Sharp W. Banks Jr.
(1924–2011)

Once called “the father of the county schools,” Sharp W. Banks, Jr. gave 38 years to the old Warren County Public Schools district, serving as coach, teacher, principal, public address announcer and elected superintendent, and steering the schools through the challenges of enrollment growth in the 1960s and integration in the 1970s.

Banks died Friday, Dec. 9, 2011, at Lakeview Regional Medical Center in Mandeville, La. He was 87.

“He not only put his heart into his family, he put his heart into the school system and into the quality of education in Warren County,” said his daughter, the Rev. Tere Banks.

“He really built the Warren County school system when he spearheaded the effort to consolidate the three county high schools and build Warren Central (High School),” said Donald Oakes, former superintendent of the Vicksburg Warren School District, formed in 1987 when the city and county schools merged. “He was recognized across the state as an excellent superintendent.”

"Banks was the first recipient of the Golden Lamp Award, given by the Mississippi Association of School Administrators, an honor of which he took particular pride," his daughter said.

In the last few years, he had struggled with a number of health challenges, and his 'grit and determination' in the face of illness inspired those around him," Tere Banks said. “He never whined, never complained. He was always cheerful.”

“The most significant thing about him in my life was that he never pushed advice on anybody but was always a good ear,” said daughter Tina Henson. “When I needed to, and I did ask him, his strength and clarity offered a lot of wisdom and peace.”

As the child of the superintendent, she had a running joke with her father, whose bottom-line instruction to his children was “keep your nose clean.”

“He would joke that he didn’t want to hear anything about us from the principal’s office,” Henson said. “(But) he always let us learn from our mistakes. He let us fall but was always there to help us up again.”

"Professionally, he was the same," said Oakes, whom Banks hired fresh out of college in 1962 to teach and coach at the old Jett School.

“He let people do their jobs,” he said. “He didn’t shoot you for one mistake. He didn’t want you to make the same mistake again, but he was always there to help you.”

Banks moved to Vicksburg from Oxford in December 1949, just before his graduation from the University of Mississippi. Then married to the former Joy Alford, he first worked for his in-laws’ butane/propane company before signing on at Redwood School as a teacher and girls’ basketball coach. He later said, “The Redwood community took me in and guided me through the rough spots.”

In 1952, Banks moved over to Jett, where he was hired as principal but also filled in as bookkeeping teacher and coach. He remained at Jett ten years, until he ran and was elected, at just 37, to succeed former county schools superintendent Noel Nutt.

County high schools at the time were Redwood, Jett and Culkin, and as enrollments increased so did the need for more classrooms. Banks talked up the idea of a consolidated high school, speaking around the county to any group that would have him.

His successful efforts overcame previous school rivalries, the logistics of busing students over long distances and the need to pass millions in bond issue to build new schools. Warren Central High School opened in 1965.

Racially integrating the county’s schools in the late ’60s and early ’70s was another challenge Banks faced head-on.

“It was a pretty good transition,” Oakes recalled, “and I think the quality of his leadership was largely responsible.”

Banks served as superintendent until his retirement June 30, 1987, the eve of the merging of county and city schools. Both he and then-Vicksburg Municipal Separate District Superintendent Jim Stirgus Sr. were contenders to head the consolidated district, but school board members chose to go outside the state for the first chief, a move that took city-county rivalry into consideration.

Banks counted numerous memberships in professional organizations and was involved in civic and community groups.

He also taught Sunday school at Gibson Memorial United Methodist Church for 20 years. “He had an extremely strong faith in God,” said Tere Banks.

Sharp Banks later moved to Covington, La., and then to Mandeville, LA.

From article in Vicksburg Evening Post (12/10/11):

Banks, ‘Father of County Schools’ dies at 87
by Pamela Hitchins

Additional Obituary from Philadelphia, Mississippi Neshoba Democrat.

PHILADELPHIA, Miss. — Sharp W. Banks Jr. passed away Friday, Dec. 9, 2011, in Mandeville, La. He was 87 years old.

He served as Superintendent of the Warren County Schools in Vicksburg for 38 years and was known as “the father of the county schools.” The honors he received were numerous but probably the one he treasured most was the Golden Lamp Award given by the state’s School Superintendents Association to the outstanding administrator. He was the first recipient.

