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volume 2 number 5<br />
oct/nov <strong>2015</strong><br />
An Eye for the Wildlife<br />
____________________<br />
A Rodeo Reputation<br />
____________________<br />
Arrows on Target<br />
____________________<br />
PARTNERS IN PUMPKINS
<strong>Hometown</strong> <strong>Rankin</strong> • 3
Call us to schedule<br />
your next visit.<br />
(601) 825-3368<br />
Sarah Langston, DMD<br />
14 Woodgate Drive<br />
Brandon, Mississippi 39042<br />
4 • <strong>October</strong>/<strong>November</strong> <strong>2015</strong>
PUBLISHER & EDITOR<br />
Tahya A. Dobbs<br />
CFO<br />
Kevin W. Dobbs<br />
CONSULTANT<br />
Mary Ann Kirby<br />
ACCOUNT EXECUTIVES<br />
Alicia Adams<br />
LeeAnn Evans<br />
Rachel Lombardo<br />
CONTRIBUTING WRITERS<br />
Camille Anding<br />
Elizabeth Bennett<br />
Mary Ann Kirby<br />
Susan Marquez<br />
Gene Newman<br />
STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER<br />
Othel Anding<br />
CONTRIBUTING<br />
PHOTOGRAPHERS<br />
Bubba Brantley<br />
Onsby Vinson<br />
LAYOUT DESIGN<br />
Daniel Thomas - 3dt<br />
Missy Donaldson - MAD Designs<br />
The four seasons design was a great addition by God. Summer vacations arrived and released us from<br />
our tight schedules and school days. We enjoyed watermelon and summer walks at night. Then the<br />
summer got hotter – and hotter - and drier. Our yard wilted and the dust settled everywhere.<br />
Then in September a few refreshing rains and cooler nights arrived and fewer bad hair days, thanks to<br />
low humidity. Yes, I’m putting out the welcome mat for autumn and displaying it on the pages of this issue.<br />
See wildlife up close and through the lens of Bubba Brantley’s photography. Get informed about a<br />
Pelahatchie innovation in deer hunting. Celebrate the accomplishments<br />
of a young rodeo champion. Take the children on a local pumpkin patch<br />
hayride. And that’s not all! Don’t skip a single page of our wonderful<br />
advertisers and more interesting stories of people in our hometown.<br />
The best part may be getting to read this issue without the background<br />
hum of the air conditioner. Three cheers for autumn and<br />
the blessing of enjoying it in our wonderful hometown.<br />
• • •<br />
www.facebook.com<br />
/hometownrankinmagazine<br />
For subscription information<br />
visit www.htmags.com<br />
Contact us at info@HTMags.com<br />
601.706.4059<br />
26 Eastgate Drive, Suite F<br />
Brandon MS 39042<br />
• • •<br />
All rights reserved. No portion of <strong>Hometown</strong> <strong>Rankin</strong><br />
may be reproduced without written permission from<br />
the publisher. The management of <strong>Hometown</strong> <strong>Rankin</strong><br />
is not responsible for opinions expressed by its<br />
writers or editors. <strong>Hometown</strong> <strong>Rankin</strong> maintains the<br />
unrestricted right to edit or refuse all submitted<br />
material. All advertisements are subject to approval by<br />
the publisher. The production of <strong>Hometown</strong> <strong>Rankin</strong><br />
is funded by advertising.<br />
In this issue An Eye for the Wildlife 8<br />
A Rodeo Reputation 18<br />
The Center for Violence Prevention 30<br />
Arrows on Target 32<br />
Aiming to Defend Yourself 44<br />
Partners in Pumpkins 48<br />
A Classic European Invasion 57<br />
Thanksgiving Favorites 74<br />
The Attitude of Gratitude 86<br />
The Brandon Opry 90<br />
The Metropolitan Supper Club 94<br />
The Chalkboard 98<br />
<strong>Hometown</strong> <strong>Rankin</strong> • 5
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<strong>Hometown</strong> <strong>Rankin</strong> • 7
Getting to Know Wildlife Photographer<br />
BUBBA BRANTLEY<br />
8 • <strong>October</strong>/<strong>November</strong> <strong>2015</strong>
<strong>Hometown</strong> <strong>Rankin</strong> • 9
10 • <strong>October</strong>/<strong>November</strong> <strong>2015</strong>
<strong>Hometown</strong> <strong>Rankin</strong> • 11
Learn Eagerly<br />
Providing your student with knowledge through<br />
Bible-based, rigorous academics in an<br />
atmosphere that encourages and provides grace.<br />
601-992-5333<br />
HartfieldAcademy.com<br />
12 • <strong>October</strong>/<strong>November</strong> <strong>2015</strong>
LOOKING FOR SOME<br />
HALLOWEEN<br />
FUN?<br />
Thurs Night, oct 29th<br />
Muse Center, Pearl<br />
• 5K Run<br />
• 5K Walk<br />
• Kids Fun Run<br />
Costume up<br />
& come run!<br />
Info & Register online at:<br />
www.<strong>Rankin</strong>GlowRun.com<br />
TREAT<br />
Street<br />
Thurs, oct 29th - 5:30-7:30 pm<br />
Muse Center, Pearl<br />
This safe and fun-filled<br />
indoor event is open to<br />
kids 12 & under.<br />
ARM BANDS $5 EACH<br />
RANKIN COUNTY CHAMBER<br />
101 Service Drive, Brandon MS 39042<br />
601.825.2268<br />
<strong>Hometown</strong> <strong>Rankin</strong> • 13
Betty Beard & Mandi Arinder<br />
Chris Irby, Ben Jones<br />
Ed Douglas, Stephanie Barnes<br />
Pam Hollingsworth, Mary Scarborough<br />
Corkscrews & How Do You Do's<br />
August 27, <strong>2015</strong><br />
Table 100 / Flowood, MS<br />
Tom Troxler, Supervisor Jared Morrison<br />
Nanette Sullivan, Beverly Varner<br />
Robert & Kathy Hackshaw<br />
Tammy & Wendell Phillips<br />
Sherry Franklin, DeAnna Williams<br />
Pam Reeves, Lisa Lewis<br />
Rachel Anthony, Mary Allen Bennett<br />
Mr. & Mrs. Daniel Elliott<br />
14 • <strong>October</strong>/<strong>November</strong> <strong>2015</strong>
Cassie Phillips, Ann Giang Edwards,<br />
Adam Edwards<br />
David Broadaway, Phillip Pace<br />
Robert & Carrie Dienelt, Troy Odom,<br />
Amanda & Patrick Fontaine<br />
Lisa Grantham, Terry & Pam Reeves<br />
Mr. & Mrs. Marcus Robinson, Sheila Morrison<br />
Melissa Pittman, Pam Ingram, Rebecca Watkins<br />
Carrie Lindgren, Chris & Robin Hildebrand,<br />
Robert Jones<br />
Gordon McMullin, Caroline King, Miles Forks<br />
Don Williams, Julie White, Blake Chance<br />
Rosa Madden, Scotti Mashburn<br />
Rachel Lombardo, Liz Hogue, Melissa Madison,<br />
Wendy Weems, Hillary Cook<br />
Ashlee & Shannon Coley, Chance Mercante<br />
Linda Hogue, Charlene Bullock, Fay Ray,<br />
Charlotte Simpson<br />
Jennifer Davis, Rhonda Laprairie,<br />
Rebekah Alexander, Laurie Cutrer<br />
Harold Hogue, William Bullock<br />
<strong>Hometown</strong> <strong>Rankin</strong> • 15
WE ARE IN MADISON!<br />
Since 1973, we’ve made hearts beat.<br />
Highland Medical Arts Building<br />
106 Highland Way, Suite 200<br />
Madison, MS<br />
For an appointment please call 601-982-7850.<br />
www.jacksonheart.com<br />
16 • <strong>October</strong>/<strong>November</strong> <strong>2015</strong>
<strong>Hometown</strong> <strong>Rankin</strong> • 17
18 • <strong>October</strong>/<strong>November</strong> <strong>2015</strong>
A Rodeo<br />
Reputation<br />
Camille Anding<br />
Second graders at<br />
StoneBridge Elementary<br />
in Brandon will be<br />
hard-pressed to top Cara<br />
Beth Calhoun’s summer<br />
experience. She was named<br />
World Champion in the Little<br />
Wrangler Division of Barrel<br />
Racing by the National Little Britches<br />
Rodeo Association in Pueblo, Colorado. Her winning speed and<br />
showmanship earned her not only the elite title but also a man-sized<br />
buckle commemorating the event, a leather saddle, a $1000 college<br />
scholarship and a cash award.<br />
Rodeo life is the norm for Cara Beth, along with her mother,<br />
Emily, dad, Shawn, and her six-year-old brother, Case. The entire<br />
family is at home in cowboy boots and astride saddles.<br />
Cara Beth’s mom, Emily, has been riding horses since she was five<br />
and began rodeo competition at age seven. Deborah Tucker, Emily’s<br />
mom, helped her follow her dream by “pulling a horse trailer all over<br />
the country.” Emily is also a regular competitor in barrel racing.<br />
Dad, Shawn, rode his first horse at the age of thirteen. After being<br />
bucked off twice, he made peace with horses until three years later<br />
when a rodeo neighbor moved next door. From that point on, Shawn<br />
grew to love horses and the rodeo life.<br />
Today, he is a professional pick-up man in rodeos throughout the<br />
United States. His job, on his well-trained horse, is to help bucking<br />
bronco riders exit from their ride safely and in one piece! Shawn’s job<br />
is a dangerous occupation but a much appreciated one by all bucking<br />
bronco riders. When in Brandon, Shawn works in the family<br />
business, Jim McKay<br />
Drywall, Inc., but can carry<br />
on business via phone when<br />
he’s on the rodeo circuit.<br />
Case is only six and in the first<br />
grade but rides his own pony in<br />
rodeo competition. His dad says he’s<br />
already an excellent horse rider, and he’s<br />
growing in his roping skills.<br />
On the first of July, the entire Calhoun family packs their trailer<br />
with horses and saddles and hits the rodeo trails out West for an<br />
entire month. Their annual summer vacation gives them travel time<br />
“togetherness” as well as the rodeo life that they all love.<br />
While the summer hosts large rodeos out West, the Calhouns<br />
participate in year-round rodeos in the local as well as out of state<br />
competitions, traveling as much as 40,000 miles in a year.<br />
Cara Beth is at ease on a horse and in the field of competitors.<br />
She’s an avid fan of the rodeo and has made friends from “everywhere.”<br />
Her world title is an amazing accomplishment for an eight-year-old,<br />
and even she recognizes her talent. “I’ve only been thrown twice<br />
in all my horseback riding – once during this year’s competition.”<br />
She explained matter-of-factly, “The horse went one way, and I went<br />
the other!”<br />
It’s for sure the Calhoun family is going the way of the rodeo.<br />
Even with all the hard work of tending their nineteen horses and<br />
carrying on fifth generation farming, they spend valued time on the<br />
road and in the arena as a family. It’s something they all do and do<br />
with world-wide success. n<br />
<strong>Hometown</strong> <strong>Rankin</strong> • 19
Kick Off The Season<br />
Alumni House Style<br />
Open House<br />
December 5th 10:00-3:00<br />
Bells of Faith Performances at 11:00 and 1:00<br />
Family Bake Sale • One-of-a-kind Ceramics Raffle • Seconds Sale<br />
Year Round Gift Shop Hours<br />
Mon-Fri 9:00-4:00 and Second Saturdays 10:00-3:00<br />
A Christian Community for<br />
Adults with Developmental Disabilities<br />
www.mustardseedinc.org<br />
1085 Luckney Road • Brandon, MS 39047 • 601-992-3556<br />
Located inside the Holiday Inn-Trustmark Park<br />
110 Bass Pro Drive, Pearl<br />
With over 27 HD TV’s all tuned to sports, you won’t miss<br />
a pass, punt or touchdown. Even if you’re not the world’s<br />
greatest sports fan, you can still have a lot of fun, and<br />
score some of the finest cuisine around, as well as a huge<br />
assortment of craft beers. Come on over!<br />
Join us for Happy Hour! Monday–Friday from 3 p.m. until 7 p.m.<br />
Lunch & Dinner: Mon–Sat: 11:00 am–10:00 pm • Sun: 11:00 am–9:00 pm<br />
Breakfast: 6:00-10:00 am, 7 days a week<br />
Phone ahead: 601-939-5238 • www.alumnihousepearl.com<br />
20 • <strong>October</strong>/<strong>November</strong> <strong>2015</strong>
Urology Associates<br />
of Mississippi<br />
Our physicians are highly skilled and experienced<br />
in treating a wide array of urology conditions<br />
Utilizing state of the art equipment and advanced treatment techniques,<br />
each of our board certified urologists have specific areas of urological<br />
expertise in addition to providing general urologic care to patients<br />
all over the state of Mississippi.<br />
Avinash C. Gulanikar, M.D. • Mark A. Condon, M.D. • Sujith K. Reddy, M.D.<br />
Please visit us at our new location:<br />
294 East Layfair Drive • Flowood, MS<br />
601.936.4645<br />
<strong>Hometown</strong> <strong>Rankin</strong> • 21
The Center for Violence Prevention<br />
Making a<br />
Difference<br />
for 25 Years<br />
Susan Marquez<br />
For those who have happy marriages with a kind and thoughtful spouse, the<br />
very notion of domestic abuse is hard to imagine. Yet one out of four women<br />
is affected by violence. It crosses all boundaries, racial, economic and social.<br />
“I have been blessed with so many great men in my life,” said Sandy Middleton,<br />
executive director of The Center for Violence Prevention in Pearl. “I had a loving<br />
father, a wonderful husband, and I’ve raised two sons who have become fine<br />
young men. Yet, I see the flip side come true in front of my eyes all the time.<br />
Sadly, I’ve seen it with some of my close friends and family members.”<br />
22 • <strong>October</strong>/<strong>November</strong> <strong>2015</strong>
Middleton is marking her tenth year with the Center, after being a<br />
volunteer for some time. “I had just finished working with the Amy Tuck<br />
re-election campaign,” Middleton recalled. “I have a background in politics<br />
and fund raising. I was sitting at my mother’s home, feet propped up, reading<br />
the paper. There was an article about The Center for Violence Prevention,<br />
and it said they were faced with closing their doors due to lack of funds.<br />
I felt like I could do something, so I called and told them I’d like to put<br />
together a pro-bono fund raiser to help them out. It was very successful,<br />
and I continued volunteering any way I could. The board asked me to serve<br />
as interim director, and I did that for several months and finally decided that<br />
this is where I’m supposed to be, so I became the executive director.<br />
The Center for Violence Prevention, in operation for 25 years now, is<br />
still going strong. “We have a lot going on all the time,” remarked Middleton.<br />
The mission statement of the organization is “Through our partnership with<br />
multiple community organizations and a committed staff focused on the<br />
needs of the domestic violence client, The Center for Violence Prevention<br />
advocates that every person has the right to a life free from violence.” The<br />
Center serves ten Mississippi counties, including Claiborne, Copiah, Hinds,<br />
Issaquena, Madison, <strong>Rankin</strong>, Sharkey, Simpson, Warren and Yazoo. It began<br />
as an emergency shelter for women and children. The same shelter is still in<br />
operation, serving up to 17 at any given time. The typical stay is 30 days.<br />
There is also a nonresidential shelter for those who have a place to stay,<br />
but still need services such as therapy and case management. That shelter<br />
is for both men and women. “Men can be victims of abuse just like women,<br />
but it’s so much harder for them to seek help. Our culture tells them that<br />
men aren’t supposed to be victims. But we often see men, and their children,<br />
in need of assistance.”<br />
The Center also has a sexual assault program, with trained volunteers<br />
providing emergency response to hospitals to provide support to the victims.<br />
And now the Center offers services including trauma therapy and shelter for<br />
those involved in human trafficking. “We’ve now got a name for the problem,<br />
and it’s much bigger than many ever imagined,” said Middleton. “We knew<br />
about familial trafficking, where a mother might offer her own child up for<br />
sex in exchange for rent or drugs. But we’ve learned that the problem goes<br />
way beyond that. There are more slaves in the United States now than ever<br />
before in our history.” Middleton said the federal government has passed<br />
