BRANDON — A park by a central Mississippi reservoir will be named for a longtime outdoors writer who promoted events there after he retired from journalism.
The governing board for the Ross Barnett Reservoir has voted unanimously that Lakeshore Park will become the Bobby Cleveland Park at Lakeshore, the Clarion Ledger reported.
“He was a very devoted champion of the reservoir,” general manager John Sigman said of Cleveland.
The park is in Rankin County, a few miles northwest of Jackson.
Cleveland, 67, died after a traffic accident April 28 as he was leaving the park. His memorial service was held there days later.
The Hattiesburg native was well known in Mississippi for his decades as the outdoors writer for the Clarion Ledger.
Cleveland lived near the reservoir and fished in it often. After he left the newspaper in 2012, be became the spokesman for the Pearl River Valley Water Supply District, the state agency that manages the reservoir.
Sigman said the request to rename the park was presented by the Barnett Reservoir Foundation, an organization for which Cleveland had been secretary.
Foundation member Susan Brashear said she isn’t sure when a sign will be placed at the park with Cleveland’s name on it. She said part of the cost will be paid by an anonymous donor.
Cleveland’s wife, Pam, said her husband liked to schedule concerts and other events at Lakeshore Park so people could watch the sunset over the reservoir.
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