counseling Services.....................................10 Conn Construction .........................................................64 Covenant Presbyterian Church .......................................45 CPI Group......................................................................18 Crye Leike Properties Unlimited.....................................29 Domtar, Inc. ................................................................120 Drs. Holzhauer & Burtman ..........................................119 East End Baptist Church.................................................18 Eye & Laser Center of Starkville .....................................20 First United Methodist Church .......................................39 Fitness Factor ..................................................................7 Friendly City Mini Warehouses .......................................17 Front Door/Back Door ..................................................97 Galloway Chandler McKinney Insurance ........................20 General Nutrition Centers ..............................................84 Gilmore Memorial Hospital .........................................103 Global Pharmaceutical Corporation ...............................66 Golden Triangle Neurology ............................................86 Goose Hollow Furniture.................................................99 Granite Guys ....................................................................7 Grassmasters .................................................................68 Green Olive....................................................................97 Gumdrop Fabrics...........................................................38 Gunter & Peel Funeral Home .........................................78 Harveys/Sweet Peppers Deli/Jackson Square Grill ........119 Heritage Academy ..........................................................38

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Homeplace of Columbus................................................91 Immanuel Center for Christian Education ......................51 Johnson Carpet Center ...................................................87 Junior Auxiliary of Columbus ...........................................7 Kudoz ..........................................................................109 Kwik Kopy Printing ..........................................................3 Le Gourmet Cheese & Gift Shoppe..................................81 Leigh Mall........................................................................4 Lighting Plus ..................................................................59 Lighting Unlimited .........................................................17 Lowndes County Board of Supervisors ...........................16 Lowndes Funeral Home & Crematory.............................98 Lowndes County Radial Tire ...........................................64 Main Street Columbus....................................................39 Malachi Financial Group................................................98 McConnell Brothers Transfer & Storage .........................75 Memorial Funeral Home & Crematory ...........................50 Merchant Law Firm, PLLC ..............................................98 Metso Paper ..................................................................92 Microtek Medical ..........................................................40 Mid-South Signs.............................................................47 Mississippi Industrial Waste Development ............... 60-61 Mississippi University for Women ..........Inside Back Cover Mitchell, McNutt & Sams..............................................108 Neel-Schaffer, Inc. .........................................................86 Nephrology Associates .................................................108 New Chateaux/Holly Hills Apartments ..........................109 Newell Paper Company ..................................................28 Newman Oil Company....................................................69 Nichols, Crowell, Gillis, Cooper & Amos, PLLC ...............22 North MS Hematology & Oncology Associates .................... ............................................................. Inside Front Cover Novus Auto Glass ...........................................................74 Noxubee County.............................................................34 OCH, Center for Breast Health & Imaging ......................67 OCH, Center for Sleep Medicine.....................................19 Ole Country Bakery........................................................33 Party & Paper ..................................................................3 Pattman Funeral Directors ...........................................102 Pediatric Dentistry, Dr. Curtis, DMD, P.A. .......................46 Phillips Contracting Company ........................................30 Physicians & Surgeons Clinic .......................................106 Physicians Weight Loss ...............................................114 Pinnacle Hunt - The Landings ........................................54 Plantation Pointe Retirement Community .......................23 Ratliff Air Service ...........................................................50 Re/Max Partners, Tiffany Harrison .................................91 Rehab at Work...............................................................33 Rex Rentals....................................................................81 Sanders Oil Company.....................................................22 Saum Chiropractic Clinic .............................................115 Scott K. Perkins, CPA .....................................................41 Shelter Insurance, John Longmire .................................51 Shelter Insurance, Priscilla G. King ................................51 Smith Landscaping.........................................................87 St. Paul’s Episcopal Church............................................81 St. Paul’s Episcopal School ............................................58 State Farm Insurance .....................................................35 Steve Wallace, PLLC .......................................................74 Susan’s Hallmark ...........................................................89 T.E. Lott & Company ......................................................31 United Way ....................................................................12 WAG ...............................................................................97 Woody’s on the Water ..................................................115 Yarns Downtown ...........................................................78 YMCA.............................................................................75

THE COMMERCIAL DISPATCH ◆ PROGRESS 2008

with the other people here about our different cultures and share foods with them.” “It’s very important that you try to take a part of your country with you when you move somewhere new,” Giacobbi added. “Food is an easy way to do that and everyone always likes trying something new.”

Language barrier

Just as would be the case if a Columbus native moved to a far-off nation, assimilation into Southern culture has been difficult for a few of CAFB’s international residents. And almost every international wife summed up their hardships with one word: language. “I’ve been living in Mississippi for almost two years now,” said Giacobbi. “Sometimes I still get lost when people are talking to me because I’m not totally used to the language yet.” “We came to Mississippi in 2006 and language has been the hardest part of living here since then,” said Yoshida. Although language is an obstacle many of the foreign visitors must overcome, it might also be what brings them together. “I love being a part of the group,” said Adamson. “Even though I don’t have as much trouble speaking English as I used to, I can definitely relate to what some of them are going through. We all try to help each other with the language barrier.” “When you are so far away from family, your country and everything you know, it’s nice to be a part of this family group because it gives you comfort talking with other people who are in the same situation you are,” said Giacobbi. ■

“There is a lot of history with the river. It has always been a part of Columbus, and it will continue to be a part of Columbus.” — Jan Miller

Barefooting Bobby Miller, 79, is one of the three founders of the Tombigbee Stump Jumpers Ski Club.

A

river

runs through

it

Some of the world’s oldest known civilizations developed near rivers. The Egyptians looked to the Nile as the giver of life. Others speak of the “cleansing” offered by the Ganges in India. “There is just something about the river that draws you to it,” said Jan Miller, a Columbus river buff. The Tombigbee River runs through Columbus, offering people a chance to water ski, boat and grill on the

Columbus residents enjoy a love affair with the Tombigbee text by JUSTIN SUTTON

water. The old river also connects to the Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway and its series of man-made lakes. PROGRESS 2008 ◆ THE COMMERCIAL DISPATCH

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soon have the option of sending their children to a fine arts magnet school, one of five magnet themes being offered this fall for the elementary grades.

At the Columbus Arts Council

Some of our youngest artists-in-training are nurtured by a bustling variety of year-round classes and summer camps offered at the Rosenzweig Arts Center. “Classes have begun as early as birth with our Music Together class for children, birth to 5 years, and a parent or caregiver,” said CAC Executive Director Heather Rowland. Other budding Rembrandts or Oliviers — ranging from toddlers to teens — learn to express themselves in preschool fine arts, drama, drawing, oil painting, sculpture, pottery and even drum. Some teens find their creative outlet through related pursuits like video production or digital photography. Rus Blackwell, an actor and acting coach, joined the Arts Council team to teach acting for television this past year. “He had just finished filming ‘The Curious Case of Benjamin Britton’ with Brad Pitt and Cate Blanchett, due in theaters this fall,” noted Rowland. Summer camps in dance, drama, music, art and clay for children ages 5 to 13, meld learning and laughter in the RAC’s studios and theater. The arts council’s outreach extends far beyond the physical walls of the center. “Through the Young People’s Artist Series, more than 5,000 children and teachers from public, private and home schools in Northeast Mississippi and Northwest Alabama are exposed to theater, music and dance each year,” explained Rowland. The CAC also partners with Mitchell Elementary School to integrate fine arts teaching methods into core subjects and works with Lee Middle School students after school and in summer sessions through the Crossroads Program. The CAC also provides grants to local schools for art supplies, including a recent $1,000 award to Franklin Academy Elementary School for its Art Encounters program. Other organizations such as Suzuki Strings, Girlchoir and Arts in Artesia also

Above: Claire Guill, 6, holds her painting completed in a YMCA art class. Opposite: Scott Sandifer, a member of Suzuki Strings, practices the cello at his Caledonia home.

benefit from CAC grants and resource support. The CAC, which is assisting with the new fine arts magnet school, also takes the restorative power of art to young people who may least expect it, conducting weekly sessions for Community Counseling’s Adolescent Offenders Program and the Lowndes

County Juvenile Detention Center.

Columbus Suzuki Program

For almost three decades, little hands in Columbus have begun their musical journey with variations of “Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star,” learned on diminutive violins. The rhythms and theme in the familiar strains are found in all music

PROGRESS 2008 ◆ THE COMMERCIAL DISPATCH

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and form the building blocks of the Suzuki teaching program. In 1980, violinist and arts advocate Trudy Gildea founded the local string program based on Dr. Shinichi Suzuki’s methods, with support from the Columbus Arts Council, Mississippi Arts Commission and Friends of Chamber Music. She continues to teach today and assists instructor and program director Diane Ford and instructor Denise Burcham with the more advanced Suzuki Orchestra and Ensemble. “Trudy has put her heart and soul into the arts in Columbus,” stressed Ford. Young musicians ages 4 to 18 come from not only Columbus, but Starkville, West Point, Amory and Smithville as well, to learn violin, viola and cello through a combination of private instruction and monthly group lessons conducted at Taylor Hall on the Mississippi University for Women campus. “Although we teach all ages, we strive to begin teaching the young student through the parent-teacher-child relationship,” Diane Ford explained. “This

MATTHEW WEST

Suzuki Strings players practice during an October workshop at First United Methodist Church in this 2007 file photo.

process instills readiness, memorization, performance confidence, technique mastery and more.”

choices

Ford advises interested families to observe group or private lessons first to learn more about the program.

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“When Bobby Blue Bland came last year, he said he remembered staying in the hotel during Jim Crow days.” — Kabir Karriem

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only “colored” businesses. In its heyday, Seventh Avenue’s Queen City Hotel hosted entertainers such as Duke Ellington, Count Basie, Fats Domino, B.B. King and Little Richard. Initially begun 25 years ago, the Seventh Avenue Heritage Festival was dormant for several years, but was reinstituted successfully in 2004 by Kabir Karriem. Karriem said, “Last year’s festival was our biggest to date, with national entertainers like Bobby Blue Bland and Jurnee Smallett, the actor.” This year’s festival will be tinged with sadness, Karriem said. Recently, the remnants of the Queen City Hotel were removed from the lot where the building stood for nearly a

century. After numerous attempts over several years to save the historic structure, it was torn down. “My heart fell to my shoes when they tore it down,” Karriem said. “We were trying to make a last-ditch effort to save it, but it was in such bad shape. When Bobby Blue Bland came last year, he said he remembered staying in the hotel during Jim Crow days. There was that connection to the past, the history.” Another African-American heritage celebration is the Columbus festival known as Juneteenth. It features everything from barbecue and arts and crafts vendors to entertainment and sports. ■

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The market is open from the last Saturday in April to the last Saturday in October, from 6 a.m. to 10 a.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays and from 7 a.m. to 10 a.m. on Saturdays at Second Avenue and Second Street North. Information about the market can be found at its Web site, www.hitchinglotfarmersmarket.com. The cost to rent a stall or booth to sell items is $5 for a day and $100 for an entire season. “You’re not going to be able to set up a shop or business with less overhead than that,” Lehner said, referring to new growers. “You can afford to learn (gardening) lessons the first few weeks.” “We certainly don’t want to lose our local growers and farmers,” stressed Imes. “A farmers’ market enables a grower to have an outlet for what he’s producing.”

Benefits for the consumer

It certainly has benefits for the consumer, as well.

“When you cut out packaging, you cut out travel and you cut out the middle man, (what you are left with is) flavor,” said Imes. “It’s wonderful to know, actually, who is growing your food and to see a face behind who grew your tomato. To me, that’s important. And there’s a difference in the taste!” “I think the market is an asset to the community in several ways,” said Freeze. “First of all, it’s encouraging local people to respect local foods and local growers. The growers who were there last year had such success; they never dreamed they were going to have the success they did. “Since it’s gotten to be such a gathering (place) on Saturdays, it’s a wonderful place to bring your kids,” she added. “And we’re exposing entrepreneurs and giving them a chance to show their wares.” Only locally grown items and locally made crafts are sold at the market. ■

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Columbus’ Riverwalk is a mainstay for walkers, bikers and family outings.

T

rail mix Area walking trails create pathways to community text by NEAL WAGNER

Community. It’s an abstract concept. Few can describe it, but you know when it’s there. For residents of the Golden Triangle, one look at a city park or trail will prove community is alive and well. “We do what we do to make our city a community — not just a collection of neighbors,” said Devon Brenner, president of walking and cycling trail activist group Starkville in Motion. Each of the Golden Triangle’s three cities has its own approach to strengthening neighborly ties through park and trail programs.

photographs by KELLY TIPPETT

community,” said Irby. “I’ve never been walking on the trail when I didn’t see at least 20 friendly people.” Plans are already in the works to extend the Riverwalk by almost a mile to give neighbors a little more room to socialize. “The Riverwalk is like a dream fulfilled for Columbus,” said Irby. “I am really looking forward to its future as a community-strengthening tool.”

Starkville is in motion

It started with some paint. It will end with a new kind of city. In August 2005, a local activist group known as Starkville in Motion conWest Point’s vinced the Starkville Board of Aldermen wandering trails to paint a bike lane along the edge of Situated in the middle of downtown University Drive. West Point, Sally Kate Winters Park proBy now, Starkville cyclists and jogvides residents a beautiful location to gers have known about and used the walk, talk and even enjoy live music. University Drive bike lane for almost Meandering through the streets and two years. Amber Smith, director of community woods of the city on top of what used In October 2007, a SIM survey development for the West Point/Clay to be railroad tracks, the Kitty Bryan Dill County Growth Alliance is pictured on the showed almost 500 bikers and more Parkway has been giving West Point walking trail in Sally Kate Winters Park. than 200 walkers used the bike path in locals almost four miles of walking and a single day. and into a great social environment.” biking trails for nearly 20 years. But few of them are aware of the Since 2005, Columbus residents from “The park and the trails get a lot of large-scale projects currently in the all walks of life have been biking and use,” said Amber Smith, director of works as a result of the success of the walking through the woods near the community development for the West bike lane. Tombigbee River along the 1.25-mile Point/Clay County Community Growth “The (University Drive) bike lane was Alliance. “The city keeps them perfectly Riverwalk trail. a major early victory for us,” said “When someone talks about what clean and landscaped all the time and Mississippi State University associate they are really beautiful. It’s no wonder Columbus has, they will name things research professor and SIM member like Mississippi University for Women, so many people use them.” Ron Cossman. “After we realized we Columbus Air Force Base and the Throughout the year, neighbors catch could actually make a project like that Riverwalk,” said Columbus’ Director of up at events such as the Prairie Arts happen, we began looking toward bigFestival; bikers share paths with joggers, Federal Programs George Irby. “It’s a jewel of downtown that meanders ger projects.” and local musicians delight families through the woods.” Those bigger projects came quickly. with their home-grown talents. Chances are, if you take a stroll or “Our park system provides a social, bike ride on the Riverwalk you will find Grants secured community-building road for West Between July 2006 and December Point,” said Smith. “You can meet some- children riding bikes with their families, one you didn’t even know lived next to joggers keeping in shape and soon-to-be 2007 SIM secured two grants worth friends meeting for the first time. almost $1.8 million from the you while you’re at the park. “It really helps give that sense of Mississippi Department of “It gets people out of their houses PROGRESS 2008 ◆ THE COMMERCIAL DISPATCH

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Charlotte Fuquay rides along Starkville’s bike path.