trafficking legislation, which is a good thing, but there are still no funds to<br />
deal with the issue. “Our state in particular is so far behind in addressing this<br />
issue. We need the state to step up to provide money to establish shelters<br />
for those kids. Right now, we have to make a choice between victims of<br />
violence or victims of trafficking. It shouldn’t be that way. Often the kids are<br />
housed in a detention center for lack of other places for them. We need a<br />
common sense solution.”<br />
In addition to assisting victims, the Center runs an offender program,<br />
working with both men and women. “It’s been highly effective in turning<br />
offenders around,” said Middleton. “It’s based on the Deluth model which<br />
is used nationally for intervention.” Those in the program are typically there<br />
due to a court order. “Chances are better to change people’s attitudes when<br />
the offender is trained early on. We currently have 100 people enrolled in<br />
our program.”<br />
Middleton said her biggest challenge is meeting the needs of the Center.<br />
Funding comes primarily from grants. “We do get support from some churches,<br />
but we could use more; and we have a couple of retired gentlemen who<br />
faithfully send a check each month.” The Center runs the Second Chance<br />
resale shop in Pearl, with money going to families in need. Volunteers are<br />
always needed in all areas of the operation. “We need volunteers to sort<br />
and hang clothes at the Second Chance shop,” Middleton explained.<br />
“We need volunteers to help with the sexual assault cases. And we need<br />
volunteers for everything in between. We rely on volunteers to provide all<br />
the services we do.” Middleton said that specialized volunteer positions<br />
received in-depth training to prepare them for the tasks they’ll be doing.<br />
And while the stories can be heartbreaking, there is great joy for<br />
Middleton with the job she is doing. “Seeing the victims become survivors<br />
makes it all worthwhile. It’s a wonderful opportunity to sit on the front row<br />
to see life change for the positive. We see people walk in and you know by<br />
their posture that they have been beaten down, emotionally or physically<br />
or both. To watch those same people become happier and more confident,<br />
knowing that they’ve become survivors, well that’s what makes it all<br />
worthwhile. I tell my staff all the time that other people don’t get to go to<br />
work each day and see people’s lives change the way we do.”<br />
And as for working in <strong>Rankin</strong> County, Middleton said it can’t be beat.<br />
“<strong>Rankin</strong> County is so good to us. We have a<br />
great partnership with Sheriff Brian Bailey,<br />
as well as with the different municipal police<br />
departments in the county. We are extremely<br />
grateful for that. I’ve had the opportunity to<br />
do some really cool things in my life and I’ve<br />
been around some amazing people, but this<br />
is the best job I’ve ever had. I truly feel that<br />
God led me to be here.” n<br />
<strong>Hometown</strong> <strong>Rankin</strong> • 23
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Special Thanks<br />
to our readers<br />
and advertisers!<br />
For advertising information<br />
contact info@htmags.com<br />
Like us on Facebook<br />
www.facebook.com/hometownrankinmagazine<br />
24 • <strong>October</strong>/<strong>November</strong> <strong>2015</strong>
H o m e t o w n L o v e<br />
pearl<br />
Gene Newman<br />
I wasn’t born and raised in Pearl, but I got<br />
here as fast as I could. My family moved to<br />
Pearl from Brookhaven the year I became a<br />
junior in high school. Like most young<br />
people, I wasn’t in favor of giving up all my<br />
friends, but I decided it wasn’t that far away<br />
so I could always go back on the weekends.<br />
As time went by and I got to know more<br />
people, my trips to Brookhaven came less<br />
and less. The more people in Pearl that I got<br />
to know, the more I came to love my home–<br />
My Pearl.<br />
You see, the main thing that I’ve learned<br />
to love about Pearl through all these years is<br />
the people that I know and have known.<br />
The place that is Pearl has always been<br />
changing. To some it changes for the better<br />
and others just don’t like the change. When<br />
I was the younger version of me going to the<br />
old Pearl McLaurin High School, before<br />
there was a City of Pearl, things were<br />
simpler–but they were changing, even then.<br />
But no matter how things changed, the<br />
people were what always mattered and<br />
they were always the constant. Even though<br />
people came and went, the longer I stayed<br />
in My Pearl, the more friends I made.<br />
Some folks will tell you that since Pearl is<br />
right here at the crossroads of U.S. 49, I-55<br />
and I-20, it gives us great access to all parts<br />
of Metro Jackson so that there’s always<br />
plenty to do and go see. And some will add<br />
that not only does the crossroads give you<br />
access to the Metro, it also gives you easy<br />
access to places like the Mississippi Gulf<br />
Coast, New Orleans, and Memphis. And<br />
others will add that it’s just a hop on over to<br />
Atlanta, Dallas or so many other places.<br />
When I was getting on airplanes every<br />
week, the airport being right here at Pearl<br />
was a wonderful thing and being able to go<br />
easily and quickly is great but that’s really<br />
not what makes My Pearl special.<br />
What makes My Pearl special is the<br />
people. Whether it’s Pirate football, baseball<br />
or any sport, there’s always going to be<br />
friends there helping support our Pirates.<br />
The Pearl Pirate Band has always been great<br />
and what makes it great is the support of<br />
the parents and staff at the schools. But<br />
even more importantly, all of our city<br />
supports our schools by buying chicken<br />
dinners, raffle tickets and everything else<br />
anyone can think of to raise money to<br />
support our kids. And that’s one of the keys<br />
– our kids. The people in Pearl supported<br />
me when I came here and all these years<br />
later, they’re still supporting our schools.<br />
Because even if we don’t have a child or<br />
grandchild in the Pearl school system,<br />
they’re still our kids. They’re Pearl Kids!<br />
That’s My Pearl! n<br />
<strong>Hometown</strong> <strong>Rankin</strong> • 25
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26 • <strong>October</strong>/<strong>November</strong> <strong>2015</strong>
<strong>Hometown</strong> <strong>Rankin</strong> • 27
Charla Bullard, Lisa Grantham, Jeff Arnold, Renee Deweese, Doug Hurd<br />
Alumni Party<br />
July 30, <strong>2015</strong><br />
Jackson Yacht Club<br />
Charlie McGuffee, Ann Giger<br />
Roy & Beth Embry<br />
Abby, Arthur, & Beverly Johnston<br />
Leah & Steve Calder (Winners of Live Auction)<br />
Will Crump, John Stringer<br />
Keith Fulcher, Jordan Thomas (Asst Alumni Director), Bill LaForge (DSU President), Jeffrey Farris (Director of Alumni Affairs)<br />
Daniel James Elliott, Bellipanni, Billy Thomas Lisa Spencer<br />
28 • <strong>October</strong>/<strong>November</strong> <strong>2015</strong>
Hays Collins, Fran Strenlow, Andrew Strenlow<br />
Nancy LaForge<br />
Ross Reily, Don Fitzgerald, Matt Jones, Sam Reily<br />
Pauline & Jack Cochran (earliest graduates at party!)<br />
Katy & Will Crump, Sara Jane Nelson, John Polles<br />
Susan & David Farris, Lily Leach<br />
Russell Green, Rob Armour (National Alumni President),<br />
John Fletcher (National Alumni Treasurer)<br />
Jeff & Teresa Arnold<br />
Lloyd Clark, Erin Cole, Jason Cole, Gary Bouse<br />
Jennifer Covington, Vanessa Stark, Sara Leach, Jeffrey Kent<br />
<strong>Hometown</strong> <strong>Rankin</strong> • 29
30 • <strong>October</strong>/<strong>November</strong> <strong>2015</strong>
<strong>Hometown</strong> <strong>Rankin</strong> • 31
Arrows<br />
on<br />
Target<br />
Camille Anding<br />
If you spend any length of time with Marlo and Justin<br />
Sarrett, you come away with a feeling of renewed hope<br />
in the next generation, a sample of refreshing hospitality,<br />
and a lofty respect for their business savvy. Theirs is a<br />
dual story of success and investment in their home<br />
county of <strong>Rankin</strong>.<br />
In 2002, Justin was heading up his manufacturing<br />
business, Emerald Transformers, when it attracted the<br />
attention of a larger company. In 2013, Justin sold his<br />
business to that company and within a short space<br />
of time, that same company hired him as their CEO.<br />
Now Justin was over 326 employees in seven plants<br />
throughout the United States.<br />
The CEO job is demanding of his time – some<br />
weeks taking eighty hours of work and travel.<br />
Justin’s quiet spirit and visible humility don’t<br />
appear to align with a CEO directing a large<br />
corporation. However, those attributes paired<br />
with his business insight keep him firmly<br />
in charge and successful.<br />
32 • <strong>October</strong>/<strong>November</strong> <strong>2015</strong>
<strong>Hometown</strong> <strong>Rankin</strong> • 33
He shared how some of his employees with Harvard<br />
degrees go to great lengths to introduce business ideas<br />
for the company. Justin says, “Within a few minutes of<br />
their in-depth explanations, I stop them and tell them that<br />
my gut tells me that won’t work.” At his level of success,<br />
his employees are quick to go with his gut feeling.<br />
While Justin spends long hours away from their home<br />
in Pelahatchie, Marlo runs a bustling enterprise of her<br />
own. She and business partner, Michelle Carter, own and<br />
operate the Brick House Fitness Center in Pelahatchie.<br />
Marlo also handles the reservations for the Blue Chair<br />
Properties in Destin, Florida, that she and Justin own.<br />
However, she invests most of her time in their two sons,<br />
Jordan, a ninth grader and archery enthusiast and Colin,<br />
a fifth grader and soccer player.<br />
She’s presently completing a general associate’s<br />
degree at Hinds Community College, a goal she wasn’t<br />
able to complete in her past.<br />
The couples’ latest project and business adventure is<br />
Broken Arrow Outfitters at The Plantation, 1580 Leesburg<br />
Road outside Pelahatchie. Their spacious home sits at the<br />
front of this 1300-acre hunting property called Broken<br />
Arrow Outfitters at The Plantation and is the well-kept<br />
habitat of white-tailed deer and turkeys.<br />
The thirteen miles of fencing has caused some<br />
questions and misguided conclusions about fenced<br />
hunting. After thorough research and proper planning,<br />
Justin is convinced that a hunt at Broken Arrow Outfitters<br />
will be a challenge and an earned reward. The challenge<br />
is targeting a buck on the 1300 acres with bow and arrow<br />
as the only weapon allowed. The reward will possibly be a<br />
34 • <strong>October</strong>/<strong>November</strong> <strong>2015</strong>
trophy buck because Justin says, “We’ve allowed the deer<br />
to reach their potential in age and structure – something<br />
the average hunter doesn’t realize. We also keep all<br />
predators away.” The animals are all natural with no<br />
controlled breeding or use of steroids.<br />
Even though archery hunting is more<br />
challenging, Justin believes the hunter’s odds<br />
are favorable. He’s studied <strong>Rankin</strong> County’s<br />
hunting records and stats and found that<br />
there’s one deer per every ten to twelve acres.<br />
In Broken Arrow Outfitters, there’s one deer per<br />
every four acres.<br />
The hunting facility began as an idea for a restful<br />
hunting retreat for Justin’s company associates and<br />
clientele. Hunters will arrive on a Sunday afternoon, lodge<br />
in resort-style accommodations, and eat three meals per<br />
day that are prepared and served by a talented cook and<br />
carried to hunting locations by guides that insure their<br />
safety. The hunt concludes on Wednesday at noon.<br />
The Sarretts will officially open the hunting<br />
camp in <strong>October</strong>. They are keenly aware of the<br />
major responsibility and undertaking in such<br />
an expansive project.<br />
“But this is not a money-making operation,”<br />
Justin is quick to add. He looks at Marlo and<br />
together they try to express an undefined goal<br />
of sharing their blessings with special needs families<br />
and youth. “We’re not sure what direction Broken Arrow<br />
Outfitters is headed, but we’re testing the waters and<br />
excited about what the future holds.” n<br />
<strong>Hometown</strong> <strong>Rankin</strong> • 35
36 • <strong>October</strong>/<strong>November</strong> <strong>2015</strong>
<strong>Hometown</strong> <strong>Rankin</strong> • 37
The Mustard Seed<br />
Tailgating<br />
in Style<br />
AUGUST 25, <strong>2015</strong><br />
FLOWOOD, MS<br />
Sponsored by<br />
The Mustard Seed's<br />
Ladies Auxiliary<br />
38 • <strong>October</strong>/<strong>November</strong> <strong>2015</strong>
<strong>Hometown</strong> <strong>Rankin</strong> • 39
Karli AnneMassey<br />
& John DavisMcGinnis<br />
–ENGAGEMENT–<br />
Mr. and Mrs. James Jeffrey Massey of Mendenhall announce the engagement<br />
of their daughter, Karli Anne Massey, to John Davis McGinnis, son of Mr. and<br />
Mrs. James Earl McGinnis, III of Meridian.<br />
The bride-elect is the granddaughter of Mr. and Mrs. Barney Leon Bairfield of<br />
Mendenhall, and Mrs. Bettye Purvis Massey and the late Mr. James Lloyd Massey<br />
of Pelahatchie.<br />
The prospective bridegroom is the grandson of Mr. and Mrs. Harvey Miles<br />
Shirley of Meridian, and Mr. and Mrs. James Earl McGinnis, Jr. of Meridian.<br />
Miss Massey is a 2010 honor graduate of Simpson Academy, where she was<br />
inducted into the hall of fame. She attended The University of Mississippi where<br />
she studied pre-physical therapy. She was a member of the Chi chapter of Delta<br />
Delta Delta sorority. She is now furthering her education as a physical therapist<br />
assistant student at Meridian Community College.<br />
McGinnis is a 2009 honor graduate of Meridian High School. He received a<br />
bachelor’s degree in exercise science from the University of Mississippi, where he<br />
was a member of Sigma Nu fraternity. He is now a pine and hardwood buyer at<br />
The McGinnis Lumber Company in Meridian.<br />
The couple will exchange vows Saturday the seventeenth of <strong>October</strong>, at six<br />
o’clock in the evening at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Meridian. A reception will<br />
follow at The Historical Soule.<br />
Bethany Julianna Johnson<br />
& Jonathan Brent Frazier<br />
Mr. and Mrs. Richard Allen Johnson Jr. of Brandon, Mississippi are pleased to<br />
announce the engagement of their daughter Bethany Julianna Johnson to Jonathan<br />
Brent Frazier, son of Paul and Debbie Frazier of Braxton, Mississippi.<br />
The bride elect is the paternal granddaughter of Julie Johnson Paster and<br />
the late Richard Allen Johnson Sr. of St. Petersburg, Florida. She is the maternal<br />
granddaughter of Roy V. West Jr. and the late Mary Catherine Moriarty and<br />
the late MaryNell West of Laurel, Mississippi.<br />
Miss Johnson is a 2012 graduate of Puckett High School and is currently attending<br />
Mississippi College majoring in medical science with a minor in business administration.<br />
