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volume 4 number 4<br />
<strong>Fall</strong> <strong>2017</strong><br />
Pure Clock Work<br />
______________________<br />
Recreating History<br />
______________________<br />
It’s a Colorful Life
Publisher & Editor<br />
Tahya Dobbs<br />
CFO<br />
Kevin Dobbs<br />
CONSULTing editor<br />
Mary Ann Kirby<br />
Account ExecutiveS<br />
Dacia Durr Amis<br />
Administrative Assistant<br />
Alisha Floyd<br />
Special Projects Manager<br />
Brenda McCall<br />
Staff Photographer<br />
Othel Anding<br />
Contributing<br />
Photographer<br />
Charla Jordan<br />
Contributing Writers<br />
Camille Anding<br />
Kyle Brown<br />
Dani Edmonson<br />
Charla Jordan<br />
Susan Marquez<br />
Melanie McMillan<br />
Leah Mitchener<br />
Suzanne Rosss<br />
Layout Design<br />
3dt<br />
The media has taken us down the flooded streets in Texas and shown us devastation I would never have<br />
imagined. Via film crews, I’ve walked through the rows of army cots in gymnasiums and seen the rescued<br />
push all their belongings in a single plastic bag underneath that cot. I’ve watched strangers helping strangers<br />
and law officers retrieving a little boy’s hermit crab.<br />
As the scenes went viral, I saw the America I love and believe in step into action. States in all directions<br />
began gathering goods, sending truckloads of water and food, hauling private boats to help with rescues and<br />
sending funds to charities experienced in giving aid.<br />
We are always most blessed when we give to help others. This issue<br />
highlights the October 5th National Do Something Nice Day. <strong>Hometown</strong><br />
<strong>Brandon</strong> challenges our readers to be intentional in joining this impactful<br />
day and then share your story with us. How encouraging it would be for<br />
all of us to read an issue filled with good deeds extended to friends and<br />
strangers.<br />
Hurricane Harvey has shown us flooding that has broken all records.<br />
Why can’t we make our own flooding records, flooding our own hometown<br />
with kindness for others? We’ll help see that those records are reported!<br />
www.facebook.com<br />
/hometownbrandonmagazine<br />
www.HTMags.com<br />
Contact us at<br />
info@htmags.com<br />
601.706.4059<br />
26 Eastgate Drive, Suite F<br />
<strong>Brandon</strong>, MS 39042<br />
• • •<br />
<strong>Hometown</strong> <strong>Brandon</strong> is published by <strong>Hometown</strong><br />
Magazines. All rights reserved. No portion of<br />
<strong>Hometown</strong> <strong>Brandon</strong> may be reproduced<br />
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The management of <strong>Hometown</strong> <strong>Brandon</strong> is not<br />
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our editorial staff are subject to publication and<br />
the unrestricted right to be refused, or to be<br />
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advertisements are subject to approval by the<br />
publisher. The production of <strong>Hometown</strong> <strong>Brandon</strong><br />
is funded by advertising.<br />
In this issue The Way We Were ................. 6<br />
Do Something Nice Day ............ 10<br />
Pure Clock Work .................. 14<br />
It’s a Colorful Life .................20<br />
Recreating History ......... 26<br />
Treasure Hunting That Rocks! ....... 32<br />
A Commitment to Great Care ........ 38<br />
The Vision of Georgia Blue..........50<br />
Everything’s Coming Up Roses ......60<br />
<strong>Hometown</strong> <strong>Brandon</strong> • 3
4 • <strong>Fall</strong> <strong>2017</strong>
New!<br />
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Calories: Whole - 780 | Choose 2 - 390 • $8.49<br />
©<strong>2017</strong> McAlister’s Franchisor SPV LLC<br />
1490 West Government St • Suite 5 • <strong>Brandon</strong> • (601) 824-7465<br />
<strong>Hometown</strong> <strong>Brandon</strong> • 5
The<br />
way<br />
were.<br />
we<br />
Barbara & Rodney Joyner<br />
Leah Mitchener<br />
Hank Williams might as well have written<br />
“Hey, Good Lookin’” about Rodney and Barbara<br />
Joyner. From a young age, they knew they were<br />
supposed to be together—Rodney if not more<br />
than Barbara. “Well, she was just a pretty girl,”<br />
he said matter-of-factly. “I think I had spied her<br />
walking down the aisle at the movie theater<br />
maybe, but I really spied her at a training party<br />
at <strong>Brandon</strong> Baptist before it became First Baptist.”<br />
Barbara was 12 and Rodney was 14 at the time.<br />
“You know, I just didn’t have a chance,” laughed<br />
Barbara. From then on, they were two peas in<br />
a pod.<br />
During their grade school years, the pair were<br />
heavily involved in school activities. Rodney was<br />
president of the student body, a football player<br />
in the fall, and played trombone in the concert<br />
band during the spring. Barbara was recruited<br />
early as a drum major and held the title from<br />
8th through 12th grade while playing piano and<br />
the clarinet. She was even named Miss <strong>Brandon</strong><br />
High School. Outside of the classroom, she<br />
spent a lot of time at her family’s business,<br />
Overby’s Drug Store. “I grew up jerkin’ sodas,”<br />
she said proudly.<br />
While Barbara worked at the soda fountain,<br />
Rodney devoted his spare time to his love of<br />
music. “I idolized country music singers, but then<br />
I met Barbara and she was cultured,” laughed<br />
Rodney. “Her momma took her to concerts in<br />
Jackson to hear formal music. I tried to become<br />
cultured too, so I put country music aside.”<br />
Though they had a few spats along the way,<br />
the love bug “bit pretty quick” according to<br />
Rodney. He started school at Hinds Community<br />
College before transferring to Mississippi State<br />
to study mechanical engineering. When he went<br />
to State, Barbara started studying music at Ole<br />
Miss. “That year he gave me a ring,” Barbara said<br />
with a shy smile.<br />
“That diamond was so small and I had to<br />
borrow money to buy it,” Rodney explained. It<br />
cost $135. “Many years later I was able to get one<br />
you could actually see,” he added jokingly.<br />
Barbara recalled her father’s vague objection<br />
to the union saying something along the lines of,<br />
“Well, if it were left up to me, I wouldn’t accept<br />
it.” Rodney was from the wrong side of the<br />
tracks and Barbara’s father didn’t take too kindly<br />
to the fact that Rodney would take his daughter<br />
for rides in his flatbed pickup truck when they<br />
6 • <strong>Fall</strong> <strong>2017</strong>
were younger. However, love prevailed and they<br />
remained engaged.<br />
The couple married on June 19, 1955. “We<br />
got married at 5:00 and they had to have the<br />
church cleared out for training union by 6:00.<br />
That was on a Sunday afternoon,” said Rodney.<br />
“Back then, you could have a church wedding on<br />
a Sunday, so long as it didn’t interfere with<br />
regularly scheduled church activities.” A reception<br />
was held at Barbara’s house afterword.<br />
Rodney finished his degree in mechanical<br />
engineering at Mississippi State in 1957. By that<br />
time, Barbara’s father had decided it was time<br />
for him to get out of the family store, so Rodney<br />
went back to school at Ole Miss to get a degree<br />
in pharmacy. Later, he and Barbara and came<br />
back to <strong>Brandon</strong> and worked the store. Through<br />
the years, they both worked hard; Rodney as a<br />
pharmacist and later as director of pharmacy at<br />
Woman’s Hospital, and Barbara as a secretary,<br />
executive secretary at Addie McBryde Center<br />
for the Blind, and as the church organist for<br />
First Baptist Church <strong>Brandon</strong>.<br />
After their retirements, Rodney decided he<br />
wanted to get back to his love for country music.<br />
Enter the era of the Barnyard Opry! He got to<br />
work converting a dilapidated barn on their<br />
property into a 260-seat theater where they<br />
hosted country music concerts. “I thought that<br />
barn would be a good place to play music. We<br />
didn’t care if anybody would come. I just<br />
wanted a place to play,” said Rodney.<br />
But come they did. They opened their doors<br />
in September of 1999. By November, they were<br />
running out of room and needed to expand. A<br />
concert was held twice a month, every month,<br />
for 10 full years in which they never missed a<br />
program. Their concerts were free to the public,<br />
but donations were taken up to fund a concession<br />
stand in the back (run by Barbara) and<br />
sponsors helped pay for insurance coverage<br />
should there have been any accidents.<br />
62 years of marriage have narrowed down<br />
the keys to a successful union for the Joyners.<br />
Their marriage advice is simple and finite: you<br />
have to like the person you’re marrying. You<br />
have to be willing to sacrifice for them, and they<br />
for you. Their love was built on a foundation of<br />
faith in God above and a love for family — and<br />
a big one at that! The couple have two sons,<br />
Richard and Steven, four grandchildren, and six<br />
great-grandchildren. Sunday afternoons are<br />
spent together for a family dinner, where it is<br />
easy to imagine Rodney singing the phrase<br />
“Hey good lookin’, whatcha got cookin’?” to the<br />
love of his life. n<br />
You have to be<br />
willing to sacrifice<br />
for them, and they<br />
for you.<br />
<strong>Hometown</strong> <strong>Brandon</strong> • 7
8 • <strong>Fall</strong> <strong>2017</strong>
<strong>Hometown</strong> <strong>Brandon</strong> • 9
National Do Something Nice Day • October 5th<br />
What’s something you might do for someone<br />
and what’s something you’d like done for you?<br />
You’ve probably heard of<br />
those stories where 50<br />
cars in a row paid for the<br />
Starbucks order of the<br />
person behind them in the<br />
drive-thru. Those acts of<br />
kindness likely perked each<br />
customer’s day up more<br />
than their coffee did, not<br />
only because they received<br />
kindness, but because they<br />
also gave kindness to<br />
someone else.<br />
National Do Something Nice<br />
Day is recognized annually<br />
on October 5th. It is a day<br />
used to emphasize the<br />
importance and impact<br />
simply being nice to another<br />
person can make in their life<br />
and yours. In today’s harsh<br />
world, a sweet smile or a<br />
helping hand can be just<br />
the thing to make a change<br />
for the better.<br />
Being a member of the hospitality state, doing something kind<br />
shouldn’t be all that difficult. I’d like to simply pay for a person’s<br />
lunch who serves our state and or country. Whether it be officers<br />
of the law, our firemen, or our military, they deserve it. And<br />
in return, all I would like is for someone to notice this act of<br />
kindness and reciprocate it to another person.<br />
- Ty Meadows<br />
I like to do things that might make a<br />
person’s day better. Maybe a hug or just<br />
to listen. I’d like the same things for me,<br />
or maybe surprise me with a little treat!<br />
Chocolate’s always good!<br />
- Mary Dunaway<br />
I would share my water gun, never<br />
push them, and give them a snack.<br />
I want them to give me a snack too.<br />
- Fletcher Collins<br />
I think paying for the car behind me in<br />
the drive-thru is an easy, but thoughtful<br />