Transportation on behalf of Starkville. “We decided to become the solution to the lack of biking and jogging paths in the city,” said Cossman. Pending final MDOT approval, the grants will be used to fund two major path projects. The Lynn Lane path project will provide a multi-use path that stretches from R.L. Jones Drive near MSU, down Locksley Way and along the entire length of Lynn Lane. The path will also be separated from the main road by a median. “The path will run past two schools, a Boys and Girls Club and through McKee Park,” said Brenner. “A lot of kids will be using the path, so we wanted to make sure it was completely separated from automobile traffic.” The second project, named Safe Routes to School, will build or improve sidewalks and biking trails in the nearly five-mile area between the Rolling Hills and Green Oaks subdivisions. The trails will provide a safe route for Ward-Stewart Elementary, Henderson Intermediate and Armstrong Middle School students to walk or bike to school each day. “Studies show that less than 2 percent of school-age children walk or bike to school in Starkville,” said Cossman. “We think if we build paths and make them safe, then many more children — and people in general — will make use of them.” Whether you bike along University Drive in Starkville, walk along the river banks in Columbus or talk with neighbors on old railroad trails in West Point, Golden Triangle residents are taking to the trails to keep community spirit alive. For more information, visit www.columbusmainstreet.com/riverwalk for the Columbus Riverwalk, www.wpnet.org for West Point parks and trails and www.starkvilleinmotion.org for Starkville trail projects. ■

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“This is my home and I want it to continue for future generations.” — Pat Wheeler by Main Street to enlarge the groupings of plants,” Boswell said. And the Design Committee has done much more. “To celebrate fall in the South, we added a display of native hay bales, pumpkins, corn stalks, gourds, cotton and other fall items on most corners,” Boswell said. “Comments were made by many how this display set the mood for fall and enhanced our downtown.” Additionally, the group enhanced Leadership Park, at the corner of Fifth Street South and College Street by installing a sprinkler system, new sod, concrete planters and the hanging baskets in the arbor; fresh plants are added seasonally. They painted traffic light poles and lights downtown, placed signs designating the historical district, wrought iron benches were installed by the mayor’s office and the Lowndes County Courthouse and trash receptacles were added to the downtown area.

Other projects

The Main Street Design Committee also is responsible for the “Welcome to Historic Columbus” sign painted on the concrete wall of the Magnolia Bowl and for adding sod and shrubbery on the property. The group also purchased Christmas wreaths for the corners of Main Street and Fifth Street, complementing the large native cedar tree placed annually as the city’s Christmas tree. Last year, the group changed the plants in the corner pots twice and totally renovated the outside of the existing building at the Old Hitching Lot, where the Farmers’ Market takes place, with donations from local businessmen. For that project, bricks were donated by Al Puckett and Columbus Brick Co.; lumber was donated by Jack Chilcutt and New Home Building Store; a metal roof was donated by Roger Burlingame and CECO Building Systems; Mike Bogue and APAC Mississippi Inc. donated asphalt; Doug Phillips and Falcon

Construction donated equipment and labor; and electrical services were donated by Gordon Via and Twin River Maintenance. Additionally, 18 Columbus Fire Department firefighters donated labor, including Earnest Ross, Mark Connors, Doug Cox, Derek Lowery, John Grantham, Frank Upton, James Avery, Shannon Murphy, Derrick Parnell, Scott Swain, Jeff Edmonson, Dale Ballard, Richard McBride, Tony Massey, Robert Bobo, Michael Miller, Lance Godfrey and Wes Mims.

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“One thing I would like people in the community to see is that it takes not only one Main Street and one organization, it takes all these business people,” Boswell said. “I hope business people see, in an effort to do anything, it’s going to take a lot. “We need more business people and individuals to come forth and offer to help with projects,” she continued. “It takes a community,” agreed Wheeler. “It’s never going to be one entity,” Boswell repeated, thanking Columbus Mayor Robert Smith for his support of the group and Federal Programs and Building Inspection Director George Irby for helping with his summer youth program participants. “If this mayor did not help and listen to suggestions, much of what we do would not get accomplished,” she said. “It just takes a lot of people and a lot of time,” Boswell added, noting those interested in helping should contact the Main Street Columbus office at (662) 328-6305. The Main Street Design Committee’s future projects include adding more corner pots, adding more iron trash receptacles, a plan to “enhance, with native plants, areas along the Riverwalk,” and a “plan to encourage more store owners to add the correct size pots or planters to enhance their store fronts,” said Boswell. ■

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89

Where history lives Exploring the past through the arts text by MELANIE CROWNOVER

photographs by JOE RAY ROBERSON

For many, history is a dingy schoolbook filled with outdated concepts and the names of those long dead. It’s the embodiment of the clichés, “hindsight is 20/20” and “ignorance is bliss,” all in one. But not in Columbus. Here, history is more than some abstract vision of the past. It’s a tangible presence in the community’s present and a foundation for its future. Columbus is where history gets a breath of life.

Rewriting history

One step into the local Welcome Center and there’s no doubt who Columbus’ prodigal son is. Come back during the Tennessee Williams Tribute in September and you’ll almost hear the footsteps of a wee writerin-training tottering through the gingerbread Victorian that was once his home and now welcomes visitors to Columbus. “There’s only four places in the world that honor his literary mark on the world, and Columbus is the place it all began because this is where he was born and raised until he was 9,” said tribute founder Brenda Caradine. The other spots — Clarksdale; New Orleans; and Provicetown, Mass. — were associated with Williams’ later life. “He changed theater history with his emphasis on realism, but he’s significant to Columbus not only because of the visibility of this place in his writing but also because he brings people from all over the world here each year to experience his hometown firsthand,” she continued. People from as many as 18 states and five countries attend the annual celebration of the Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright. And it just keeps growing. What began as little more than one play and a book signing in 2001 blossomed into a weekend of multiple produc90

THE COMMERCIAL DISPATCH ◆ PROGRESS 2008

tions and scholarly lectures, film screenings, an art exhibit, afterparty and tours including the church where Williams was baptized. The 2007 tribute added performances by professional actors and the donation of a sketch of the playwright by a friend to the Williams memorabilia collection, which is now too large for display in one showing. The tribute also passed a landmark when Williams’ hometurned-welcome center was officially deeded to the city in

January. The upcoming bill touts two performances by Richard Thomas, who played John Boy on the television series, “The Waltons.”

The sounds of the past

Seventh Avenue was the cultural hub of the African-American community before desegregation. When Jim Crow was status quo and “whites only” establishments were offlimits, artists like B.B. King, Billie Holiday, James Brown and Cab Calloway filled the rooms of the Queen City Hotel after playing Catfish Alley or local juke joints. Now the magic that once filled the avenue with music makes its way back annually for what residents proudly call “Mississippi’s biggest block party” — a free weekend of blues and gospel, food

and fellowship. More than 10,000 people filled the streets last October for the Seventh Avenue Heritage Festival when 78-yearold Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Bobby “Blue” Bland returned for the first time in decades to play the final show in front of the crumbling hotel. “It was amazing to think he stayed at the Queen City so long ago during Jim Crow and see him playing in front of it just weeks before they brought it down for good,” said festival coordinator Kabir Karriem. The demolition was a major blow for the community, but there is talk of erecting some kind of memorial on the site. Aside from one monumental performance, the 2007 Heritage Fest made history another way by adding outreach to the agenda. Officials secured actress Jurnee Smollett, who recently played in “The Great Debaters” with Denzel Washington, to address students from kindergarten through college on AIDS awareness, being drug and alcohol free and staying in school. “I don’t know what will happen with the old building site now or how we’ll follow up a show like Bland’s this year, but we’ll continue to honor our heritage and give this community a taste of what it once was and a look at what it could be if we come together,” said Karriem. “It’s all about building on our future from our past, and reaching out to our students now is just another way to do that.”

Blazing new trails

Above: Richard Ramsey, founder of West Point’s Howlin’ Wolf Museum holds a Howlin’ Wolf Memorial Blues Festival poster in this August 2005 Dispatch file photo. Left: Brook Hanneman plays Maggie in a scene from “Cat on a Hot Tin Roof,” while Lyle Tate, playing Brick, watches, in this July 2007 photo taken on the porch on the Tennessee Williams Welcome Center.

Seventh Avenue isn’t the only place in Columbus with a music heritage. The part of Fourth Avenue South known as Catfish Alley received a marker as part of the Mississippi Blues Trail back in August, and two more are on their way to Lowndes County in the next year. Catfish Alley was one of the first 20 sites to receive the honor, as well as the Howlin’ Wolf site in West Point. Another marker unveiling is set for the fall in Crawford, and Mississippi Blues Commission officials are considering another marker for Seventh Avenue. “The possibility of having three blues

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trail markers in Columbus and Lowndes County is a major coup because some of the counties in the Delta, which is considered the heart of Mississippi blues country, don’t have that many. And we have three more within an hour’s drive. There’s a good chance we could end up with a separate Prairie Blues Trail here that ties in with the larger one,” said James Tsismanakis, executive director of the Columbus Convention and Visitors Bureau. The Mississippi Blues Trail features 120 markers. The city also got official word in January it’s one of five state stops on the Southern Literary Trail. The collaboration — which honors prominent 20th century American authors in Mississippi, Alabama and Georgia — Gov. Haley Barbour and Barbara Marks, Chester “Howlin’ Wolf” Burnett’s daughter, kicks off with a month of coordinated admire the Blues Trail Marker unveiled in West Point in August 2007. events in March 2009. influenced them to get a better understanding of their writing,” Columbus was included because of Eudora Welty’s twosaid SLT state representative Dr. Bridget Pieschel, director of year stint as a Mississippi University for Women student and because the city is Williams’ birthplace. William Faulkner also the Southern Women’s Institute at MUW. visited in Columbus frequently. “Then if they come for the trail it’s likely they’ll come back State events for the Literary Trail are in the planning, includ- for other events like Welty Weekend at MUW or the Williams ing scholarly lectures and exhibits. Tribute,” Pieschel said. MUW hosts the Welty Weekend and “The names of these authors are recognized by people all the Eudora Welty Writers’ Symposium in honor of the school’s over the earth, and now people can go to the landmarks that famous alumna each fall. ■

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“We will use videos or movie clips. We will use anything to make the service relevant.” — Bo Jeffares

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Bo Jeffares, lead minister at Hope Community Church leads Sunday service. Opposite: Gathered together chatting before the day’s sermon are, in center, from left, LeAnn Mathis, Teara Parker, Nena Loughrin and Holly Gannett.

talk and hang out,” said Jeffares. “We decided that we would put a break between the music and the message so people can check on their children, mingle, find a seat or refill their coffee.” Jeffares strives to give the truth during his messages. “I don’t sugarcoat it, but I try to make it understandable for the common person.” Jeffares, who did not receive a traditional training in theology, said the church will take advantage of several things to make the service more relevant. “We will use videos or movie clips,” he says. “We will use anything to make the service relevant.” To this end, the church used a Tom Petty song during the service before the Super Bowl. While Hope has a Sunday morning service, there is no service Sunday or Wednesday evenings. Instead, the church has developed a variety of small groups to meet the needs of the church. “We offer small groups that are organized geographically,” said Jeffares. “These groups meet at different times during the week, and they do different Bible studies.” Jeffares said the small groups benefit the congregation because many people come from a variety of places to attend the service. The congregation contains worshippers from all parts of the Golden Triangle, Mississippi State University and even

Vernon, Ala. The church has come a long way from being a congregation that met in an office and later at Heritage Academy. Now located on Highway 45 South, the church has experienced great growth in recent years. “We have had over 100 percent growth in the last year and a half,” said Jeffares. He believes the rather conservative, Bible-based teachings of the church and the attitudes of those who attend have helped the church grow. “We don’t wear ties on Sunday,” Jeffares said. “We try to be transparent and authentic. If people come to us with problems, we say ‘Welcome to the club.’” Jeffares said he invites anyone looking for a church home to check out their “club.” “You have to come, see and find out for yourself,” said Jeffares. He added that if someone could not attend the church, the services are available as a podcast online. “If someone doesn’t stick with us, that’s fine,” said Jeffares. “We want them to find a church somewhere that makes sense to them and where God speaks to them.” For Jeffares and the hundreds from the Golden Triangle who attend his church, that place is Hope Community Church. ■

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DESIGNING WOMEN Volunteers join forces to beautify their downtown

text by KRISTIN MAMRACK photograph by KELLY TIPPETT People refer to them as the “garden club ladies,” but this determined group of women is a big part of the reason downtown Columbus is such a beautiful place. For visitors to the downtown area, evidence of the hard work of the all-volunteer Main Street Design Committee — comprised of Tjajuan Boswell, Betty Dill, Barbara Hodges, Pat Wheeler, Mona Sanders, Kay Neese, Judy McLain, Betty Clyde Jones, Janice Mauck, Doris Ebner, Sue Hatcher, Charlotte Stripling and Ann Lindquist — is everywhere. “I’ve lived here almost all my life,” said Wheeler, explaining her motivation for putting in many volunteer hours in beautification efforts. “This is my home and I want it to continue for future generations.” A beautiful downtown means growth, she added, noting, “I do like seeing things nice and neat and fresh plants and flowers.” “They say it’s a proven fact,” she continued. “when a new industry comes to town, businesses want to see how vital your downtown is.” “We’ve had companies come into town that make comments, ‘Your town looks so good; it looks like you care,’” said Boswell, chairwoman of the committee. “Those details that 88

THE COMMERCIAL DISPATCH ◆ PROGRESS 2008

give you that overall look, it does show you care about your town. “We just care enough about our town that we’ll spend the time, if it helps to improve (it),” she added.

The beginning

Initially, the group worked in conjunction with the former city planner, Gregg Mims, and the Garden Club Council president to “decorate the corners” of downtown, said Boswell. It was agreed Main Street Columbus Inc. would purchase concrete pots and trees, the Garden Club Council would pay for and install annual plantings in the spring and fall and the city would water the plants on a consistent basis. “Since the first pots were installed, others have been added

Above: From left, Pat Wheeler, Tjajuan Boswell, Charlotte Stripling, Betty Dill, Ann Lindquist, Janice Mauck, Kay Neese, and Doris Ebner are pictured on Main Street with the tools of their trade.

DAVID CHILDS/Courtesy Photo

Festival time

Area festivals offer opportunities for merrymaking and commerce text by VICKY NEWMAN

MATTHEW WEST

Top: Bluesman Willie E. King performs during the August 2007 Howlin’ Wolf Memorial Blues Festival in West Point. Above: James Duncan shows Sandy Sullivan his hand-crafted wooden boxes during the Prairie Arts Festival. Sullivan traveled to the Golden Triangle from Bay City, Texas for the September 2007 festival. Left: Posters from some 2007 area festivals

What’s your interest? Your hobby? Your pleasure? Your favorite food? Music genre? Wherever people live, opportunities exist for frequent festivals. The formula is simple: Festivals are gatherings featuring food, fun and entertainment, as well as opportunities to socialize. In the Golden Triangle, festivals of all kinds are organized to entertain, attract and promote the interests of special groups. Many, however, have grown into megafestivals that attempt to offer something for everyone. Columbus greets the approach of summer with its annual Market Street Festival. Repeatedly named one of the top 20 events by the Southeastern Tourism Society, it has been sponsored by Main Street Columbus on the first weekend in May for 13 years. Last year, the event drew an estimated 40,000 people into the Columbus downtown area. “Market Street is definitely growing every year,” said Amber Murphree, Main Street Columbus manager. “We try to keep it very diverse, with some-

thing for everyone. Columbus is a diverse community.” Over the last couple decades, most Mississippi communities have recognized that arts and cultural festivals are an important tool in community development and have established events to welcome visitors. Some have been around for years, however.

