The 14th Annual Redneck Christmas Parade in Big Creek will be Saturday, Dec. 14 at 6 p.m.

A $100 prize will be awarded to the top “redneck” at the parade.
A reception will be held at the community building after the parade. For more info, call 628-6882.

Four relatively new homes in the Bruce area were featured on the Christmas Tour of Homes last weekend sponsored by the Fine Arts Club of Bruce.

This year’s featured homes included Shelia Logan and her mother Ruth Cole, Joe and Bonnie Tunnell, Bridgett and Dan Fulton, and Dr. Bruce and Lori Longest.

Shelia Logan and her mother Ruth Cole are pictured at their home north of Bruce on Hwy 9. The home was built a few years ago on land Shelia’s late husband Satch Logan inherited from his parents W.J. and Juanice Logan.

From left, Lane, Luke and Logan Stewart, grandsons and great-grandsons of Shelia Logan and Ruth Cole, gave out peppermint sticks to visitors at their home during the tour.

Bonnie Tunnell is pictured with her grandchildren, from left, Hillary Stacy holding her brother J.P. Ferguson, Bonnie holding Haven Tunnell and in front, Kylie Fox.

The Tunnell’s home, located in Charcoal Farms, was built in 2004. A swimming pool was added in 2010 and a gazebo with a fire pit which Bonnie said is a focal point of their home.

Among the unique decorations for Christmas was this snowman relaxing in the large tub.

Bridgett and Dan Fulton are pictured on the front porch of their home located in Yancy-Easley subdivision. They built the home in 2011 while planning for their wedding. The home is filled with pieces of art painted by Bridgett and furniture pieces built by Dan.

Dr. Bruce and Lori Longest are pictured with the turquoise flocked tree in the master bedroom of their home.

They built the home in 2012. Among the highlights on the Christmas tour was the white nativity scene in the foyer which was a wedding gift 20 years ago.

A crystal chandelier hung over the dining room table. It was a wedding gift on an anniversary trip to Paris, France.

The den featured a Santa and elf in the bookcases that were Lori’s when she was a little girl.

A magi sat under the Christmas tree which was a gift from Dr. Longest to Lori on their first Christmas together.

Sandra Cain is pictured at the Bruce and Lori Longest home with a gingerbread house that sits on the kitchen island.

Emily Morris is the Bruce Rotary Youth Leader for December. Her parents are Tamsie Morris and Lee Morris.

Her activities are:
•ranks 4th in her class;
•principal’s honor roll and honor roll, 5 yrs.;
•Beta Club, 5 yrs.; currently treasurer;
•2011 Social Studies award, outstanding academic excellence;
•2011 algebra award 100 average last nine weeks;
•2012 English II award for highest average;
•scored advanced on algebra state test and CPASS test for Health Science I;
•Skuna River Review, 5 yrs., currently editor;
•Juniorettes, 3 yrs.; currently president;
•scholar athlete;
•north half and state champion in girls’ powerlifting 105 lb. weight;
•football team statistician, 1 yr.;
•works at Jeffery’s.

When Bruce was incorporated on June 29, 1927 it was literally a whistle stop with a depot, four stores and less than a dozen residences.

The section around Bruce once contained thousands of acres of land rich with pine and hardwood untouched by axe or saw. The reason this fine stand of timber was untouched was that it was almost inaccessbile. There were no railroads or rivers to transport the cut timber; there were not even good roads that it could be hauled over.

E.L. Bruce

However, E.L. Bruce Company saw an opportunity in this rich and virgin timber land and in the fall of 1924 purchased 21,000 acres of land around the present town of Bruce.
The very first thing to be done was develop a means of transporting the lumber to the markets; so work was started right away on a railroad. This standard gauge railroad, now known as the Mississippi Skuna Valley Railroad stretches out for 22 miles to connect with the Illinois Central. Our products are hauled over the railroad from the plant at Bruce to the connecting line, where they are carried to all parts of the United States.