way I could make someone’s day better.<br />
Plus everyone loves free food.<br />
And something I always appreciate<br />
is when someone goes out of their<br />
way to say something positive.<br />
- Jackson Wood<br />
I love to surprise someone in the middle<br />
of the day with a “pick me up” of their<br />
favorite ice cream, or a sweet card to tell them<br />
how special they are. I am BEYOND blessed when I come home<br />
after a long day or two of traveling to a clean house and dinner<br />
being cooked. That is my reward often from my precious family.<br />
- Heather Barnes<br />
10 • <strong>Fall</strong> <strong>2017</strong>
I maintain a fleet of 200 vehicles for the sheriff’s department.<br />
We are a brotherhood and I try to help them out daily with their<br />
personal vehicle needs. To be honest, I just like for people to greet<br />
me with a smile. Let’s treat each other with respect.<br />
- Johnny Overby<br />
I like to try and be kind to everyone everyday. But on<br />
October 5th, I might help someone move furniture.<br />
As for what I’d like, just give me a free cup of coffee.<br />
- Ashton Frisella<br />
I will offer to babysit my sister’s kids for free! And I’d like<br />
for someone to buy me a cup of coffee at Cup’s. It’s only<br />
$1.69 for a student.<br />
- Hannah Farris<br />
I’ve always wanted to do that thing where you pay for the person<br />
behind you in a drive-thru. Now that I have a big girl job, I can do<br />
that. I would like to see people be kind to each other.<br />
That would be the best gift for me!<br />
- Mary Blair Ward<br />
I will make a donation to someone in need. There might be kids or<br />
schools still needing school supplies. That would be a great place<br />
to help. Let’s just be kind to each other. Show love. I’m not talking<br />
about being intimate or giving affection, but the kind of love the<br />
world needs.<br />
- Ora Buchanan<br />
When I’m in line for breakfast that morning, I’ll pay for the person<br />
behind me. And I would like for someone to give me a pedicure!<br />
- Amy Davis<br />
I could offer to buy someone’s food at a restaurant.<br />
I would like for someone to show appreciation for the things I do.<br />
- Selori Johnson<br />
I could buy someone’s lunch that day.<br />
I would really like for someone to wax my truck!!<br />
- Jason Turner<br />
<strong>Hometown</strong> <strong>Brandon</strong> • 11
12 • <strong>Fall</strong> <strong>2017</strong>
<strong>Hometown</strong> <strong>Brandon</strong> • 13
14 • <strong>Fall</strong> <strong>2017</strong>
Camille Anding<br />
Surely it has to be one of the most unusual occupations<br />
in Mississippi – a horologist who makes house calls!<br />
Some readers are thinking – what’s a horologist?<br />
Billy Fortenberry could answer any questions concerning horology – the study and<br />
measurement of time. That’s because he is a horologist, and he makes house calls to<br />
repair broken clocks. Whether he’s called a clock doctor or clock mechanic, he appears<br />
to be a master at his trade since 1990 when he began dabbling with clock repair.<br />
The hobby/occupation had its roots in a visit to an auction where Fortenberry<br />
purchased an antique clock in nonworking condition. He proceeded to try his hand<br />
at fixing it by removing its working parts, oiling them, and putting it back together.<br />
The clock regained life, and Fortenberry discovered a new love.<br />
When Fortenberry left his “real” job at Siemens to pursue other jobs, he said about<br />
horology, “It was my getaway from the world.” It was also the perfect fit for a man with<br />
brains, patience, and steady hands.<br />
Fortenberry lists Tom Isbell from South Jackson as being his first mentor. This was<br />
a major boost for Fortenberry’s education because at that time, elderly clock repairmen<br />
didn’t like sharing their knowledge for fear they could lose their business to upcoming<br />
repairmen. Isbell was a locksmith, owned a motorcycle shop and a clock repair business.<br />
His expertise in “clockwork” gave Fortenberry valuable information and knowhow in<br />
beginning his quest in horology.<br />
<strong>Hometown</strong> <strong>Brandon</strong> • 15
Three semesters in night school at Jones Junior College added to<br />
Fortenberry’s clock skills along with knowledge gleaned from his second<br />
mentor, Joel Dunipace of Ocean Springs. His philosophy concerning<br />
watch repair describes the value of his expertise:<br />
“If man made it, man can repair it.”<br />
Within time, news of Fortenberry’s talent spread due to connections<br />
he made through word of mouth and the National Association of Watch<br />
and Clock Collectors. He also joined the state’s Magnolia Chapter 41<br />
where he has written the newsletter for the last eight years and contributed<br />
numerous articles. Billy also served as chairman of the restoration<br />
committee that restored the tower clock in the Lyceum Building at the<br />
University of Mississippi.<br />
A native of Tylertown, Fortenberry has lived in <strong>Brandon</strong> for the past<br />
thirty-six years and is married to Judy Fortenberry, the Rankin County<br />
tax collector. They have ten grandchildren, but none seem to show a<br />
serious interest in carrying on their grandfather’s trade.<br />
Time-keeping has carried his business, Old Time Clock Shop,<br />
to multiple states and allowed him to bring life to valuable time<br />
pieces. His favorite challenges are grandfather clocks. His oldest<br />
repaired piece was a Lantern clock built in the 1600s.<br />
Fortenberry’s workshop in his backyard is small – perfect for<br />
all the small, myriad of pieces that he uses to put the “tick” back into<br />
clocks. Coils, springs, chiming tubes and delicate instruments line<br />
the table and shelves. His rule for any visitor, including the<br />
grandchildren, is: Don’t touch. I know where everything is!<br />
The phone rings often for this house-call horologist. The Delta is<br />
his favorite nearby area for his services. The homes along the river<br />
usually house the most valuable clocks – the works of art that need<br />
to return to their design of time-keeping.<br />
“And can you always repair a broken clock?,” I ask. Quicker than<br />
the swing of a grandfather clock’s pendulum, the accomplished<br />
doctor of clocks replied, “Oh yeah!” It’s obvious that time never<br />
stands still for long, once Horologist Billy Fortenberry touches the<br />
time piece. n<br />
16 • <strong>Fall</strong> <strong>2017</strong>
<strong>Hometown</strong> <strong>Brandon</strong> • 17
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Veterans’ Luncheon<br />
Friday, November 10th • 11am<br />
<strong>Brandon</strong> Civic Center<br />
Guest Speaker<br />
Lt. Generall Russel L. Honore (Ret.)<br />
Tickets $10 each.<br />
For more information please contact<br />
Lori Farrar at 601-706-2609<br />
or lfarrar@brandonms.org<br />
18 • <strong>Fall</strong> <strong>2017</strong>
<strong>Hometown</strong> <strong>Brandon</strong> • 19
20 • <strong>Fall</strong> <strong>2017</strong>
It’s a<br />
Colorful<br />
Life<br />
Leah<br />
Mitchener<br />
During my first few years of college,<br />
I had taken to carrying around a small<br />
moleskin notebook so that I could jot<br />
down quotes from my friends and<br />
professors. For sentimental-yet-forgetful<br />
me, it seemed like a good way to hold<br />
onto those fleeting words that seemed<br />
so important. Years later, I look at my<br />
tiny ledgers and rarely make sense of<br />
the phrases because the context is gone,<br />
and therefore, also the meaning.<br />
Count it as my feeble attempt at<br />
proactive posterity–while my short-lived<br />
habit was started with good intentions,<br />
it failed to be anything of lasting importance.<br />
It didn’t have the staying power<br />
like that of Henrietta Clay’s idea of<br />
turning them into endearing drawings,<br />
postcards, and even educational coloring<br />
books. This is her story of how art and<br />
words have shaped her life.<br />
Born in January of 1945, Henrietta<br />
tragically missed the chance of meeting<br />
her father by a mere two months. A<br />
decorated private in the Army, Henry<br />
Edgar Johnson died in action in Nice,<br />
France, in November of 1944 at the age<br />
of 19 in the last battle against Germany<br />
during World War II. Because of his<br />
sacrifice, Henrietta later received a full<br />
scholarship to attend school at Mississippi<br />
College.<br />
She finished in just three short years<br />
with a degree in elementary education<br />
and a minor in art. “I owe my livelihood<br />
to him,” she said in regard to her father.<br />
“I always wanted to be a teacher because,<br />
that way, you can be a nurse and a<br />
counselor and an artist and a mother and<br />
an author”. She was able to be whatever<br />
her students needed her to be, and that<br />
is what makes the best teachers so good<br />
at what they do.<br />
Mainly teaching 3rd grade for the better<br />
part of 40 years at Northside Elementary<br />
in Pearl, Mississippi, she tried to fill her<br />
classroom with as much art as she could<br />
saying, “Children need the self-esteem<br />
that art brings.” Truer words have rarely<br />
been spoken. Having retired in 2007<br />
though, she is “so happy now that [she]<br />
can firmly pursue art and enjoy it.”<br />
When Henrietta’s husband, Ronnie,<br />
suffered a serious stroke in late February<br />
of 2014, she was by his side in the hospital,<br />
constantly. She needed to find a way to<br />
pass the time, though. Something to busy<br />
her idle hands. She packed a small pad of<br />
watercolor paper and began drawing any<br />
time he had a doctor’s appointment. Her<br />
subject matter was varied and fun, mainly<br />
drawing inspiration from quotes and<br />
sayings she heard on television or things<br />
her pastor, Dr. David Jett, would say<br />
during his sermons. Before she knew it,<br />
she had over 300 drawings. She began<br />
taking them to Office Depot to have<br />
them copied and prepared to send out to<br />
her friends and family as postcards.<br />
After a while, Brad, who worked at the<br />
copy counter, began looking through her<br />
portfolio of artwork and suggested it<br />
might be a good time for her to find a<br />
publisher to take her work to another<br />
level. Brad helped her get in contact with<br />
Ramesh at Alphagraphics who, in the<br />
words of Henrietta, “had a great enthusiasm,”<br />
and worked with her on how they<br />
could turn her drawings into a book.<br />
<strong>Hometown</strong> <strong>Brandon</strong> • 21
22 • <strong>Fall</strong> <strong>2017</strong>
Though she had the help and guidance<br />
of Ramesh, her endeavor was not without<br />
hard work. “I was constantly having<br />
homework. There was a lot of review, erase,<br />
and redo,” she said. It took nearly six months<br />
to complete her first book entitled Don’t<br />
Count Your Chickens Before They Hatch,<br />
which was printed in full color and to this<br />
day remains her favorite of her books.<br />
Since then, Henrietta has put out<br />
several stories and coloring books including<br />
Henrietta’s Hints for Happiness and Henrietta’s<br />
Art Hints for All Year Long.<br />
Her products are sold locally at bookstores<br />
like Bay Window Books in <strong>Brandon</strong><br />
and Lemuria Bookstore in Jackson, as well<br />
as seasonally at local fairs and craft shows.<br />