For the arts

This year is the 30th for the Prairie Arts Festival, held in downtown West Point on the Saturday before Labor Day. This festival features fine art exhibits and a juried fine arts competition, crafts, down-home Southern cooking, four stages of live music, classic cars, Kidsville and more than 600 exhibits. As one of the largest arts and crafts festivals in the country, Prairie Arts routinely attracts crowds of more than 40,000, and has been recognized repeatedly by tourism agencies as a top event. Another local festival leaning heavily toward the arts is Starkville’s Cotton District Arts Festival, sponsored by

PROGRESS 2008 ◆ THE COMMERCIAL DISPATCH 95

Building

Hope

Community church focuses on relevance in today’s world

text by JUSTIN SUTTON photographs by KELLY TIPPETT

A scene featuring driving rock music, people sitting with their drinks at their seats and lower lights might make some people think about an evening at a Fat Daddy’s. However, this scene is one that can be observed most Sunday mornings at Hope Community

Church. Of course, the biggest difference is at Hope the drink is coffee and not someone’s favorite libation. The focus on making church more relevant to the lives of those who attend serves as one of the driving goals of Hope Community Church. The

way Bo Jeffares, the lead minister for the church, sees it, if members of a congregation drink coffee every morning and listen to rock music every day, the service they attend on Sunday shouldn’t be that different. The story of Hope Church began

Above: A congregation member raises a hand in praise during Hope Community Church’s Sunday worship service. Left: From left, Brian Ferguson and Drew Bickmann perform during worship service.

PROGRESS 2008 ◆ THE COMMERCIAL DISPATCH

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nearly 10 years ago with the goal of a small number of believers, according to Jeffares. He said this number, who wanted to make a church service more relevant, has expanded to an attendance that averages more than 300 worshipers each week. However, people may be surprised to know the church membership is much smaller than that figure. “We got rid of our membership,”

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said Jeffares. “We couldn’t find being a member of a church in the Scripture.” Jeffares said he views another passage of Scripture as an important part of the church’s mission. “Paul used everything he could to win people to Christ,” said Jeffares. “That is kind of our mentality.” Jeffares added that there are more than six billion people in the world, and the church needs to find a way to reach them. To this end, Jeffares said Hope performs a variety of services to meet the needs of the community. “We are the regional contact for the Angel Food program,” Jeffares said. “It is not a handout, and it is not free, but it helps people who are on a tight budget. Tons of people use this program, and they may never step foot into our church. However, we still get to help them.” In addition to the program, which provides food at a reduced cost, Jeffares said the church also has groups for people recovering from addictions and for mothers of young children. When it comes to church services, a service at Hope may seem slightly different from what one might expect. The service starts with about 20 minutes of worship, which may include playing instruments such as the electric guitar and drums. After the worship time, the members of the church have an opportunity for fellowship. “We noticed that people were coming to church early or staying late to

Starkville Area Arts Council and held on the fourth Saturday of April.

Upriver, uptracks

If the lonesome train whistle sound sends shivers up your spine, there’s a festival especially for you. A few miles northeast, in Amory, the Amory Railroad Festival attracts more than 40,000 visitors each year and is cited by the Southeast Tourism Society as one of the Region’s Top 20 Events. The four-day festival is held during the fourth weekend in April. Not far from Amory, Aberdeen’s Blue Bluff Festival takes place the second weekend in October on the Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway.

MATTHEW WEST

Music and more

Music is often a festival feature, and occasionally it’s the main reason for a festival. In the mid-1990s, West Point launched the Howlin’ Wolf Memorial Blues Festival, honoring native son, blues legend Chester Arthur “Howlin’ Wolf” Burnett. This year will be the 13th annual event. Organizers say interest has grown in the blues fest each year. Last year, the Point City Fest, at nearby Waverly Waters, also was staged Labor Day weekend, offering opportunities for blues and barbecue. Blues are a requisite for many Mississippi festivals and are the greater part of Willie King’s Freedom Creek Festival in West Alabama. King began his festival at Old Memphis, Ala. (near Aliceville), a dozen years ago. This year’s event is scheduled for May 30-31. Other music genres are represented by festival organizers, as well. In 2007, three new events stirred interest and brought throngs of visitors to the area. The Columbus Jazz & Blues Fest was staged this past fall along the Columbus Riverwalk. The driving force behind the Fest was New Orleans blues musician Brice Miller, a Hurricane Katrina evacuee who sought refuge, then residency, in Columbus. “It was important for me to provide cultural enrichment for

96

MATTHEW WEST

Top: Suzuki Strings players perform at Market Street Festival in May 2007. Above: The Seventh Avenue Heritage Festival drew more than 10,000 people for its 21st annual celebration of local African-American heritage in October 2007.

Columbus,” Miller said. “I was walking on the Riverwalk one day, and I had an idea of how it would be a perfect place to celebrate my heritage and show I am grateful to this community.” The two-day event takes place this year Sept. 26-27. Music isn’t the only focus for festivities around the region. Columbus and Aberdeen both draw visitors to town each spring with annual pilgrimages of antebellum homes. The Columbus Pilgrimage, held this year March 24-April 5, is sponsored by the Historic Columbus Foundation, which also promotes African

THE COMMERCIAL DISPATCH ◆ PROGRESS 2008

American history through tours of historic sites each February.

Forgiving the man

Last Nov. 2-3, the late, great “Man in Black,” Johnny Cash, was posthumously pardoned for his long-ago wrongdoing in Starkville — picking flowers well past curfew in the 1960s. The Johnny Cash Flower Pickin’ Festival in Starkville was billed as “Three Days Celebrating One Night In Starkville.” This year, the festival takes place Oct. 17-19. Organizer Robbie Ward said he had moved to Starkville from South Carolina on the anniversary of Cash’s

death, and he learned the story about the singer’s night in the drunk tank of the city jail. “I thought we should be connecting with Johnny Cash’s colorful history with Starkville, and the idea of redemption,” Ward said. Also last year, The Charles H. Templeton Sr. Ragtime Music Festival was launched. The festival this year will be held in March at Mitchell Memorial Library on the campus of Mississippi State University. All-day events will be held in the library, where the Charles H. Templeton Music Museum is located, and concerts will be held in the evening at Lee Hall Auditorium. Not all festivals are about music. Other media claim a share. In 1997, the Magnolia Independent Film Festival was begun in West Point by the late Ron Tibbett, as a way to provide screening opportunities for independent filmmakers. Today, the event is sponsored by the Starkville Arts Council. Festivals are not staged only in the larger towns of the area. They also are

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a mainstay for smaller communities and even in neighborhoods. In West Alabama, Aliceville holds the Dogwood Festival each spring and Vernon stages the Scarecrow Festival each fall. Back on this side of the state line, Caledonia started the Caledonia Day Festival a few years ago, and the town of Artesia holds its Artesia Day Festival. Several area churches hold gospel music festivals. For 22 years, Macon has held the Dancing Rabbit Festival each fall to celebrate Noxubee County’s heritage. Festivities range from arts and crafts vendors to talent contests, sports demonstrations, music performances and various other events. In Columbus, the Seventh Avenue Heritage Festival takes place in the area around the site of the old Queen City Hotel. It celebrates the AfricanAmerican business community that developed in the area during the South’s Jim Crow days, when laws forced people of color to frequent

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dents for college for more two decades now. “We were created by the Legislature in 1987 to provide an educational opportunity to the gifted student population in the state, especially in the areas of mathematics, science and technology,” said Charles Brown, interim director for school advancement, who was director of academic affairs in the early ’90s, when MSMS saw its first class of graduates. “Arts and humanities are also a part of our mission.” “Every public school in the state has that group of highly motivated students that maybe just doesn’t fit in the regular classroom or needs something more challenging than you can do in a regular high school setting,” continued Brown, who was on the selection committee for the first class of MSMS students. He also was a principal at a school in Yazoo City. “I had kids in my sophomore class with a 30 on the ACT,” recalled Brown. “Even with my advanced offerings, it was apparent to me that they needed something more challenging than I had to offer.” And to make the grade at MSMS, his students had to go through three selection committees — an application review committee, campus interview committee and final selection committee.

Early years

The first class had an enrollment of about 150, the number of beds the school had to offer. “In the early years, many of the Columbus families served as host families because 20 years ago, the idea of boarding high schoolers was a real change for the state of Mississippi,” Brown said. “Those host families really helped kids to adjust to being away from home and also helped those parents who were concerned about sending their high school junior off to school hundreds of miles away.” Now, enrollment is about 240 juniors and seniors. And the students rely on each other and their teachers to help them adjust. “It’s like a big family,” said Caves. “I think it’s been worth it to leave my friends and family because I have gained

THE COMMERCIAL DISPATCH ◆ PROGRESS 2008

so many more friends and family.” Trist agreed. Being at MSMS is “like a whole ’nother family,” she echoed. “It’s a different experience being in the dorms. You bond more,” Jeremy Porta, a senior at MSMS and son of Laura Reynold of McComb, noted.

Wide impact

And the students are impacting much more than each other while at the advanced school. “The interface with the community, when you think about it, it’s local, but it’s also statewide,” said Dr. Bill Odom, a science instructor at MSMS. The school partners with schools all over the state including Mississippi State University, University of Mississippi, Jackson State University and University of Southern Mississippi. Through the partnerships, students are able to perform original research. “It introduces them to the true world of sciences ...” Odom commented. One graduate is on the verge of finding a cure for psuedomonas infection with research begun at MSMS. The same research won the recent MSMS grad, Madhavi Gavini of Starkville, more than $70,000 in scholarships and Best of Fair at the annual Intel International Science and Engineering Fair. MSMS students also have been published in national and regional magazines for their research efforts — Siemens National, Mississippi Academic and Science Journal and Cerebral Cortex, to name a few. And the science-savvy students show off their knowledge of physics, chemistry and biology to thousands of local elementary school students at an annual science fair held at the Trotter Convention Center. But science is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to MSMS student projects and community involvement. “History interfaces with the Columbus Library for Tales from the Crypt and City Blocks,” Odom said. For the Tales from the Crypt project, students research a person buried in the historic Friendship Cemetery and create a monologue based on his or her life. They

then perform the monologue in evening performances during the annual Columbus Pilgrimage. Historic Blocks, another innovative history project, sends students on a trip to the Columbus-Lowndes Public Library’s archives to study people, places and the environment of times past. Those students also perform a dramatic recreation of the lives of people researched, standing on the “historic blocks” in Columbus where they may have worked or lived. After hours of intense history assignments, Virginia Harris, senior MSMS student from Benton, likes to wind down with art class. “I just had two hours of analytical history,” she said as she took her brush to the canvas. “This is very relaxing.” Benton is the daughter of Scott and Liz Harris. “And when you think of people who are good at math and science, you don’t really think of people who are artistic,” admitted Trist. But the potential mathematicians and scientists at MSMS defy the odds. Painting, sculpting, impressionism and figure drawing are also under their belts by the time they leave MSMS.

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“With the motor home hookups and tailgate parking around the track, it gives a different atmosphere around the race.” — Chuck Cook ownership interest in the track in late January. “We have the inflatable jumpers for the kids, so the parents can turn them loose and pick them up when they’re worn out around 10:30 or so. We’re known for our cleanliness and family atmosphere. You can bring your lawn chairs and spread out. There’s not a bad seat in the house. They feel at home here is what people tell me.” Cook raced motocross bikes, karts and drag racers from 1970-78 before getting involved with race promotion. Two of Magnolia’s anchor races are the annual Governor’s Cup and the Cotton Pickin’ 100. Payouts in super late model division range from $5,000 to $15,000, Cook said, and the track can hold 3,800-4,000 fans for a big race. Like Columbus Speedway, Magnolia has both grandstand seating and space available in the pit area. “We do sell alcohol, but we’ve had no problems whatsoever,” Cook said. “We have restricted areas for that.”

Tailgate area

Cook says Magnolia is unique because of its tailgate arrangement where cars can park right up at the fence and watch the race. “With the motor home hookups and tailgate parking around the track, it gives a different atmosphere around the race,” Cook said. “We

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always do fireworks and little extras to make it a big event.” In addition to racing, Magnolia hosts a barbecue cook-off and a car show throughout the year, and the track’s new ownership group hopes to expand on the offerings on weeks where there is no race scheduled. “Last year one of our big draws was the car-eating dragon,” Cook said. “We’re going to bring in a monster truck to give kids rides, and there are a couple of extreme shows planned for this year, crazy things we’ve not been able to do in the past. We just keep getting better.” Cook says preconceptions people might have about dirt track racing don’t apply, and people should give it a shot. “I encourage people to come out because this track is so different from anything else in dirt racing,” Cook said. “Give us a try. People get the image of old beat-up cars kicking up a bunch of dust. But we’re always clean and neat. We have great food and a lot of activities for kids.” ■

KELLY TIPPETT

From left, J.M. Bruton of Moulten, Ala., Hershel “Papa” Perry of Columbus; and Bobby Putt of Macon look on as the 2008 Carl Hogan Honda Winter Classic begins at Columbus Speedway Feb. 2.

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principle

text by DANNY P. SMITH

Quality has always been a priority for Mississippi State University head football coach Sylvester Croom. Granted, quality of performance is important to Croom, but character has always mattered more. When he became the coach of the Bulldogs on Dec. 1, 2003, Croom not only broke a barrier in becoming the first African-American head football coach in the Southeastern Conference, he began to shape and mold a program back to respectability. Mississippi State athletic director Larry Templeton said Croom’s reputation was something that kept coming to the 72

THE COMMERCIAL DISPATCH ◆ PROGRESS 2008

MANSEL GUERRY/MSU Media Relations

and other media outlets as the SEC Coach of the Year and was a finalist for the Paul “Bear” Bryant National Coach of the Year. “It’s very rewarding and more for him than for us,” Templeton said. “Good things happen for good people.” Croom was flattered with the honors sent his way and appreciates Templeton, Mississippi State president Robert “Doc” Foglesong and the rest of the administration for staying behind him. “It’s an affirmation, first of all, of the commitment to diversity that our university has, a commitment to building a program the right way,” Croom said. “This has not been an overnight kind of deal. It’s been a gradual building process. The changes in the program first were not seen on the outside, but we could always see them on the inside.”

Laying a foundation

KELLY TIPPETT

MSU head football coach Sylvester Croom, middle, appreciates the commitment that players like Royce Blackledge, left, and Jason Husband, right, have made to the program. Opposite page: Croom has overseen a positive change in the Bulldogs on and off the field.

forefront as the school was searching for its 31st football coach. “In the process of selecting the coach we wanted to go after, everyone I talked to asked if we had talked with Sylvester Croom,” Templeton said. “The thing they said was ‘you are not going to find a better person.’ He has not only provided the leadership, he has carried that characteristic over to the young guys on our team and in our program.”