The construction of the railroad was not all that had to be done. The sawmill operation would require many workers, and these workers must have some place to live. So E.L. Bruce Company built a whole town, which was named appropriately enough, Bruce.

Mr. E.L. Bruce Sr. was always proud of the town called Bruce and frequently visited the site while the town was being built. He liked to walk up and down the streets and talk to the people. He had faith that the town would grow into a busy center.

The town has grown and the Bruce plant has always had an important part in that history. Mr. R.A. Tyson, of Holly Springs was the first mayor of Bruce. He was also the first manager of the Bruce operation.
Twenty-three years after its founding, Bruce has made a lot of progress. Today there is a population of 3,000 and 73 business establishments. There are three churches, a Rotary club, a Masonic Temple and a Chamber of Commerce. Bruce has the largest school in the county with an enrollment of 1,000 students.

Bruce is neither the oldest nor the largest of the Bruce plants, but from the historical standpoint it is certainly the most interesting.

Editor’s Note: This story was taken from the February 1950 Bruce Bulletin, a monthly newsletter published by E.L. Bruce Company. The story was credited to Bruce Plant Manager John Sage. The newsletter was recently donated to the Bruce Museum.

Calhoun County supervisors opened annual bids and approved a request to re-purpose a vehicle for the sheriff seized as part of a drug arrest.

The board authorized Sheriff Greg Pollan to add a 2007 Chevy Tahoe, seized last year in a drug arrest, to inventory to be used as the new 911 vehicle. Intentions were to auction the vehicle, but Sheriff Pollan said the 1998 Crown Victoria previously used for the 911 car, driven by Wayne Stone, “died,” so this will replace it.

The Crown Victoria was declared surplus property and sold to the Webster County Sheriff’s Department for $1.

Sheriff Pollan said a 2011 red, convertible Chevy Camaro seized last week in the arrest of Chris Golliday, of Gore Springs, as part of a drug sting, will be auctioned. He said paperwork is underway to allow that sale. He estimated the car to be worth in excess of $40,000.

In other news, the board opened annual bids for materials and various services taking most under advisement to allow Purchasing Clerk Sheryl Fleming to tabulate them all so supervisors could get a better look at which bids are truly the best.

The one bid approved during Friday’s opening was for serving meals to prisoners at the Calhoun County Jail. Southside Grill earned that with the low bid of $5.25. They are the current meals provider.

Other bids received were Soul Food Kitchen $5.65, Nancy’s $5.85 and Coleman’s $5.90.

The next scheduled meeting of the board is Friday, Jan. 3.

Sheriff Greg Pollan spoke about holiday safety and Bruce chamber officials agreed to pay tribute to the Bruce High School band during the organization’s monthly meeting Monday at Jeffery’s.

Sheriff Pollan

Chamber members voted unanimously to do something for Bruce Trojan band members for representing the town so well in the Bruce, Calhoun City and Vardaman Christmas parades.

Chamber secretary Carol Shoemaker thanked the 20th Century and Rotary Club’s for significant donations to the chamber to help cover costs for the new office constructed in the Bruce Museum.

“I continue to get a lot of walk-in traffic since moving into the museum,” Shoemaker said. “It has been a wonderful move for the chamber.”

The chamber thanked Rickie Vaughn for his leadership in the building of the new office.

It was announced the Business of the Month Committee has chosen The Journal as its next honoree.

Mayor Rudy Pope gave a brief report on city news saying he is pleased with the paving done and that it went farther than they expected.

“We only used about half of the money designated for the project, so we have another $150,000 to pave more streets next year after the sewer improvement project is completed,” Pope said.

Sheriff Pollan offered suggestions on things citizens should do to protect themselves and their belongings, especially during the holidays.

Among his suggestions were:

•Lock the doors to your home and vehicle any time you leave.

•If away from home for an extended time, have someone pickup your newspapers/mail and leave a light on if possible.

