A rose of remembrance and appreciation for U.S. Rep. Alan Nunnelee, who died Friday at age 56 after a year-long battle with brain cancer. Nunnelee served two-plus terms as District 1’s representative in Congress. Prior to that, he served 15 years in the Mississippi Senate, representing District 16 (Lee and Pontotoc counties). Nunnelee spent part of his childhood in Columbus before moving to Clinton, where he graduated from high school. He will be best remembered for the warmth of his personality. Those who knew him best described him as gracious, amiable and self-effacing. That personal touch was on display often, including last spring, when he wished a former Joe Cook Junior High teacher, Irene Burrow Lancaster, a happy 89th birthday from the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives.
A rose to Mississippi University for Women Gordy Honors College for its forum series examining a dark period in the state’s history. The first of the two-part series was held Thursday at Nissan Auditorium with a screening of the documentary “Spies of Mississippi,” focusing of the regrettable work of the Mississippi Sovereignty Commission, where citizens were used to spy on Civil Rights advocates during the turbulent 1950s and ’60s. More than 100 people turned out for the viewing and the discussion that followed. The second part of the series will be held Feb. 19 when the film’s producer and director, Dawn Porter, will be the featured speaker in the same auditorium, at 6 p.m.
A rose to all those who have chosen to “get off the sidelines and get in to the game” by applying for board positions and qualifying for elected offices. We are encouraged to note that almost every board position or elected office features more than one choice. While incumbents undoubtedly have an edge, the newcomers provide options that sometimes don’t exist. The more choices we have, the better the results, in many cases. We applaud the civic spirit of those who have chosen to serve, no matter the outcome.
A rose to faculty sponsor Bill Odom and the MSMS Student Environmental Awareness League, which started construction of the a chimney swift tower Saturday at the campus the school shares with Mississippi University for Women. The group is constructing the tower to be a home for the area’s population of chimney swifts. Once completed the tower will have cameras built in to broadcast to the MSMS Website. Viewers will be able to see the birds’ daily activities from inside the tower. We applaud these efforts to help students gain a better appreciation of the natural world, which we agree is a vital part of a well-rounded education.
Send your submissions to Roses & Thorns to Slim Smith at [email protected]
The Dispatch Editorial Board is made up of publisher Peter Imes, columnist Slim Smith, managing editor Zack Plair and senior newsroom staff.
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