A season to remember Croom and the Bulldogs reaped the benefits from four years of building with a season to remember in 2007. The Bulldogs had their first winning season under Croom’s leadership at 8-5, which included a 10-3 victory against the Central Florida Knights at the AutoZone Liberty Bowl. Along the way, Croom was recognized by his peers, The Associated Press

Before Croom could build, he knew he had to lay a foundation. “I came here with the idea that we were going to build a brand new program,” he said. “We basically had to start all over because it has been my experience that when you are in a losing program and you need to get it out, you’ve got to clean it all out and start over.” In Croom’s first season of 2004, the Bulldogs had a five-game losing streak, but recorded a 38-31 upset of 20thranked Florida to end the skid. After also beating Kentucky, Mississippi State lost its last three games of the season to finish 3-8. The Bulldogs also ended 2005 with a 3-8 record and had a seven-game losing streak. The bright moment of that season was beating in-state rival Ole Miss 35-14 at home in the final game. One more game was added to the regular season for the first time in 2006, but Mississippi State still struggled. The Bulldogs were only able to win three games and suffered nine losses, but did manage to beat Alabama 24-16 on the road. The win against Florida in 2004, the victory against Ole Miss in 2005 and the triumph against Alabama in 2006 gave Mississippi State reason to hope. Croom continued to have the backing

PROGRESS 2008 ◆ THE COMMERCIAL DISPATCH

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Competitors warm up before this year’s Winter Classic at Columbus Speedway.

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Local dirt tracks are the place to be on summer Saturday nights text by JOEY VAUGHAN photographs by KELLY TIPPETT and JOE RAY ROBERSON

Every weekend throughout much of the year, hundreds of thousands of auto racing fans show up at NASCAR tracks around the country and millions more tune in on television to take part in the country’s biggest spectator sport — stock car racing.

Left: Johnny Stokes, Columbus Speedway promoter and driver, is pictured at the speedway. Above: Magnolia Motor Speedway manager Chuck Cook stands near the race track entrance.

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“It’s real exciting. You’ve got cars going 100 miles per hour side by side sliding on dirt.” — Johnny Stokes

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KELLY TIPPETT

Above: Car No. 33 takes a practice run around Columbus Speedway before a Feb. 2 race. Opposite: Car No. 58 joins the parade of drivers making runs at Columbus Speedway.

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KELLY TIPPETT

Lucy, left, and Laura Sandifer play violin at the farmers’ market in this June 2007 photo. Their parents are Ricky and Denise Sandifer of Caledonia.

“I felt like something was wrong with the way it was being operated,” Imes said. “(But) I was just a one-man band at the time. This was just my preliminary thinking.” Fittingly, it was over many of the things bought and sold at the market that the rest came together. “At a Super Bowl party, I met Anne Freeze,” Imes remembered, referring to one of the three women who helped her revitalize the market. “Of course, standing in the kitchen, we were talking about food. She was very much involved with and interested in local food and good food. I asked her to help me with the farmers’ market, and she agreed. “Right after that, I met Jennifer Lehner, at a dinner party, over food,” she continued. “Before the evening was over, she said she would (help).” Jennifer Brady soon joined the group. “I didn’t know these women, but we all had a love of good food and knew the importance of (supporting) local things,” Imes said. “(The issue was) we were losing growers, so how do we encourage growers?” By raising money, adding locally made crafts to the offerings and lining up more growers, Imes, Freeze, Lehner and Brady again have brought glory days to the market. The Saturday markets, with their live music and children’s art workshops, take on the air of an outdoor festival. But they still want to do more. “This year, we’re wanting to add workshops,” Imes 80

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said. “Everything happened so quickly last year, we didn’t have enough hours in the day to get our ideas going. But we do want to encourage new growers and to educate people in how to have a small, backyard garden. I’m hoping we can just educate people on how to have a garden again, how to compost, how to save seeds.”

Good for children “It is a wonderful, wonderful activity for a parent to do with a child,” said Lehner, who noted farmers’ markets encourage a “healthy lifestyle.” “My boys sold lemonade at a market last season, and I just think it would be such a great thing, from beginning to end, for a parent to plant a small garden for their child to sell (the results) at a market. “It’s about commerce,” Lehner continued. “It’s about science and marketing. It could be a really great project. (And) this would be the ideal project for the person who is retired or has free time on a Saturday to enhance their income by learning something new, like gardening. Or what if someone were to raise a couple of goats and learn to make goat cheese?” Some in-demand items include arugula, watercress “and more exotic ingredients than what we can typically find in this area,” Lehner noted. “There’s a huge demand for these types of things, and if somebody wants to try it out, we welcome new growers,” she added.

But racing fans don’t even have to leave Lowndes County to get a taste of the action. Two local tracks lie waiting to provide all the thrills and spills of a good car race but on a smaller, dirt-track scale. Columbus Speedway in New Hope and Magnolia Motor Speedway at the intersection of Highway 82 and Highway 45 Alternate each give race fans plenty of opportunities to see grassroots racing. In the summer, with college and high school sports off and no Major League Baseball team closer than Atlanta, dirt track racing is one of the best sporting events going on locally. Plus, it’s something the whole family can get into. Kids love cars. “For the money, you get more entertainment than about anything else you can do around here,” said Columbus Speedway promoter and race car driver Johnny Stokes. “For the weekly races, $12 gets you in and it lasts about three and a

KELLY TIPPETT

half or four hours. It’s real exciting. You’ve got cars going 100 miles per hour side by side sliding on dirt. It is the No. 1 spectator sport in the world. Columbus Speedway is a good family-owned racetrack.” Columbus Speedway, located at 574 Lacy Road, bills itself as “The Baddest Bullring in the South.” It’s been in operation since 1965, according to Stokes, who began rac-

ing there in 1970. The Bullring hosts about 25 races a year, starting with a winter race in January and continuing each Saturday night from March to September. About 3,000 spectators can sit in the grandstand surrounding the three-tenths of a mile dirt oval. The pit area can hold another 3,000 people, Stokes says. People come out from all over on

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Drivers make practice runs around Columbus Speedway before a Feb. 2 race.

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warm Saturday nights to hear the roar of the engines, watch the cars slide around corners and occasionally trade a little paint. “They wreck quite often,” Stokes said. “People come for the wrecks too.” Columbus Speedway hosted the first nationally televised dirt track race in the state of Mississippi last year when the Lucas Oil Series came to town. The race was shown on the Speed Network. Columbus Speedway’s signature race, the Magnolia State 100, featured a huge $25,000 payout to the winner in 2007. “That’s the biggest race that’s ever been in the state of Mississippi,” Stokes said. The weekly races feature a cast of characters from mostly the surrounding areas, but the bigger races draw drivers from all over the country. “Everywhere,” Stokes said. “For the Lucas Oil race, we had about 21 states represented.” Columbus Speedway does not sell beer, but spectators can bring their own coolers and lawn chairs.

From left, MUW students Cody Hammack, a junior from Berry, Ala.; Tim Steele, a junior from Gulfport; Michael Sipp, a junior from Pascagoula; Aaron Chu, a sophomore from Pascagoula; and Josh Graham, a senior from Fulton, chat outside of Reneau Hall.

A few

SMART

women Creating a new definition of the ‘W’ student text by MELANIE CROWNOVER

photographs by KELLY TIPPETT

Campus life has changed a lot since senior nursing major Mike Dodson first came to Mississippi University for Women in 1986. Just four years after the Supreme Court forced The W to admit its first male student, Dodson was a business management student who transferred to MSU after two years because he didn’t want his diploma to come from a “women’s college.” Newspapers were filled with stories of animosity for the male newcomers by students, alumnae and some staff — just as repeated squabbles over changing the university name to include the entire student body in recent years have further fueled the idea that men are still somehow secondclass students at their alma mater. Were all that true, Dodson said, he would never have returned to MUW for another degree.

white. That’s one reason it’s unique, though — it was a place set aside to give middle- to working-class women a leg up on being independent,” said Dr. Bridget Pieschel, director of MUW’s Southern Women’s Institute. Training advanced over time from vocational to collegiate, including the top-of-the-line nursing program that brought Joe Hogan’s noticeably masculine foot in the door in 1982. The W offered the local nurse a chance to take classes on audit status, but Hogan sued on grounds of discrimination after he was denied full admission. Finally, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled The W nursing school’s admissions policies violated the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment. And that decision applied to all programs at the university.

Women, take up your arms

The Hogan suit opened the door for scores of men like Dodson who’ve broadened the definition of a “W” student, who were once only known as “W girls.” But fate added a tinge of irony for those who opposed the move as a strike against women’s lib. It actually did just the opposite. “It really set the standard for how and when to deal with gender-based discrimination. There was only one other women’s college at the time that could be affected by the verdict, so the primary effect was gaining women entrance to all-male institutions,” said Wil Colom, Hogan’s lawyer, during the 1982 case. It later became a legal precedent in high-profile cases

In the beginning, there was no state-supported higher education system designated for women. Then the Mississippi Legislature created the Industrial Institute and College, the first public women’s college in the country in 1884. That educational groundbreaker later became Mississippi State College for Women, and in 1974, Mississippi University for Women. “Our state decided after the Civil War that it was an economic investment to make women both educated and selfsupporting to help bring Mississippi out of a depression. It wasn’t for the elite, although segregation meant it was all

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of Templeton even after three years. “We’ve had some very special moments,” Templeton said. “I think you find out who your friends are when times aren’t as good as they are now. “When we weren’t having much success on the field, we both could see there was progress being made. When he needed someone to talk to, fortunately I was there and quite frankly, when I needed someone to talk to, he was there.” Going into his fourth season in 2007, Croom knew that attitude, work ethic and talent level had improved, but the Bulldogs still had not showed they could win consistently on the field. After Mississippi State took a 45-0 beating at the hands of the eventual national champion LSU, some fans questioned if success would ever come. Not Croom. “The loss does not change my mind about those players in that locker room,” Croom said after the LSU game. “After the game, I feel even stronger now about the possibility of us being a very good football team because some questions I

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had were answered.” The Bulldogs shook off the LSU loss and won the next three games against Tulane 38-17, Auburn 19-14 and Gardner-Webb 31-15 to match the victory total of the previous three seasons. After a 38-21 road loss at South Carolina, Mississippi State defeated University of Alabama–Birmingham 3013 at home to achieve four wins in a season for the first time under Croom. With a rugged schedule left against several ranked teams, there were some who felt the UAB victory would be the last of the season and were satisfied with that.

Fighting back But, the Bulldogs showed they had more fight left in them. Mississippi State lost its next two games against Tennessee 33-21 and West Virginia 38-13, but earned what could have been the most important victory of the season — a 31-14 decision against then 14th-ranked Kentucky on the road. That spring-boarded the Bulldogs to a strong finish with wins against Alabama 17-12 and Ole Miss 17-14 at home with one hiccup at Arkansas 45-31 to finish the regular season with a 7-5 record. “I’m very pleased with the attitude of this football team and have been all season with their work ethic and teamwork,” Croom said during the last stretch of the season. “They have elevated the standards and made a clear identity.” Mississippi State showed it could be a team that could come back from a deficit to come out on top. The Bulldogs trailed Ole Miss 14-0 before winning and fell behind Central Florida 3-0 before rallying to claim the Liberty Bowl. “I am extremely thankful for our team, our coaches and our support staff,” Croom said after Mississippi State won the Liberty Bowl. “We’ve got a lot of good people in this program. I think their character, their ability to overcome adversity, their teamwork and their spirit of oneness, they have shown through all year.”

“They could have quit on us a long time ago, but we’ve put some fight, some character and some class into this program.” — Sylvester Croom The players have become fond of the man they have come to know as Coach Croom. Defensive end Titus Brown developed into one of the SEC’s most dominant pass rushers during his time under Croom’s watch. Brown participated in the Senior Bowl on Jan. 26 and is expected to be taken somewhere in the National Football League draft. He credits Croom and Mississippi State for helping him get into this position. “If I hadn’t been at Mississippi State where these guys worked so hard to have a winning season, I wouldn’t be in the spot where I am now,” Brown said. “I urge the guys behind me to press forward and do the right things to get where I am today.” Sophomore running back Anthony Dixon and Croom had some minor off-

field issues last season, but when rumors surfaced that Croom might be contacted by professional teams, Dixon made his true feelings known. “He’s a tough one to play for, but none of us want to see him go because he loves us and fights for us,” Dixon said. According to Mississippi State strength coach Ben Pollard, Croom has a unique way of getting his point across to the players. “I’ve never been around a head coach who always says the right things to the players and we’re not talking about football things,” Pollard said. “If the character things and the true heart issues are in order, the football will take care of itself. If a kid is working hard, going to school, taking advantage of his opportunities and being the right kind of citizen, then football is easy.

“Every day I hear him address the team after practice and I am so impressed with what he has to say. As a parent, I would want my son to hear the things he’s got to say.” Croom now believes he has the Bulldogs in a position to where they can at least compete for an SEC Championship. Being able to pursue that goal with quality players on and off the field gives Croom peace about the direction Mississippi State is headed. “At the end of the day, I can live with the way we’re doing it,” Croom said. “I’m very proud of this football team and what they have done. They could have quit on us a long time ago, but we’ve put some fight, some character and some class into this program. Now we’ve got to build on that.” ■

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“ ... I knew the education I would get here and was old enough to look beyond that women’s school tag of that diploma. I came because I knew this is where I needed to be.” — Mike Dodson against both The Citadel and Virginia Military Institute, the country’s only state-funded, all-male military colleges, during the 1990s. Although the ladies broke into the gentlemen’s clubs with the law on their side, few of them at first made it to graduation at their chosen schools, much like Hogan — who attended MUW, but never even made it through core curriculum requirements to enter the nursing program. But Colom said the battle was still worthwhile on a personal level for his client. “It’s not unusual for a trailblazer not to get the rewards of their struggles — Moses didn’t make it to the Promised Land, you know,” Colom said. “I think he (Hogan) left because the

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situation was too tough to deal with every day after how he got in, but he went on to get his degree in Louisiana and was practicing in New Orleans the last thing I heard. And because of Joe, the son of the judge who ruled against us in district court got to leave Ole Miss to finish school at MUW.”

fall with children Taylor, 9, and John Curtis, 4, in the background. His wife, Missy, holds both a bachelor’s and master’s from the same program. “I was actually more worried about that when I went into nursing because the national average is less than 10 percent male, and the percentage of males is already so small here, but both times Then and now Back in the 1980s, Dodson was con- I’ve been here I’ve never felt treated less than anyone else.” sidered part of a minority at MUW The W’s male nursing stats are actubecause of his gender; now he says his ally a little higher than the national status as a non-traditional student sets average, with six of Dodson’s 54 classhim apart. mates men. “At the time there were already sevBut it’s the opportunities for men to eral guys in my math and science classget involved beyond the classroom that es I took for my major, so I didn’t really have really changed in the past 26 feel like the only one here,” the 39years. year-old said as he studied for finals last More than 80 organizations now make up the campus roster of extracurriculars — the majority of which have had males in leadership roles. Dodson is currently head of the local Student Nurses Association.

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After a new addition last semester, there are four nationally recognized fraternities. Most of The W’s eight traditionsteeped women’s social clubs have opened up participation to the male population by way of big brother programs in the past decade as well. And men transferred from Goen, which was regularly regarded as one of the least desirable dorms on campus, to better housing a couple of years ago. Now first-year men room at co-ed Kincannon Hall and higher classifications have the option of refurbished Columbus Hall. “I think when men first started coming here it was mainly for the nursing program or out of convenience, but this school has changed pretty dramatically over the past 30 years,” said Bucky

From left, Cody Hammack, a junior from Berry, Ala.; Aaron Chu, a sophomore from Pascagoula; Tim Steele, a junior from Gulfport; Tomeka Reynolds, a sophomore from Biloxi; and Ashton Dillard, a junior from Saltillo, thumb through a magazine in an MUW classroom.