With the help of her granddaughter,<br />
Henrietta got the Facebook page ‘Henrietta’s<br />
Projects’ up and running with updates on<br />
where she will be selling her creations and<br />
upcoming publications. She and Ronnie<br />
also brings copies of her cards to the<br />
hospital ministry at her church for people<br />
needing a little bit of color in their lives at<br />
times when they are hurting.<br />
Ronnie’s stroke was the catalyst for all<br />
of the work Henrietta has been putting out<br />
the past few years. “He’s been the number<br />
one admirer of my cards,” Henrietta said<br />
of her husband. “I can see a twinkle in his<br />
eyes if it’s a good one.” Through all of the<br />
doctor’s visits and back and forth with<br />
revisions for her books, they have stayed<br />
strong together.<br />
Pablo Picasso put it best when he said,<br />
“Art washes away the dust of everyday life,”<br />
and that could not be more fitting for a<br />
kind, creative person like Henrietta Clay. n<br />
<strong>Hometown</strong> <strong>Brandon</strong> • 23
24 • <strong>Fall</strong> <strong>2017</strong><br />
Open House • July 6
<strong>Hometown</strong> <strong>Brandon</strong> • 25
Recreating<br />
History<br />
Dani Edmonson<br />
26 • <strong>Fall</strong> <strong>2017</strong>
“A people without the knowledge of their past history,<br />
origin, and culture is like a tree without roots.”<br />
–Marcus Garvey<br />
<strong>Brandon</strong>’s roots run deep, but over time,<br />
some of the branches have fallen off. Buildings<br />
abandoned. Businesses closed. Merchants<br />
moved elsewhere. However, there is a movement<br />
underway in Rankin county, specifically<br />
<strong>Brandon</strong>, to fertilize the downtown area in an<br />
effort to reveal an orchard of beautiful,<br />
functional historic buildings.<br />
The architecture in <strong>Brandon</strong> is steeped in<br />
historical significance. Unfortunately, life’s<br />
distractions can make history easy to forget<br />
and ignore. So how do interesting, old buildings<br />
help pin <strong>Brandon</strong> as a worthy destination?<br />
For one person, Jamie Wier, it began five years<br />
ago as a Christmas miracle that he now calls,<br />
The Wierhouse.<br />
Born in Money, Mississippi, and later living<br />
in Pearl, Wier found himself drawn to the city<br />
of <strong>Brandon</strong>. “I was at the <strong>Brandon</strong> Christmas<br />
parade five years ago, and glancing around I<br />
happened to look at the building located at 200<br />
Town Square, and I saw a light on.” He realized<br />
someone must be working in an office that<br />
night. “I started thinking then, how wonderful<br />
it would be to live and work in that space, and<br />
when events such as the parade took place, he<br />
would be able to sit on that balcony and watch it<br />
while sharing eggnog with friends and family,” he<br />
added. That dream has finally become a reality.<br />
The portion of the building Wier owns was<br />
constructed between 1880 and 1885. According<br />
to a passage in <strong>Brandon</strong> Mississippi – A Pictorial<br />
History, the first business to occupy it was The<br />
Barns Store, owned by Wiley G. Barnes. That<br />
business was mostly mercantile in nature.<br />
Pictorial History goes on to describe the various<br />
uses of the building as being a general store, a<br />
makeshift jail (when the courthouse and jail<br />
were affected by the fires), some living quarters,<br />
and offices for doctors and lawyers. “The<br />
ceiling has an opening to let caskets down to<br />
the ground floor,” one caption reads.<br />
Penny Schooler with the <strong>Brandon</strong> Historic<br />
Preservation Commission provided definitive<br />
dates and uses of the building over the years.<br />
“Webb Douglas Ragland became a partner to<br />
Mr. Barnes and the new name became The<br />
Barnes and Ragland Store, selling everything<br />
from fruit and vegetables to clothing, sewing<br />
machines, tools, and even caskets,” Schooler<br />
said. The Barnes family kept the property in<br />
the family for nearly 100 years, but finally sold<br />
the property to Bill and Kathryn Humphries<br />
in 1970, according to Schooler. “They<br />
continued to run the hardware store until it<br />
was sold to Charles and Ann Sheppard. The<br />
Sheppards named it Town Square Antiques.”<br />
The adjoining building was built in 1883 by<br />
Richard Shields - one of the oldest families in<br />
<strong>Brandon</strong>/Rankin County. Schooler said,<br />
“The Shields Hardware Store was operated by<br />
generations of Shields.” Ownership passed<br />
hands three more times until Wier bought the<br />
combined units in 2016.<br />
Throughout time, the Civil War, the Great<br />
Depression, desegregation, and two large-scale<br />
fires downtown all took their toll on the city’s<br />
center—all damaging tentacles of history<br />
touching the Wierhouse, but none brought<br />
it down. Instead, those difficult times provided<br />
the building with additional character.<br />
According to Wier, “This place tells the stories<br />
of those who struggled through the past 100<br />
years. Every morning I wake up and understand<br />
that I was graciously given another 24<br />
hours to make a difference in this community.<br />
It’s not the most relaxing life, but I truly wake<br />
up with a thankful heart.” Weir attributes his<br />
gusto for this project to having farmed when<br />
he was a child. “I chopped cotton. We worked<br />
year-round in addition to jobs and school. I<br />
learned early-on that you only get what you<br />
put into something – and I want to leave a<br />
footprint of something better than I found it.”<br />
Wier’s vision to restore 12,000 square feet<br />
of one <strong>Brandon</strong>’s venerable buildings did not<br />
come without its challenges. Expectations run<br />
high in the restoration of historic property.<br />
Jordan Hillman, AICP, Community Development<br />
Director for the City of <strong>Brandon</strong> said<br />
that to restore a site on the Historic Registry<br />
takes time and energy, of which Wier has both.<br />
From a list of ten “Standards for Rehabilitation,”<br />
the second directive reads, “The historic<br />
character of a property shall be retained and<br />
preserved. The removal of historic materials<br />
or alteration of features and spaces that<br />
characterize a property shall be avoided.”<br />
With a complete understanding of the<br />
building requirements, and some much-needed<br />
structural support, Jamie and his family began<br />
the delicate demolition.<br />
Wier, an architect, was mindful of the<br />
necessity to design a place that would satisfy the<br />
modern mind while maintaining the building’s<br />
unique and original integrity. Once the building<br />
was structurally sound to work in, Wier said<br />
<strong>Hometown</strong> <strong>Brandon</strong> • 27
28 • <strong>Fall</strong> <strong>2017</strong>
that’s when the fun began. “My wife, Meagan,<br />
my brother, and my father worked with me to<br />
uncover beautiful flooring, a picturesque<br />
staircase, and inviting fireplaces,” he explained.<br />
Perhaps one of the strangest finds was one he<br />
pulled out of the rafters. “It’s a frog gig,” he<br />
laughed. Although a few relics were recovered,<br />
Wier stated that in addition to more than 60<br />
whiskey bottles, relics were not the thing that<br />
impressed him about the structure. “I couldn’t<br />
believe how well constructed the original<br />
building was without modern day tools. The<br />
physical strength it must have taken the<br />
workers to put together such a solid structure<br />
blows my mind.”<br />
There may not be a mini museum of<br />
interesting artifacts to preview, but throughout<br />
the entire building, original wood, brick, and<br />
stucco are prevalent. Dated notes can be seen<br />
on wood beams and stucco making one feel<br />
connected to those who came before us. One<br />
beam bears the year 1903. Others bear<br />
different days or years. There is even an<br />
inscription on one patch of stucco that reads<br />
like a shopping list circa 1916. It is unknown<br />
why such notations were made on these<br />
materials, but Wier plans to preserve them<br />
making the experience of being in the<br />
Wierhouse that much more authentic.<br />
“We preserved and reused every item from<br />
the building that was structurally sound,” Wier<br />
said. The brick was one area of concern as it<br />
had deteriorated so much. “I hired one of the<br />
best brick craftsman I know, Brad Brown. He<br />
and his father painstakingly replaced nearly<br />
50% of the brick using brick that is the esthetic<br />
equivalent of that time period to maintain the<br />
historical integrity.” When looking at the<br />
building, one might think every brick was an<br />
original – that’s how effective the Brown’s<br />
work was to the project. Wier said he owes a<br />
great deal to Thrash Commercial Contractors<br />
as well, a local contractor with the expertise to<br />
get so many projects completed. “I am proud<br />
of the fact that all local businesses have been<br />
used in the restoration of The Wierhouse.”<br />
Recreating history builds value in a city.<br />
Hillman said, “The Wierhouse is one of the<br />
few catalyst projects that will turn downtown<br />
into a destination again.” And keeping it<br />
authentic matters. “The feeling you get from<br />
the old materials cannot be recreated with<br />
today’s construction methods. That feeling is<br />
what attracts restaurants and store owners to<br />
want to occupy a space. It is character; and that<br />
character is why saving [these buildings] is<br />
important,” Hillman added.<br />
“I not only wanted to live here, I wanted to<br />
live in the heart of <strong>Brandon</strong>.” Wier will be the<br />
first occupant, hence its name, Wierhouse. He<br />
is including four additional rental lofts, which<br />
will offer a particular advantage to lawmakers<br />
who frequent the city’s courthouse, positioned<br />
right across the street. The majority of the<br />
building will house a restaurant that will provide<br />
multiple dining experiences. Uniquely, there<br />
will be atmosphere options for patrons.<br />
Visiting soccer teams after grueling games as<br />
well as professionals conducting business will<br />
have a place there.<br />
One goal of this restoration is ultimately to<br />
serve a community he embraces and that<br />
embraces him back. “We have responsibilities<br />
in life,” Wier added. “Once I got here and<br />
became more involved in the community, I<br />
began to see voids in a town I love. I offered<br />
my help in different ways to make this a better<br />
place, and as a result, I’ve been helped a great<br />
deal to make this dream come true.” Hillman<br />
echoes Wier’s sentiment regarding <strong>Brandon</strong>’s<br />
personality. “During the short three years I have<br />
worked for <strong>Brandon</strong>, it has been my experience<br />
that this community, while physically not<br />
a small town, is still a small town in values and<br />
attitude. The willingness of our citizens to<br />
support each other and the city is impressive,<br />
and is something I have not experienced to<br />
this extent in other communities.”<br />
Schooler added, “The <strong>Brandon</strong> Historic<br />
Preservation Commission is so proud to see<br />