•When shopping, don’t leave large displays of packages visible in your vehicle and always lock the doors.

•Only give donations to recognized charitable organizations.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Vicksburg District is offering agricultural land for lease to the public.

These sections of agricultural lands consist of two tracts in Calhoun County and one tract in Yalobusha County on Grenada Lake. The Notice of Availability (NOA) number for these tracts is DACW38-9-14-32.
There is a 353.3 acre tract in Calhoun County consisting of crops and highly erodible land, a 20.1 acre tract in Calhoun County that consists of  highly erodible land and 37.2 acres of pasture and grazed woods in Yalobusha County.
The bids will be accepted until 2 p.m. on Jan. 14 and opened at that time. To obtain a hard copy of the NOA with instructions on how to submit a bid, contact Chris Terry at 662.227.0224, ext 70244 or Guy Barnett at 601-631-7294 or via email at guy.barnett@usace.army.mil .
Mail bidding information to:
US Army Corps of Engineers -Vicksburg District
ATTN: Real Estate Division
4155 Clay Street
Vicksburg, Mississippi 39183.

Personnel moves and a couple of in-district student transfers are among the items on a short agenda for the Calhoun County School Board’s meeting Thursday night.

The personnel moves consist of the resignation of Jacob Glasz as a classroom teacher and the hiring of John Massey as a teacher replacing Angie Newlin who is retiring.

Also on the agenda is the hiring of Tympel Turner as a substitute at Bruce High; approving Zachery Goza as a student cafeteria worker; and naming Tracey Bailey and Lynn Inman as substitute bus drivers and Chakelia Gladney as a substitute bus aide.

The board will consider the requested transfer of Alaina Jenkins and Ryan Tucker from Bruce Elementary to Calhoun City Elementary.

A presentation on REPM teacher grants is scheduled, as is a parent to address the board.

The meeting will begin at 7 p.m. Thursday at the school district’s office in Pittsboro.

What began with a single plastic snowman and a few old-fashioned C9 colored lights has grown into the largest Christmas light display in Calhoun County and possibly the region.

It’s normal this time of year to see bumper-to-bumper traffic after dark in front of David and Teresa Martins’ house on Strong Street in Derma watching the colorful light show that dances to music.

David Martin

“It’s just the joy of the kids,” David Martin said. “You can come outside and hear them hollering, ‘Mama, stop, stop!’ That’s just priceless.”
Martin said his infatuation with the lights dates back to his youth.

“That was our family thing when we were growing up,” Martin said. “By the week of Christmas you had heard who had the best lights and you went. It didn’t matter if it was Bruce, Vardaman wherever. We sure enjoyed it.”

The Martins’ yard is filled with dozens of characters, 75% of which are animated, and thousands and thousands of Christmas lights.
Martin said he couldn’t begin to estimate the number of lights or “miles” of extension cords that criss-cross his yard. The American flag on his roof, that’s part of a tribute to the 858th in this year’s display, contains thousands of lights in itself.

“With our National Guard boys gone right now we wanted to do a little tribute to our troops,” Martin said. “So we play the songs for all five branches of the military and it ends up with ‘God Bless the USA.’”

A life-like Santa Claus stays busy in one of the windows checking his list, hanging stockings and even waving at passers-by.
“We have the Grinch in the window this year, too,” Martin said.

One night last week two boys were in the street looking at the Santa in the window and debating if he was real or not.
The younger boy said, “He is real. I know he is.”
About that time their mother called them and the young boy waved and said “Bye Santa.”

“Just at that time Santa waved back in the window and you could hear that little boy, – ‘I told you he was real,’” Martin said.
As his display has grown over the years, it has spilled into the yard of his in-laws Mr. and Mrs. Dock Gabbert on one side and aunt, Judy Tedford, on the other.
“A.G. Gibson across the street has started asking me how we’re going to expand over to his side of the road,” Martin said.