Wesley, vice president of student services. “Now they’re drawn here because of the whole life of the campus and our academic reputation, and our alums and students see now how much these men contribute to what The W is becoming,” he continued. Not all changes are monumental, though. One prime example is the way the school reaches out to prospective male students. The attachment of the phrase “and smart men, too” to the university name on marketing pieces is probably the biggest strategy specifically to draw men over the past two decades. However, there are no scholarships set aside solely for males, though many are on scholarship.

‘Face of the ‘W’ man’

No study has pinpointed the “face of the ‘W’ man” to aim recruitment to target specific ages, majors, races or locales. Instead, university-sponsored studies focus on specific types of students to

determine the makeup of that portion of the population. The student body has hovered at about 15 percent male for several years, even when the more than 2,000 student total enrollment traditionally drops in the spring. Wesley said W recruitment is “mainstream-based” to present to as many people as possible a picture of a university in transition with a world of possibilities ahead. Beneath those possibilities lies the question of how to fully engage an entire student body and build on tradition when history and mission are so steeped in the betterment of women. But change is one thing The W has taught well from the start. “I know a lot of men don’t come here because they don’t realize they can, but that’s just a matter of research,” said Dodson. “I came here the first time because it was close to home and came back because I knew the education I would get here and was old enough to look beyond that women’s school tag of that diploma. I came because I knew this is where I needed to be.” ■

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And “Ms. Helen” still keeps a hand in the eatery. “Mother says she’s technically retired, but she’s here a lot to make sure everything tastes just right,” the matriarch’s youngest son shares with a smile. The family’s deep roots in the city’s Seventh Avenue historic district have helped inspire Karriem’s commitment to community. Fourth generation As chairman of the annual Seventh “Helen’s Kitchen, named for my moth- Avenue Heritage Festival, he shares his er, represents a fourth generation of passion for the preservation of the disrestaurant owners in our family in trict’s rich history. “I think this area is like Lowndes County,” he relays with pride. Columbus’ hidden treasure. It was the The lively eatery — where Karriem business and entertainment district. For a grew up helping out before and after long time, it was all that the Africanschool, and on lunch breaks, too — is a American community had,” he says. popular hub where many of the talk “The festival ... shows what can be show’s topics percolate daily among dinaccomplished when we all really work ers. together,” Karriem reflects. It just might be “I have to go to the radio station to rest,” he jokes. “Our catering in particular that the cornerstone of Kabir Karriem’s philosophy can be found in the sign-off has increased tremendously since my he leaves listeners with each weekday at brother, Hussein, returned to Columbus last year. He’s a chef, graduated from the the end of the show: “Start where you are. Work with what you’ve got. Do the Cooking and Hospitality Institute of Chicago and can do fantastic things with best you can, and, I promise you, God food.” will take care of the rest.” ■ with their opinions, which helps them feel that their voice makes a difference.” Daily radio duties fall in the middle of what are often 18-hour workdays for the Columbus native, who now owns Helen’s Kitchen, the family’s landmark restaurant on 15th Street North, locally known for mouth-watering soul and comfort food.

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MARKET DAYS Local women revitalize Columbus farmers’ market text by KRISTIN MAMRACK

photograph by JOE RAY ROBERSON

Those who visited the Old doing anything.” Hitching Lot Farmers Market in Early last year, she decided to Columbus last year experienced a take action. vibrant, thriving market where “I decided, not knowing anycraftsmen displayed their wares; thing about it, I would step forfresh, locally grown produce was ward, learn fast and try to do somebought and sold; children particithing,” she recalled. “I was trying to pated in special activities and musifigure out how to get more growers. cians performed for the crowds. You need more growers, before you But it wasn’t always that way. can expect more customers to In 1976, the Columbus Farmers come. MATTHEW WEST Market was established by a group “I kept asking myself, why don’t Zachary Lehner, 4, accepts a payment from cusof local farmers and “growers,” I go regularly?” she continued. tomer Rufus Ward as his brother Jake, 6, mans the including Lacy Freeman. “The thing that popped into my cash register at the farmers’ market, in this May But recently, a longtime patron, 2007 photo. Above: From left are Anne Freeze, head, No. 1, was if I realize it’s Beth Imes, noticed the market was Jennifer Lehner, Jennifer Brady and Beth Imes, market day and it’s 7 o’clock in the dying. who’ve each done their part to breathe new life into morning, I would think everything’s the local farmers’ market. “I started going less frequently all gone. (I would think) it would each year,” she explained. “But all be picked over and gone, so each time I would go, Lacy Freeman would just shake why bother?” his head with worry, saying, ‘We need new growers.’ It People she spoke with agreed. Newcomers said they would just kind of eat at me, but I never thought about couldn’t even find the market. PROGRESS 2008 ◆ THE COMMERCIAL DISPATCH

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COMMUNITY RADIO Kabir Karriem hosts “Karriem & Company” on WTWG-AM 1050.

“If you want to know what’s going on ... just listen in.” — Kabir Karriem

Talk show host offers locals a public forum text by JAN SWOOPE photographs by KELLY TIPPETT Kabir Karriem does not consider himself a radio personality. He simply sees his role as host of WTWG-AM 1050’s noontime talk show, “Karriem & Company,” as a community service. “We don’t communicate enough,” the 34-year-old businessman believes. “This news talk show deals with our entire community, and particularly with issues that affect the African-American community.” The hour-long show, which airs live Monday through Friday, has become a town square on the airwaves. “It’s a way for people to voice their opinion on everything from economics, religion, politics, entertainment — anything that is in the news,” explains Karriem. “If you want to know what’s going on,” he adds with a chuckle, “just listen in.” The calls Karriem and his on-air guests welcome every day reflect the public pulse. A recent program ran the gamut from the much-publicized Columbus school bond referendum to appreciating city workers and the critical importance of better parenting. And sometimes the show helps reveal relevant hot spots. “Like an addict,” Karriem asserts, “until you admit there is a problem, you can’t work on it. This gives us all a tool to vent, to talk, to debate if we need to.” “Karriem & Company” first aired on WTWG on Aug. 13, 2007. “When I was younger, I used to hang around the radio station all the time, hearing men like James Hull, Tony Dean and my brother, Kamal, on the air,” the Mississippi State University graduate remembers. “When a time slot came open, I thought I had something to offer. I didn’t have on-air experience, but I thought the show could be a conduit to keep the community informed.” The station’s owners, state Sen. Bennie Turner and his wife, Edna Turner, think so, too. “Kabir is doing a fantastic job bringing issues of local interest to be discussed on the air,” Edna Turner offers. “He’d never been on radio, but he is handling it like a pro. “Local talk is vital to the community,” she adds. “It gives citizens an opportunity to learn what is going on in surrounding areas. Listeners are encouraged to call in PROGRESS 2008 ◆ THE COMMERCIAL DISPATCH

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The

best brightest and the

MSMS prepares state’s top students for the world beyond high school text by GARTHIA ELENA BURNETT

photographs by KELLY TIPPETT

The name is a little deceptive. Because peppered among the math and science courses are sections on sculpture, literature, architecture and music. Artists, lawyers and teachers, as well as mathematicians and engineers, have earned diplomas from Mississippi School for Mathematics and Science. And students with their sights set on careers in political science, microbiology and history, to name a few, today grace the halls of MSMS buildings. Housed on the campus of Mississippi University for Women, MSMS is not just a school for math and science — it’s a school for challenge, a school for community, a school for creativity, a school for opportunity. And the opportunities afforded at the school are far from lost on the teenage students. “I think MSMS is one of the greatest experiences I’ve ever been through. I’ve 56

learned so much more than academics,” said Rachel Trist, a senior at the school. Trist is the daughter of Sheri and Eddie Trist of Hernando. From time management to responsibility and the challenge of college-level classes and professors, students say MSMS has offered them valuable lessons they’ll take with them for the rest of their lives. “I don’t think you can compare the kinds of relationships with people, friends, faculty and staff. I cherish that so much more than anything I learned in a classroom,” said Katie Caves, also a senior. Caves is the daughter of James and Lori Caves of Brookhaven. “I am so much more prepared than I was at my old school. It prepared me a lot more for college,” she added.

Two decades

THE COMMERCIAL DISPATCH ◆ PROGRESS 2008

And MSMS has been preparing stu-

Charles Brown, interim director for school advancement at Mississippi School for Mathematics and Science, stands in the foyer of Hooper Hall. Opposite: Senior MSMS students Dutch Vogle, from Gulfport, and Rhett Dixon, from Oxford, look over an architectural display in Chuck Yarborough’s history classroom.

the library throughout the day would notice that a variety of users visit the library for different reasons. Local business owners take advantage of the atmosphere and wireless Internet to complete work. Others come to read magazines or newspapers. Petersen said some adults currently use the library to teach themselves how to read. Petersen said these are but a few of the examples of how the library helps the community. “Over the course of the day, you see all the different user groups come through the door,” he said. “Where else can you go and look up whatever you need?” While Petersen said the library serves a variety of important functions, he worries it will face challenges in the future without proper funding. “If we don’t see increased funding, we risk degrading the quality of the library,” he said. Petersen said the library, which had more than 230,000 visits last year, is too important for the community to accept that risk. “We don’t necessarily come up with the projects and ideas of our community, but we do serve a resource to make the projects and ideas of our community better,” he said. While the library may afford these opportunities to the area, Petersen believes work must still be done to make the library a place that adequately serves everyone. According to Petersen, the lack of night hours has hurt the library and working patrons. “We need night hours,” he said. “We had an immediate drop in our door count and circulation when we cut back our hours.” Petersen said many people who move to Columbus are shocked when they learn the library does not stay open past 6 p.m. “It is a quality-oflife issue. Many people move here from other cities, and they feel that they can’t use the library because it is closed when they finish working.” “We need increased funding for night hours and staff pay,” said Petersen. “This community needs those hours back,” he said. ■

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THE COMMERCIAL DISPATCH ◆ PROGRESS 2008

For 59-year-old Mark and 56-yearold Marilyn Leonard, residents of one of Richardson’s apartments above the Paint Store on Main Street, a commitment to Columbus blossomed as soon as they moved from their house in New Hope in 2006. “I never realized what a neat town Columbus is until I moved downtown,” Mark said. “When you take time to look around, you really find out how much the town has to offer.” Twenty-eight-year-old Mary Neff Seabergh and her 31-year-old husband, Nick, fell in love with downtown Columbus shortly after moving from Memphis, Tenn., to a loft above The Suitcase on Fifth Street South, more than three years ago. “Downtown was definitely our first choice when we were looking to move here,” said Mary Neff. “It was nice to move from a big city to a smaller one and still feel like you’re in the middle of everything.” And with restaurants, events like the Market Street Festival and dozens of stores all right outside their door, the downtown residents always have something to do. “I am a social animal,” Mark said, adding, “Now that we’re here, we can go all kinds of places and take advantage of different events without even starting the car.”

Unique dwellings

“This is my favorite part of the apartment,” Mark said as he gazed down at College Street from his back balcony. “It makes our apartment unique because only a few apartments down here have balconies. We use it all the time when the weather is nice, and it even gives us great seats for bands at the Market Street Festival.” The Seaberghs enjoy the old-time feel of their 1890s-era dwelling. “You just can’t get this kind of architecture anywhere else,” said Nick. “The 16-foot ceilings and hardwood floors we have here are really hard to find in houses or modern apartment complexes.” Every apartment in downtown has something to set it apart from the apartment next door.

“Adding seven to 10 businesses a year might not be much for a big town, but for us it’s huge. Every little bit helps when you’re a small city and county with limited funds because if you don’t draw in more businesses to broaden you tax base you have to raise your people’s taxes,” Boykin continued. With $3-a-gallon gas raising prices on everything else, either increasing taxes or leaving residents with little option but to drive an hour for fast food wasn’t acceptable anymore. The additions also meant more traffic for existing businesses. “Now that whole area is an eyecatcher for the people driving by,” Boykin contended. “With only one restaurant out there, you’re already past it before you realize, and you pass the city by without a thought. “Now drivers see the grouping of businesses from a distance and think maybe they should stop in for a bite, and that can lead them into town to check it out as well.” The community’s new civic center

KELLY TIPPETT

was built along the same line of thought as the bypass boom. For years, residents of Macon and Noxubee County had no option but to take events like wedding receptions, organizational meetings and family reunions down the road to Columbus and over to Louisville’s Lake Tiak O’Khata. That exodus was a loss of big tourism dollars for the area and an inconvenient truth for the citizens.

The answer was a more than 4,000-square-foot building across from Noxubee High School and adjacent to the Agriculture Center on Highway 45 South. The project became reality because county officials worked together to get a $1 million grant from the Appalachian Regional Commission. Construction began in November 2006 after several years of planning

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Lofty living Upstairs apartments create a sense of community in downtown Columbus text by NEAL WAGNER

Not Jackson. Not Biloxi. Not Meridian. Columbus has more upper-level apartments than anywhere else in Mississippi. And residents of downtown’s nearly

photographs by KELLY TIPPETT

130 apartments and condominium units couldn’t imagine living anywhere else. “This may be a smaller town, but people still want to be in the center of the action,” said Kazie Richardson, owner of seven Main Street apartments. With homes as different as their personalities, several loft-dwellers are finding unique ways to carve their way into city life. Some moved to Columbus from the country; some moved from a larger city. But they all have made a move toward rejuvenating downtown Columbus. “When people move downtown they are making a statement,” said Richardson. “They are saying they believe in Columbus and they believe in the future of downtown.” Left: Mark Leonard, 59, and his wife, Marilyn Leonard, 56, stand on the back balcony of their downtown apartment above the Paint Store on Main Street, overlooking College Street. Opposite: Nick Seabergh, 31, and his wife, Mary Neff Seabergh, 28, sit in the study of their loft above The Suitcase on Fifth Street South.

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THE COMMERCIAL DISPATCH ◆ PROGRESS 2008

“We have a lot of friends who live downtown and none of our apartments are alike,” said Mary Neff. “A lot of the lofts have been remodeled by their owners, so even when they are in the same building, they don’t look alike.” Despite being within 50 yards of each other, the Seaberghs and the Leonards don’t share much when it comes to their apartments’ appearances. While both lofts sport hardwood floors, elegant furniture and a homey feel, each one reflects its residents’ lifestyles. The interior of the Leonards’ 1,300square-foot apartment was hard to distinguish from a house. With two bedrooms, two bathrooms, dark wooden furniture and a large living room and kitchen, their apartment is reminiscent of the home they moved from two years ago “This place is actually about 100 square feet bigger than the first house we lived in in the 1970s,” Mark said. “Our loft kind of combines the home

feel with the downtown convenience. It’s not for everybody, but we think it was the right decision for us.” The Seaberghs’ slightly smaller 1,000-square-foot apartment reflects the style of a big-city downtown loft. Their one-bedroom, one-bathroom residence provides an excellent view of the constant movement of cars and people along Fifth Street South. The interior is a unique mixture of stateof-the-art amenities with old-fashioned 1800’s architecture. “This (apartment) has the same feel as a loft in Memphis,” said Mary Neff. “We tried to set everything up in here so it would have the look of a big-city loft.”