new homeowners who are restoring and<br />
enjoying the history of their homes. We are<br />
also proud of the new investments being made<br />
with our old buildings downtown that have<br />
been waiting for years for someone to restore<br />
them.” She added that sitting on the balcony<br />
more than a century ago, a person would have<br />
witnessed the last official hanging on July 22,<br />
1907, or the raising of the confederate soldier<br />
atop the monument in 1907.<br />
Through this development, which should<br />
be totally completed by early 2018, Wier and<br />
others have exciting plans to maintain <strong>Brandon</strong>’s<br />
cultural history, while offering locals and<br />
visitors unforgettable dinning experiences and<br />
a place to rest. “We want the building to tell<br />
our visitors about what life and the people<br />
were like back then.” He added, “It will not<br />
just be a restaurant or rental units; it will be<br />
an experience.”<br />
While enjoying the next Christmas parade<br />
through downtown <strong>Brandon</strong>, glance south to<br />
The Wierhouse. There, you should see Jamie<br />
toasting you and the town he loves so much. n<br />
_________________________<br />
Follow The Wierhouse<br />
on Facebook for incredible photos<br />
and additional information.<br />
<strong>Hometown</strong> <strong>Brandon</strong> • 29
Join us for Worship on Sunday<br />
Wednesday Night Supper<br />
& Activities<br />
<br />
Sundays:<br />
8:309:30 am Early Worship<br />
9:3510:05 am Angel Choir<br />
9:4510:30 am Sunday School<br />
10:4511:45 amMorning Worship<br />
5:156:00 pm Praise Kids Rehearsal <br />
67:00pm Evening Worship <br />
Youth Supper & Worship<br />
Jesus Plus / Tween’s Place<br />
6:157:00 Children PreK34th <br />
Recreation & Devotion <br />
Wednesday Nights:<br />
5:30 6:00 pm Fellowship Supper for all ages<br />
6 7pm Handbell Choir<br />
6:15 7:15 pm Children’s Bible Study<br />
<br />
Tweens Bible Study<br />
Adult Bible Studies <br />
<br />
Youth Worship <br />
7:00 pm Chancel Choir Rehearsal October 8 - Laity Sunday<br />
October 15 - Children Sunday<br />
October 22 - Youth Sunday<br />
October 29 - <strong>Fall</strong> Festival<br />
<strong>Brandon</strong> First United Methodist Church<br />
“Where Christ Rings True”<br />
& Walk the Truth<br />
205 Mary Ann Drive, <strong>Brandon</strong><br />
601-825-5958<br />
www.brandonfumc.org<br />
Facebook <strong>Brandon</strong> Fumc<br />
30 • <strong>Fall</strong> <strong>2017</strong>
Small Business Success<br />
in Downtown<br />
Kyle Brown<br />
Downtown <strong>Brandon</strong> is in the midst of a<br />
transformation. Buildings vacant for years are<br />
seeing new life. The primary use of Downtown<br />
<strong>Brandon</strong> being law offices and government<br />
buildings is evolving to a place to conduct<br />
business, shop, and enjoy a meal.<br />
Four years ago, the block that is made up by<br />
the old <strong>Brandon</strong> hotel and Boyce-Thompson<br />
buildings were mainly vacant until local<br />
entrepreneur Courtney Frisby and her husband<br />
Bob leased a corner in December 2013 with a<br />
vision of opening Cobo’s Boutique’s flagship<br />
store. Cobo’s helped launch a trend of new<br />
business openings on and around The Square.<br />
Over the years Cobo’s and Keri Haralson,<br />
PLLC, have been joined by several new<br />
businesses. Jason Coker opened his Shelter<br />
Insurance office next door to the Black Rose<br />
Theater. Destiny Tillery Photography soon<br />
moved into a 1,500-square foot space next<br />
door to Cobo’s. Xpress Dance has brought a<br />
variety of dance classes and people to downtown.<br />
The areas behind these buildings is<br />
seeing new life.<br />
Twisted Tails, located in the old Bulldog<br />
Diner has transformed into Mudbugs 042.<br />
Next door to Mudbugs, Michael Harris and<br />
Mike Thompson have opened FitHouse in the<br />
old laundromat. These businesses have been<br />
joined by Bay Window Books, P&P Pools, and<br />
East <strong>Brandon</strong> Coffee Factory.<br />
Across the street there are other new<br />
businesses helping to transform downtown.<br />
Heather Perry took an underutilized Quonset<br />
hut, next to Fisher Insurance, and opened East<br />
<strong>Brandon</strong> CrossFit. Just across Felicity Street the<br />
old car dealership building will soon become<br />
home to 042 Café which will offer plate lunches,<br />
ready to warm casseroles (takery), and catering.<br />
New life has been given to building beside<br />
Trustmark Bank where Sara Leach has opened<br />
Downtown Pilates and is enjoying significant<br />
success.<br />
Along North College Street exterior<br />
renovations were done to <strong>Brandon</strong> Discount<br />
Drugs and the former Merchant and Farmers<br />
Bank building has been reborn as The Vault,<br />
a premier event venue. The Vault was a lifelong<br />
dream of Tahya Dobbs that has now become<br />
a reality.<br />
Jamie Wier’s dream of watching the <strong>Brandon</strong><br />
Christmas Parade from a balcony will soon<br />
come to fruition. The Wierhouse is now his<br />
home and is Downtown <strong>Brandon</strong>’s first mixed-<br />
use building. The Wierhouse renovation will<br />
soon offer six apartment units thus bringing<br />
residential opportunities just across the street<br />
from Black Rose. The Wierhouse and Georgia<br />
Blue just announced Genna Benna and a bakery<br />
will be opening in the building in early 2018.<br />
Adam Woods has located his law firm in<br />
the Hyche Building next door to Forget-Me-<br />
Nots. Law firms like Adam’s will soon be able<br />
to enjoy the new Rankin County Court facility<br />
that is being built along North Street behind<br />
the Rankin County News.<br />
Ramey’s has been reborn, too. The old<br />
Dollar General location has allowed for<br />
Ramey’s to drastically expand their store.<br />
Ramey’s has used their expansion to bring new<br />
offerings to downtown like their bakery, salad<br />
and olive bar, larger produce and meat<br />
sections, and a pharmacy. The exterior has<br />
been completely changed, one entry point has<br />
closed, and a new sidewalk along Government<br />
Street has been poured.<br />
The growing businesses downtown have<br />
brought more people which means more cars<br />
which require more parking and the ability to<br />
walk between businesses and cross streets.<br />
The $2.3 million expansion of Government<br />
Street between Louis Wilson Drive and<br />
Trickhambridge Road will not only expand<br />
the road but also include a sidewalk allowing<br />
people to walk safely into downtown.<br />
The city will soon embark on a multi-year<br />
$10 million project to modernize infrastructure<br />
and improve pedestrian access and parking.<br />
Downtown <strong>Brandon</strong> will soon see new water<br />
and sewer lines to replace old lead-jointed<br />
pipes. Many of the water and sewer lines in<br />
downtown are in the street and need to be<br />
relocated so when a water line breaks in the<br />
future the city does not have to close the street<br />
to conduct the repair. Parking will be addressed<br />
by adding off-street parking and one-way<br />
streets so parking can be added. Utility poles<br />
will have to be moved so they don’t obstruct<br />
sidewalks. These upgrades will put modern<br />
infrastructure in place for the next generation<br />
to continue to expand Downtown <strong>Brandon</strong>. n<br />
<strong>Hometown</strong> <strong>Brandon</strong> • 31
Treasure-Hunting<br />
that<br />
Rocks!<br />
Melanie McMillan<br />
32 • <strong>Fall</strong> <strong>2017</strong>
The phenomenon that has been<br />
“rocking” the country for some time<br />
has made its way to the metro area.<br />
It’s hide and seek with a whole new<br />
twist, and adults and children alike<br />
are coming together to have fun<br />
and spread a little kindness. All you<br />
need are a few rocks, a brush and<br />
some paint, and you’re ready to join<br />
the movement.<br />
The Madison and <strong>Brandon</strong> communities have both gotten<br />
in on the rock painting and hiding craze. No matter which<br />
town you live in, if you want to get involved, the idea is simple.<br />
First, paint rocks with whatever design or message you like.<br />
Then, hide the rocks around town, making sure that they<br />
aren’t too obscure for people to find. Finally, post a clue on<br />
Facebook and wait for someone to find them. When you find<br />
a rock, take a picture and re-hide it, once again leaving a clue<br />
on Facebook.<br />
In <strong>Brandon</strong>, the movement is in the beginning stages. Tara<br />
Hunter, organizer of “042 Rocks,” says that painting and hiding<br />
rocks is “a way to get involved in doing something nice for<br />
someone else.” She hopes that as the word spreads throughout<br />
<strong>Brandon</strong>, it will bring people of all ages together to paint,<br />
hide, and search for rocks. Tara and her daughter Molly have<br />
painted several rocks to hide, and Tara said that Molly’s rocks<br />
are much more “artistic” than hers. However, she is quick to<br />
point out that you don’t have to be an artist; it’s all about<br />
putting your “thoughts on a rock” to share with others. As one<br />
of the organizers of the Miss Magnolia State Pageant, Tara<br />
plans to incorporate a rock swap into this year’s pageant.<br />
Contestants will go home with a souvenir of sorts, reminding<br />
them of the friends and memories they made.<br />
In Madison, folks have been painting and hiding rocks for<br />
several months now. Stacy Huff and her daughters, Jenny (16),<br />
Emily (16), and Sarah (8), enjoyed painting rocks one Sunday<br />
afternoon, and keep them in the car so they can hide them<br />
when they’re out and about. “We have found a couple and<br />
it’s so much fun,” Stacy says. “It’s been a great way to build<br />
community. It’s great to see your rocks travel around town as<br />
people find them. It gets the whole family involved.” Danny<br />
and DeeDee Walker, owners of Orange Leaf Frozen Yogurt in<br />
Madison have also enjoyed the rock hiding. “It’s been a lot of<br />
fun seeing the posts of rocks found at Orange Leaf,” says<br />
DeeDee. “I especially love when I get to show the kids where<br />
they are and see their excitement. The rocks are all personal<br />
creations that bring a smile or words of encouragement to<br />
those that find them. This has been one movement I can<br />
definitely get behind.”<br />
With so many negative stories in the world today, it’s<br />
refreshing to hear about a movement that brings people of all<br />
ages and walks of life together. n<br />
________________________________________________________________<br />
For more information about rock painting and hiding in Madison, visit the Facebook<br />
page #MadisonMSrocks. For <strong>Brandon</strong>, visit the Facebook page 042 Rocks, or contact<br />
Tara Hunter at thunter3330@gmail.com.<br />
<strong>Hometown</strong> <strong>Brandon</strong> • 33
34 • <strong>Fall</strong> <strong>2017</strong>
<strong>Brandon</strong> Parks<br />
& Recreation<br />
Kyle Brown<br />
The changing of seasons has brought a little change to<br />
<strong>Brandon</strong> Parks and Recreation, too. This fall, people will see a few<br />
new faces at Shiloh Park. We are excited to welcome Josh Tyrone<br />
as parks superintendent, Brent Leach as program coordinator, and<br />
Rachel Knight as administrative assistant.<br />