With all of that, Martin said his utility bill is only up approximately $100.
“That’s more than worth it for all the smiles this brings,” Martin said.

Next week, Martin hopes to have Santa outside at night to visit with kids and to meet and greet their many visitors.
“We really have a big time on those nights,” Martin said.

Martin also has a tub at the end of the driveway to collect canned goods from visitors for the local food pantry. His biggest collection, however, is the many hugs and thank you’s he receives from those who come to get a full dose of Christmas spirit.
“One boy told me the real Santa Claus lives in Derma, Mississippi,” Martin said. “That meant a lot.”

Beginning today, the front page picture on this site will begin changing regularly to a different photo from one of the four Christmas parades this month in Calhoun County.

The parade pictures, from Bruce, Calhoun City, Vardaman and Big Creek, along with other local Christmas events, will continue to change leading up until Christmas morning.

We at The Journal would like to thank all of our readers for another wonderful year and wish everyone a very Merry Christmas.

Join us at Jesse Yancy Memorial Library in Bruce on Monday, Dec. 23 for some Christmas Break.

The fun starts with toddler story time from 10:30- 10:50 a.m. with music, stories and snacks. Storytime is for toddlers with an adult helper.
Grab your sack lunch for a Family Movie Party from noon-1:45 p.m. for a Family Movie Party. We’ll provide the drinks and popcorn.

This month’s movie: “A crop dusting plane with a fear of heights lives his dream of competing in a famous around-the-world aerial race.” Movie rated PG.
Finish up the day with a Teen Book-to-Movie party from 2-4:30 p.m.. We’ll provide the drinks and popcorn.

This month’s book-to-movie: “When her mother disappears, a teen girl learns that she descends from a line of warriors who protect our world from demons. She joins forces with others like her and heads into a dangerous alternate New York.” Movie rated PG-13.

Call the library at (662)983-2220 for more information about these and other programs! Movie Parties are sponsored by Friends of the Library.

Calhoun Countains set a new record with their support of Operation Christmas Child – an international project that delivers gift-filled shoeboxes to children all over the world.

Jimmy Cole, who leads the local effort based out of First Baptist Church in Calhoun City, said they delivered 2,117 boxes this year from the county.
“That’s up 43% from last year,” Cole said.

The Northeast collection site, which includes Calhoun, collected a total of 29,714 boxes, an increase of 16% from last year.
The shoeboxes, which are filled with a variety of items including small toys, Bibles, candy, and more – are shipped to Atlanta and from there overseas to reach suffering children around the world.

Since 1993, Operation Christmas Child, a project of international Christian relief and evangelism organization Samaritan’s Purse, headed by Franklin Graham, has delivered more than 77 million gift-filled shoe boxes to needy children in some 130 countries.

Cole said the boxes in Calhoun come from private citizens, school groups, clubs and organizations and from the many churches in Calhoun County.

“We would like to thank everyone who has supported this project so well, especially all of our churches,” Cole said. “We had several new churches participating this year with the program and most of our repeat churches contributed more boxes this year.”

Many local clubs helped make a better Christmas for Calhoun Countians this year with numerous acts of giving.

The Bruce Rotary Club recently completed its annual Christmas basket project in which 50 boxes of staple foods were delivered to “needy” families as determined by Lift, Inc. through an application process.

“The generosity so many show in giving to this project is greatly appreciated,” said James Wright, project chairman. “This is a good time of the year to let others who have needs know that we care about them.”

Members of the New Century Club in Calhoun City each adopted angels off the “Angel Tree” at Calhoun City Elementary to help provide Christmas gifts for less fortunate children.
The club also sent gift cards to area children’s homes and assisted with a Christmas party at Calhoun Health Services nursing home.

The Fine Arts Club of Bruce assisted with the Christmas celebration at Bruce Community Living Center and also adopted a local family for Christmas. They also provided support for the Rotary’s Christmas basket project and the local food pantry’s efforts.