The prospective groom is the paternal grandson of the late Bobby Kay Frazier<br />
and Doris Frazier. He is the maternal grandson of the late Harold Andrews and<br />
the late Francis Andrews.<br />
Mr. Frazier is a 2009 graduate of Puckett High School and is currently employed<br />
with Ram Electric.<br />
The couple will exchange vows on <strong>October</strong> 11, <strong>2015</strong> at five in the afternoon at<br />
McClain Lodge, Brandon, Mississippi. The couple plan to make their home in<br />
Florence, Mississippi.<br />
40 • <strong>October</strong>/<strong>November</strong> <strong>2015</strong>
–ENGAGEMENT–<br />
ErinElizabethHamilton<br />
&CoryStephenBass<br />
Mr. and Mrs. Steve Hamilton of Brandon, Mississippi announce the engagement<br />
of their daughter, Erin Elizabeth Hamilton, to Cory Stephen Bass, son of Mr. and Mrs.<br />
Joseph Bass, Jr. of Meridian, Mississippi.<br />
The bride-elect is the granddaughter of Mr. and Mrs. Robert Middleton,<br />
Mr. and Mrs. James Bailey, Mrs. Annell Hamilton, and the late Mr. Bobby Hamilton.<br />
Miss Hamilton is a 2012 graduate of Brandon High School and will graduate from<br />
Mississippi College in May 2016 with a Bachelor of Science in Nursing.<br />
The prospective bridegroom is the grandson of Mr. and Mrs. Joe A. Covington<br />
and the late Mr. and Mrs. Joseph A. Bass, Sr.<br />
Mr. Bass is a 2010 graduate of Northeast Lauderdale High School in Meridian,<br />
Mississippi and a 2014 graduate of Mississippi College with a Bachelor of Science in<br />
Business Administration with a focus in accounting. He received a Master of Business<br />
Administration with a focus in accounting from Mississippi College in <strong>2015</strong>. He is<br />
employed at Horne LLP in Ridgeland, Mississippi.<br />
The couple will exchange vows on December nineteenth at two o’clock in the<br />
afternoon at First Baptist Church of Brandon. Following the ceremony, a reception<br />
will be held at McClain Lodge. Upon returning from a honeymoon to Georgia, the<br />
couple will reside in Clinton, Mississippi.<br />
<br />
MaggieCarolee Harper<br />
& Brett Ashley Bailey<br />
Mr. and Mrs. Gregory Livingston Harper of Pearl, announce the engagement of<br />
their daughter, Maggie Carolee Harper, to Brett Ashley Bailey, son of Mr. and Mrs.<br />
William Carlton Browning and Mr. Ronald Carol Bailey, all of Ellisville. The bride-elect<br />
is the granddaughter of Lois Livingston Harper and the late Calvin Douglas Harper<br />
of Pearl, and Marjorie Thomas Hancock and the late Lee Ronde Hancock, Jr. of Clinton.<br />
The prospective bridegroom is the grandson of Frances Evelyn Bailey and the late Carol<br />
Bailey, and Marion Junior Ashley and the late Mary Virginia Ashley, all of Ellisville.<br />
Miss Harper is a 2010 graduate of Pearl High School and a 2013 summa cum laude<br />
graduate of Mississippi State University, where she earned a bachelor’s degree in political<br />
science. At State, she was a member of Delta Gamma sorority, a 2011-2013 Alumni<br />
Delegate, member of Phi Kappa Phi and Alpha Lambda Delta honor societies, and<br />
involved in the student association. After graduation, she completed a six-month public<br />
relations internship with Airbus Helicopters in Marignane, France. She is a political<br />
fundraiser through Frontier Strategies in Jackson.<br />
Bailey is a 2009 graduate of South Jones High School in Ellisville and a 2013 cum<br />
laude graduate of the University of Mississippi, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in<br />
real estate with a minor in banking and finance. At Ole Miss, he served as president of<br />
the Real Estate Financial Association and was its representative for the business<br />
associated student body. He was a member of Phi Kappa Phi, Beta Gamma Sigma,<br />
and Gamma Beta Phi honor societies. He was a co-founder of RunToRescue and<br />
served on the leadership team for Campus Crusade for Christ. He is a broker<br />
associate with NAIUCR Properties in Flowood.<br />
The couple will wed January 16 at Crossgates Baptist Church in Brandon, with a<br />
reception to follow at The South.<br />
<strong>Hometown</strong> <strong>Rankin</strong> • 41
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42 • <strong>October</strong>/<strong>November</strong> <strong>2015</strong>
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<strong>Hometown</strong> <strong>Rankin</strong> • 43
AIMING TO DEFEND<br />
YOURSELF<br />
ELIZABETH BENNETT<br />
kKim Condon is a woman<br />
who wears many hats. But her<br />
latest venture, Boondocks, is a<br />
new business created with her<br />
husband, Dr. Mark Condon, owner<br />
of Urology Associates in Flowood.<br />
Boondocks is a firearms training<br />
facility for civilians wanting to<br />
learn to effectively use a firearm.<br />
It is a school with a controlled<br />
environment and is only available<br />
for those registered for the<br />
training classes. There are three<br />
different class levels: beginner,<br />
intermediate and advanced, with<br />
some of the advanced classes even<br />
including home invasion simulation.<br />
The purpose of Boondocks is to teach civilians how to defend themselves<br />
with a firearm. “It is your God given right to own a firearm. We are supporters of<br />
the 2nd Amendment,” said Kim. “We want people who own guns to be trained,<br />
prepared and know how to use them effectively.”<br />
The idea for Boondocks actually originated after a very tragic event. When<br />
the Aurora, Colorado, movie theater shooting happened in 2012, it really struck<br />
a chord with Kim. She said she’s keenly aware that the world is getting crazier<br />
and she isn’t getting any younger and just wants to be prepared and ready to<br />
defend herself should the need ever arise. “I feel it’s important to do whatever<br />
you need to do to make yourself feel safe. We all wear a seatbelt, not wishing<br />
to be in a wreck, but to be as safe as possible just in case. We all have a fire<br />
extinguisher–not that we hope we have a fire, but just in case. Personally,<br />
I choose a firearm as my means of self-defense because I know for sure if I am<br />
ever in harm’s way, the best equalizer will be a firearm. Some people may choose<br />
martial arts. Some people choose to carry a knife or Mace. Whatever your choice<br />
may be, training is the key. The skills you lack may be the very ones you need to<br />
save your life.”<br />
After much thought about the theater shooting, Kim decided she wanted to<br />
properly, and safely, learn how to use a gun. She told her husband, who has been<br />
Kim Condon – Owner & Founder<br />
44 • <strong>October</strong>/<strong>November</strong> <strong>2015</strong>
around guns his whole life, and off they<br />
went to the Gun Site Academy in Arizona<br />
for training. After her very first training,<br />
she had a completely different outlook on<br />
guns and wasn’t afraid of them anymore.<br />
She has been back three times for<br />
additional defensive classes.<br />
Back in Mississippi, she took a class in Edwards to get her enhanced-carry permit.<br />
It was at that time that Kim realized there wasn’t an official training center anywhere<br />
in Mississippi like the Gun Site Academy in Arizona that she had visited. So, one<br />
night over dinner, she and her husband explored the idea of opening up their own<br />
gun training facility. She suggested using the land in Raymond that they have owned<br />
for over six years. The very next day, the Condons had an architect draw up plans.<br />
Boondocks provides classes for ages 21 and up. All students must wear eye and<br />
ear protection and additional mandatory gear is specific to the class taken. Kim and<br />
Mark Condon are the owners of Boondocks and Cliff Cargill is the range-master<br />
and training coordinator. Michael Frazier is the facility manager and there are<br />
currently forty instructors on the roster from Hinds, Madison and <strong>Rankin</strong> counties.<br />
It should be noted that Boondocks is also very female friendly. Kim is a leader in<br />
The Well-Armed Woman Clinton/Raymond Chapter which educates, equips and<br />
empowers the female gun owner. “It is empowering to have the ability to defend<br />
yourself,” she said. “A tragic event in Colorado transformed my thought process of<br />
gun use being recreational into something that is educational and beneficial to our<br />
community and state” said Condon.<br />
Miranda Blanton, Pearl resident, is an instructor at Boondocks. “Boondocks is<br />
fabulous! In my opinion, there’s nothing like it in this region. We offer a great<br />
selection of classes for men and women. I enjoy teaching the Well-Armed Woman<br />
class and Enhanced Permit classes.”<br />
Boondocks Training Academy is all about attitude, ability and awareness. If you<br />
are looking to learn something new and find out how to properly and safely use a<br />
firearm, then look no further than Boondocks Training Academy in Raymond. They<br />
are located at 11771 Highway 18, in Raymond, Mississippi, or you can reach them by<br />
phone at (769) 972-2382. Check them out on the web at www.boondocksfta.com. n<br />
<strong>Hometown</strong> <strong>Rankin</strong> • 45
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Monthly TWAW Chapter Meetings<br />
State of the Art Facility<br />
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Safety is our Priority<br />
Education is Key<br />
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46 • <strong>October</strong>/<strong>November</strong> <strong>2015</strong>
PEOPLE IN THE NEWS<br />
Jeri Bullard<br />
Mary Kay independent beauty consultant Jeri Bullard<br />
of Brandon has earned the use of a new Chevy Cruze<br />
as a result of her outstanding achievements in her Mary<br />
Kay business. She took delivery of the new Chevy Cruze,<br />
her first Mary Kay career car, at Rogers Dabbs in Brandon.<br />
“What an incredible feeling to earn this trophy on<br />
wheels,” said Bullard. “Mary Kay is so generous with<br />
prizes. It has been my joy and honor to work with my<br />
amazing team as we all reach individual goals and<br />
continue to enrich women’s lives.”<br />
The Career Car Program includes the Chevy Cruze<br />
in white, Chevy Equinox crossover in black, Toyota<br />
Camry in black, BMW320i in black and the iconic<br />
and coveted pearlized pink Cadillac, a signature color to<br />
the Mary Kay career car program.<br />
Barry Moss<br />
<strong>Rankin</strong> County welcomes Barry Moss as the new<br />
CEO for Merit Health <strong>Rankin</strong>. Barry comes from<br />
Merit Health Wesley where he served as COO.<br />
Prior to that, he served as assistant chief executive<br />
officer and vice president of professional services<br />
at Flowers Hospital in Dothan, Alabama.<br />
Barry received both his Master of Business<br />
Administration and Master of Science in Health<br />
Administration from the University of Alabama at<br />
Birmingham. He received his undergraduate degree<br />
from Birmingham Southern College.<br />
In 2013, Moss was recognized as one of Dothan<br />
Magazine’s Top 40 Under 40 and was named by<br />
Business Alabama as a 2013 Young Mover and Shaper.<br />
Barry will officially join Merit Health <strong>Rankin</strong><br />
as CEO on <strong>October</strong> 5, <strong>2015</strong>.<br />
<strong>Hometown</strong> <strong>Rankin</strong> • 47
Partners in<br />
Pumpkins<br />
Camille Anding<br />
48 • <strong>October</strong>/<strong>November</strong> <strong>2015</strong>
<strong>October</strong> means only one thing<br />
to the Nichols & Boyd families in<br />
Pisgah community – pumpkins!<br />
The two families, living and farming on adjoining property<br />
of over 100 acres, convert a large tract of that land to an <strong>October</strong><br />
pumpkin experience for all ages.<br />
Mr. and Mrs. Nichols, better known as Roy and A.B., join<br />
efforts with neighbors David and Jane Boyd, along with a staff<br />
of 35-plus family and community members in the fall-fun and<br />
education enterprise. Roy gets credit for the idea that was put<br />
in place in 1997. Sharing the land and equipment made perfect<br />
sense for such a challenging venture.<br />
During weekdays in <strong>October</strong>, field trip school buses deliver<br />
children to the Nichols-Boyd Pumpkin Patch for a tractor-pulled<br />
hayride that rolls past a variety of farm animals. The ride also<br />
includes picking a pumpkin from the field, a visit to an oldfashioned<br />
playground and light refreshments in the shaded<br />
picnic area. The barn store carries a variety of homemade sweets,<br />
candies and novelties for purchasing. (Note: checks and cash are<br />
the only accepted currency at the Patch.)<br />
A tour guide rides with each class or group and answers<br />
<strong>Hometown</strong> <strong>Rankin</strong> • 49
questions during the ride. Tours leave every thirty minutes and<br />
last about one and a half hours. Up-close viewing of farm animals is<br />
a treat for all the passengers.<br />
Jane and A.B. were former school teachers, so education,<br />
structure and fun are creatively laced into every tour. A.B. feels<br />
certain that their pumpkin patch experience is viewed in a<br />
positive way. She says, “We’re now seeing second generation<br />
visitors returning with their children.”<br />
August and September are busy months getting ready for the<br />
thousands of <strong>October</strong> visitors. Susan Irby, a major assistant and<br />
former kindergarten teacher, helps the two families make the<br />
event reach its goal of being a fun, learning experience for<br />
everyone.<br />
While A.B. is in charge of making the appointments and<br />
scheduling, Jane stays busy seeing that the tours stay on schedule<br />
and that the individual candy treat bags are packed and ready<br />
for distribution during the weekdays. “We work hard to see that<br />
every part of the visit runs smoothly,” Jane adds with sincerity.<br />
<strong>October</strong> activities also include cook-outs on the “Back Forty.”<br />
Groups enjoy a hayride, plus hotdogs, canned drinks, and<br />
marshmallows. Birthday groups, office parties, and sorority<br />
groups are some that reserve this nighttime event. Reservations<br />
and deposits are required.<br />
A.B. and Jane urge visitors to remember that all weekday<br />
visits to the Pumpkin Patch must be pre-booked. Hours are<br />
Monday-Friday from 8:30 to 3:00. The cost is $8 per child and<br />
$6 per adult.<br />
Weekends are geared to the general public and no<br />
appointments are needed for Saturdays, 10:00 to 4:00 and for<br />
Sundays, 1:00 to 4:00. Arrive by 3:00, though, to catch the last<br />
wagon loading at 3:00.<br />
The corn maize is a recently added experience that’s<br />
getting a lot of attention. Visit their website for<br />
detailed information about all the Pumpkin Patch<br />
activities at www.nicholsenterprisesllc.com.<br />
All ages, families, and groups are<br />
welcomed and assured of a unique fall<br />
experience at the Nichols-Boyd Pumpkin<br />
Patch. It’s definitely the happening place for<br />
<strong>October</strong> and the only official “pumpkin juice”<br />
distributor in <strong>Rankin</strong> County. n<br />
50 • <strong>October</strong>/<strong>November</strong> <strong>2015</strong>
52 • <strong>October</strong>/<strong>November</strong> <strong>2015</strong>
JACKSON ACADEMY<br />
Jackson Academy is accepting applications<br />
for the James Peter Jernberg, Jr. Scholarship<br />
from students entering fifth through eleventh<br />