Josh Tyrone joins the City of <strong>Brandon</strong> after serving as director<br />
of grounds for the Department of Finance and Administration<br />
where he managed and directed a team of fifteen employees.<br />
Josh has an applied aciences degree in landscape management<br />
technology from Hinds Community College.<br />
Brent Leach will be joining Parks and Recreation from a<br />
similar role at Pelahatchie and Pelahatchie High School where he<br />
was an assistant baseball coach. Brent graduated from Delta State<br />
University with a degree in exercise science/business administration.<br />
Rachel Knight will be a great asset to <strong>Brandon</strong> by bringing her<br />
experience in customer relations and scheduling from the Rankin<br />
County Co-Op. Rachel received her biological sciences with<br />
emphasis in veterinary medicine degree from Mississippi State<br />
University.<br />
Shiloh Park is excited that fall sports season has begun. After<br />
several seasons of construction, Shiloh Park will be completely<br />
open for both adult and youth recreation. One new addition to<br />
Shiloh is pickleball, which replaces the old tennis courts near the<br />
splash pad. Pickleball is a paddle-ball sport played with a wifflestyle<br />
ball. It is a mixture of badminton, table tennis, and tennis<br />
played outdoors or indoors. Pickleball is a game for all ages and is<br />
a wide-spread growing non-traditional sport throughout the U.S.,<br />
governed by the USA Pickleball Association. Participants can play<br />
for fun or competitively.<br />
Youth flag football which is for kids ages 6–8 has over 50<br />
participants. The season begins in September and runs to<br />
November with games on Monday evening beginning at 6pm.<br />
Teams will play a 6-game schedule with a season-ending<br />
tournament to determine the league champions.<br />
Tackle football is for kids between ages 7-12. There are over<br />
150 participants that have signed up. The season begins in<br />
September and runs until November with games on Mondays,<br />
Tuesdays, and Thursdays beginning at 6:30pm. <strong>Brandon</strong> Parks &<br />
Recreation tackle football league is part of the Rankin County<br />
Football League with Florence, Pearl, Richland, and McLaurin/<br />
Star. Teams will end the season with playoffs for the Rankin<br />
County “Super Bowl” to determine the league champions.<br />
Softball/Baseball or “<strong>Fall</strong> Ball” is for youth between ages 5<br />
and 12. This fall there are nearly 350 participants. The season<br />
begins in September and ends in October with games on Monday<br />
evenings beginning at 6pm.<br />
Adult co-ed kickball is back and registration just ended. The<br />
season begins in September and runs until November with games<br />
being on Monday nights beginning at 6:30pm. Each team will play<br />
a six-game schedule with a season-ending tournament to<br />
determine league champions.<br />
Soccer which is run by the <strong>Brandon</strong> Futbol Club (BFC) is in<br />
full swing. BFC has expanded their offerings at Shiloh Park thanks<br />
to the three new soccer fields that were constructed. <strong>Brandon</strong><br />
Futbol Club has around 650 participants between their<br />
recreational and competitive leagues.<br />
<strong>Brandon</strong> Parks and Recreation will host eight consecutive<br />
weekends of baseball, softball, and soccer tournaments and will<br />
also be the host site for the MAIS State Softball Championship<br />
games at Shiloh Park.<br />
For more information, visit the <strong>Brandon</strong> Parks and Recreation website at www.brandonparkandrec.com and our Facebook page for upcoming leagues.<br />
<strong>Hometown</strong> <strong>Brandon</strong> • 35
36 • <strong>Fall</strong> <strong>2017</strong><br />
God & Country<br />
celebration
June 29 • Shiloh Park<br />
<strong>Hometown</strong> <strong>Brandon</strong> • 37
A Commitment to Providing<br />
Great Care<br />
Dani Edmonson<br />
38 • <strong>Fall</strong> <strong>2017</strong>
In March of 1969,<br />
Rankin County opened<br />
its first modern hospital<br />
that offered short term,<br />
and acute care, along<br />
with a few other services<br />
new to the county.<br />
Fast forward to 2008, where the name<br />
changed to Crossgates River Oaks Hospital,<br />
and most recently in 2015, it became Merit<br />
Health Rankin. The name has changed along<br />
with the expanse of services. In CEO Dwight<br />
Blaylock’s own words, “Virtually any medical<br />
service that a patient needs can be provided<br />
by one of our 30+ clinics,” as well as hospitals<br />
located throughout the state.<br />
“Just as the founders of Rankin General<br />
Hospital hoped, we are still here, serving the<br />
needs of the people of the community, right<br />
here where they are,” Blaylock added. “We<br />
strive to be the premier provider of healthcare<br />
services in the metro area.”<br />
Dr. Edward Rigdon, with Merit for eighteen<br />
years, is the only certified vascular surgeon<br />
practicing in Rankin county and the only one<br />
on the staff at Merit Rankin. “When I joined<br />
the staff it was known at Rankin Medical Center.<br />
I have been here so long because I found it to<br />
be the best place for me to practice, and I love<br />
the hospital, staff, and the community.”<br />
Ridgon described the vast number of<br />
procedures and surgeries he performs regularly.<br />
“I perform surgery on the blood vessels in the<br />
neck, abdomen and legs. This involves surgery<br />
for blockage of blood vessels, usually due to<br />
hardening of the arteries, also commonly<br />
known as PAD (Peripheral Artery Disease).<br />
Some operations are performed for aneurysms.<br />
I also perform many operations on vascular<br />
shunts used for dialysis patients.”<br />
Consistent with Blaylock, Rigdon has<br />
passion for the services offered by Merit.<br />
“The greatest joy for any physician should be<br />
the encounters with patients and providing<br />
good care that makes a positive difference in<br />
their lives.” He is grateful for his Merit family<br />
as well. “They are an essential part of our<br />
health care team and we are very fortunate<br />
to have such a great and dedicated staff,<br />
many of whom have worked here most of their<br />
lives, some even multiple generations.”<br />
For Chief Nursing Executive Jacque Sullins<br />
working at Merit is a complex career, and a<br />
Blaylock<br />
Sullins<br />
<strong>Hometown</strong> <strong>Brandon</strong> • 39
“Making a positive impact on people’s lives<br />
and working with great professionals<br />
who work hard to deliver patient care.”<br />
40 • <strong>Fall</strong> <strong>2017</strong>
true family affair as one of her sons is an RN at<br />
Merit. Sullins wears many hats on behalf of<br />
Merit, and exudes the same positive vision as<br />
her CEO boss Blaylock. “I have the responsibility<br />
of directing all nursing service employees which<br />
includes surgical services, ICU, Med-Surg/<br />
Telemetry, senior care, emergency services, and<br />
education,” she explained. The oversight of<br />
these departments and services includes<br />
managing the clinical and administrative<br />
aspects which includes planning, organizing,<br />
staffing, budgeting, and directing these<br />
services. “Additionally I assist in oversight of<br />
infection prevention, case management, and<br />
respiratory therapy services. I work very closely<br />
and collaboratively with our physicians, the<br />
executive team, and all department managers<br />
to ensure excellent clinical quality is maintained<br />
for our patients, physicians and staff.”<br />
Adding to her many layers of responsibility,<br />
Sullins has to work through the challenges of<br />
the ongoing nursing shortage. “The focus is not<br />
only on hiring the right staff but in retaining<br />
the staff, so you have to continually strive to<br />
stay dialed in to the staff and open to creative<br />
options to meet their needs.” Despite the<br />
workload and headaches most if not all medical<br />
facilities experience, Sullins, employed with<br />
Merit for seven years, feeds off the controlled<br />
chaos. “I enjoy analyzing complex situations,<br />
formulating solutions and implementing<br />
changes that make a difference for our<br />
patients, physicians, staff and community.”<br />
RN/Director of Risk Management, Tonya<br />
Breazeale, began her path to employment at<br />
Rankin Medical because her mother, Minnis<br />
Hinton, was a nurse there for years. “You could<br />
say I grew up in the hospital,” she adds. “I<br />
remember when my mom had to bring me to<br />
the ER when I was in the first grade because I<br />
had stuck a pencil eraser up my nose.”<br />
Keeping erasers away from her face,<br />
Breazeale graduated from nursing school and<br />
began working at Rankin Medical in June 1988,<br />
along with her mother. Her mother had already<br />
made a name for herself, having worked at the<br />
hospital as an RN and nursing supervisor for<br />
40 years. “For the first year I worked here,<br />
everyone (staff and physicians alike) called me<br />
Minnis’s daughter,” she reflects with delight.<br />
“She truly was one of the best nurses I have<br />
ever worked with.”<br />
Breazeale has been with Merit for an<br />
impressive 29 years ranging from work in an<br />
acute medical surgical unit, pediatrics, surgery,<br />
emergency department and now works as the<br />
director of risk management. When asked<br />
about a challenge in medical care, her response<br />
is wrapped in positivity. “One of the challenges<br />
that I believe most heath care facilities face is<br />
finding inventive ways to provide the best care<br />
possible while spending the least amount of<br />
money possible.”<br />
The response from each of these long-term<br />
leaders within the system was very similar.<br />
“Making a positive impact on people’s lives and<br />
working with great professionals who work<br />
hard to deliver patient care,” Blaylock said.<br />
Sullins added, “We strive for excellent health<br />
care and small-town convenience.” Breazeale<br />
summed it up by saying, “Being an advocate for<br />
patient safety and a part of the team that<br />
continually evaluates our facilities’ processes to<br />
ensure we provide safe quality care.”<br />
Dr. William Krooss, Hospitalist<br />
“We strive for excellent<br />
health care and small-town<br />
convenience.”<br />
<strong>Hometown</strong> <strong>Brandon</strong> • 41
BRANDON PUBLIC LIBRARY<br />
1475 W. GOV. ST • (601) 825-2672 • brandonatcmrls.lib.ms.us<br />
Sept-Oct-Nov <strong>2017</strong><br />
Starting August 18 We Support Red Friday!<br />
Wear RED when you come to the library every Friday and check out one<br />
item. Enter the weekly drawing for a $20 coupon to a <strong>Brandon</strong> eatery.<br />
Grand prize drawing is November 6, for two $100 gift cards. New sign-up<br />
and prize every week. Limit of 1 weekly prize per person. All entries will be<br />
eligible for the grand prize. You do not have to be present to win.<br />
Sponsored by Friends of the <strong>Brandon</strong> Library.<br />
It’s the BIG ONE! Friends of the Library BOOK SALE!<br />
Friday, September 29, 10am-5pm Sale<br />
Saturday, September 30, 10am-4pm Sale<br />
Monday, October 2, 10am-8pm Bag Day ($5 a bag or $10 a box)<br />
Baby & Me - Mondays - 10:15am<br />
