A rose to Zachary’s owner Doug Pellum, his staff an the Lowndes County Humane Society for spreading the wealth from Sunday’s St. Patrick’s Day Pawty. For the past eight years, Pellum has made the restaurant’s seasonal party a fundraiser for the humane society. This year, however, the LCHS asked that the proceeds be given to another nonprofit whose focus is on the care of animals. This year, the beneficiary will be Operation Colony Cats, which provides spay/neuter services and manages feral cat populations throughout north Mississippi. The event will be held at the downtown restaurant for 1 to 5 p.m., and will feature raffles, festive drinks and live music. The goal this year is to collect $50,000, which will make a huge difference for the nonprofit. We encourage everyone to pawtronize this fun and meaningful event.
A rose of appreciation to two pillars of the Columbus community who passed away this week. Dixie Butler and Bobby Harper, both 84, passed away within four days of each other, leaving behind lifetimes of service as an example we all should follow.
Harper, a banker by occupation, devoted much of his free time to providing his leadership on numerous boards, including Columbus Kiwanis Club, Columbus-Lowndes Chamber of Commerce, United Way, Mississippi University for Women’s Town and Tower Club and the MUW Foundation, Frank P. Phillips YMCA, Helping Hands, Golden Triangle Regional Airport, Golden Triangle Regional Medical Foundation and the Golden Triangle Development LINK. Butler, an educator by trade, was a key figure in Columbus’ historic preservation, arts and culture for a half-century. She was a philanthropist and an enthusiastic volunteer through the years. Together, Harper and Butler made an immeasurable contribution to the community. We honor their memory when we seek to serve others.
A rose to the City of Columbus grant writer Susan Wilder and Friendship Cemetery director Rogena Bonner for their efforts in securing funding for an inventory of trees at the historic site to determine the trees’ health and identify trees that might pose a threat to the cemetery’s headstones and monuments. The trees are themselves a part of the cemetery’s history. The abundant magnolias were planted more than 150 years ago and have contributed much to the cemetery’s beauty. Using a $9,500 grant from the Mississippi Forestry Commission will allow the caretakers of the cemetery to strike the delicate balance between preventing damage to grave markers from falling limbs or emerging roots, while making sure healthy trees are not needlessly sacrificed. It’s yet another example of how Wilder has become a grant-writing dynamo for the benefit of our city.
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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You can help your community
Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 32 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.