grades in 2016–17. Jernberg Scholars will<br />
receive full tuition and fees to attend JA.<br />
Applicants must demonstrate some financial<br />
need, and scholars will be selected based<br />
on academic excellence, enthusiasm for<br />
success, and determination to excel in a<br />
challenging, innovative environment.<br />
Apply now at jacksonacademy.org/jernbergscholars.<br />
A Worthy Name, An Exceptional Education<br />
The Jernberg Scholarship<br />
Achieve your full potential at JA! | jacksonacademy.org | 601.364.5450<br />
<strong>Hometown</strong> <strong>Rankin</strong> • 53
St. Mark’s<br />
United<br />
Methodist<br />
Women<br />
3rd Annual Tablescapes Luncheon<br />
Scott Davidson and Rick Long<br />
Barbara Glasscock<br />
Becky Hall<br />
Christy Jones and Arlene Petus<br />
Jimmie Ray Gordon<br />
and Sara Meeks<br />
Jane Dunaway and Merriam Smilley<br />
AUGUST 29, <strong>2015</strong><br />
Two hundred attended<br />
and helped raise money<br />
for local missions.<br />
Nancy Crisco and<br />
Shirley McKenzie<br />
Men Servers<br />
54 • <strong>October</strong>/<strong>November</strong> <strong>2015</strong>
Christy Jones and Arlene Petus<br />
Jennifer Goodwin, McClean Fletcher Center<br />
Bethleham Center<br />
Connie Thompson and Helen Morrison<br />
Faye Hollingsworth, Little Light House<br />
Cari Clarkson and Elizabeth Luckett<br />
Connie Shelton and June Miracle<br />
<strong>Hometown</strong> <strong>Rankin</strong> • 55
ProuD To be ParT of rankin counTy<br />
Tom Douglas<br />
PresiDenT<br />
roberT Douglas<br />
Vice-PresiDenT<br />
817 n college sT.<br />
branDon, ms<br />
Meet the <strong>2015</strong> Real Men Wear Pink Candidates<br />
makingstrideswalk.org/realmenjacksonms<br />
56 • <strong>October</strong>/<strong>November</strong> <strong>2015</strong>
A Classic European Invasion<br />
Susan Marquez<br />
Some of the most elite names in European automobiles like<br />
Rolls-Royce, Mercedes-Benz, Ferrari, and Alfa Romeo will be on<br />
display at the first ever Flowood Euro Summit on <strong>October</strong> 25th.<br />
<strong>Hometown</strong> <strong>Rankin</strong> • 57
When Rodney Chamblee wanted to get a major event started<br />
in the Lakeland Drive area, he called on Mike Marsh. Marsh is a<br />
self-proclaimed car guy who has experience putting together classic<br />
European car shows. Since 2008 he’s coordinated the Euro Fest<br />
in Ridgeland. But Chamblee, owner of Chamblee Hospitality<br />
Group, wanted an event on the east side of the Pearl River, and<br />
that’s how the first ever Flowood Euro Summit came about.<br />
The event will be held on <strong>October</strong> 25 in the parking lot of<br />
Table 100 and the Holiday Inn Express next door. Cars like<br />
Rolls-Royce, Mercedes-Benz, Ferrari, and Alfa Romeo will be<br />
on display, as will many more of the most elite names in European<br />
automobiles at the event. “We expect to have between 25 and 40<br />
cars at this event, with car owners coming in from several states,”<br />
said Marsh.<br />
A collector of vintage Mercedes-Benz, Marsh has been<br />
entering his cars in shows for years. “The problem for me was<br />
that most car shows were mixed shows,” said Marsh. “There<br />
were hot rods, muscle cars, trucks and more, but very few classic<br />
European cars. I wanted a show that was purely European cars,<br />
and classic cars, meaning the cars are 25 years old or older. I<br />
always said if I could find a local venue that’s right for this kind<br />
of show, I’d make it happen.” He worked with the management<br />
team at the Renaissance in Ridgeland to put together Euro Fest.<br />
58 • <strong>October</strong>/<strong>November</strong> <strong>2015</strong>
A Classic European Invasion<br />
While the first Flowood Euro Summit may be a smaller event,<br />
Marsh expects entries with cars manufactured in five countries:<br />
Britain, Italy, Germany, Sweden and France. “We are talking with<br />
car owners from nine southeast states,” said Marsh. “Spectators can<br />
see such classic cars as Volkswagen, Porsche, Land Rover, Royal<br />
Enfield, Talbot Lago, Henson, Daimler, Jaguar, Bugatti, Ducati,<br />
Marcos and more. All cars are manufactured before 1991.”<br />
The event is 3pm to 6pm and is free to the public. Those<br />
attending the event will have an opportunity to vote for their<br />
favorite car. The car with the most votes will win the People’s<br />
Table 100. Those who vote will also have a chance to win a $100<br />
certificate to Table 100.<br />
Marsh stressed that the Flowood Euro Summit is a familyfriendly<br />
event and said the public is encouraged to come and<br />
bring their cameras. “This is a gathering of classic European<br />
automobiles for public viewing,” said Marsh. “The car owners<br />
will be on hand to talk to folks about their cars and to answer<br />
questions. Chances are you’ll see a vehicle you’ve never seen<br />
before, or may never see again.” And chances are, you’ll wish<br />
you were in the driver’s seat. ■<br />
Choice award and the owner will get a $100 gift certificate to<br />
<strong>Hometown</strong> <strong>Rankin</strong> • 59
Flowood euro-summit<br />
sunday, october 25, <strong>2015</strong> • 3-6pm<br />
Table 100 & holiday Inn Express • Flowood, Ms<br />
• Complimentary Hors d'oeuvres<br />
• Complimentary Valet Parking<br />
• $100 table 100 gift card Drawing<br />
• Live Music<br />
60 • <strong>October</strong>/<strong>November</strong> <strong>2015</strong>
The RIGHT Person,<br />
At The RIGHT Time,<br />
For The RIGHT Reasons<br />
Vote Experience With A Purpose!<br />
PROFESSIONAL<br />
● Current <strong>Rankin</strong> County Chancery Court Family<br />
Master presiding over paternity cases, temporary<br />
hearings and Department of Human Services’ cases<br />
● Staff Attorney, <strong>Rankin</strong> County Chancery Court<br />
(2007-<strong>2015</strong>) These years of experience and involvement<br />
in over 10,000 civil and domestic cases have equipped<br />
Haydn with the necessary tools and knowledge to be<br />
the type of Chancery Judge <strong>Rankin</strong> County needs and<br />
deserves – one of honesty, integrity and fairness<br />
● Court Appointed Mediator<br />
● Attorney for the <strong>Rankin</strong> County Chancery Clerk<br />
● Member of the Mississippi Bar and the <strong>Rankin</strong><br />
County Bar<br />
● Member Board of Directors, <strong>Rankin</strong> County<br />
Bar Association (2013 - present)<br />
COMMUNITY<br />
● Charter Member of The Pointe of Brandon,<br />
a UnitedMethodist Community of Faith<br />
● Chairman of the Administrative Board<br />
at The Pointe of Brandon (2009 - 2012)<br />
● Division 1 and 2 select and competitive soccer<br />
coach at Brandon Futbol Club (2009 - <strong>2015</strong>)<br />
VOTE Tuesday, <strong>November</strong> 3rd<br />
www.<strong>Rankin</strong>forRoberts.com • www.facebook.com/rankinforroberts • twitter @rankinforroberts<br />
PAID FOR BY FRIENDS OF HAYDN ROBERTS
ankin<br />
RECIPES<br />
Betty Upton’s<br />
Chicken & Dressing<br />
• 1 hen, baking size<br />
• Broth from cooked hen<br />
• 1 stick butter/margarine<br />
• 1 large skillet cornbread<br />
• 2-3 cold biscuits OR 4 slices of loaf bread<br />
• 1 large onion<br />
• 1 tsp. black pepper<br />
• 1 cup chopped celery<br />
• 1 whole raw egg<br />
• 4 boiled eggs<br />
• ½-1 cup milk<br />
• ½ stick butter/margarine to chip on top<br />
of dressing<br />
• 1 can cream of chicken soup<br />
(if needed for more broth)<br />
Cut up and boil baking size hen (or fryers can be<br />
used) in salted water until meat will slip off the<br />
bone (about 30-45 minutes or if you have a<br />
pressure cooker, about 25 minutes). Remove meat<br />
from broth, let cool and take the meat off the bone.<br />
Add 1 stick butter to the broth.<br />
Note: It doesn’t matter how you cut up the hen. Just<br />
cover it with water and salt with about ½ - 1 tsp of salt.<br />
Bake 1 large skillet of cornbread and let it cool or,<br />
better still, bake it a day ahead. Put the bread in a<br />
large pan and crumble it until it’s fine. Add 2 or 3<br />
cold biscuits or 4 slices of loaf bread. Chop 1 large<br />
onion (about 1 cup chopped) and add it to the<br />
bread. Add about 1 tsp. of black pepper (or to<br />
taste). Add 1 cup chopped celery (if desired).<br />
Pour hot chicken broth over this. Mash with<br />
vegetable masher to make it smooth. Mix in 1<br />
whole raw egg. Stir well until it disappears. Add<br />
4 chopped boiled eggs. Then add enough milk<br />
to make the mixture almost soupy (not stiff ).<br />
Pour into a buttered baking dish – at least a 9”x13”.<br />
(It may take a 2nd dish.) Place pieces of the<br />
cooked chicken on top of the dressing and press<br />
into the mixture. Dot with butter – simply take<br />
about a half stick of butter and chip off pieces at<br />
random spots. Bake in 400 degree oven until done<br />
and lightly browned – I would check it after about<br />
35 minutes. Shake it and if it appears stiff, it is done.<br />
Don’t overcook but if it still “shakes” in the center<br />
– leave it a while longer.<br />
NOTE: If you need more chicken broth after you add<br />
all the ingredients, add one can cream of chicken soup<br />
and one can of water. Heat before adding it in.<br />
Cornbread<br />
• 2 cups self rising corn meal<br />
• 1 cup sweet milk<br />
• 1 egg<br />
• 2 T cooking oil<br />
Put enough oil in the bottom of a large black iron<br />
skillet to cover the bottom. Put it on an eye of the<br />
stove to get hot. When it is hot, sprinkle cornmeal<br />
all around but not enough to absorb the oil. Take<br />
off heat and pour in batter and spread well. Put in a<br />
400 degree oven, already preheated and bake<br />
about 10 minutes and check to see if it’s firm in the<br />
middle. If not let it bake about 5 minutes longer.<br />
Turn on broiler to brown and remove from oven.<br />
Dump out of skillet immediately onto a plate.<br />
62 • <strong>October</strong>/<strong>November</strong> <strong>2015</strong>
How to Cook a<br />
Frozen Turkey<br />
Breast<br />
• 1 frozen turkey breast, unthawed<br />
• Accent Seasoning Salt<br />
• 1 tablespoon sugar<br />
• Onion salt<br />
• 1 stick (1/2 cup) butter, melted<br />
• Celery Salt<br />
Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Rinse and dry frozen<br />
turkey breast. Place on length of heavy duty<br />
aluminum foil long enough to fold around turkey,<br />
and seal. Generously shake salt, onion salt, celery<br />
salt and Accent over turkey and sprinkle with<br />
sugar. Rub in seasonings with fingers. Pour melted<br />
butter over turkey. I leave it breast side down. Fold<br />
foil around turkey as though wrapping a box,<br />
sealing top and ends tightly. Place turkey “package”<br />
in small roasting pan. Roast at 450 degrees for 2<br />
hours, then open foil and cook another 20 minutes<br />
to brown. If using meat thermometer, temp should<br />
read 190 degrees when fully cooked. I turned the<br />
oven off after the 2 hours and let the turkey sit for<br />
about an hour before opening the foil.<br />
Mama Upton’s<br />
Fresh Coconut Pie<br />
• 1 cup sugar<br />
• 4 T self-rising flour<br />
• 3 eggs<br />
• 1 ½ cup milk<br />
• 2 T butter or margarine<br />
• 1 t. vanilla flavoring<br />
• 1 cup grated fresh coconut (can use fresh frozen)<br />
Pour sugar into a 2 qt. saucepan, place flour on top<br />
of the sugar and mix with fingers thoroughly. Add<br />
the yolk of 2 eggs and 1 whole egg (save the egg<br />
whites for the topping). Stir in to mix. Place on<br />
stove and cook on high stirring constantly until it<br />
thickens. Set off heat, add butter and vanilla and<br />
the coconut. Pour into a cooled baked pie crust.<br />
TOPPING<br />
• 1 cup sugar<br />
• ¼ cup water<br />
• 1 T white Karo Syrup<br />
• 1 teaspoon vanilla flavoring<br />
Mix ingredients in a small saucepan and bring to a<br />
boil. Let it continue to boil until it reaches a stage<br />
where when you take the spoon you’re stirring<br />
with out of the pan up above and let it drip, the<br />
drip becomes like a thread about 3 inches long.<br />
Have 2 egg whites beaten stiff in a small mixing<br />
bowl. Pour hot syrup on egg whites very slowly,<br />
mixing as you pour. Add 1 t. vanilla and spread on<br />
top of pie. Sprinkle fresh coconut on top. Let cool<br />
before serving.<br />
With Thanksgiving nearing , I wanted to share<br />
some of my mother’s recipes just as she wrote them<br />
for me as a young bride, trying to help me learn<br />
how to cook. I treasure every word because I can<br />
just hear my mother telling me every step.<br />
All of these recipes are wonderful but the turkey<br />
recipe is especially handy. Several years ago, a<br />
friend from North Carolina shared a recipe for<br />
how to cook a frozen turkey breast and it is<br />
actually so good that I have used it several times,<br />
even when I wasn’t short on time. It's easy and<br />
delicious, juicy, and cooked to perfection. I hope<br />
you will enjoy all these recipes as much as we do.<br />
– Patsy Tolleson<br />
<strong>Hometown</strong> <strong>Rankin</strong> • 63
64 • <strong>October</strong>/<strong>November</strong> <strong>2015</strong>
<strong>Hometown</strong> <strong>Rankin</strong> • 65
Bettye Massey, Ruby Burns, Margie Warren, Ellen Davis<br />
Amanda Cox, Rep. Mark Baker, Vance Cox<br />
Anna Adams, Bertha Adams<br />
Pelahatchie<br />
MAYOR’S<br />
Prayer<br />
Breakfast<br />
SEPTEMBER 12, <strong>2015</strong><br />
Charles Everett, Sydney & Casey Collier<br />
Audrey Booker & Mandy Miles<br />
Cecil Brown, Ryan Brown<br />
Due McKinion, Sue Townsend<br />
Ellen Davis & Brady Harrell<br />
Steven Wallace, Haydn Roberts Jennifer & Kevin Poole Willie Mosley Sr., Kathy Mosley Glenda Shoemaker, Megan Hall<br />
66 • <strong>October</strong>/<strong>November</strong> <strong>2015</strong>
Guy Hughes, Michael Evans<br />
Larry Beasley, Dolly Merchant<br />
Marcus Bowers, Michael Adams<br />
Sheriff Bryan Bailey, Irl Dean Rhodes<br />
Evelyn McMillan, Mary Mitchell<br />
Mayor Knox Ross, Jamie Ross, Rida Mashburn<br />
Ida Jones, Pat Gibbons, Evern Harper, Velma Davis<br />
Tom & Melinda McLemore<br />
Gloria Rhodes, Martha Coghlan<br />
John Edwards, Due McKinion<br />
Julie & Don Davis<br />
Supervisor Walter Johnson, Judge Tom Broome<br />
Jennifer & Dick Hall, Tom Miles<br />
Billy & Judy Fortenberry, Judge John Grant<br />
<strong>Hometown</strong> <strong>Rankin</strong> • 67
68 • <strong>October</strong>/<strong>November</strong> <strong>2015</strong>
HOMETOWN<br />
Sponsored by<br />
For ten weeks, Renesant Bank and <strong>Hometown</strong> <strong>Rankin</strong> Magazine will<br />
honor school personnel throughout <strong>Rankin</strong> County for outstanding work<br />
in their fields. Nominations are accepted through Facebook each week and<br />
those receiving the most nominations were awarded gift baskets from our<br />
sponsor. We are pleased to have been able to celebrate with these amazing<br />
school employees that were voted on by their peers. Thank you to all who<br />
participated and congratulations to our first two winners.<br />
<strong>Hometown</strong> <strong>Rankin</strong> • 69
After receiving a call from an<br />
exchange services coordinator looking<br />
for families to host high schoolers as<br />
exchange students, the Singleterry<br />
family decided to open up their home<br />
and give it a go.<br />
The Singleterry household in Brandon is always active with two<br />
growing boys. Their eight-year-old and three-year-old keep them<br />