NEW PROGRAM Bond with your baby through music, movement, and<br />
stories. Preregistration is required. There will be a limit of 10 babies per<br />
session. For ages 0-12 months.<br />
Beading Class - Mondays - 4&6pm Please register.<br />
September 11 Cellini Spiral Bracelet. $5 supply fee.<br />
November 13 Bead Spinner Necklace. $8 supply fee.<br />
Must have a bead spinner.<br />
<strong>Brandon</strong> Book Club - Mondays - 10:30am<br />
Stop by and discuss this month’s book.<br />
September 11 - Killing Reagan by Bill O’Reilly.<br />
November 13 - Iam Malala by Malala Yousafzi<br />
<strong>Brandon</strong> Quilters - Mondays - Sept 11, Oct 2, Nov 13 - 6pm<br />
Cozy up with the <strong>Brandon</strong> Quilters for their meeting.<br />
Bridge for Beginners - Wednesdays - 1:30pm<br />
Join us and let’s play Bridge. Free classes.<br />
BYOP Bring Your Own Project - Thursdays - 1pm<br />
Weekly daytime crafting group.<br />
Chess Lessons for Teens and Adults - Second & Fourth Tuesdays - 6pm<br />
Must register and commit to all sessions. Starting September 12.<br />
Coin Club - Thursdays, Sept 7, Oct 5, Nov 2 - 6pm<br />
Love old and new currency? Join the <strong>Brandon</strong> Coin Club for their monthly<br />
meeting!<br />
Coin Show - Saturday, Oct 21 - 10am-4pm<br />
Creative Crafters - Thursdays - 6pm Join us as we learn and craft<br />
together.<br />
Dulcimer Group - Mondays - 6pm<br />
Bring your own dulcimer and let’s jam together.<br />
Duplo Free Play - Wednesdays, Sept 6, Oct 4, Nov 1 - 11:30am<br />
Come join the fun of building with Duplo Blocks. For ages 3-5.<br />
Family Night - Thursdays - 6pm<br />
September 21 - The World Champs of Robotics will stop by for a demo<br />
and hands-on activities!<br />
October 26 - It’s our annual FALL FESTIVAL! We’ll have games, cotton<br />
candy and popcorn, bouncy houses, and more!<br />
Friends of the <strong>Brandon</strong> Library Meeting<br />
Tuesdays, Sept 19, Oct 17, Nov 21 - 6pm<br />
Join the Friends to support your local library!<br />
Gardening at Your Library - First Wednesdays - 10:30am<br />
Gardening at its best. Sponsored by the Master Gardeners.<br />
September 6 - Gardening for Seniors<br />
October 4 - Composting<br />
November 1 - Poinsettia<br />
Genealogy Events<br />
Genealogy Club Thursdays, Sept 7, Oct 5, Nov 2 - 10:30am<br />
Genealogy topics and assistance are the topic of the day.<br />
DNA Discovery Group - Thursdays, Sept 21, Oct 19, Nov 16 - 10:30am<br />
Understand the differences in DNA tests and testing companies. Learn<br />
about, discuss and test out different databases to enhance your Family<br />
History research. Bring your laptop if you like. Free.<br />
Rankin County Historical Society/<strong>Brandon</strong> Genealogical<br />
& Historical Society Tuesdays, September 19, November 21 - 7pm<br />
Join us for History and Fellowship. The public is invited. Refreshments<br />
provided.<br />
Introduction to Elder Law Issues - Monday, September 25 - 6pm<br />
Probate, living wills, health care directives, DNR-what does it all mean?<br />
Do you need one? How do you get started? Richard Young with The Elder<br />
Law Firm will be here to educate us and answer questions.<br />
Kid Connection - Tuesdays - 4pm<br />
Grades K-5 afterschool story and craft hour.<br />
1st and 3rd Tuesdays - Grades K-6 afterschool story and craft hour.<br />
2nd and 4th Tuesdays - Chess Lessons for K-6. Must register and commit<br />
to all sessions.<br />
Lego Free Play - Thursdays, Sept 14, Oct 12, Nov 9 - 3pm<br />
Be creative and use your imagination to build with our legos for ages 6-12.<br />
Middle Grade Monday - For middle graders age 10-13<br />
Rice Krispie Challenge September 18 - 5pm Celebrate Rice Krispie Treat<br />
Day with us in our Rice Krispie Building Challenge!<br />
DIY Pizza Day October 16 - 5pm October is National Pizza Month. Let’s<br />
celebrate by making (and eating) our own tasty pizzas!<br />
Teen & Middle Grade Mississippi Trivia Night October 23 - 5pm<br />
Celebrate Mississippi’s Bicentennial with our trivia night! Test your<br />
knowledge and win some prizes! For teens and middle graders ages 10+.<br />
Game Night October 30 - 5pm GAME ON! We’ve got Apples to Apples,<br />
Jenga, One Night Ultimate Werewolf, and more!<br />
Preschool Story Time - Wednesdays and Thursdays - 10:30am<br />
Songs, stories, and crafts for preschoolers aged 3-5.<br />
Sign Language Learn to speak with your hands! Free class. Please register.<br />
Beginners - Saturdays, Sept 9, Oct 14, Nov 11 - 10:30am<br />
Advanced - Saturdays, Sept 23, Oct 28 and Nov 25 - 10:30am<br />
Teens For teens age 13+<br />
Building Challenge Monday, September 11 - 5pm<br />
Test your might in these games of physics!<br />
Mad Hatter Day Monday, October 2 - 5pm<br />
Take a trip to Wonderland with snacks and games for MAD HATTER DAY!<br />
Teen & Middle Grade Batman Day Monday, September 25 - 5pm<br />
Celebrate BATMAN DAY with us! We’ll have games, snacks, activities, and<br />
more! For teens and middle graders ages 10+.<br />
After Hours Edgar Allan Poe Party Friday, October 27, 5:30-8:00pm<br />
Celebrate one of the spookiest authors of all time, Edgar Allan Poe! We’ll<br />
have food, crafts, games, and more--just ignore the noises under the<br />
floorboards. For teens age 13+. PERMISSION FORM REQUIRED.<br />
Third Thursday Book Club - 6:30pm<br />
September 21 - The Lost City of the Monkey God by Douglas Preston<br />
October 19 - Let the Right One In by John Ajvide Lindqvist<br />
November 16 - Can’t We Talk About Something More Pleasant? by Roz Chast<br />
Toddler Time - Mondays - 10:30am<br />
Come join us for stories, songs, and finger plays for ages 0-2 years.<br />
V.V.A. Meeting - Wednesdays, Sept 13, Oct 11, Nov 8 - 10:30am<br />
Join local veterans for their monthly meeting!<br />
Video Game Day - Saturdays, Sept 16, Oct 21, Nov 18<br />
For gamers age 8+. Please register.<br />
September 16 - Smash Brothers Tournament, 12pm - 3pm<br />
October 21 - Minecraft - 10am and 1pm. Space is limited. Registration required.<br />
November 18 - Mario Kart Tournament, 12pm-3pm<br />
Displays for September, October, & November<br />
Cake Pans<br />
Ronald McDonald House<br />
Red Friday Bulldog<br />
MDAH’s Mississippi’s Greatest Treasure: The Old Capitol<br />
Services offered at the <strong>Brandon</strong> Library<br />
Black and White and color printing/copying, Scanning, Wireless Printing<br />
Additional services offered by the Friends of the <strong>Brandon</strong> Library -<br />
Free shredding - Notary services available for a fee of $3. Available<br />
10-8 Monday-Thursday and 10-5 Friday. Call to check Saturday availability.<br />
The library will be closed:<br />
September 4 for Labor Day<br />
October 9 for Columbus Day<br />
______________________________________________________<br />
<strong>Brandon</strong> Public Library is part of the Central Mississippi Regional Library<br />
System, which serves Rankin, Scott, Simpson, and Smith Counties.<br />
42 • <strong>Fall</strong> <strong>2017</strong>
<strong>Hometown</strong> <strong>Brandon</strong> • 43
serving our community<br />
Administrative Assistant<br />
Carolyn Palmer<br />
brandon Fire Department<br />
44 • <strong>Fall</strong> <strong>2017</strong><br />
How long have you been with the<br />
<strong>Brandon</strong> Fire Department?<br />
A little over 18 years—four of which I worked<br />
at the police department when we were<br />
emergency services, including fire and police.<br />
I am grateful, every day, to be able to work with<br />
these fine men and women that serve our city.<br />
Thanks to all for giving me this opportunity to<br />
work at the best place ever.<br />
Tell us about your family.<br />
I have been married to my husband Jerry for<br />
over 37 years. He’s been my soulmate, best<br />
friend, and a fantastic father to our three<br />
children and son-in-law, Shawn, Sara and Tom,<br />
and Justin. I love my family!<br />
What is the toughest thing you have<br />
experienced in your job?<br />
The fire service has been my second family<br />
for many years and when our firefighters<br />
experience tough calls it touches my soul and<br />
my heart goes to them. However, the toughest<br />
experience at BFD was the loss of two of our<br />
firefighters to cancer. Ochel and Trent, you are<br />
always in our memories.<br />
Share some things you enjoy doing in<br />
your spare time.<br />
Reading, gardening, and being outside is always<br />
my preference until mosquitos come take me<br />
away. I love going to flea markets and estate<br />
sales and volunteering to help at city functions.<br />
Who is someone you admire and why?<br />
My parents. I gave Mom so much trouble<br />
growing up because she was so strict, however,<br />
once I became a mom, I understood why. She<br />
is a strong, intelligent woman who gave up her<br />
dreams to be a mother to five children. She<br />
instilled integrity, respect and love of books in all<br />
of us. But most of all, she taught us to love one<br />
another and that family is most important. My<br />
father taught us work ethics and love of music<br />
and entertainment. He would take us to his<br />
work (he was a meteorologist and volunteer<br />
firefighter) so we knew what he did when away<br />
from home, and loved to take us to special<br />
events and concerts.<br />
What are three things on your<br />
bucket list?<br />
Go on an Alaskan cruise and take some botany<br />
and herbology classes. And one day I hope to<br />
be a grandmother.<br />
Where do you see yourself ten years<br />
from now?<br />
I hope to be retired, traveling, and working my<br />
gardens. Maybe I’ll learn to fish with my<br />
husband and do volunteer work as I love<br />
meeting and helping people. I like to keep busy.<br />
If you could give one piece of advice to<br />
a young person, what would it be?<br />
So many of the younger generation seem to be<br />
in the “what you can do for me” stage. It is not<br />
always what someone can do for you but what<br />
you can do for someone else. Be problem<br />
solvers and set goals. Continue your education<br />
and develop a great work ethic.<br />
What is a favorite childhood memory?<br />
When we city kids got to visit our cousin’s ranch<br />
in South Texas. There were 16 of us combined<br />
with our two families. We had a blast horseback<br />
riding, swimming in the river and taking<br />
showers in the outside shower. We also went<br />
with our cousins down to the coast for crab<br />
boils on the beach. Lots of good memories.<br />
What is the biggest mistake you think<br />
young people make today?<br />
Treat each person with respect. Always put<br />
yourself in the other person’s shoes before you<br />
talk down or be hateful toward them. Bullying is<br />
a major issue with young people now and is an<br />
issue that concerns me. Peer pressure has<br />
always been tough but it is more prevalent<br />
now with social media and modern technology.<br />
You never know that the person you bullied as a<br />
young child or teenager may just be the person<br />
you will count on in your adult years.<br />
What is your favorite thing about the<br />
City of <strong>Brandon</strong>?<br />
I love living and working in <strong>Brandon</strong>. We moved<br />
back many years ago from Dallas so our children<br />
could grow up in a safe and small-town<br />
atmosphere. I am excited about all growth that<br />
is happening in our city and am proud of our<br />
city leaders, businesses, and citizens for<br />
supporting our city.