The 20th Century Club in Bruce assists Bruce Community Living Center residents without living family members to have a better holiday season.
They also adopted a few local families to help with their Christmas and supported the county’s Operation Christmas Child project.

The Juniorettes also provided assistance at Bruce Community Living Center and visited the Veterans’ Home in Oxford.

Both cases regarding the recent altercation between former Derma policeman Byron Talford and Calhoun City store owner Buck Langford have been moved to Calhoun County Justice Court.

Buck Langford and Byron Talford

Both were charged with simple assault following a physical altercation in the parking lot of Clint’s Pit Stop in Bruce on Sunday, Dec. 8.
Langford’s charges against Talford were filed in the county court, but Talford’s charges against Langford were filed in Bruce city court.

That case came before the court last Wednesday when Langford’s attorney Eddie Lancaster requested the case be moved to the county court to coincide with the other.
Bruce Prosecutor Ben Suber and Judge Ottis Crocker agreed to transfer the case to Pittsboro. A date for the case to come before the county judge has not yet been determined.

It’s been a busy month at the Calhoun Baptist Association’s food pantry in Calhoun City where they’ve been providing boxes of staple foods for dozens of local families.

“This has been a real busy month on both ends, in terms of receiving from churches and other organizations that have been good about getting food to us and we’ve had a good many more people come in than normal,” said Director Curtis Ferrell.

“We’re normally open two days a week,” Ferrell said. “We’ve been open every day the past few weeks.”
Gail Clark, of Bruce, has worked as a volunteer with the food pantry for the past dozen years.

“I want to serve the Lord and I love being with people,” Clark said. “I’ve made a lot of friends through our work here. I pray for them often.”
The food pantry works with the Department of Human Services and other state agencies to determine who is in need. Clark said they’ve seen the numbers of needy rise in recent years.

“When I started we didn’t make appointments. I could sit here and not have anyone come in for two hours,” she said. “Now we have to make appointments because we have so many.”
They’ve been serving up to 12 families a day recently. But food isn’t the only delivery for the food pantry’s customers.

“It gives us a chance to witness to them,” Clark said. “And a lot of times they just need someone to talk to, to vent. I’m glad to be here. I know it was God’s will for me to be here.”
Clark said many of the people they have helped have been on food stamps, but with government cutbacks there’s more needs for the food pantry to fill.

“We have some now that haven’t been here since 2003-04 that are now having to come back,” Clark said. “It makes me sad sometimes, but I’m thankful we have people who are willing to help.”

“The churches and organizations around this county have been very generous and we’re appreciative of their efforts with this food pantry,” Ferrell said. “It’s a real community effort.”

Michael Herrod’s nativity scene has been a winner in the 20th Century Club’s Christmas Lighting Contest in Bruce on multiple occasions, but this year was the first time to be the overall winner.

“I was really surprised when I heard that I had won, especially knowing some of the other homes the judges looked at,” Herrod said.
The outside of his “modest” home on West Clay Street is decorated with the classical look of green garland with bright red bows and shiny gold ornaments.
“I’m very traditional,” Herrod said. “This is who I am.”

He said the wreaths on the front of his house are “far from new,” but he does add new ribbons and maybe some magnolia leaves to them each year to “spruce them up.”
The nativity scene, which again earned first place this year, is his pride and joy.
“I fell in love with it as soon as I saw it,” Herrod said. “I bought the whole thing at one time. The store clerk asked if I was buying it for a church, and I said ‘no, it’s for my home.’ I guess most people buy a piece at a time each year, but I had to have it all right then.”

Herrod, 51, who splits time in Bruce and Miami where he owns a travel agency, said he had to get back to Florida at the time and called on some family members to get it home for him.
“They had it piled up so high on the truck the police stopped them in Pontotoc,” Herrod said.