busy enough, but add to the mix a teenaged girl. One from another<br />
country to boot. “It makes for some fun times,” said Steven Singleterry.<br />
Steven and his wife, Allison, are a host family for International<br />
Cultural Exchange Services (ICES), based in Virginia. And while<br />
neither have ever studied abroad, they have opened their home for<br />
high school students from other countries to take up residence for<br />
an entire school year.<br />
It all started when the Singelterrys received a cold call from an<br />
ICES regional coordinator out of Alabama. The coordinator was<br />
seeking families to host high schoolers as exchange students.<br />
“While we had never considered that, both of us thought it would<br />
be a fun idea,” said Steven. After meeting the local coordinator,<br />
who lives in Pearl, the Singleterrys went through a credit check,<br />
criminal background check, home inspection and intensive<br />
interviews to assure the couple was able and willing to take on<br />
such a big responsibility. “We also talked about what countries we<br />
might like to have students from.”<br />
The Singleterrys recently welcomed their third student, a junior<br />
from Slovakia named Beky. “In the past two years, we’ve had a student<br />
from Germany, and another from Finland,” said Steven. “They all<br />
speak fluent English, so that has not been a problem.” The Singleterrys<br />
got detailed profiles of their students, but only met the first two<br />
when they arrived a couple of weeks before school started. “With<br />
Beky, we’ve had an opportunity to ‘meet’ her online, and we’ve been<br />
communicating with her since February. When she arrived here,<br />
we felt as if we already knew her.”<br />
Susan Marquez<br />
During the school year, the exchange students spend all major<br />
holidays and go on vacation with the Singleterrys. “The boys love<br />
having a ‘big sister’ around, and we’ve enjoyed having a girl along<br />
with our two boys.” The family plans to continue hosting students<br />
well into the future. “We will most likely switch to boys when our<br />
own boys get older.”<br />
All of the students the Singleterrys have hosted have been high<br />
school juniors. The students attend Brandon High School, where<br />
they make friends just like other students. “I always loved history,”<br />
said Steven. So learning about other cultures is very interesting for<br />
me. We had an exchange student in my high school that I became<br />
friends with, and I’ve always regretted that we didn’t stay in touch.”<br />
Steven said the family plans to stay in contact with their students<br />
after their ten months here is over. “We are already planning a trip<br />
to Germany, where our first student is from. We keep in touch with<br />
her, and I email regularly with her dad, who is a student of history<br />
as well.”<br />
While having a teenage girl in the house can be challenging, the<br />
Singleterrys believe that, overall, the experience has more benefits<br />
than drawbacks. “We certainly won’t be surprised when our own<br />
boys reach their teens,” laughed Steven. The girls are like family to<br />
them, and like any family, there are some difficult moments. But<br />
those have been easily managed and the family feels as though the<br />
girls’ presence enhances all of their lives. Allison communicates with<br />
other host families, and that helps in making sure they are on track.<br />
“This is something we’d recommend to other families,” said<br />
Steven. That fateful phone call opened doors the family never<br />
realized existed. “We are grateful for the opportunity to get to<br />
know students from other countries.” n<br />
70 • <strong>October</strong>/<strong>November</strong> <strong>2015</strong>
<strong>Hometown</strong> <strong>Rankin</strong> • 71
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72 • <strong>October</strong>/<strong>November</strong> <strong>2015</strong><br />
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<strong>Hometown</strong> <strong>Rankin</strong> • 73
74 • <strong>October</strong>/<strong>November</strong> <strong>2015</strong><br />
FAVORITE PLACE
At my cabin in the Montgomery<br />
County woods. My family<br />
comes to eat tons of good<br />
food, spend four relaxing days<br />
together and of course watch<br />
the MSU vs. Ole Miss game.<br />
One of my favorite dishes is<br />
the stuffing or “dressing” as we<br />
all call it. My mom was the one<br />
to always make the dressing<br />
and when she passed away the<br />
responsibility came to me. It<br />
took me many years to perfect<br />
the recipe but I have finally<br />
done it. Mom would be proud.<br />
Growing up, it was definitely<br />
at my Grandmother’s house.<br />
My cousins and I used to play<br />
ball, eat, and play ball all day–<br />
in that order. Now that I have<br />
a family of my own, we really<br />
enjoy going to our condo at<br />
the Beach Club in Gulf Shores.<br />
My favorite dish is traditional<br />
homemade macaroni and<br />
cheese. Coconut pie would<br />
be a close second.<br />
Shea Taylor, Reservoir<br />
A favorite place to spend<br />
Thanksgiving is at my house<br />
or another family member’s<br />
and visit and have a big meal<br />
together. Then I look forward<br />
to going to the Egg Bowl.<br />
My favorite dish is<br />
turkey and dressing.<br />
Sondra Odom, Pearl<br />
I love that 40-50 people<br />
come to my house for<br />
Thanksgiving and stay<br />
for the day. Our oldest<br />
family memer is 78<br />
and the youngest is 2.<br />
My favorite Thanksgiving<br />
food is turkey & dressing<br />
and honey baked ham.<br />
Eddie Adams, Brandon<br />
Barbara Adams, Richland<br />
Growing up, I loved going to<br />
Cadaretta, Mississippi, where<br />
my grandparents and cousins<br />
lived. Now I am blessed to be<br />
able to spend Thanksgiving in<br />
Florence with my 93-year-old<br />
aunt and her family.<br />
My favorite Thanksgiving dish<br />
is sweet potato casserole with<br />
praline topping.<br />
June Pickle, Brandon<br />
Thanksgiving is gathering at<br />
my grandmother’s 110 year old<br />
house, that we affectionately<br />
call the “big house”. My three<br />
siblings, their spouses and<br />
children, twelve aunts and<br />
uncles, eighteen cousins and<br />
their twenty-seven children,<br />
and any other extended family<br />
that can will be there. Turkey,<br />
ham, cornbread dressing, more<br />
casseroles than you can count,<br />
every cook’s favorite dessert<br />
and everyone’s favorite–<br />
Mamaw’s apple tarts!<br />
Susan Irby, Puckett<br />
My favorite place is my<br />
grandma’s (Becky Wallace)<br />
house because it is a family<br />
tradition. Every year we go<br />
there and make memories.<br />
My favorite food is my<br />
grandma’s chicken because<br />
no one can cook like her.<br />
Carmen Hamilton, Pelahatchie<br />
I love to be at home for<br />
Thanksgiving. All of my family<br />
comes for several days and we<br />
have a wonderful time.<br />
My favorite dish is my<br />
wife’s turkey and gravy.<br />
My favorite place to spend<br />
Thanksgiving (my favorite<br />
holiday) is with my whole<br />
family up north–enjoying<br />
each other’s company,<br />
laughing and reminiscing<br />
about growing up in a big<br />
household. I love watching our<br />
kids playing outside like we<br />
did when we were younger<br />
with cool temperatures and<br />
amazing fall foliage.<br />
Picking a favorite dish is<br />
tough since I love turkey with<br />
mashed potatoes and gravy,<br />
side dishes and then, of course,<br />
home-made apple pie. But the<br />
one dish I can’t get enough of<br />
is green bean casserole with<br />
French fried onions on top.<br />
I love it!<br />
Dave Burke, flowood<br />
Doug Baker, Brandon<br />
<strong>Hometown</strong> <strong>Rankin</strong> • 75
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76 • <strong>October</strong>/<strong>November</strong> <strong>2015</strong>
<strong>Hometown</strong> <strong>Rankin</strong> • 77
78 • <strong>October</strong>/<strong>November</strong> <strong>2015</strong>
WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 4<br />
A CARNIVAL BALL…<br />
Preview Gala & Auction<br />
Presented by the Junior League of Jackson<br />
A LEGACY OF LIGHT TOAST | 7 p.m.<br />
Presented by Ergon, Inc.<br />
WALK THE RED CARPET | 7 – 9 p.m.<br />
Presented by C Spire<br />
SILENT & PREMIER AUCTIONS | 7 – 10 p.m.<br />
LIVE AUCTION | 9 p.m.<br />
Presented by Patty Peck Honda<br />
PRESENT PICK | 6 – 10 p.m.<br />
Presented by Lee Michaels Fine Jewelry<br />
Thursday, <strong>November</strong> 5<br />
MISTLETOE MORNING<br />
8 – 11 a.m.<br />
Presented by Trustmark<br />
BRING ON THE BUBBLY<br />
Girls’ Night Out Event<br />
6 – 8 p.m.<br />
Presented by Belk<br />
GENERAL<br />
SHOPPING HOURS<br />
THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 5 | 11 a.m. – 9 p.m.<br />
FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 6 | 11 a.m. – 9 p.m.<br />
SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 7 | 9 a.m. – 5 p.m.<br />
Friday, <strong>November</strong> 6<br />
MARKETPLACE BRUNCH<br />
8 – 11 a.m.<br />
Presented by Regions<br />
THE HEART OF THE MATTER<br />
11:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m.<br />
Featuring Vicki Lawrence<br />
Presented by Baptist Health Systems<br />
ROCKIN’ COUTURE: A FASHION GLOW<br />
For Tweens and Teens<br />
3:30 – 5:30 p.m.<br />
Presented by University of Mississippi<br />
Medical Center<br />
#flashbackfriday<br />
7:30 – 11 p.m.<br />
Presented by Southern Beverage Co., Inc.<br />
CHILDREN’S EVENT<br />
SANTA SNAPS<br />
2:30 – 6:30 p.m.<br />
Saturday, <strong>November</strong> 7<br />
THE RUDOLPH RACE<br />
5K RUN/WALK & ONE-MILE FUN RUN<br />
8 a.m.<br />
Presented by St. Dominic’s<br />
CHILDREN’S EVENTS<br />
SANTA SNAPS<br />
9 a.m. – 3 p.m.<br />
I CAN BEAR-LY WAIT FOR CHRISTMAS<br />
9:30 – 11 a.m.<br />
Presented by the<br />
Junior League of Jackson<br />
For more information or to order tickets, please visit MistletoeMarkeplace.com or call 1.888.324.0027.<br />
<strong>Hometown</strong> <strong>Rankin</strong> • 79
DELTA<br />
STATE<br />
Keeping your mind and body fueled.<br />
www.deltastate.edu/visit<br />
@DELTASTATE • FACEBOOK.COM/DELTASTATEUNIVERSITY<br />
80 • <strong>October</strong>/<strong>November</strong> <strong>2015</strong>
FLORENCE'S FINEST<br />
Chief Richard Thomas<br />
FLORENCE POLICE DEPARTMENT<br />
Why did you decide to be a policeman?<br />
I wanted to be a police officer from the time I<br />
was around 6 years old. My father (C.N. Thomas)<br />
owned Surplus City USA in Jackson, Miss. He<br />
had a lot of police officers that visited the store<br />
and I was able to talk with them about the job<br />
of a law enforcement officer. The job appeared<br />
to be one with excitement and where you<br />
could help others. The job has allowed me to<br />
meet a lot of people and assist many people<br />
who have been victims of a crime.<br />
How long have you been the Florence<br />
Police Chief?<br />
I have been employed by the City of Florence<br />
as a law enforcement officer since 2002.<br />
I became chief of police in January of 2008.<br />
I started in law enforcement in 1982 with the<br />
Jackson Police Department, went to work for<br />
the Hinds County Sheriff’s Office in 1990 until<br />
1997. I was a police reserve with the City of<br />
Clinton from 1998 until 2002.<br />
Tell us about your family.<br />
My wife Cindy and I have been married for 34<br />
years. We have two sons Brandon and Britt.<br />
Both are both married. Our son Britt is a police<br />
officer in Madison and our son Brandon works<br />
for J.L. Roberts Mechanical and has his own<br />
lawn service. We have one grandchild named<br />
A.J. who is a year old.<br />
What is the toughest thing you have<br />
experienced in your job?<br />
This is hard say. I’ve had friends that lost their<br />
lives in the line of duty and responded to many<br />
tough calls for service. If we spoke of calls for<br />
service, I would have to say those dealing with<br />
children. I responded to a call years ago where<br />
a young boy had been shot point blank range<br />
with a shotgun. I still remember this scene, so<br />
I would have to say it was the worst.<br />
Share some things you enjoy doing in<br />
your spare time.<br />
I enjoy going to barrel races with my wife and<br />
her friends. I enjoy hunting and fishing. I also<br />
enjoy cutting grass with my tractor, which gives<br />
me time to think about things other than work.<br />
What are three things on your bucket list?<br />
I would like to go deep sea fishing.<br />
I would like to go to Australia.<br />
I want to spoil my grandchildren.<br />
Who is someone you admire and why?<br />
I would have to say my father. He passed away<br />
in 2014. He worked most of his life 6 to 7 days<br />
a week and made sure that the family had what<br />
was needed. He made time for the family, with<br />
vacations, weekend getaways and hunting trips<br />
with my brother and me as often as he could.<br />
He made sure that we grew up knowing the<br />
value of a dollar, meaning you work for what<br />
you get. He also taught us to keep our word.<br />
Where do you see yourself ten years<br />
from now?<br />
I would like to eventually obtain a job with a<br />
company doing asset protection or some type<br />
of fraud investigations. But that will be a few<br />
years from now. I still love police work and<br />
working for the City of Florence.<br />
If you could give one piece of advice<br />
to a young person, what would it be?<br />
Develop a relationship with Jesus Christ and<br />
surround yourself with good people.<br />
What is the biggest mistake you think<br />
young people make today?<br />
The same mistake most of have made. Trying<br />
to acquire materialistic things without the<br />
money in hand and developing a lot of debt<br />
through credit, which causes stress.<br />
What is your favorite thing about the<br />
City of Florence?<br />
The people of Florence are so nice. I cannot<br />
tell you how many times people have fed our<br />
officers on Thanksgiving and Christmas.<br />
We get told a lot by the people of Florence,<br />
“Thank you for what you do.”<br />
<strong>Hometown</strong> <strong>Rankin</strong> • 81
82 • <strong>October</strong>/<strong>November</strong> <strong>2015</strong><br />
GIRLS’<br />
NIGHT<br />
OUT<br />
Fashion Show<br />
August 29, <strong>2015</strong><br />
Clyde Muse Center
<strong>Hometown</strong> <strong>Rankin</strong> • 83
84 • <strong>October</strong>/<strong>November</strong> <strong>2015</strong>
attitude<br />
the<br />
of gratitude<br />
Mary Ann Kirby<br />
Staying positive in a negative world will not only better your life<br />
but will change it in more ways than you can ever imagine.<br />
I’m not sure I remember a time in my<br />
life that I’ve truly felt the “weight” of the<br />
world like I have recently. I’ve literally<br />
gotten to the point that I cannot bear to<br />
watch the news for the constant barrage<br />
of negative behavior, terrible stories and<br />
discouraging reports. Sometimes I think<br />
it would be best to just squeeze both my<br />
eyes shut and stick my fingers in my ears.<br />
La-la-la-la-la-la . . . .<br />
It’s easy to see all that’s wrong in the<br />
world. It’s everywhere–social injustice, bad<br />
politics, immorality, violence, persecution<br />
of Christians, lousy jobs, crime. And it’s<br />
certainly easy to get overwhelmed and<br />