BRANDon's finest<br />
Officer Kristen Liberto<br />
brandon police Department<br />
Why did you decide to be a policeman?<br />
I began my career in law enforcement when<br />
I started working at the Rankin County jail as<br />
a booking officer in 2001. I worked my way up<br />
to dispatch and things seemed to fall in line.<br />
Law enforcement was a good fit for me and<br />
I enjoyed it.<br />
How long have you been with the<br />
<strong>Brandon</strong> Police Department?<br />
<strong>Brandon</strong> Police Department sent me to the<br />
Mississippi Law Enforcement Officer’s Training<br />
Academy in 2006. I worked there from 2006<br />
to 2009 and returned to <strong>Brandon</strong> Police<br />
Department about four months ago.<br />
Tell us about your family.<br />
I am the oldest of four. I have a 33-year-old<br />
brother, a 29-year-old brother and a<br />
20-year-old sister.<br />
What is the toughest thing you have<br />
experienced in your job?<br />
Adapting to and accepting change.<br />
Share some things you enjoy doing in<br />
your spare time.<br />
I enjoy simple things like grilling with my family<br />
and friends and spending time with my two<br />
dogs, Uno and Tarkan.<br />
What are three things on your<br />
bucket list?<br />
To have a tiny beach house on the water,<br />
to swim with dolphins, and to visit Italy.<br />
Who is someone you admire and why?<br />
I admire the truly dedicated law enforcement<br />
officers; those who, in their heart, are peacemakers<br />
not power mongers.<br />
Where do you see yourself ten years<br />
from now?<br />
I see myself as a sergeant or lieutenant on patrol<br />
or retired.<br />
If you could give one piece of advice<br />
to a young person, what would it be?<br />
I would stress to them that choices are so<br />
important. I would tell them that every choice<br />
we make has a consequence, good or bad.<br />
I would also tell them to slow down and think<br />
before reacting or deciding.<br />
What is a favorite childhood memory?<br />
I remember being five years old and waking up<br />
Christmas morning to a red three-wheeler from<br />
Santa. Best memory, ever!<br />
What is the biggest mistake you think<br />
young people make today?<br />
I think they live in the moment and act on<br />
impulses instead of logic too often.<br />
What is your favorite thing about the<br />
City of <strong>Brandon</strong>?<br />
My favorite thing is the people I work with.<br />
I could not ask for better co-workers. I am very<br />
grateful for them.<br />
<strong>Hometown</strong> <strong>Brandon</strong> • 45
46 • <strong>Fall</strong> <strong>2017</strong>
<strong>Hometown</strong> <strong>Brandon</strong> • 47
ack to school<br />
august 3 • <strong>Brandon</strong> Municipal Center<br />
48 • <strong>Fall</strong> <strong>2017</strong>
<strong>Hometown</strong> <strong>Brandon</strong> • 49
TheVision of<br />
Georgia<br />
Blue<br />
Susan Marquez<br />
50 • <strong>Fall</strong> <strong>2017</strong>
Out of the mouths<br />
of babes, Georgia<br />
Blue got its name.<br />
“My wife and I were in the<br />
car with our then-four-yearold<br />
daughter,” Jason Ishee<br />
recalled, “and we were<br />
knocking around names for<br />
the new restaurant we were<br />
opening. Suddenly, our<br />
daughter said ‘call it Georgia<br />
Blue!’ Georgia is her name,<br />
and blue is my favorite<br />
color,” Ishee laughed.<br />
The name had a ring to it;<br />
Georgia Blue opened its first<br />
location in Madison in 2010.<br />
<strong>Hometown</strong> <strong>Brandon</strong> • 51
That first location has evolved and<br />
expanded with locations in Flowood, Hattiesburg,<br />
and Brookhaven. Ishee has put his heart and<br />
soul into growing the GB brand, despite the<br />
fact that he didn’t set out to be in the restaurant<br />
business. Ishee started washing dishes at a<br />
restaurant in California as a teen. He worked<br />
his way up in the restaurant world from<br />
dishwasher to line cook, chef, bartender to<br />
owner. “This business chose me, and 26 years<br />
later, my business partner, Drew Beatty and<br />
I live by the same philosophy, which is to do<br />
the small things better than anyone else and<br />
treat people like family.”<br />
Along the way, the duo of Ishee and Beatty<br />
have been attentive to opportunities and used<br />
them to their advantage. When a location in<br />
downtown Brookhaven<br />
became available, a Georgia<br />
Blue was opened in an area that had<br />
not seen a restaurant like it. “Jason has great<br />
vision,” said Beatty. “He can see through the<br />
dust and mud and create a masterpiece.” The<br />
restaurant is in a historic downtown building<br />
near the railroad tracks. Because it was the first<br />
bar in the area, it was important to be sensitive<br />
in the design.<br />
“We put the bar in the back, and have it<br />
petitioned off in such a way that it’s not<br />
52 • <strong>Fall</strong> <strong>2017</strong>
in-your-face,” explained Ishee. Another<br />
addition to the GB brand is the bakery across<br />
the tracks from the Brookhaven location.<br />
“There is an amazing baker from Brookhaven,<br />
Trey Maddox, who made it his life mission to<br />
learn to bake the very best cheesecake. He ran<br />
our Hattiesburg location for five years before<br />
we put him in charge of the bakery,” said Ishee.<br />
“His cheesecakes are out of this world,” added<br />
Drew. “They are so light it’s like eating air with<br />
flavor.” And what flavor – Maddox makes<br />
banana pudding cheesecakes, red velvet<br />
cheesecakes, turtle cheesecakes and more. They<br />
are made and sold in the Brookhaven bakery,<br />
called GB Bakery, and also sent to the Georgia<br />
Blue restaurants around the state.<br />
Now the GB Bakery experience is coming<br />
to downtown <strong>Brandon</strong>, along with a new GB<br />
restaurant called Genna Benna’s. “We named it<br />
after our youngest daughter, Genna,” beamed<br />
Ishee. “I nicknamed her Genna Benna early on<br />
and it stuck. And lucky for us, the initials are<br />
GB, so it fits in perfectly with our brand.” The<br />
new restaurant will be located in the oldest<br />
building in <strong>Brandon</strong>, with the bakery next door.<br />
“The buildings once housed hardware stores,”<br />
said Ishee. “There were also old jail cells in there,<br />
and we are taking that area and creating a<br />
speakeasy.” The restaurant will be doing a little<br />
of what is done at other Georgia Blue locations,<br />
but the focus at Genna Benna’s will be on three<br />
different Prime steak cuts, gourmet burgers,<br />
pizza, and also a daily lunch special .<br />
The speakeasy will be on the bottom floor<br />
and so discreet it won’t even have a name on<br />
the door. Cut whiskey barrels will form one<br />
wall with lots of copper and wood.<br />
Ishee and Beatty are hoping to open the<br />
new <strong>Brandon</strong> location in the first quarter of<br />
2018. The bakery will also serve coffee, the<br />
same as the Brookhaven location. “We actually<br />
bought our own coffee roaster, so we roast our<br />
own beans,” said Beatty. “Soon we’ll be coming<br />
out with K-cups of our coffee for sale.”<br />
On the heels of the <strong>Brandon</strong> opening, a new<br />
Madison location is set to open in summer 2018.<br />
A free-standing building is planned near the<br />
Baptist Healthplex, just behind the new Marriott<br />
that is being built. “It will be a two-story<br />
building with both a patio area and an upper<br />
deck outdoor area,” explained Ishee. “It will also<br />
have a Whiskey Barrel bar, with the backs of<br />
antique cars forming booths. The balcony will<br />
have a semi-private room, and we will also have<br />
a private room downstairs. The big thing is that<br />
we will have a banquet hall that will serve 250<br />
to 300 people.”<br />
Throughout the company’s expansion,<br />
Ishee and Beatty have been focused on<br />
maintaining their brand’s integrity. “We serve<br />
what people want,” said Beatty. “We feel like<br />
we made country cooking cool again. We are<br />
a made-from-scratch restaurant, and we listen<br />
to our customers. We know that without our<br />
customers, we are nothing.” Georgia Blue<br />
customers are very loyal, even helping with<br />
the décor. “We started using license plates<br />
in our décor in Madison,” explained Ishee.<br />
“It was an idea to honor my father, who died<br />
in a car wreck. He collected license plates<br />
from all over. I used them for table tops, with<br />
polyurethane poured on top. We had so many<br />
plates we decided to craft them into serving<br />
baskets. People started giving us their old<br />
plates, and they told us why the plates were<br />
so special to them. We have also had people<br />
make art objects such as guitars covered in<br />
license plates. People love to look at the old<br />
plates, and now at the art. It’s a fun thing<br />
that has become a signature for us.” n<br />
<strong>Hometown</strong> <strong>Brandon</strong> • 53
54 • <strong>Fall</strong> <strong>2017</strong><br />
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<strong>Hometown</strong> <strong>Brandon</strong> • 55
56 • <strong>Fall</strong> <strong>2017</strong><br />
meet the dogs<br />
august 15 • brandon high football stadium
<strong>Hometown</strong> <strong>Brandon</strong> • 57
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58 • <strong>Fall</strong> <strong>2017</strong>
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<strong>Hometown</strong> <strong>Brandon</strong> • 59
Everything’s<br />
Coming Up<br />
Charla Jordan In the 1940s / Suzanne everyone Ross at home was thinking<br />
about gardening, but it was for food, not flowers.<br />