They were forced to unload some of the items at the Pontotoc Police Station and make two trips to Bruce to deliver it all due to the officers feeling it wasn’t safe to drive so loaded down.
“My family wasn’t real happy with me at the moment,” Herrod said with a grin.
Family is very important to Herrod and he hosts them all, often 25-plus, at his house for Christmas.

“This is my favorite holiday,” Herrod said. “It’s all about family for us.”
Herrod is the son of Mike and Alberta Herrod. He is one of seven children – Alene, Olene, Gwen, Carrie, Earlene, Tom Pete and Michael.
They will all come to Herrod’s home for Christmas with their extended families.

“It’s an open door policy at my house for Christmas,” Herrod said. “We all get together and eat ‘til it’s all gone.”
Herrod does all the cooking himself.
“My sisters will do all the prep work for me, but I handle the cooking,” he said.

The menu will feature traditional favorites – turkey, ham, barbeque chicken, ribs, greens, sweet potatoes, etc.
“Last year I made some gumbo that everyone enjoyed,” Herrod said. “I’ll probably do that again, also.”

He recalled the Christmases of his youth very traditional also. The decorations around the house weren’t quite as shiny as his today.
“We would cut an evergreen in the woods and decorate it with very minimal ornaments,” Herrod said. “We would cut circles out of construction paper and use popcorn – nothing extravagant.”

“It was always a good time, an extraordinary time,” Herrod said. “We didn’t think of ourselves as poor, just normal. We were together.”
They are gathering together again this week around Herrod’s award-winning decorations to continue a family tradition.
“It’s always a good time,” he said.

Christmas Lighting Winners

Overall
1st Michael Herrod
2nd Jill and Steve Ferguson
3rd John and Annie Jean Snellings
HM Casey and Jody Clark

Trendy
1st Dan and Bridgett Fulton
2nd Jared and Courtney Griffin
3rd Enoch and Erica Griffin
HM Joel and Lisa McNeece

Christmas Tree
1st Betty Edwards
2nd James Earl and Frances Snyder
3rd Greg and Beth Gillis
HM Lee and Lori Peden

Nativity
1st Michael Herrod
2nd Dan and Bridgett Fulton
3rd Steve and Jill Ferguson
HM Darrell and Sandra Logan

Door
1st Eric and Donna Weeks
2nd Bill and Beverly Cooper
3rd Jessey and Debbie Higdon
HM Glen and Peggy White

Wreaths
1st Danile and Kris Hathorne
2nd Turner and Leigh Moore
3rd Dean and Cassie Bryant
HM Charles and Ann Herring

Calhoun County’s unemployment dropped for a sixth consecutive month in November according to the Mississippi Department of Employment Security.

 Calhoun County recorded an unemployment rate of 8.9% in November, which was comparable to the 8.6% and 8.8% in November the past two years.

November was the sixth straight month the county’s unemployment rate decreased, going back to the 11% recorded in June.

The unemployment rate for the state as a whole in November was 7.6%. The national rate was 6.6%.

Rates of surrounding counties in November were Lafayette 5.2, Yalobusha 8.5, Grenada 7.9, Webster 11.0, Chickasaw 11.1, and Pontotoc 7.6.

A Calhoun City man is in custody after leading police on a high speed chase Thursday morning and nearly hitting a Calhoun City police car head-on.

Senotris Herrod

Senotris Maurice Herrod, 24, is charged with domestic violence, fleeing and eluding law enforcement in a motor vehicle, resisting or obstructing arrest, and contempt of court.

Sheriff Greg Pollan said two of his deputies were en route to answer a domestic violence call when they received notice the Herrod had left the home.

The deputies then met Herrod on the Bruce square and a high speed chase ensued to Calhoun City.

Deputies Cody Jinkins and Juston Robertson were joined in the chase by Sheriff Pollan, Bruce and Calhoun City police departments.

“Herrod exceeded 100 miles per hour during a portion of the chase,” Pollan said. “He narrowly missed hitting a Calhoun City police car head-on at the northern city limits of Calhoun City.”