consumed with worry and dread, not to<br />
mention that all of us have our own struggles.<br />
We all have mountains.<br />
So how do we stay positive in such a<br />
negative world?<br />
It has become my mission, particularly<br />
as we embark upon the season of thanksgiving,<br />
to focus on the things I’m thankful<br />
for. I’m deliberately turning a blind eye<br />
and limiting my exposure to all the things<br />
in this universe that can zap me of my joy.<br />
And at the risk of sounding cliché, it’s an<br />
attitude of gratitude that can move those<br />
pesky mountains that often seem to get in<br />
our way.<br />
I started thinking about my son and<br />
how important it is to ensure that he<br />
understands the concept of being thankful<br />
in what I consider to be a largely thankless<br />
world. I don’t know about you, but I am<br />
keenly aware of the sense of entitlement<br />
that our young people seem to have today–<br />
and I believe it’s purely generational. It’s<br />
not even their fault. They’ve just never<br />
known what it is to do without. And we’re<br />
the ones that worked ourselves to death<br />
to give them everything! Think about it.<br />
Oh, the irony.<br />
Teaching a child to look beyond their<br />
one-person universe can be a challenge. But<br />
kids who aren’t taught to be grateful end up<br />
with those feelings of self-entitlement and,<br />
even worse, are constantly disappointed.<br />
And if that’s not reason enough, grateful<br />
people report lower levels of depression<br />
and stress, stronger immune systems and<br />
lower blood pressure, feel less lonely and<br />
isolated and have more joy, optimism and<br />
happiness. Who couldn’t use a good dose<br />
of optimism and happiness these days?<br />
So since they’re not born with it, how<br />
do you teach a child to be appreciative?<br />
The most obvious answer I can think of is<br />
to lead by example. We must live lives of<br />
gratitude if we want our children to really<br />
86 • <strong>October</strong>/<strong>November</strong> <strong>2015</strong>
We are called to be a thankful people.<br />
learn to be grateful. We need to point out<br />
the positives in people and in situations.<br />
We need to criticize and complain less.<br />
I know I need to be more mindful of my<br />
grumbles and let my child hear me being<br />
more overtly thankful for things–often<br />
easier said than done when we’re so<br />
inundated with outside noise.<br />
We should also reward thankfulness.<br />
It may sound crazy, but thanking our kids<br />
for thanking us may go a long way toward<br />
teaching them that we appreciate them, too.<br />
If we consistently delight in their gratitude,<br />
it will reinforce that behavior and they will<br />
express it more often.<br />
By using everyday moments to make<br />
gratitude and thankfulness part of your<br />
family’s daily life, you’ll foster a confidence<br />
and gratefulness in your child that will lead<br />
them to become kinder and more appreciative<br />
people in general–which leads us back<br />
to where we started. In a world with<br />
countless negative forces, what if we all<br />
made it our mission to overcome them<br />
with loving, positive affirmations of<br />
gratefulness?<br />
The incredible thing about gratitude is<br />
that once we realize all the things we have<br />
in our lives and all the things we can do,<br />
we create feelings of contentment within<br />
ourselves. And it’s with these feelings of<br />
contentment that we live happier lives–<br />
because when we’re content, our thoughts<br />
are positive. And based on the law of<br />
attraction, when we think “thankful”<br />
thoughts, we bring more into our lives<br />
to be thankful for.<br />
No matter what the current circumstances,<br />
there’s always good to be found.<br />
Even when things aren’t at their best, count<br />
your blessings anyway and let them buoy<br />
your sagging spirits. Whatever you send out<br />
into the universe will come back to you.<br />
So, find the good–and teach your children<br />
to find the good as well. Surround yourself<br />
with encouraging, optimistic and grateful<br />
people and see what happens.<br />
And be happy about finding the positive<br />
and consciously cultivate more gratitude—<br />
so much so that your heart explodes with<br />
delight and contagiously stretches out to<br />
those around you. The people that you love<br />
in life deserve your gratitude the very most<br />
and they will respond in ways that are both<br />
encouraging and fulfilling.<br />
We are called to be a thankful people.<br />
Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life–<br />
and turns what we have into enough.<br />
If you want to feel happy, try on an attitude<br />
of gratitude for a change in your mood,<br />
your outlook and your life. n<br />
<strong>Hometown</strong> <strong>Rankin</strong> • 87
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Ask your doctor about having your mammogram<br />
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*Radiologist must have prior films at the time of your appointment.<br />
88 • <strong>October</strong>/<strong>November</strong> <strong>2015</strong><br />
Center<br />
for Breast Health<br />
1225 North State Street<br />
Jackson, MS 39202<br />
601-973-3180<br />
www.mbhs.org/breasthealth
<strong>Hometown</strong> <strong>Rankin</strong> • 89
for a boot-scooting, foot-stomping,<br />
hand-clapping good time . . .<br />
It was in 1999 that Rodney and Barbara Joyner of Brandon<br />
offered their barn as a gathering for music lovers like themselves.<br />
The “barn” had a welcoming atmosphere with its farm and country<br />
life mementoes lining the walls and a performing stage for the<br />
entertainers. For ten years, the Joyners shared their farm and home<br />
with the 250 guests that the venue seated. When other interests and<br />
lifestyles changed for the Joyners, Bobby Ray, a talented and regular<br />
participant since 2005, suggested they find another venue for the<br />
musicians and fans of the Opry that wanted it to continue.<br />
The city of Brandon had the answer with an offer to host the<br />
event on the third Saturday night of most months. The Brandon<br />
Opry continues to grow with its family-friendly country and gospel<br />
music show. The audience is encouraged to enjoy the roomy dance<br />
floor and line dance, boot scoot or make their own moves to the<br />
foot-stomping, hand-clapping music.<br />
The hometown Opry has a group of approximately forty very<br />
talented performers that make regular visits to the stage. Lead<br />
guitarist Bob Saxton has played for years in Nashville with artists<br />
such as Patsy Cline, Merle Travis, Billy Walker, and Charlie Louvin.<br />
Bobby Ray, keyboard master extraordinaire, has played as a regular<br />
and favorite. David McCoy adds drum rhythm and a popular<br />
harmonica. Wilson Karges rounds out the band with his bass guitar<br />
and Dobro. And Sharon Ross, Bobby Ray’s sister, is a tambourine<br />
rhythm setter and backup vocalist.<br />
The caliber of talent that makes up the monthly entertainment<br />
would be comfortable on larger stages and before bigger audiences,<br />
but Bobby Ray says the joy of performing in his own hometown,<br />
before audiences who appreciate good music and fun, is a rewarding<br />
and amazing experience.<br />
90 • <strong>October</strong>/<strong>November</strong> <strong>2015</strong>
The Brandon Opry is a jewel of entertainment that continues to<br />
bring high quality artists to share the stage with local favorites. Some<br />
say it’s been a well-kept secret, but according to the participation and<br />
future guest lineups, the Brandon Opry is front page news in the<br />
entertainment world. Certainly, it’s a positive step toward success when<br />
it’s the entertainers that request stage time at the monthly hoedown.<br />
On Saturday, <strong>October</strong> 17, a Blackwood Quartet gospel concert<br />
will follow the Brandon Opry. The Brandon Opry will begin at<br />
5:45 pm and guests, along with the Brandon Opry Band, will perform<br />
until 7:20 pm. The Blackwood Quartet performance will begin at<br />
7:30 pm. Tickets are $10 (for combined show of both the Brandon<br />
Opry and Blackwood Quartet) if purchased before <strong>October</strong> 17 and<br />
are $15 at the door. Doors open at 5:30 p.m. and is general admission<br />
seating. Tickets will be available at the Brandon Municipal Complex.<br />
Guest performers include Lori Ladner from Madison singing some<br />
Tammy Wynette specials, CandyLee Dobbs from Brandon, and<br />
Lynn Landry from Louisiana, along with the Brandon Opry Band.<br />
Mark Blackwood and the Blackwood Quartet joined Willie Nelson<br />
at the 30th annual Farm Aid event in Chicago, Illinois in September.<br />
Willie Nelson is a huge fan of the Blackwood Quartet and of gospel<br />
music. This marked the 10th consecutive year for the Blackwoods to<br />
perform as Nelson’s personal guests.The Blackwood family has won<br />
8 Grammy Awards, 27 Dove Awards, 5 All American Music Awards,<br />
and sold millions of recordings.<br />
Don’t miss an incredible night of country and gospel music at the<br />
Brandon Opry. For additional information call the Brandon Municipal<br />
Complex at 601-825-8421, visit them on Facebook or at their<br />
website, www.brandonopry.net. n<br />
<strong>Hometown</strong> <strong>Rankin</strong> • 91
...of health care<br />
professionals in training.<br />
<strong>Rankin</strong> Campus<br />
3805 Hwy. 80 East, Pearl<br />
601.936.5552<br />
www.hindscc.edu<br />
Hinds Community College offers equal education and employment opportunities and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, religion, sex, age, disability or veteran status in its programs and activities. The following person has been designated to<br />
handle inquiries regarding the non-discrimination policies: Dr. Debra Mays-Jackson, Vice President for the Utica and Vicksburg-Warren Campuses and Administrative Services, 34175 Hwy. 18, Utica, MS 39175; 601.885.7002.<br />
92 • <strong>October</strong>/<strong>November</strong> <strong>2015</strong>
LUNG CANCER AWARENESS MONTH <strong>2015</strong><br />
BRING LUNG CANCER<br />
OUT OF THE SHADOWS<br />
Raise Your Voice During Lung Cancer Awareness Month<br />
American Lung Association in Mississippi<br />
Every five minutes, a woman in the U.S. is told she has lung cancer.<br />
And this year, lung cancer will kill more Americans than any other cancer.<br />
In fact, lung cancer will claim more lives than the next three leading<br />
cancer killers—breast, colorectal, and pancreas cancers—combined.<br />
<strong>November</strong> is Lung Cancer Awareness Month, a time to bring more<br />
awareness to the disease.<br />
Increased attention on this disease is desperately needed. Lung<br />
cancer is a leading cause of cancer deaths and in Mississippi it kills an<br />
average of 1,929 people per year. Despite these devastating statistics,<br />
and despite being the leading cancer killer of women and men, lung<br />
cancer has been in the shadows for decades. Anyone can get lung<br />
cancer, yet awareness about the disease is especially low. In fact, only<br />
one percent of women cite lung cancer as a top-of-mind health risk.<br />
“Many may believe they are not at risk for lung cancer, but the reality<br />
is that anyone can get lung cancer,” said Amy Ellis, Regional Director<br />
of Health Promotions. “Everyone should be aware of the risks and<br />
symptoms.”<br />
Smoking is the greatest risk factor for lung cancer, and exposure to<br />
radon, asbestos and air pollution may also raise one’s risk of developing<br />
lung cancer. Radon is the second leading cause of lung cancer, and the<br />
leading cause of lung cancer among non-smokers. Learn more about<br />
radon at Lung.org/radon.<br />
It is also important to recognize the symptoms, which can often be<br />
mistaken for other diseases or conditions. Some of the most common<br />
symptoms of lung cancer include a cough that won’t go away, coughing<br />
up blood and shortness of breath.<br />
To raise awareness about this terrible disease, the American Lung<br />
Association launched LUNG FORCE, an initiative that unites women in<br />
the fight against lung cancer, encouraging them to raise their voices<br />
for change.<br />
“Through LUNG FORCE, the American Lung Association has set<br />
out to raise awareness about lung cancer so everyone understands<br />
their risks and to advocate for innovations in research that will lead to<br />
earlier detection and more personalized treatments, so everyone has<br />
a fighting chance,” said Ellis.<br />
Over the past 37 years, the lung cancer death rate in women has<br />
about doubled. Lung cancer has one of the lowest survival rates<br />
compared to other major cancers. One reason lung cancer is so<br />
serious is because it usually is not found until it has spread and is<br />
more difficult to treat. Increased awareness and improved access to<br />
screening options are key to saving lives.<br />
Today, thanks to investments in research and the power of patient<br />
advocates and public health organizations like the Lung Association,<br />
we have made strides in early detection and treatment. Millions of<br />
Americans at high risk for lung cancer now have access to potentially<br />
lifesaving lung cancer screening which can detect lung cancer before<br />
there are symptoms, when it is easier to treat. Unfortunately, most<br />
often, lung cancer is detected in late stage when it’s more difficult to<br />
treat. Learn more about whether you are a candidate for lung cancer<br />
screening at Lung.org/lcscreening.<br />
New therapies also are being developed and strides are being made<br />
in the fields of precision medicine and immunotherapy. However, the<br />
nation’s investment in research must grow to ensure all patients have<br />
access to emerging therapies that could potentially save or extend their<br />
lives. LUNG FORCE is helping to make this a reality.<br />
Through LUNG FORCE, the American Lung Association will invest<br />
$10 million in lung cancer research and $5 million in increasing public<br />
health promotion. This includes generating awareness of lung cancer<br />
screening, providing patients with information about clinical trials and<br />
biomarker testing and advocating for increased federal funding for lung<br />
cancer research from $213 million today to $300 million by 2020.<br />
“We are on the cusp of major positive changes in lung cancer,” said<br />
Ellis. “We encourage everyone to learn more about lung cancer during<br />
Lung Cancer Awareness Month, and for those whose lives have been<br />
touched by lung cancer, we encourage you to share your story and<br />
raise your voice against lung cancer.”<br />
If you or a loved one has been touched by lung cancer, share your<br />
story on our website to inspire others to do the same. The more we<br />
discuss how lung cancer has impacted our lives, the more we’ll raise<br />
important awareness and funds to defeat lung cancer. Learn more<br />
about lung cancer and how to #ShareYourVoice at LUNGFORCE.org.<br />
And in honor of Lung Cancer Awareness Month, join the LUNG<br />
FORCE Giving Day on <strong>November</strong> 17, <strong>2015</strong> by visiting LUNGFORCE.org/<br />
givingday. Cancer Treatment Centers of America will match every gift<br />
to Giving Day, dollar for dollar up to $100,000. Your help has never<br />
