Roses and thorns
A rose to the university-sanctioned, student-led effort to record a long-neglected, if painful part of the history of Mississippi University for Women, efforts that were this week recognized by the Mississippi Historical Society.
Led by Erin Kempker, an assistant professor of history at MUW, the multi-year effort by The W’s Department of History, Political Science and Geography has uncovered much of the hidden history surrounding desegregation efforts at the university in the 1960s.
The work on the project, led by Kempker, art history professor Beverly Joyce and university library archivist Derek Webb has earned the Award of Merit from the Mississippi Historical Society. History, even its unpleasant chapters, is important because it informs both our present and our future.
A rose to all those who participated in Tuesday’s Ward 5 city council run-off election. We salute both candidates — Stephen Jones and Marthalie Porter — for running a clean, issue-focused campaign. Ultimately, Jones won by a half-dozen votes, which is evidence this race featured two good candidates.
The almost-even split illustrates how difficult it can be when you have two good candidates. We also applaud the voters, noting something very rare — more people voted in the runoff (856) than in the general election (840). The 27-percent turnout was high for a special election and we are encouraged so many Ward 5 residents fulfilled their civic duty by going to the polls. Theirs is an example that should be emulated in the approaching presidential primaries next week and in all future elections. As the Ward 5 election demonstrated, every vote does matter.
A rose to Columbus Police Chief Oscar Lewis for his decision to promote Fred Shelton to the position of assistant chief this week.
At first blush, it may have seemed an easy choice to make. During his tenure as Interim Chief, Shelton acquitted himself honorably in the difficult weeks that followed the tragic officer-involved shooting death of Ricky Ball on Oct. 17. But in another sense, it was a noble move by Lewis.
Shelton was a rival of Lewis’ for the police chief job and often rivalries persist once the choice is made.
That Lewis chose to acknowledge Shelton’s leadership by selecting him as his assistant chief is an encouraging sign. Both men have much to offer, which means our city benefits greatly from this choice.
A rose to Mississippi State’s Scott Stricklin, who was honored Wednesday as the Under Armour Athletics Director of the Year Award by the National Association of College Directors of Athletics.
The award recognizes athletic directors at all levels for their commitment to student-athletes, campuses and the surrounding communities. Stricklin has helped the athletic department grow from both a fund raising standpoint and fan attendance.
He has also helped invest $140 million in facility projects, including the $11.7 million Mize Pavilion at Humphrey Coliseum, the $5 million Leo W. Seal Jr. Football Complex, a $75 million expansion and renovation of Davis Wade Stadium, a $6 million renovation and expansion of the softball and tennis complexes and the $2.2 million Mississippi State Golf Center at Old Waverly. A $40 million upgrade to Dudy Noble Field is in the works.
Those efforts have translated to success on the playing fields as well. MSU athletics have never been stronger, so it is proper that Stricklin should be recognized for his efforts in making that happen.
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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