Pollan said officers were able to block Herrod in after he pulled in the parking lot at Oakwood Apartments in Calhoun City. He then got out of his vehicle and fled on foot.

“Cody caught him on foot, but he was still resisting so he was forced to taze him to get him under control,” Pollan said.

Rachel Byars, a University of Mississippi freshman from Bruce, has been named the new recipient of the Joey Embry Memorial Scholarship.

Douglass Sullivan-Gonazalez, dean of the University of Mississippi's Sally McDonnell Barksdale Honors College, visits with student Rachel Byars, recipient of the 2013 Joey Embry Memorial Scholarship.

Joey Embry, like Byars, attended both Bruce High School and UM. Embry was active during his time at Ole Miss, including being a member of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes and playing as an offensive lineman for the Rebel football team. Embry tragically drowned in a 1998, but his legacy lives on.

His family and friends make this possible, said Bill and Gwen Embry, his parents.
“After his death, people were asking us what they could do and where they could contribute in his memory,” Gwen Embry said. “Ole Miss was contacted, and the staff told us how to set up a fund.”
The scholarship is intended for UM students from Calhoun and Yalobusha counties.

“The scholarship doesn’t necessarily have to go to a straight-A student, but the recipient does have to be someone who needs and desires an education,” she said.
Byars undoubtedly has this desire: the Sally McDonnell Barksdale Honors College scholar has declared a double major, in English and Chinese.
“I love languages. – I love the way they bend and act and connect people,” Byars said.

Ole Miss’ language offerings, including the Chinese Language Flagship Program, are among the many factors that pulled Byars to Ole Miss. The program is one of only nine in the nation and attracts students to the Oxford campus from all over the United States.
Daughter of Joey and Tammy Byars, Rachel Byars volunteered and was active in academic clubs throughout high school.

“Though I attended a small high school, I found extracurricular life there to be exceptionally interesting,” she said. She took part in the Technology Student Association, Quiz Bowl team and the high school newspaper staff.

“The awarding of this scholarship means more to me than I can detail,” Byars said. “The thought that the individuals responsible for this scholarship have enough belief in me and my capabilities that they would reward my endeavors with monetary gain is incredible. I cannot thank those awarding me enough for their contribution of both finances and faith.”

Individuals and organizations can contribute to the Joey Embry Memorial Scholarship Fund by sending a check with the fund noted in the memo line to the University of Mississippi Foundation, P.O. Box 249, University, MS 38677; or by contributing online at http://www.umfoundation.com/makeagift. For more information, call the UM Foundation at 800-340-9542 or 662-915-5944.

Booker Mays, Grenada Lake Park Ranger and Pittsboro native, will retire December 29.

Mays began his career in 1982 and served more than 31 years with the Vicksburg District, U.S. Army Corp of Engineers.
He began as a temporary park ranger in the Grenada Lake Field office in 1982 where he performed flood control monitoring activities, inspected critical parts of recreation facilities, oversaw fee collection and conducted land patrols.

In 1989 he was promoted to a GS-05 Ranger where he observed swimming and boating operations, directed water patrols, assisted with timber inventory procedures and the buoy management program.
He served as a GS-07 Ranger starting in 1996, where he served as the Fitness Representative for all Corp Lakes in the Vicksburg District.

In 2008, he was selected as a Natural Resource Specialist at Grenada Lake where he was responsible for preparing and planting wildlife food plots, managing fertilization and herbicide programs and maintaining wood duck boxes and blue bird boxes for the dam and recreation areas.
A retirement luncheon was held for him at the 333 Restaurant in Grenada December 11.  Mays was presented the U.S. Army’s Award for Civilian Service by Natural Resource Manager Andy Strickland, left.  The luncheon was attended by co-workers, family, friends  A retirement luncheon was held for him at the 333 Restaurant in Grenada recently.  Mays was presented the U.S. Army’s.