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<strong>Hometown</strong> <strong>Rankin</strong> • 93
THE METROPOLITAN SUPPER CLUB<br />
SUSAN MARQUEZ<br />
Barbara and John Collier waited until they were both<br />
in their early 40’s to get engaged in the summer of 1993.<br />
John enjoyed cutting a rug on the dance floor, Barbara not<br />
so much. But when John’s cousin invited the couple to join<br />
a supper club that centered on dancing, they jumped at the<br />
chance. “We attended mainly for the fellowship, but<br />
I ended up enjoying the dancing more than I thought I<br />
would,” said Barbara Collier.<br />
The Colliers have been members of the Metropolitan<br />
Supper Club ever since. “We’ve made some wonderful<br />
friends over the years,” Collier said. “We see several of<br />
them outside of the supper club. We’ve been through all<br />
kinds of things together.”<br />
The Metropolitan Supper Club was started by Stuart<br />
C. Irby, Jr. and Dudley Hughes in 1992 to promote dancing<br />
to live music in a 1940s supper club atmosphere. It was<br />
organized to provide a place to listen and dance to big<br />
band music, enjoy a good meal, and to have fellowship<br />
with friends. Over the years, the club has met at various<br />
locations and as often as three times a week.<br />
Currently the club meets eight times a year at the Capital<br />
Club in downtown Jackson. The dance is held on a Friday<br />
night from 7:00 to 10:30pm. A buffet dinner is served,<br />
and a cash bar is available. But the main attraction is the<br />
music, always provided by a live band. The bands are the<br />
Jackson All Stars, led by Dave Schommer, and The Sessions,<br />
led by Bob Davidson. The two bands alternate each month.<br />
When the club was organized, the membership<br />
consisted of over 100 couples. In recent years, however,<br />
the membership has not grown in proportion to the<br />
number of aging members who have dropped out due to<br />
ill health, moving or death. Today the club has 36 couples<br />
from <strong>Rankin</strong>, Hinds, and Madison Counties who are<br />
members, with several potential memberships pending.<br />
Membership is contingent upon being approved by the<br />
board of directors. A couple may come as a guest one time at<br />
a cost of $52. After the first visit, a couple may come as a<br />
guest for $90 each time. The board of directors will not<br />
approve those whose behavior makes others uncomfortable.<br />
The cost to join the club is $240 per year. In addition,<br />
the cost of the buffet meal with gratuity is $52 per couple<br />
each time the couple attends. Reservations are made in<br />
advance. There are two formal dances a year, one in March<br />
and the other in December. Black tie is requested for the<br />
formal dances, but not required. Dress for the other dances<br />
during the year is coat and tie for men, while women may<br />
wear a dressy pantsuit or a Sunday dress.<br />
Being involved with the Metropolitan Supper Club<br />
has been a joy for Barbara Collier. “It’s been so much fun.<br />
We look forward to it each month!” Collier said she wishes<br />
more young people would get involved. “It’s such a fun<br />
activity for young couples, and like us, you grow old with<br />
friends you meet in the supper club. Unfortunately, it’s a<br />
well-kept secret, but we’re trying to get the word out!” ■<br />
For more information on the Metropolitan Supper Club, visit their website at www.metsupclub.com.<br />
94 • <strong>October</strong>/<strong>November</strong> <strong>2015</strong>
<strong>Hometown</strong> <strong>Rankin</strong> • 95
96 • <strong>October</strong>/<strong>November</strong> <strong>2015</strong>
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<strong>Hometown</strong> <strong>Rankin</strong> • 97
The CHALKBOARD<br />
RANKIN COUNTY SCHOOL DISTRICT<br />
Florence<br />
There are great things going on at Florence High School this<br />
year! Our Eagle P.R.I.D.E. focuses on the values of preparation,<br />
respect, integrity, determination, and excellence in all our students<br />
so that they can excel in academics, sports, and extracurricular<br />
activities. In remembrance of 9/11, FHS selected the homecoming<br />
theme “Honoring Our Heroes” with special emphasis this year<br />
being placed on fundraising projects to benefit Wounded Warriors<br />
of Mississippi. The students spent the week remembering members<br />
of the military, police, and fire departments.<br />
Our athletic and academic teams are not only thriving but also<br />
excelling. The FHS JROTC physical training team recently won<br />
the first place in mixed teams, first place in all female team, and<br />
third in all male team at the Warren Central PT meet. Senior,<br />
Wesley Evans was selected as a national merit semi-finalist. Our<br />
new girls’ volleyball team celebrated its first of many wins, and the<br />
academies are seeing success also.<br />
In May, the first group of health science academy students<br />
graduated. The Talon Entrepreneurship and Management<br />
(TEAM) Academy is boasting its first “complete” academy with<br />
classes in each grade level enrolled. Recent accomplishments<br />
include top 30 winners at DECA international competition,<br />
statewide 1st and 2nd place teams in the Southern Entrepreneurship<br />
Programs business plan competition, and another successful<br />
year of operating our school coffee shop, Mocha Loca, which<br />
sustains the Academy. This year, Academy classes are looking<br />
forward to mentorships with community business leaders,<br />
long-distance learning with a business class in Oregon, and other<br />
projects that connect students with the business community.<br />
There are many exciting things happening on our campus and<br />
in our classrooms. To find out more, you can find us on social<br />
media. Visit @allthings_FHS on Twitter or Instagram and All<br />
Things FHS on Facebook for important announcements and<br />
highlights throughout the year!<br />
98 • <strong>October</strong>/<strong>November</strong> <strong>2015</strong><br />
Submissions provided by local officials from each individual district and not to be considered editorial opinion.
McLaurin<br />
McLaurin High School is proud to introduce our new<br />
agriculture teacher, Mr. Bryan Collins. Mr. Collins taught at both<br />
Mendenhall High School and Covington County Vo-Tech.<br />
While in these positions, he trained six state championship teams<br />
and is excited to lead McLaurin’s team to victory, as well. He<br />
obtained his bachelor’s degree in agriculture information science<br />
and education from Mississippi State University and his master’s<br />
degree in educational leadership from Arkansas State University.<br />
He is excited about the opportunity to move into a brand new<br />
agriculture building at McLaurin.<br />
The building will house a classroom with a computer lab area<br />
and a large shop area where students will have access to agricultural<br />
equipment such as welders, small engines, and carpentry<br />
equipment. This building will give our students the opportunity<br />
to use their technical skills to build projects such as picnic tables,<br />
deer stands, and hay rings; as well as, engage in agricultural<br />
experiments like DNA extraction and seed germination.<br />
Mr. Collins has hit the ground running and the McLaurin<br />
FFA Chapter was recently awarded a Living to Serve: Natural<br />
Disaster and Emergency Preparedness Grant to help our<br />
community become more prepared for severe weather events.<br />
Award winners were chosen from agriculture programs across<br />
the country. The McLaurin FFA Chapter grant project is entitled<br />
“Be Smart, Be Safe, Be Ready,” and will focus on educating<br />
students, teachers, and the community about how to react in a<br />
severe weather event. The grant will be used to purchase weather<br />
alert radios for each building on both McLaurin campuses. The<br />
grant will also purchase first aid kits to be distributed to classrooms<br />
and to members of the community who attend storm preparedness<br />
training workshops.<br />
The workshops will be presented by McLaurin FFA members<br />
and will cover topics such as developing household emergency<br />
plans, building emergency food and water kits, basic first aid<br />
training, and storm spotter training. The grant is in the amount<br />
of $2,000 and information on workshops will be given as dates<br />
are set. Mr. Collins hopes that everyone will take advantage of<br />
these presentations throughout the year and will help us become<br />
a storm ready community.<br />
Submissions provided by local officials from each individual district and not to be considered editorial opinion.<br />
<strong>Hometown</strong> <strong>Rankin</strong> • 99
The CHALKBOARD<br />
RANKIN COUNTY SCHOOL DISTRICT<br />
Northwest<br />
<strong>Rankin</strong><br />
Northwest <strong>Rankin</strong> High School continues to strive to reach its<br />
full potential. Already one of the premier high schools in the state,<br />
this year it hopes to further the tradition of excellence already<br />
established. Administrators, teachers, and students work side by<br />
side every day to create a community of excellence.<br />
With 1650 plus students, each is provided with the necessary<br />
tools to succeed. Northwest has been rated a star school by the<br />
Mississippi Department of Education. It is one of only four<br />
schools in the entire state to be presented with a $500,000 grant<br />
for High School Redesign and a Southern Regional Education<br />
Board “High Schools That Work” Gold Award Winner. Northwest<br />
offers twelve AP courses, having added three in the past year,<br />
along with ten Dual Credit courses. It has fifteen National Board<br />
certified teachers. However, what makes the school truly great is<br />
the students. Northwest <strong>Rankin</strong> has a diverse population of<br />
students. Last year<br />
there were six National<br />
Merit Finalists. 45% of<br />
students graduated<br />
with a twenty-two or<br />
above on their ACT,<br />
and more than fifty<br />
students in the school<br />
have a composite thirty or better on the ACT. Twenty-two<br />
students received athletic scholarships.<br />
NWRHS continues to not only develop learners but inspire<br />
leaders through the many community service opportunities the<br />
clubs offer. The entire school is looking forward to the upcoming<br />
school beautification at end of September as well as the food fight<br />
with Brandon High School and the school’s partnership with the<br />
Make-a-Wish Foundation. Multiple clubs will also host coat<br />
drives, pet food drives, mission projects, and other volunteer<br />
opportunities. NWRHS students are making a difference in the<br />
community. These are just a few of the standards set that are<br />
being lived up to and surpassed by the current teenagers walking<br />
through Northwest’s doors.<br />
Pelahatchie<br />
It started out a simple dream for a 2nd grade teacher at<br />
Pelahatchie Elementary School and turned into something<br />
spectacular also known as Pelahatchie’s ‘CHIEFTACULAR’<br />
show choir. Shelia Sharplin had huge shoes to fill when Vicki<br />
Mercier retired as Pelahatchie’s music teacher. But, Mrs. Sharplin<br />
rose to the challenge<br />
and had a vision to start<br />
Pelahatchie’s first ever<br />
6th grade Show Choir.<br />
The who, what,<br />
when, and where began<br />
flowing through her<br />
mind. One afternoon<br />
in May, she held<br />
auditions where nine<br />
students were chosen,<br />
but the real fun had<br />
just started. These<br />
dedicated 6th graders<br />
practiced twice a week<br />
every week during the<br />
summer and became more excited with each practice. Mrs.<br />
Sharplin’s main focus was to identify individual talent and unite<br />
each child’s voice into a unique but modern sound. From the song<br />
choices to the choreography, Chieftacular includes bits from the<br />
70s, 80s, 90s, and today.<br />
Their first “gig” was performing for Pelahatchie Elementary<br />
and Pelahatchie High School teachers during professional<br />
development. Ashley Gough, an English teacher at PHS was<br />
quoted saying, “I thought it was very cute, and they showed a lot<br />
of confidence to perform in front of a large group of adults. They<br />
had a lot of enthusiasm and put on an enjoyable performance.”<br />
This group of eight girls and one boy has a year full of events<br />
including singing the national anthem, performing at halftime<br />
shows during Pelahatchie Chiefs football games, serenading the<br />
town during the Muscadine Jubilee, wowing guests at Halloween<br />
in the Park, and participating in various events in the area. Mijia<br />
Ward, Assistant Principal at Pelahatchie Elementary, praised the<br />
show choir when she said, “This is an amazing group of students<br />
100 • <strong>October</strong>/<strong>November</strong> <strong>2015</strong>
who have been given the opportunity to showcase their talents to<br />
our school and community.<br />
Mrs. Sharplin’s passion for music and the special gifts each of<br />
these kids possess has truly made a difference in our students and<br />
school.” Chieftacular members are Madelyn Cain, Avery Demuth,<br />
Collins Doster, McKinnley Goodin, Sharetha Hobbs, Emily Ingram,<br />
Jactavius Macklin, Haley Mills, and Kaitlyn White. Keep your<br />
ears open as you will be hearing GREAT things from this group!<br />
Pisgah High<br />
Enrollment at Pisgah High School continues to grow, with our<br />
largest senior and seventh grade classes ever beginning this August.<br />
For the first time, PHS has over four hundred students on campus.<br />
Our extracurricular and academic programs are all benefitting<br />
from the continued growth in excellence and student involvement.<br />
This year PHS expanded several of its flagship academic and<br />
extracurricular programs to meet demand. After the introduction<br />
of two AP English courses last year (English Language and<br />
Literature) as well as AP Art, AP Government, and AP U.S.<br />
History this year, students now have the opportunity to experience<br />
college-level rigor (and earn college credit) through all five AP<br />
courses. These new opportunities are in addition to our longstanding<br />
dual credit program, the largest in the area, which allows<br />
students to earn 35 college credit hours at PHS through a<br />
partnership with Hinds Community College.<br />
In extracurriculars,<br />
our show choir program<br />
is one of the largest on<br />
campus, with the addition<br />
of a new junior high<br />
show choir, Prodigy,<br />
beginning this year and<br />
record participation in<br />
the award-winning high school Innergy choir. Both groups will<br />
be attending local and statewide competitions in 2016, and a new<br />
choral ensemble is beginning as well.<br />
In <strong>2015</strong>, the Dragons won the Division 6-2A football championship<br />
and the Lady Dragons won the 6-2A fastpitch softball<br />
championship, while track, baseball, and tennis teams all brought<br />
home district runner-up honors. We are proud that all seventeen<br />
sports teams qualified as MHSAA Scholar Athlete teams as well.<br />
Academically, last year was a banner year for PHS, with a senior<br />
class that earned a record average of 21.5 on the ACT, won over $3<br />
million in scholarships, and sent graduates to schools all over the<br />
state and beyond. PHS held the area’s first academic College<br />
