A rose on this Memorial Day weekend to all who laid down their lives in military service for our nation. For that reason, of the holidays set aside to honor our military, Memorial Day is the most solemn occasion. Amid the activities on the long holiday weekend, we urge everyone to take some time to reflect on the sacrifice made on our behalf to preserve our nation. An estimated 1,354,664 members of our military have died in 10 recognized wars and dozens of other conflicts. The loss we feel can not be reduced to mere numbers. Each death represents a personal loss to family and friends and a collective loss for the nation. Our wish this Memorial Day weekend as we honor our fallen fighting men and women is the same as Daniel Webster’s wish long ago: “May their remembrance be as lasting as the land they honored.”
A rose to Mississippi State’s High Performance Computing Collaboratory as it breaks ground on a $45 million expansion, one destined to help MSU maintain its position as a leader in academic super-computing. The new 35,000 square foot facility will be built next to its current facility at Thad Cochran Research Center. Every inch of existing space is being put to use by the seven independent computing centers that are involved in such things as artificial intelligence, biotechnology, cyber security, automobile efficiency and the genomics research that is critical in attacking food insecurity around the globe. The new center will help to attract more students and more researchers to MSU, as the possibilities for research expand. The center has received support from the Mississippi Legislature, as well as federal agencies like the National Science Foundation, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the U.S. Department of Agriculture. As an institution, MSU ranks fifth in U.S. academic supercomputing capability, according to rankings released by TOP500. We congratulate MSU on this important expansion and for the good that will no doubt result from it.
A rose to Columbus High’s track-and-field program and coach Jessica Davis, whose performance in this year’s state meet in Pearl signifies the beginning of a renaissance in a sport it once was prominent. The Falcons finished with two top-six finishes among their boys and girls teams, and two individual state champions. Even though Columbus didn’t bring a full team with them to the state meet, it was able to make a run at a team state title. Cierra Crusoe, a multi-sport athlete and one of the best powerlifters in 5A, continued her dominance in shot put, winning another state title with a final throw of 37 feet, three inches. On the boys side, Khristian Watson set a new school record and personal record in high jump, taking first at the state meet as he cleared six feet, 10 inches. Overall, the girls team medaled, finishing third, while the boys team finished sixth overall. That included second-place finishes in the boys 100-meter race and 1,600-meter relay, boys long jump and girls shot put and discus. Columbus also saw third-place finishes in boys shot put and in the girls’ 1,600-meter relay. We congratulate coach Davis and all of the Falcon athletes on their success.
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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