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However, there is at least one thing downtown residents are glad they don’t share with larger cities — traffic. “Sometimes I walk to work and sometimes I drive,” said Nick, who is a sous-chef at Harvey’s restaurant. “It’s so close that, even when I drive,

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counselors and each other, the students adapted well to the situation, going to classes in varied locations and navigating around the fenced-in damaged areas. “People do what’s expected of them in difficult times when they know up front what the situation calls for,” Putnam said. And what stands in place of the wreckage — after cleanup crews, insurance adjusters and architects have had their say — is opportunity. “We’re going to look and see if we can’t solve some of our problems,” said Lowndes County School District Superintendent Mike Halford. Among the campus’ “problems” is the need for an elementary school gym. “It is quite old, antiquated, painted floors,” noted Halford, who has proposed building a gym large enough to accommodate Caledonia’s middle and elementary school.

High school plans

“Another thing we’re looking at

too is — and there’s need at all the campuses — but there is definitely a need for a new high school at Caledonia,” Halford continued. “Two years ago, we added 20 new classrooms. They are all in use.” Along with overflowing classrooms comes the need for more teachers; at Caledonia schools there are about 22 students to each teacher. “The problem is, if the board would give me 10 additional teachers, I don’t have 10 classrooms for them to go in,” Halford said. Lowndes County School District’s Board of Education purchased a 17acre parcel of land in August of last year for about $380,000. The land stretches, in patches, from Confederate Drive to Unity Cemetery, but as of now, the board has made no plans to put a proposed new high school on the property. “We’ve taken no action on that land. We’re discussing several parcels of land,” said Halford without divulging the locations of the

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A place for family growth & development Caledonians are proud of their town and community. Caledonia is a very unique place to live. We are very friendly and always willing to help our neighbors. The Park & Recreation Authority is gearing up now for another year at Ola J. Pickett Park. There are lighted fields to accommodate all the nightly sports activities. The town and community are very proud of the Ola J. Pickett park endeavors. Also, the YMCA has been a wonderful asset for our community. Caledonia has its own Court System with Judge Peggy Phillips presiding. There are three part-time Marshals, Lamar Peacock, Steve Hatcher and Larry Swearingen. Constable Willie “Hoot” West also makes himself available when needed. The Caledonia Water/Sewer Department serves about 1,700 customers. The department is always in the process of providing our customers with good service and good water. The water department is

under the supervision of Benny Coleman. With a variety of restuarants to choose from, Frisby’s Restaurant is the newest selection-the location opened a few months ago. Mimi’s Ice Cream is a great stop for a hot day. Caledonia Quick Stop serves breakfasts and plate lunches as well as specialty sandwiches. A new clinic is under construction in downtown Caledonia by Pioneer Community Hospital and will open sometime in April of this year. Town Hall is open from 9:00 a.m. until 1:00 p.m. Monday through Friday. Mayor Bill Lawrence & Town Clerk, Judy Whitcomb will be available during this time for town business. Our office number is 356-4117. We attribute much of our growth in the Caledonia area to our excellent school system. The area has grown so quickly, with new houses and businesses and we are thankful for a great community of wonderful people.

PROGRESS 2008 ◆ THE COMMERCIAL DISPATCH

45

Up

From the ground

Turning the tragedy of the Caledonia tornado into an opportunity for growth text by GARTHIA ELENA BURNETT

photographs by KELLY TIPPETT

The wreckage could be seen as far away as Main Street. Rubble. Twisted metal. Broken glass. Walking along Confederate Drive allowed a much more intimate view. The school marquee was gone. The band hall was gone.

The middle school gym was gone. The vo-tech building was gone. Mass destruction was in their place. A long mass of metal was bent, suspended in the foundation of the votech building. “Blue Bird,” it read. It was a school bus before an F3

PROGRESS 2008 ◆ THE COMMERCIAL DISPATCH

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tornado redefined it, leaving the chassis separated from the body. Cars lay atop each other. ... Crushed. Standing by the high school gym, there was a pile of wood, metal, glass and a deformed window air conditioning unit. That was the day after the Thursday, Jan. 10, storm.

Cleaning up

JOE RAY ROBERSON

Mike Putnam, principal of Caledonia High School, stands in front of buildings damaged by the Jan. 10 twister.

County schools focusing on the future Lowndes County School District is in the midst of planning a vast construction project to rebuild the Caledonia campus after an F3 tornado ripped through the school grounds. But the district’s two other campuses — one of which is a divided campus — have not been forgotten in the process. New Hope and West Lowndes schools are also in need of improvements. “Traffic at New Hope is a problem,” Mike Halford, superintendent of Lowndes County School District said, noting the area is congested. He also expressed a need for additional buildings.

with special needs, a centrally located district office and central alternative and vocational schools. But with many of his campus and district improvement projects still on a wish list, Halford has spent the duration of his five-year tenure with the county schools focusing on the things he can take action on. One of those has been to maintain art, physical education and music at all three elementary schools, an effort he has called a research-proven way to improve test scores and promote well-roundedness.

Testing programs

Encouraging high performance from students has been a priority for the district as it’s begun using testing “And I would love to see the West Lowndes campus all on one site,” he programs such as the Student continued, noting the idea of having Progress Monitoring System and EZ Test Tracker. his child attend the entirety of the The initiatives have proven sucelementary and secondary years on cessful with consistently high test the same campus was a major draw scores and state accreditation ratings. for him. The focus of the district, said “But can we do it?” he asked. “I Halford, has returned to academia. don’t know. Does the community “For too long, the focus in want it? I don’t know.” Lowndes County schools has been West Lowndes is the only of the on athletics rather than academics, three county school campuses with and we’re starting to see a change its schools on separate sites. “There’s also a need for a softball where the focus is put on academics field at West Lowndes,” Halford said. more than athletics,” he said. “And that has been a long time coming. It He also would like to see a centralized academic school for children is a welcome change.”

One site for West Lowndes?

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THE COMMERCIAL DISPATCH ◆ PROGRESS 2008

By the weekend, the scene in the parking lot — broken glass and smashed cars and buses — had become just a vivid memory. Weeks later, the Mona Lisa, a serene jungle scene and a calm puddle of water, all painted on the art room walls, were also only memories. The colorful tempera paint came down with the building and was swept away with the rest of the debris. The band hall — home to middle school and high school Confederate bands — also fell victim to the tornado. And what was left of it was cleared away with bulldozers, but much of the equipment was salvaged. “We were very fortunate in that we were able to salvage most of the band instruments and uniforms. Some of them are damaged, but we’ll be able to make repairs and use them,” said Mike Putnam, principal of Caledonia High School. The storm swept the campus, leaving the middle and elementary schools intact but the high school’s complementary buildings and athletic facilities devastated. And while the twister didn’t claim any lives, it took with it much more than bricks and mortar. Student morale was also weakened after the storm.

Hard first days

“They had a hard couple of first days,” Putnam said a week before crews began clearing the damaged buildings. But with the help of teachers,

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properties. Some considerations in finding a place for a new school, he said, are being respectful of the growing community and trying to keep the school away from areas of heavy traffic. “As a school district, we want to be respectful of that area,” Halford commented, noting the town has a limited amount of land for expansion. “If you tie up the land, where else would you go for the city of Caledonia?” he asked. “And to me, the growth of the school and the growth of the city go hand in hand.”

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THE COMMERCIAL DISPATCH ◆ PROGRESS 2008

And as insurance representatives assess the damages to the high school, school leaders are realizing they may have to spend district funds to rebuild the Caledonia campus. “The thing that’s going to give us problems is, I can’t build a new building for what a 35-year-old building was worth. ... It’s going to be real hard to rebuild Caledonia with just insurance money,” Halford said. That realization begs the question: Where will the extra money come from? Options include raising the district’s millage, an unpopular solution with the school district’s board members who’ve adamantly kept the millage rate at about 47 mills for the past several years. Tapping into inlieu-of tax money from the SeverCorr steel mill, which started materializing in February, is another unpopular option since those moneys have already been budgeted. But, as Halford said, recovering from the tornado is about more than money and restoring old facilities. “It’s also a time to be progressive.” ■

connected and tied together so that they relate and enhance each other,” said Emison. “And you know what ties them together — planning,” he added with emphasis. “The idea to say we have a vision of what Starkville can be, and we’re going to have a collaboration between the public sector and private sector to get there.”

Still out there Building a better Starkville will surely take vision, community investment and mostly — courage — say its residents. And it’s a goal Emison summed up simply, as he recalled the eulogy Sen. Ted Kennedy delivered at his brother Bobby’s funeral nearly 40 years ago from St. Patrick’s Cathedral in New York City, when the younger Kennedy quoted his brother. “He said, ‘Some men see things as they are, and say why. He saw things as they never were, and said, why not.’” ■

Rock Bottom Bar and Grill has joined the businesses in Starkville’s Cotton District.

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PROGRESS 2008 ◆ THE COMMERCIAL DISPATCH

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it only takes me about a minute to get there.” Mary Neff and Marilyn — both teachers in New Hope — said the convenience of living downtown outweighs the 20-minute commute to work. Mary Neff teaches art at New Hope Middle School, and Marilyn is a speech pathologist at New Hope Elementary School. “Sure, it was nice to live where I worked,” said Marilyn, “but I would much rather make the drive and be able to live downtown like I do now.” Her husband Mark, who is the general manager of the Caledonia Natural Gas District, said his commute has gotten much shorter since moving downtown. “It sure is nicer driving from here to Caledonia than it was when I had to drive from New Hope to Caledonia,” he said. However, proximity to family and friends can sometimes be more important than proximity to work. “Two of our three grown children live within two or three blocks from us and the other lives in East

40

Columbus,” Mark said. “They love our apartment and, on a good day, we can even walk to their houses.” “It’s crazy; if someone would have told me 10 or 20 years ago that I would be living downtown — I would have laughed,” he added. “So far, we have been really happy about our choice to move down here.” ■

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Above: The Seaberghs’ living room is a cozy nook overlooking Fifth Street South.

“People can come here and explore ideas, find out information and make a connection with others.” — Ben Petersen “We had an excellent exhibit with our Tennessee Williams exhibit,” said Petersen. “The library was able to host performances of his plays during the Tribute (week in September).” In addition to hosting various exhibits, Petersen said the library offers an excellent opportunity for people to learn about the history of this area. More than 1,000 cubic feet of space in the library has been dedicated to archives of local historical records dating back to 1820. Petersen said one of the largest changes for libraries over the years has been the use of the Internet and computers, which have “revolution-

ized” the way a library operates. “At one time, we had card catalogues, and we signed cards out of the back of a book,” said Petersen. “Computers have made the process much easier.” In addition to using computers to make record keeping easier, Petersen said computers also have facilitated research and are a lifeline for the many residents who don’t have computers at home. “People without (computer) access come to the library,” he said, noting that for many Columbus residents the library computers offer their only link to the Internet. With the number of services pro-

vided at the library, it may be easy to forget perhaps the most basic service, providing books for patrons to read. According to Petersen, the library currently has more than 100,000 items in its collection. This includes books, books on tape, videos and magazines. Non-fiction books make up a large portion of those seen on the shelves of the library; however, there are other books that few people ever see in the library. “Popular books of the day make up a significant part of our circulation,” said Petersen. “They go on hold, and people constantly check them out.” Petersen said someone observing

PROGRESS 2008 ◆ THE COMMERCIAL DISPATCH

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JOE RAY ROBERSON

Community pulls together to build civic center, draw in new retail businesses text by MELANIE CROWNOVER

If not evident to random passersbys on Highway 45 South, Macon residents have seen some major changes on the main drag into town over the last year. The strip has evolved since the city annexed the bypass area a few years ago, and seven businesses were added to the landscape in 2007 alone. The Noxubee Civic Center also opened there in December, and a deal for construction on the upcoming Noxubee Sportsplex was finalized about the same time. So how did a city with only about 3,000 citizens go from barren to bustling in such a short time? The key was cooperation.

Little by little

What looks like overnight success to the naked eye was actually the

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N o x u b e e

CENTRAL result of years of work. However, the spontaneous appearance of so many businesses at once was coincidence. “For a long time we were trying to pull in something besides our one restaurant out there, and after a couple of more businesses signed on, it was like the flood gates opened. Now it’s one business after another,” said Macon Mayor Bob Boykin. The solitary Kentucky Fried Chicken ruled the roadside until it got company last year from a Subway, Fresh Market Cafe, Exxon, Fred’s Dollar Store, Secrets Garden,

THE COMMERCIAL DISPATCH ◆ PROGRESS 2008

Mexican Kitchen and Parade Restaurant — and city officials were already in talks the last quarter of 2007 with three other businesses wanting to sign on in 2008. Those new businesses have meant more jobs and revenue for the area.

Above: Mayor Bob Boykin stands in Macon’s new retail strip. Opposite: Brian Wilson, Noxubee County Development Alliance executive director, stands in front of the new Noxubee County Civic Center.

BOOK SMART Local library works to meet the needs of today’s patrons text by JUSTIN SUTTON

photographs by KELLY TIPPETT

As with most things in life, libraries have changed in the 21st century. Gone are the days when a library was simply a place to look up information and check out a book. The Columbus-Lowndes Public Library has the potential to serve the residents of Columbus in a variety of ways, said Ben Petersen, local library director. “We serve as a meeting place for the community. People can come here and explore ideas, find out information and make a connection with others,” Petersen said. The services provided by the Columbus library, in most areas, rival those offered anywhere in the state, Petersen believes. He is especially proud of the quality of the library’s programs and the audience they draw. “We had over 10,000 people attend the library’s programs last year,” he said. According to Petersen, children’s programming constitutes a large part of the library’s offerings, but he said the library plans events for adults as well.

Above: Mona Vance, archivist, sorts through books at the Columbus-Lowndes Public Library. Opposite: Ben Petersen, library director, takes pride in the technology available to local library patrons. 48

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A school bus sits on top of the vo-tech building at Caledonia High School the afternoon of Jan. 10 after an F3 tornado ripped through the campus, causing major damage but only minor injuries. The wheels and some of the bus’s framework were separated from the chassis and landed in another part of the building.

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THE COMMERCIAL DISPATCH ◆ PROGRESS 2008

and politicking. The facility features a 3,145square-foot main room, which can be divided into two sections for simultaneous events; a 698-squarefoot board room to accommodate meetings or luncheons; and a caterer’s kitchen. Reservations can be made for the whole space or for sections. Although the civic center had less space, fewer available rooms and not as deluxe accommodations as its two main competitors in neighboring towns, the price difference has made a big impact. “I had to turn down a few people for this past weekend because we were full, even for Sunday, and we haven’t even had our official grand opening yet,” said site manager Coleen Stottlemire in February. “We started renting it out in November (2007) to give it a test drive and now we have bookings for as far out as 2011. But we had people wanting to rent the space before the water and sewage were finished last September.”

dents or $15 to resident tax-exempt non-profit organizations. The extra non-refundable clean-up deposit for the kitchen was $50.