World War II had changed everything. Women<br />
were taking on jobs previously done by men who<br />
had gone to war. These same women were<br />
adapting utilitarian men’s work clothing such as<br />
trousers and overalls for their own use. Some<br />
fabrics were no longer available, as they had<br />
been restricted for war effort. Colors were drab.<br />
Since fabrics were in short supply, styles became<br />
simpler, leaner, and shorter, with little decoration.<br />
Trousers were becoming accepted not only<br />
in work environments such as factories and<br />
construction, but also in the home, garden, and<br />
social settings.<br />
By the beginning of the 1950s, life was<br />
changing rapidly. On the home front, WW II<br />
Veterans were returning home to apply skills<br />
they learned in the military or to finish their<br />
education. In 1953 it appeared that the United<br />
States was finally at peace with the signing of<br />
the Korean Peace Treaty. Good things were<br />
happening for the country and the state.<br />
Sixth-ranked Ole Miss beat second-ranked<br />
Georgia Tech in the Sugar Bowl. On January 28,<br />
1953, WJTV-TV Channel 12 debuted in the Jackson<br />
area, missing by eight days the first live coast-tocoast<br />
television broadcast of a presidential<br />
inaugural address by Dwight D. Eisenhower.<br />
Americans had more spare time. Food<br />
gardening was still important, but landscaping<br />
and flower gardening had new meaning; and, as<br />
usual, women’s clothing began to change with<br />
hemlines rising a little more each year. Suits such<br />
as the ones with boxy jackets designed by Coco<br />
Chanel were popular. Pants, no longer trousers,<br />
were tapered to the leg. For daytime and more<br />
casual occasions, most ladies wore dresses with<br />
Above: <strong>Brandon</strong> Garden Club officers for<br />
1954 enjoying a beautiful outdoor setting.<br />
(L - R) Inez Watson, Margaret Thompson,<br />
S. G. Thompson, Edith Paschal, Ottris Kennedy,<br />
Dell Busick.<br />
Left: 1940s War Ration Fashion<br />
<strong>Brandon</strong> Garden Club<br />
Keeps Up With the Times<br />
wide skirts and narrow waists, complemented by<br />
an assortment of belts, hats, gloves, and high<br />
heeled shoes. Television was beginning to<br />
influence fashion, with ladies at home wearing<br />
shirtwaist dresses as an alternative to more<br />
exaggerated styles.<br />
When the ladies in <strong>Brandon</strong> formed<br />
<strong>Brandon</strong> Garden Club in 1952 and federated<br />
with National Garden Clubs, Inc. in 1953, their<br />
goal wasn’t to just grow food. They wanted to<br />
stimulate the knowledge and love of gardening,<br />
to share their homes and gardens, and to<br />
conserve natural resources. The club flower<br />
chosen was the rose, or as Sappho, a poetess<br />
six centuries before the birth of Christ said,<br />
“the Queen of Flowers.”<br />
BGC members could write a book on the<br />
changes made since we formed. Dress at<br />
meetings has followed current fashion trends,<br />
60 • <strong>Fall</strong> <strong>2017</strong>
Above: <strong>Brandon</strong> Garden Club officers for <strong>2017</strong>-2018 (L-R), seated: Lynn Williams, President<br />
Suzanne Ross, Ginger Parker, and Delena Hamel. Standing: Debbie Edwards, Dixie Vance,<br />
Allyn Graves, Bobbye Strickland, Debbie Zischke, Charla Jordan, and Sandy Parish.<br />
with members, more often than not, wearing pants - slim or straight leg, wide or flared,<br />
ankle length, leggings, jeans, etc. We talk about the latest hats and gloves - but not<br />
formal ones, the ones best suited for the garden. We plant roses both at home and<br />
throughout the city. We continue to celebrate Arbor Day, National Garden Week, and<br />
Veterans Day.<br />
For the first time in 64 years, we will not have the guidance of a charter member,<br />
Janet McLaurin. “Miss Janet” and others who came before have taught us a lot.<br />
This month we share fall gardening tips for Miss Janet’s favorite flower and our<br />
club flower, the rose. Tips are adapted and updated from BGC Roses, Recipes and<br />
Reflections.<br />
• Fertilize for the last time this season in late September to early October, or 30 to<br />
45 days prior to the first predicted frost date, with a rose fertilizer with little or no<br />
nitrogen. If you are unsure what to purchase, ask at a reputable garden center.<br />
• Water thoroughly at least once a week during dry periods.<br />
• Dead head (remove dead blooms just above the leaflet joint) until the first frost.<br />
• Stop hard pruning in late September to early October, as it may awaken dormant<br />
buds, producing new growth that will be killed during freezing temperatures. The<br />
best time to prune is after the last hard frost mid-February to March or when<br />
jonquils or forsythia are blooming.<br />
• Mulch roses with organic materials, since these will decompose and enrich the<br />
soil. Pine needles and shredded bark are two of the most readily available. These<br />
tend to stay in place during rains.<br />
Join <strong>Brandon</strong> Garden Club and the City of <strong>Brandon</strong> as we honor veterans at the<br />
Veterans Day Breakfast on November 10 at <strong>Brandon</strong> Civic Center.<br />
For information, visit www.thebrandongardenclub.com.<br />
Each year BGC plants trees to celebrate Arbor Day, which<br />
is celebrated in Mississippi the second Friday in February.<br />
Pictured with a mulberry tree planted by BGC in 1969 are<br />
(L-R) Mrs. Don Calfee, BGC President; Mrs. Gwen Harper,<br />
Crossgates Manor Director; and Mrs. Nancy Williams,<br />
BGC’s Arbor Day Committee Chairman.<br />
<strong>Hometown</strong> <strong>Brandon</strong> • 61
<strong>Brandon</strong> Garden Club<br />
began its new garden club year with an<br />
Annual<br />
Kick-off Extravaganza<br />
on August 15.<br />
President Suzanne Ross welcomed<br />
new and prospective members and<br />
introduced the Board of Directors<br />
for <strong>2017</strong>-2018. The guest speaker was<br />
Jamie Wier, Principal Architect with<br />
Wier Boerner Allin Architecture, who<br />
shared his plans for the Wierhouse,<br />
Genna Benna’s Restaurant,<br />
and GB Bakery coming to<br />
downtown <strong>Brandon</strong>.<br />
62 • <strong>Fall</strong> <strong>2017</strong>
<strong>Hometown</strong> <strong>Brandon</strong> • 63
Sunday Worship Times<br />
8:15 a.m. and 10:45 a.m. Worship 9:30 a.m. Sunday School<br />
6:00 p.m. Evening Worship<br />
Holiday Worship Events:<br />
<strong>Fall</strong> Festival / Trunk or Treat<br />
October 25, 5:30 p.m.—7:30 p.m.<br />
Harvest Supper<br />
November 19, 5:00 p.m.<br />
Hanging of the Green<br />
December 3, 6:00 p.m.<br />
Night of the Father’s Love Christmas Program<br />
December 10, 8:15 a.m. and 10:45 a.m.<br />
Instrumental Night of Christmas Praise<br />
December 10, 6:00 p.m.<br />
Vesper Service<br />
December 17, 6:00 p.m.<br />
Carols and Candlelight<br />
December 24, 6:00 p.m.<br />
64 • <strong>Fall</strong> <strong>2017</strong>
Thanks<br />
to our<br />
readers<br />
and<br />
advertisers.<br />
We<br />
appreciate<br />
you!<br />
<strong>Hometown</strong> <strong>Brandon</strong> • 65
Camille Anding<br />
The Time Coin<br />
Plan-To and Going-To are familiar<br />
associates of most humans,<br />
diminishing and robbing our lives far too<br />
often. They’ve earned their rank in the list of<br />
“Little Demons” due to their being associated<br />
with loss, disappointment or regret.<br />
I still recall days when busy work took precedence over some<br />
book-reading time with my children along with invitations to dinner<br />
that never got past the plan-to stage. As always, Meant-To would<br />
remind me of my poor use of meaningful time, and Good-Intentions<br />
would attempt to console me with negligible results.<br />
There have been notes that I’ve meant to write, calls I was going to<br />
get to, visits I’ve meant to make and jobs I promised myself I would<br />
plan to do. Even though the verse from Galatians 6:10 says, “Whenever<br />
we have the opportunity, we should do good to everyone, especially to<br />
our Christian brothers and sisters,” far too often Plan-To and Going-To<br />
have succeeded in their robberies and left their accomplice, Good-<br />
Several years ago I was introduced to<br />
three sisters who joined a Bible study along<br />
with me. Their lives, bonds to each other and<br />
the Lord, made a powerful impact on my life.<br />
As our friendships grew, I learned that they<br />
had other siblings who lived in other cities.<br />
They spoke of great fondness for all their family members. By then,<br />
I was so impressed with their lives that I wanted to meet their mother,<br />
the main figure responsible for molding these special lives. Plan-To and<br />
Going-to agreed it was a great idea, and together we planned for a time<br />
I could make a visit to her home.<br />
Eventually I got around to it. In fact, several visitors were there<br />
plus her three daughters who had talked so much about their mother.<br />
But it was a bittersweet visit. Too-Late met me at the door of the funeral<br />
home and pointed me to her open casket. Regret and Disappointment<br />
gathered around me and eventually left the room following close<br />
behind Meant-To. It seems they always travel together. n<br />
Intentions, to offer his pep talk and lame excuses.<br />
66 • <strong>Fall</strong> <strong>2017</strong>
RANKIN COUNTY’S NEWEST VENUE IS NOW OPEN!<br />
202 North College Street • <strong>Brandon</strong>, MS<br />
To schedule a tour or to make reservations, call 601.706.4059<br />
<strong>Hometown</strong> <strong>Brandon</strong> • 67
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