Signing Day to honor their achievements, and now plans are<br />
underway for this year’s event. We are looking forwards to<br />
another exceptional year at Pisgah!<br />
Puckett<br />
Elementary<br />
One thing we are working on at Puckett Elementary School this<br />
fall is teaching our students to have a growth mindset. A growth<br />
mindset is what most people would call a positive or can do attitude.<br />
Along with the content standards we want our students to learn to<br />
believe in themselves and become problem solvers.<br />
Sometimes a student’s lack of success stems from his or her level<br />
of self-confidence. At PES we want students to feel safe enough in<br />
their learning environments to take risks each day by admitting<br />
when they need help and by working together to inquire about<br />
topics of interest for the purpose of offering solutions to real<br />
world problems.<br />
We want students to know if they change their words, they<br />
will change their mindset. For example, instead of saying I can’t do<br />
math, we want them to say I’m going to train my brain in math.<br />
Instead of saying I give up, we want them to say I’ll use some of the<br />
<strong>Hometown</strong> <strong>Rankin</strong> • 101
The CHALKBOARD<br />
RANKIN COUNTY SCHOOL DISTRICT<br />
strategies I’ve learned. Instead of saying this is too hard, we want<br />
them to say this may take some time and effort, but I can do it.<br />
The growth mindset is something that we start teaching in<br />
kindergarten with stories like The Little Engine that Could. We<br />
want our students at PES to know we see the potential in them,<br />
and, in the words of the book, know they can.<br />
Richland High<br />
Teachers at Richland High School are no strangers to collaboration.<br />
In fact, they kicked off the <strong>2015</strong>-2016 school year preparing<br />
innovative strategies to incorporate literacy across the curriculum,<br />
as well as strategies for our PBIS program to reward good behavior.<br />
This is not the first year literacy has been the primary focus for the<br />
school, which teachers realize is important in each content area.<br />
Teachers are working in their Professional Learning Communities<br />
to implement lessons that promote reading critically, writing<br />
effectively, and communicating clearly to an audience.<br />
With our PBIS program, both teacher and student expectations<br />
have risen as a result of RHS being named a PBIS Model School<br />
this past year. PBIS will continue to be steadfast in the promotion<br />
of positive behavior. The program will continue to reward students<br />
with “No Tardy Tuesdays,” “Random Rewards,” “Perfect Attendance<br />
Celebrations,” “Off-Campus Lunch,” and Field Day for deserving<br />
students.<br />
The accomplished implementation of PBIS enables teachers<br />
to focus more on instructional practices as we prepare students<br />
academically and socially for success in the twenty-first century.<br />
Rouse<br />
Elementary<br />
Being associated with special education for many years, the<br />
stories about happenings at school have not always been pleasant.<br />
But that all has changed at Rouse. We have been blessed in so many<br />
ways. We have a very supportive administrator, Kelli Adcock, who<br />
has gone to bat for us when funding was tight. She is always asking<br />
about our children and takes a genuine interest in them as she does<br />
every child.<br />
The teachers are supportive as well—including the students in<br />
every way possible. The students go to music, recess, lunch, and<br />
many other activities. They do not just attend these activities but<br />
are included in every way. The music teacher, Pam George, includes<br />
the students by picking them for games and even letting them help<br />
her lead in a special program. The teachers and assistants make sure<br />
to greet each child by name and teach their students to do the same.<br />
The students go out of their way to be kind even choosing to sit<br />
and play with a student in a wheelchair on the playground while<br />
their friends run and play. In a world where we hear of so much<br />
heartache it is nice to be in such sweet atmosphere. We are all<br />
blessed to be at Rouse.<br />
102 • <strong>October</strong>/<strong>November</strong> <strong>2015</strong>
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<strong>Hometown</strong> <strong>Rankin</strong> • 103
104 • <strong>October</strong>/<strong>November</strong> <strong>2015</strong>
Worthy of Merit<br />
Steve Dobbs has been appointed Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Merit Health<br />
to oversee efforts of enhancing quality, improving access to quality care, and<br />
expanding services for patients across the central Mississippi region.<br />
Dobbs has nearly three decades of executive healthcare management experience,<br />
serving in leadership roles at hospitals and healthcare organizations in Oklahoma,<br />
Florida and Kansas. Most recently, he served as CEO of Urologic Specialists of<br />
Oklahoma, a 20-member physician practice in Tulsa. He has worked with countless<br />
boards of directors, institutional officials, government regulators, the media, and<br />
community leaders. His accomplishments have graced the front page of USA Today<br />
and he has even been a healthcare contributor on The Fox News show, Fox & Friends.<br />
Dobbs holds a master’s degree in health services administration from the<br />
University of St. Francis in Joliet, Illinois, and a bachelor’s degree in accounting from<br />
Texas Tech University in Lubbock, Texas.<br />
<strong>Hometown</strong> spoke with Steve in more detail about his role with Merit Health:<br />
Q. What is your vision for Merit Health?<br />
A. Ultimately, I look forward to utilizing our vast group of physicians and professionals<br />
to expand access to quality care. Merit Health is developing innovative ways to care<br />
for the central Mississippi community, and I am excited about the opportunities in our<br />
future. We hope to become the first choice of patients in the region.<br />
Our company culture is also evolving. New programs empower employees to<br />
optimize the overall patient experience through a more mindful approach. We are<br />
also providing new tools that enhance safety, communication, and quality measures.<br />
Q. Lately, I have seen the Merit Health name<br />
more frequently. What have been some of your<br />
growth initiatives?<br />
A. Recently, we added over 30 Merit Health Medical Group clinics to our six<br />
hospitals (Merit Health Central, Merit Health Madison, Merit Health <strong>Rankin</strong>, Merit<br />
Health River Oaks, Merit Health River Region, and Merit Health Woman’s Hospital)<br />
in the Jackson/Vicksburg metropolitan area. Overall, we employ more than 3,300<br />
people, have 1,200 licensed beds, and 1,800 physicians on active medical staff.<br />
As these entities join together in various ways, we are making a concerted effort<br />
to inform our patients that first and foremost, their health and experience in our<br />
facilities is our top priority.<br />
For example, you may have seen our 30 minute ER service pledge campaign.<br />
We’ve incorporated a tool within our emergency departments that allows us to see<br />
patients within 30 minutes of their arrival. Providing this level of service is one way<br />
we are communicating the benefits of utilizing our facilities to the community.<br />
Q. Now that Merit has expanded in the market,<br />
how do you plan to get involved in each of the<br />
facility’s surrounding communities?<br />
A. We are currently involved in several community programs and there are others<br />
we are further researching and engaging with over the next several months. For<br />
example, we work with a local school district to supply school nurses and health<br />
education information to families and students. We are also participating in<br />
community programs supporting cancer care, heart disease, maternal and fetal<br />
health, and many more. Personally, I am excited about getting to know community<br />
leaders and figuring out ways we can work together to improve health and vitality in<br />
all of the communities we serve.<br />
Q. I know you’ve been busy, but what do you like<br />
to do in your spare time?<br />
A. My favorite past time is going on cruises with my family. It allows us to enjoy<br />
and explore new places and unplug from our busy lives. My kids are grown, so when<br />
we have time alone together on vacation, I definitely treasure it.<br />
Q. What are you impressions of Mississippi?<br />
A. It has been a great experience thus far. Throughout my career, I have had the<br />
opportunity to live in a lot of different places and uncover the unique nuances of each.<br />
It’s been a hot summer, but one full of friendly faces and exceptional possibilities.<br />
Q. What are the latest trends helping patients<br />
lead healthier lives?<br />
A. Emphasizing the importance of prevention and patient education has become<br />
paramount. This trend started some time ago, but it has taken a while for everyone<br />
to figure out the best way to address this paradigm shift. Clinical data supports the<br />
value of prevention and we want to encourage our patients to be their own advocates.<br />
To support this endeavor, we have accelerated and improved the volume,<br />
content, and reach of our educational materials. In addition, prevention has become<br />
a more integral part of the provider and patient conversation, especially as new<br />
research uncovers ways for patients to prevent and/or live “well” with common,<br />
but debilitating illnesses, such as heart disease or diabetes.<br />
<strong>Hometown</strong> <strong>Rankin</strong> • 105
Camille Anding<br />
The Time Coin<br />
It wasn’t often that my big brother, Jack,<br />
asked his eleven-year-old sister to go<br />
fishing with him, so there was no<br />
hesitation in my reply. The early spring<br />
weather was melting the winter chill –<br />
so the fish had to be biting!<br />
I was surprised that Mother allowed<br />
me such a venture. The bottom was a mile<br />
walk from our house and covered in dense<br />
woods. I followed as closely behind Jack as<br />
my cane pole would allow, hoping the tall<br />
brush would soon give way to the river.<br />
Suddenly the sound of barking dogs<br />
caused Jack to stop. My brother was already<br />
an adept woodsman, and I had learned to keep quiet and still whenever<br />
he stopped. The barking clamor was getting closer. “They’re chasing a<br />
deer!” Jack said in an excited whisper. “Don’t move, we may get to see it.”<br />
My adventure was suddenly exceeding my expectations. Would<br />
the deer run upon us? Would the chasers be stray dogs or a pack of<br />
wild ones? My heart was racing as I strained to see through the thick<br />
wilderness.<br />
“Look!” Jack said pointing to a clump of thick undergrowth. It<br />
couldn’t be what I thought, but it was! A tiny deer lay curled up in its<br />
only defense mode. As Jack rushed closer, the infant deer jumped up to<br />
run but Jack was quicker.<br />
“He can’t be but a couple days old,” Jack said as he nestled the small<br />
animal in his arms.<br />
“What are we going to do with it?” I asked. For me, without the<br />
counsel of my parents, it was a monumental question. It wasn’t for Jack.<br />
“We’re taking him home. Those dogs would find him and . . .” He didn’t<br />
finish the sentence. A baby deer had just been placed in a new home.<br />
Much transpired in the next few days. Our parents agreed to let us<br />
keep him since we, with the dogs’ help, had made him an orphan.<br />
Daddy found a baby bottle and showed us how to warm the milk and<br />
remind us that the fawn was our responsibility.<br />
Ownership changed too. The deer cried for<br />
its mother for the first night, so my brother “let”<br />
me move his blanket-lined box to my room. From<br />
that night on, Bambi, (my original name choice)<br />
was the family’s joy, but he belonged to me.<br />
As Bambi grew, he pulled at the leash to run,<br />
but I pulled back to keep him close. One<br />
challenging day, Daddy said I should remove<br />
the leash and let him run like a real deer. The<br />
thought horrified me. What if he ran away or<br />
raced back toward the bottom? Daddy finally<br />
convinced me to free Bambi.<br />
We watched in amazement as Bambi<br />
streaked away in magnificent, graceful strides.<br />
He circled our giant lawn several times, demonstrating his amazing<br />
talent to his family and then disappeared into the woods. I bit my jaw<br />
to hold back the tears. Then within seconds Bambi broke through the<br />
woods and back to my side. Bambi still belonged to me!<br />
The next winter, all of Bambi’s spots were gone and tiny horns were<br />
sprouting. Daddy said that enclosing Bambi inside the ten foot garden<br />
fence would protect him during deer season. He mustn’t be let out of<br />
the fence.<br />
One morning during deer season I made my early trek to check on<br />
Bambi. He wasn’t there. I called and waited but no Bambi. I left for<br />
school with a heavy heart. My beloved pet still wasn’t back when I<br />
rushed home from school.<br />
Days later, Daddy heard a hunter brag on shooting a deer in an open<br />
field adjacent to a garden. I refused to believe it was Bambi.<br />
I look back on that memorable summer and am convinced that I had<br />
the most loving and perfect pet a child could ever have. I’ll never forget<br />
the bond we had – a bond of love that taught me how to let go but<br />
never stop loving. n<br />
106 • <strong>October</strong>/<strong>November</strong> <strong>2015</strong>
CELEBRATING 115 YEARS OF LASTING IMPRESSIONS<br />
No matter where our location – from above a Chinese Laundry, to East Pearl Street,<br />
to 500 Steed Road, our door is always open.<br />
Offering full-color printing to specialty finishes, to addressing postcards and providing<br />
complete variable one-to-one marketing campaigns, Hederman Brothers is your one door shop.<br />
If you are looking for a marketing partner and not just a print vendor, call Hederman<br />
Brothers at 601-853-7300 and let us open the door to creative and innovative solutions.<br />
PRINT<br />
CROSS<br />
DIRECT DIGITAL GREEN DESIGN<br />
MEDIA<br />
500 Steed Road • Post Office Box 6100 • Ridgeland, MS 39158<br />
601. 853. 7300 • f 601.853.7335 • www.hederman.com<br />
<strong>Hometown</strong> <strong>Rankin</strong> • 107
Because there’s Merit<br />
in excellence.<br />
The scales have<br />
tipped in your favor.<br />
Weight loss surgery can be life-changing, offering you an opportunity to lead a healthier, more active and more satisfying life.<br />
And if you’re considering it, we have very good news. Merit Health River Oaks is fully accredited as a comprehensive bariatric<br />
surgery facility by the Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery Accreditation and Quality Improvement Program of the American College<br />
of Surgeons and American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery. So if you’re looking into bariatric surgery for the treatment<br />
of obesity and its related conditions, call us today.<br />
To learn more, join us at a free informational seminar. Call 601-936-1170 or visit MeritHealthWeightLoss.com.<br />
M<br />
Patient results may vary. Consult your physician about the<br />
benefits and risks of any surgical procedure or treatment.<br />
108 • June <strong>2015</strong>