Catching eyes

About two years ago, Noxubee High School started working to get new baseball and softball fields. “We were looking at building designs from architecture firms and started taking bids on the project, but they were all so high that our budget couldn’t take it,” said Superintendent of Education Dr. Kevin Jones. “We’re talking $300,000 for just the dirt work, and we’ve only set aside $600,000 for the whole thing.” Then serious talks began about JOE RAY ROBERSON entering an interlocal agreement between the school district, city and Coleen Stottlemire county to build the Noxubee Half of the larger room rented for Sportsplex — a set of baseball, soft$150 to county residents; non-resiball and soccer fields next to the dents were $250. The entire space civic center to serve as home for went for $350 for residents and $600 school teams and a site for commuto non-residents. The boardroom was nity sports and tournaments. $50 for residents, $100 to non-resiThe $1.2-million construction price tag was split between the three entities with a $50,000 city, $100,000 county and $300,000 school district contribution each year. That money was already factored into each budget beforehand to avoid related tax hikes. Historic Antebellum Charm “It’s something none of us could and Natural Scenic Beauty have pulled off on our own, so we pulled together to find a way around it. We tried to get grants, but those BOARD OF DIRECTORS are just hard to come by. So we each Bill Brown, Chairman, BankFirst threw in to make it happen for all of William Oliver, Vice-Chairman, Supervisor, Dist. 2 the people we serve,” said Boykin. Officials expected the construcCharlie Perkins Jr., Sect./Treas., BankFirst Insurance tion to take two years, with the first Mayor Bob Boykin, City of Macon two Phase 1 fields completed and Bruce Brooks, Supervisor, Dist. 5 ready for play by 2009. Janelle Good, Phillip Good Realty The city also agreed to maintain Mayor Tammie Holmes, City of Brooksville the fields for the first five years; the NOXUBEE ECONOMIC AND COMMUNITY county agreed to contribute $100,000 worth of in-kind dirt work DEVELOPMENT ALLIANCE (662) 726-4456 for the project. Supervisors awarded the contract Brian Wilson, Executive Director to Roland Koehn Construction of Marti Kauffman, Executive Secretary Epes, Ala., in January; and work should begin by March. ■

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STATUS REPORT:

Columbus/Lowndes County text by KRISTIN MAMRACK

photographs by KELLY TIPPETT

Many of the changes discussed by the former Lowndes County Board of Supervisors have yet to be taken up by the new board, which took office the first week in January. And some projects in the city of Columbus are progressing, albeit slowly. Old river bridge renovation a step closer

the bridge likely wouldn’t be renovated this year. Efforts to renovate the old bridge “We’ll have to take bids, find an crossing the Tennessee-Tombigbee engineer and (do various studies),” he River in downtown Columbus got a said, noting plans for the bridge have big boost last year with the awarding not been set, although some have sugof a $250,000 Department of gested using it as a pedestrian walkway, Transportation grant for the project. which would help “develop the other The money will be used for a side of the (Tennessee-Tombigbee study of the bridge’s structural integri- River).” ty. The city likely will begin considering But Federal Programs and Building more suggestions for the bridge once it Inspection Director George Irby said is renovated, Irby added.

The old Tombigbee River bridge near the Columbus Riverwalk is targeted for renovation as a pedestrian walkway, with a $250,000 grant awarded to get the project started.

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Annjo Lemons, Excel by 5 director, presents West Point Mayor Scott Ross a certificate designating the town as an Excel by 5 community during an “Excelebration” at Sally Kate Winters Memorial Park Aug. 8, 2007.

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In May 2007, the city became the second certified Excel by 5 city after nearly three years of trying to meet four pages worth of criteria. Funded by Chevron Texaco and the Meridian-based Phil Hardin Foundation, this pilot program focuses on prekindergarten children in West Point, Cleveland, Pascagoula and Petal and indicates a community has standards for parent training, child care, health and community participation. “I would think that as people move into the Golden Triangle area, one of the things they’re going to consider is our certification as a retirement community. Certification as an Excel by 5 community means it’s a great place to raise children — that should get someone’s attention,” West Point Mayor Scott Ross said.

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A new East Mississippi Community College branch will serve West Point and Clay County.

EMCC campus in West Point After Sara Lee’s closing, it was back to school for many of the company’s former employees. Utilizing state-funded programs, workers could attend training classes at East Mississippi Community College’s Mayhew campus, but amid rising gas

Sidewalks like this one near a West Point school are the target of a Safe Routes to School grant program.

STATUS REPORT:

West Point/Clay County text by JUNE C. STRAIGHT photographs by KELLY TIPPETT

Community must look at new avenues for growth with Sara Lee gone

Safe Routes to School grant program

Sometimes setbacks can turn into opportunities. In March 2007, West Point lost one of the city’s largest, oldest and most reliable employers when Sara Lee, formerly Bryan Foods, left West Point after nearly a century. With more than 1,000 jobs lost and what seemed like few prospects for economic development, the future of West Point and Clay County residents seemed dismal. “There was a mindset that you would go as far as you wanted to get in school and that you would eventually go and get a job at Bryan. There would always be a job for you at Bryan,” said Tim Climer, president of the West Point/Clay County Growth Alliance. “So many people in West Point and Clay County grew up here, so all of us were very tied to the

In August, the city announced West Point students would be among several school districts in the state to benefit from the Safe Routes to School grant program awarded by the Mississippi Department of Transportation. The city was awarded a grant for $563,064 to initiate the program which was designed to ensure students have safe walking and biking routes to use on their way to school, said Safe Routes to School Coordinator Cookie Leffler. “We have a lot of young, young children walking to school so it’s important to us to see that they have a safe place to walk,” West Point School District Superintendent Steve Montgomery said.

plant emotionally,” Climer said. “Bryan provided 1,650 jobs in 2006. That all went away in 2007,” he noted. But before the year’s end the community attracted several new employers, creating more than 1,000 jobs and had adopted several new community enhancing programs. And the key to keeping the momentum going? “We believe that West Point and Clay County has got to do everything well,” Climer said. “You’ve got to recruit, you’ve got to expand, you’ve got to retain and you’ve got to enhance your quality of life.” In the community’s mission to enhance the area, Clay County has worked to make strides in education, economic development and community cohesiveness to create opportunities.

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THE COMMERCIAL DISPATCH ◆ PROGRESS 2008

eral public policy changes the citizens and local leadership need to address. “Religious fundamentalist aside, we need Sunday beer sales,” said Landrum. “It gives us a backwoods, small town image.”

Quality doesn’t come cheap

Creating options and diversity never comes cheap. Infrastructure projects like sidewalks, biking lanes, better parks, underground power cables and improved streets take money, say citizens and elected officials. And that’s a hill which somehow must be climbed. “While Starkville takes some pride in having low property taxes, it cannot at the same time take pride in its structures and the condition of the city’s infrastructure,” said resident Milo Burnham. “As far as outside perceptions, I hear comments about how unattractive our city is. Let’s be honest with ourselves, Highway 12 and Highway 182 are really ugly and those are the routes most people take coming into town,” said Landrum, who complimented the improvements made to downtown and MSU.

Improving through planning

Expanding and joining Starkville’s parts to make one unified “quality place,” is where planning comes in, and it’s where planners like Emison begin to look to dynamic leaders in both the public and private orbits. “Starkville in Motion is doing what I believe is the right thing with the idea of advocating bike paths. But what we need in Starkville is not a bike path. What we need is a bike plan,” Emison emphasized. “We need a plan about where you’re going to have trails. We need a network that works together.” “But options like a variety of recreation or transportation or even entertainment must be somehow

the Civil Rights Era when various options for public schools sprang up in response to integration. “The history of magnet schools is tied to the 1960s protest over school desegregation and the educational reform model of public school choice as a way to address educational inequity,” according to the Magnet Schools of America Web site. Magnet Schools of America was founded in Texas but now has its office in Washington, D.C., representing some 2,000 magnet schools nationwide. CMSD is set to join those numbers.

New middle school

And by 2010, CMSD will have a middle school designed to continue its elementary school offerings. A $22-million bond issue to build a new middle school garnered a 79 percent approval rate in a Jan. 29 referendum. The new school — planned to welcome students in August 2010 — will be constructed in such a way as to foster smaller learning communities and drive the magnet school concept.

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Donald Waldrip, founder of Magnet Schools of America, touts the magnet school concept during a meeting in Columbus Aug. 4, 2007.

“I think it gives us an opportunity to — when we design the building — to benefit the magnet school concept,” Phillips said. The high school has also begun its transition to growing with the magnet school concept. “In the high school, because of the ($1.3-million) Smaller Learning Communities Grant, we’re in the process of starting IB,” noted Phillips.

International Baccalaureate programs

The International Baccalaureate offers three programs — primary years, middle years and diploma — to develop the intellectual, personal, emotional and social skills for a rapidly globalizing world. There are more than 554,000 IB students at 2,094 schools in 125 countries. The IB diploma — the program the high school will offer — is recognized throughout the world. IB requires a year of planning and an additional two-year waiting period before a school officially can offer an IB diploma. Traditionally, IB diploma recipients can begin at most accredited colleges as a sophomore. The beginning of magnet schools for the district will also see the end of Mitchell and Union elementary schools’ use as classroom space for CMSD students. The two historic schools — the system’s most financial-

THE COMMERCIAL DISPATCH ◆ PROGRESS 2008

ly inefficient, in terms of dollars per student — are set to be closed at the end of the school year. But the spaces won’t go to waste. “At the end of the day, if we’re not using those school sites, we want to make sure that those buildings are being used to give back to the community,” said Phillips.

Non-profits eye old buildings A number of non-profit organizations and tutoring programs are looking at occupying the soon-to-be-vacated buildings, Phillips has said. Whoever calls Union and Mitchell home in the fall of 2008, he said, “we want them to be a positive impact on the community.” CMSD’s redesign — complete with magnet schools and a new middle school, housing grades six, seven and eight — will have its own positive impact on the area, according to community members. Prude has called the move the “most electric thing” to happen for education in his lifetime. Longtime Columbus resident and Realtor Doris Hardy’s sentiments are similar. “It is the most progressive, innovative move that has happened in the 26 years that I have lived in Columbus,” she said. ■

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STATUS REPORT: WEST POINT/CLAY prices, many from West Point struggled to make it to the classes. To solve the problem, the West Point and Clay County governments collaborated with EMCC to open the West Point and Clay County EMCC satellite campus. The government entities provided funding and a workforce to renovate the old Tennessee Valley Authority building while EMCC agreed to provide funds for computers, classroom furnishings and welding equipment, as well as instructors and instruction materials.

EMCC President Rick Young estimated about 1,000 students already enrolled at EMCC could benefit from the West Point/Clay County center. “Our mission is very simple, and that’s to bring opportunities to the people so that the people can have the resources, the tools that they need to take the next step,” he said. “The very jobs and skills they’re going to teach here, there are jobs available for right now,” Ross said. “There’s no question it’s going to increase our employment level and be a source of pride for the community.”

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Though city and county officials were set on improving the community’s quality of life through advances in community relations and education, a primary concern has been recruiting industry to the area. In January 2007, International Military and Government, a manufacturing plant contracted by the govern-

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STATUS REPORT: WEST POINT/CLAY ment to build mine-resistant, ambush-protected vehicles, employed 30 people. Today the plant has about 900 people on its payroll, having secured more than $1 billion in government contracts. In addition to IMG, the city has also seen the arrival of a Hudson’s Dirt Cheap, a Wal-Mart Super Center and a CVS pharmacy in recent months, bringing even more jobs. And West Point officials also are working to help existing industries. A new way to do that is through the e-Synchronist program, a computer program that provides a systematic means of acquiring information from existing industry. According to Climer of the Growth Alliance, the program helps the area make necessary adjustments to retain existing industry. “It helps us be responsive to their needs,” Climer said. “Our first goal is to keep and expand existing industries. Beyond that we recruit.” Keeping with its mission to attract and retain business, the city government is also in the process of improving the city’s high-speed broadband Internet services. In August, the city was awarded $200,000 by the Appalachian Regional Commission for this project. “(This grant) prepares us for the jobs of the future and it keeps us competitive,” Ross said.

Community-building activities To bridge gaps within the diverse community that is West Point, a number of citizens and organized groups have been spearheading programs aimed at opening a dialog between members of the community. In July, West Point native Nadia Dale invited the Golden Triangle community to come together for “A Family Gathering,” a two-day event featuring presentations, group sessions, education and discussions focused on healing the community through building the family. While most of the workshop focused on exploring personal and community issues among peers within discussion groups, it was the panel discussion, “A Conversation Among Generations,” that allowed the generations to hear from each

other and discuss the issues together. “It’s very important for the young people to speak to the old people and the old people to speak to the young people,” Dale said. In October, the city of West Point partnered with the William Winter Institute for Racial Reconciliation at the University of Mississippi to hold a one-hour discussion roundtable to tackle the issue of race relations in West Point. “The Welcome Table: A Year of Dialogue on Race,” led by Dr. Susan Glisson, was designed to create a safe environment for individuals to air issues related to racial tension. “We’re hoping just to initiate some dialogue to see if there’s interest in having a long-term process to encourage race relations ..., ” Glisson said. ■

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STATUS REPORT: COLUMBUS/LOWNDES COUNTY Courthouse expansion at standstill for now How and where to expand county administrative facilities currently housed in the overcrowded Lowndes County Courthouse were hot topics during the 2007 election of the Lowndes County Board of Supervisors. But the new board has yet to officially discuss the matter. The former board decided not to make an offer to purchase Franklin Academy for county facilities, as suggested by Board President and District 1 Supervisor Harry Sanders. But all current and former supervisors agreed something must be done. “We’re looking at some other pieces of property,” said Sanders, declining to name specific properties under consideration. “We’re going to get with the judges and see if there’s some way they can schedule the court dates, so we don’t have all three judges in Lowndes County at the same time,” he added. “That way we can delay building or moving to a new (facility).” The new supervisors likely will begin discussing the matter sometime in the spring, Sanders said. “I don’t think we’re going to discuss that issue until the new county administrator (Ralph Billingsley) gets his feet on the ground and (the new supervisors) get familiar with what they need to do.” “We’re working on what we need to do,” he concluded.

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John and Carmen Rodgers eat lunch in Starkville’s Cotton District. Opposite: Shelby Cauthen, of Starkville, walks Panzy, her 8-month-old puppy, along University Drive in Starkville.

Turning potential

into reality text by SKIP DESCANT

photographs by KELLY TIPPETT

Cari Varner, 28, a researcher in Mississippi State University’s Carl Small Town Center, would like to see more businesses, other than the bigbox retailers like Wal-Mart, open on Sundays in Starkville. It would give her time to do some shopping on what is usually a day with little going on. “And also, more businesses open after 5 (p.m.),” she added. Devon Brenner, a mom, college professor and president of Starkville in Motion, would like to see Starkville put forward a curbside 26

Starkville works to create a better community

recycling program as well as grow the city’s bike and pedestrian routes. Julie Landrum, also a mother, as well as a local real estate agent, would like better sidewalks and cleaner and neater entrances to Starkville, rather than the random clutter lining Highways 182 and 12.

Common chord

The chord each of these residents seems to be plucking is one of many tones and tempos, but the harmony is the same. It’s what writer Richard Florida, who wrote “The Rise of the

THE COMMERCIAL DISPATCH ◆ PROGRESS 2008

STATUS REPORT: COLUMBUS/LOWNDES COUNTY coffers and would provide the impetus for city utilities to cross the Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway, opening up new avenues for development west of the river. “We’re in the process of waiting right now,” Armstrong said of annexation efforts for the property. “We’ve delineated the property with legal descriptions. The ball is in the court of the developer. The mall is still in a negotiating stage with possible tenants. We’ve done everything we can legally do right now and we’re ready to proceed.” Once the city gets word from the developer, the City Council will be asked to pass a resolution, which then will go to the Chancery Clerk, asking for an order on annexation. “There will have to be a fire station there and we have to decide, ultimately, where that will be,” Armstrong added. “We’re waiting on the mall developer.”

Comprehensive plan still months away A volunteer committee of community and business leaders met several times in 2007

File Photo

Chris Watson

— with various communities in the county and as a committee — to help develop a comprehensive plan, detailing where Lowndes County should be in the next 20 years. The committee is using comments received during public

meetings held in New Hope, Anderson Grove, West Lowndes, Crawford and at the Trotter Convention Center to form goals, objectives and policies in seven areas: intergovernmental cooperation, economic development, general infrastructure, transportation infrastructure, education, longrange planning and land-use regulation. The planning consultant hired by the county, Chris Watson, of Oxford-based Bridge and Watson, led the meetings and will formulate the plan, to be approved by the Lowndes County Board of Supervisors. Once approved, the plan becomes policy. “We’re probably still several months away from taking something before the Board (of Supervisors),” Watson recently said.

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for individualized education plans, beginning from elementary school and following students all the way to their diploma. “I think that every child that comes to our district, we ought to have a plan,” Prude said during a March 2007 school board retreat. “And we ought to follow that plan all the way through.” “Once this thing is all said and done, we’re going to have a school district that’s very different and very unique and that nobody in the state of Mississippi has,” Glenn Lautzenhiser, CMSD’s board president told community members during a January 2007 Lowndes County Republican Women’s meeting. And though the magnet school concept is foreign to the area, it’s far from the new kid on the block. “This is not new. People have been doing this for 45 years, and they’ve been successful at it,” Phillips said. “It has a proven track record in districts all across America.” Magnet schools have their roots in

Cook Elementary School kindergarten students Jayden Hayden and C’Asia Granger finger paint an Indian corn mosaic Nov. 15, 2007, in Lea Brackin’s class. Starting this fall, Cook will be the Columbus Municipal School District’s Fine Arts Magnet School. Jayden is the son of Tyrone and Shannon Hayden, and C’Asia is the daughter of Shanteasius Granger.

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Dr. Jerry Emison, MSU political science and public administration professor

“One of the things we can learn out of this, these places, whether it’s Austin or whether it’s Durham, N.C., or wherever, they succeed when they provide choices.” — Dr. Jerry Emison

Creative Class,” calls “quality of place,” a somewhat more accurate twist on that other overused cliché, “quality of life.” How our communities adjust to their growing spurts brought on by Northeast Mississippi’s robust economy and anticipated growth will have enormous impact on what kind of place Starkville and Oktibbeha County becomes. And planners say it’s not just enough to make a community available to people or industry. What counts today is making a community a place people and businesses want to be. And Starkville, said MSU political science and public administration professor Dr. Jerry Emison, has the potential to be one of the nicest small towns for a university in the Southeast. “But it’s a potential. It’s not a reality. And I think the community ought to be frustrated, because we’re not doing what we need to do to realize that,” added Emison, who also serves on the Starkville Planning and Zoning Commission. “You want to give people choices,” is the way Emison summed up his thinking one afternoon from his office at MSU, noting this could lead toward a more diverse pool of citizens who choose to live in this community or any community which follows this strategy.

Choices key to success

“One of the things we can learn out of this, these places, whether it’s Austin or whether it’s Durham, N.C., or wherever, they succeed when they provide choices. They succeed when you’ve got a publicprivate partnership going,” said Emison. And indeed, it’s “choices” that many residents and visitors to Starkville point to when they begin to qualify why they’ve chosen to live here. “The campus is nothing like it was. The town is nothing like it was,” said Coordinator of Capacity Development at the John C. Stennis

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THE COMMERCIAL DISPATCH ◆ PROGRESS 2008

STATUS REPORT: COLUMBUS/LOWNDES COUNTY ing them in the appraised area, bringing the acreage to 146.4, Short said, noting the appraisal amount — $3,044 per acre or $476,000 total — is “a lot higher” than expected. “We were anticipating, at the most, $1,000 an acre,” he explained, noting CLRA then decided to seek an “independent appraisal.” Recently, the independent appraisal came back, with the price at $1,086 an acre, or $170,000 total for the property. Now, the CLRA is in contact with the local Corps of Engineers office, in an effort to lower the price from the Corps’ estimate. “(We’re going to) see what kind of response we can get and maybe get direction on what we can do now,” Short said. “If we can strike some kind of median between those two prices, we will go to the Board of Supervisors and ask for the money to see if we can get the support to purchase the property.” Securing the property is Phase I for the project. “Then, it will be crunch time putting the money together to do a soccer complex and adult softball complex,” Short added. “I don’t know if we’ll have to do a bond issue or the county will have the money to move forward.”

County Health Department in need of revamp The supervisors recognize the county’s Health Department facility rapidly is deteriorating. Sanders believes the facility is worth renovating, but the previous Board of Supervisors decided to build a new facility instead of renovating the existing building, located off Military Lowndes County Health Department Road. Last year, they rejected plans to purchase 1.5 acres of property, at the intersection of 15th Street South and College Street, to build a new Health Department, because of environmental issues with the property. And the new board has yet to discuss the matter, although they likely soon will begin. “I don’t know where we’re going to start with that,” said Sanders. “We’re going to have to address that issue, but we’ve got some transitional, getting-to-know-you, job-type stuff.” The supervisors likely will ask District 3 Supervisor John Holliman, a building contractor, to examine the Health Department facility to estimate what it would take to renovate the building, he added.

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Justice complex may see revival The new year has given the Starkville Board of Aldermen new momentum to awaken once again, discussion of a new municipal courthouse and police station complex. In May 2007, the board had settled on a block of land downtown at the corner of Jefferson and Lafayette streets as the location of a new “municipal campus.” That plan seems to be the one the aldermen are looking to revive.

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THE COMMERCIAL DISPATCH ◆ PROGRESS 2008

Henderson Intermediate School is one of a number of Starkville City Schools’ campuses seeing upgrades.

School improvements getting under way The Starkville Board of Aldermen has signed off on the master plans for added classrooms and other buildings on the Sudduth Elementary School, Henderson and Armstrong Middle School campuses. Shelton Jones and Associates, the Starkville architecture firm commissioned to design the building improvements, which are set to cost up to $26.5 million, said construction crews were expected to break ground in summer 2008.

Institute of Government Phil Hardwick, speaking one morning at Starbucks in the new Colvard Student Union at MSU, and pointing out the degrees Starkville and the university have improved in the last several years. “The irony is a lot of people are looking for this kind of community,” remarked Hardwick. But the choice of whether to live in a typical suburban home with the requisite lawn and driveway or live in a cluster of student apartments is not enough, say residents. Or, for that matter, when transportation options for workers to get from home to the office don’t get much further than the car, this is a problem. Emison adds that communities with amenities like connecting sidewalks and bike paths or even a public transit network free up citizens from relying only on automobiles to get around. “You don’t have to solely rely on the car to get around. You don’t have to rely solely on one kind of recreation opportunity. You have a

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variety of amenities — restaurants, festivals, sports events. There are a range of housing opportunities,” said Emison, summing up what he and other observers and planners mean by “options.” And it’s these options which begin to make communities unique and sought after.

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“I’m not going to leave my WalMart in Jackson to come to your Wal-Mart,” said Hardwick. “But I will leave my weekend in Jackson to come to your Johnny Cash festival.” And though Starkville has made headway in giving itself a personality, said Emison — particularly through assets like MSU, the Cotton District and downtown — these aren’t enough. “The university and the city need to figure out some kind of acceptable bus service,” said fellow public policy professor Dr. Bethany Stich, who has done extensive research in areas like transportation. “Really, we are the embarrassment of the SEC in this regard — and most major university cities,” she remarked in a recent e-mail. And when asked if Starkville is perceived as a “modern community,” most respondents — like Hardwick, who gravely shook his head, signaling no — point to sev-

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STATUS REPORT:

Starkville/Oktibbeha text by SKIP DESCANT

photographs by KELLY TIPPETT

Even if most public projects in Oktibbeha County and Starkville seem to be only inching along at a glacial pace, at least one is skipping ahead and due to be complete on schedule.

Sportsplex’s new gym barreling along When it opens in January 2009, the new multipurpose gymnasium at the Starkville sportsplex will be adding more than 40,000 square feet of indoor basketball courts, meeting rooms, walking tracks and performance space to a parks and recreation department already regarded as one of the best in the Golden Triangle, if not Northeast Mississippi. “So get your sneakers on. It’s just about time,” architect Gary Shafer told the Starkville Rotary Club in January, when he updated the group on the project’s progress. The design and plan for the building began more than a year ago through a

series of public meetings where park users identified needs the building ought to serve as well as the image it should present as an entrance to the Sportsplex. “We knew we wanted to create Construction was under way in February on the new Starkville Sportsplex multipurpose gymnasium. a new image for Lynn Lane and a and beverage tax collections, will front to the Sportsplex,” said Shafer. include racquetball courts, an overhead “We really wanted this to look like a walking track, four basketball courts, a civic building when we finished.” The $5.5-million gymnasium, paid presentation stage, administrative for through Starkville’s 2 percent food offices and, if funds allow, an outdoor

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ATTRACTION together for better schools

text by GARTHIA ELENA BURNETT

photographs by JOE RAY ROBERSON

If you build it, they will come. Columbus Municipal School District is building a new middle school, building new programs and building a school district unlike any other in the state — a district marked by its drama programs, noted for its science labs, touted for its cultivation of higher-order thinking skills, a district where fine arts, aerospace, medical sciences, international studies and communication are gateways to the three R’s. PROGRESS 2008 ◆ THE COMMERCIAL DISPATCH

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From the editor

Quality matters

On a recent rainy afternoon, I was sitting in my van outside a local coffee shop having a conversation with a newcomer to Columbus. “You know,” he said, apropos of nothing we were talking about, “I just love this place.” In light of having to write this introduction for our 2008 Progress edition, I wish I had the presence of mind to ask him why. But maybe if I sit quietly and listen, my wife, Beth, will answer that question. I am writing this while on a flight to Atlanta. Across the aisle, Beth is doing a sales job for Columbus with a young man serving at Columbus Air Force Base. She is saying something about the library. She’s already mentioned the Arts Council, downtown and the Riverwalk. I’m sure the newly revamped Farmers’ 6

THE COMMERCIAL DISPATCH ◆ PROGRESS 2008

Market will work its way into the conversation. Several rows back, seven excited teachers from Sale Elementary School are on the first leg of a trip to New York for the first of four seminars on the International Baccalaureate program that will be implemented at their East Columbus school this fall. There is much to be excited about with the Columbus City Schools. In January voters with an astounding 79-percent “yes” vote approved a $22-million bond issue to build a new middle school. In Columbus, teachers and the community have embraced Superintendent Del Phillips’ vision for a new school system — and that is big news. In less than a year, Phillips has transformed attitudes and managed to instill a new sense of purpose among faculty, staff, students and parents. Much has been said and written about the recent explosion of economic growth in the Golden Triangle. With the influx of newcomers, who have come with that growth, we have been forced to look at ourselves and our community through the eyes of others. And in some areas we have been found wanting. In this, the 2008 edition of Progress, we have taken for a theme, “Quality Matters.” We believe that we as a community need to give the same emphasis to quality-of-life issues that we have

given to industrial growth — for obvious reasons. We do this by making good schools, by developing and maintaining public spaces, by supporting and encouraging the arts and the many festivals that bring people together, by planning our growth, by preserving our architectural treasures. That we have done a good job with historic preservation is no secret. In February the National Trust for Historic Preservation selected Columbus as one of a dozen “Distinctive Destinations” in the country for 2008. Good communities don’t happen by accident or on their own. We have preached this sermon many times. Vibrant communities — places that cause people like my friend to blurt out “I just love this place” — are the result of informed and engaged residents. We urge you to find your place in the life of your community. And you have a place, whether it is to help at your children’s school, offer yourself for public office or volunteer in one of the many organizations working to make this a better place. In this issue of Progress we are highlighting and celebrating some of the movements and people who are enhancing the livability of our region. We hope their stories will not only inform, but kindle action on your part. Thank you for joining us. — Birney Imes

Fine Arts Magnet Cook Elementary

Aerospace & Science Magnet Fairview Elementary

Medical Sciences & Wellness Magnet Franklin Elementary

International Studies Magnet Sale Elementary

Technology & Communication Magnet Stokes-Beard Elementary

“Whatever your child dreams,

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It’s a Great Day to be a Falcon! Columbus School District 2630 McArthur Drive • Columbus, Mississippi 39705 PH: 662.241.7400 www.columbuscityschools.org

Table of Contents Magnetic Attraction

8

Status Reports — Columbus

14

Starkville

19

West Point

21

Turning potential into reality

26

Noxubee Central

32

Lofty Living

36

From the Ground Up

42

Book Smart

48

About the cover In our cover photograph, Lee Middle School children express excitement over the prospect of a new Columbus middle school, which was approved in a bond issue referendum earlier this year. Once it opens in fall 2010, the new, state-of-the-art school will replace Lee and Hunt Intermediate schools, both of which date to the 1950s. Pictured, from left, are (top row) Wymon Mixon, son of Nicole Shirley; Jabari Edwards, son of Jabari and Jewell Sherrod-Edwards; Willie Riley, son of Willie and Maurice Riley; (second row) Ylan Smith, daughter of Montoya Smith; Avery Dennison, daughter of Matt and Lisa Dennison; (third row) Shelby Hughes, daughter of Kenneth and Rochelle Hughes; Katelyn Hicks, daughter of Dave and Jennifer Allen; Landon Williams, son of Hilbert and Shirley Williams; (fourth row) Raven Ponds, daughter of Stephen and Rebecca Williams; Lacy Nelson, daughter of Paul and Betty Nelson: Tyler Blevins, son of Jeffrey and Sharon Washington; (fifth row) Clay Harmon, son of Wesley and Nora Harmon; and Skyler Gordon, daughter of Wade and Geraldine Gordon. The cover was designed by Jackie Taylor, and the photograph was taken by Kelly Tippett. 2

THE COMMERCIAL DISPATCH ◆ PROGRESS 2008

MAGNETIC A community comes

“Programming is the key to the future.” — Dr. Del Phillips Showing support for the Columbus Municipal School District’s bond issue referendum at a press conference Jan. 25 on the Lowndes County Courthouse steps are, from left, Columbus-Lowndes Development Link CEO Joe Higgins, District 5 Supervisor Leroy Brooks, Link Education Task Force Chair Roger Burlingame, Columbus Mayor Robert Smith and other local business and civic leaders. The Jan. 29 referendum passed with more than 79 percent of the voters casting ballots in favor of the bond issue. 8

THE COMMERCIAL DISPATCH ◆ PROGRESS 2008

Celebrating 19 Great Years!

A Few Good Men

52

The Best and the Brightest

56

Speed Merchants

62

The Croom Principle

72

Community Radio

76

Market Days

79

Trail Mix

82

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Designing Women

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Where History Lives

90

Festival Time

94

Telling Our Story

100

Growing Up with the Arts

104

English Optional

110

A River Runs Through It

113

World on a Platter

116

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PROGRESS 2008 ◆ THE COMMERCIAL DISPATCH

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2008

PROGRESS

2008 PROGRESS EDITION

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