He was always visible in the community, serving on the Board of the YMCA and working with the Optimist Club, the Chamber of Commerce, the Historical Society and the Country Club. He taught the Men’s Bible Class at Gibson Memorial Methodist Church in Vicksburg for 20 years. Those who didn’t know him in person knew his voice from the press box announcing the football games in Warren County for 35 years.

Mr. Banks served in the Navy in World War II as a Radarman Third Class, receiving numerous commendations including the Asiatic Pacific Ribbon with four stars.

He is survived by his wife, Winnie Rogers Banks; children, Tere Banks of Columbus, Ohio, Paula Glen DeTrafford (Shelden) of Walker, La., Tina Henson (David) of Mandeville, and George Banks (Pam) of Montesano, Wash.; grandchildren, Elisabeth Huffman and Kathryn Luther, both of Columbus, Rebecca Ramsey of Walker, Amy Ganucheau of Baton Rouge, La., and Melissa Banks of Montesano; and great-grandchildren Anson, Chase and Alyssa Huffman and Sophie Andres.

Visitation will be Tuesday at 11 a.m., with the funeral service following at 2 p.m. in the chapel of McClain-Hays Funeral Home, 1002 E. Main St., Philadelphia, Miss. Interment will follow at Cedarlawn Cemetery. Officiating the service will be the Rev. Tere Banks.

Harold Denon Bishop
March 15, 1915–January 17, 1973
Gulfport

H. D. Bishop, age 57, passed away on Saturday, January 17, 1978, in Rolling Fork, MS. Mr. Bishop attended Copiah-Linccoln Junior College and Delta State College, lettering in football at both institutions. Survivors include his wife, Louise Knapp Bishop and his son, Leslie Gerald Bishop and wife Debbie.

Harold Denon Bishop was born to Albert G. Jr. (January 31,1887, Glancy, MS–1978) and Susie B. Noland (1891–1974) Bishop, on March 15, 1915 in Copiah, County, Mississippi. Denon's siblings included William Zibby Bishop (Oct 10, 1910–Nov. 15, 2000), Beatrice (1912–), Noland (1919–), Lula Joyce Bishop Ashley (1920–2013), Bettie Lee Bishop Lloyd (1924–) and Albert G. III (1925–2013). Both parents were born in Mississippi and married in 1910. They were farmers. Denon's father was tall, slender and had gray eyes and brown hair.

Information on siblings:

William Zibby Bishop was a graduate of Hazlehurst High School and Copiah-Lincoln Community College where he was a quarterback. He was a retired machinist for Kuhlman Electric Company in Crystal Springs. He was a member of the First Baptist Church of Crystal Springs for 46 years and received the 25 year perfect Sunday School attendance pin. Married to Hazel G. Bishop. Both are buried in Old Crystal Springs Cemetery.

Lula Joyce Bishop Ashley was born in Copiah County on July 21, 1920, to Albert G. and Susie Nolan Bishop. She graduated from Hazlehurst High School in 1939. In high school she was active in basketball and track. She was on the Girls Relay Track Team in 1939 that broke the state record and held it for 30 years. She married Archie Ashley, Sr. in 1940, and they were married for 65 years before his death in 2006. Mrs. Ashley was a homemaker and enjoyed working in her garden, singing, sewing, and reading. She was an active member of Bethel Baptist Church until her health prevented it. She was a Sunday school teacher for 12–15 years old girls for many years. She was very active in choir and known for her beautiful singing voice and sang at many revivals, weddings and funerals.

Albert G. (maybe S.) died in Amite, Tangipahoa Parish, Louisiana.

Following graduation from high school, Denon entered Copiah-Lincoln Junior College where he played football. He was a lineman. After two years at Co-Lin, he was awarded a football scholarship to Delta State College, where he lettered in football and basketball. He graduated in 1938. Following graduation he taught at Cleveland High School in Cleveland, MS. Next, he accepted a position as public school teacher in Dublin, Coahoma County, MS. Dublin is just off US 49, north of Cleveland, MS. His salary was $880/yr.

In 1940-41, Denon was boys’ basketball and baseball coach at Oak Ridge School. In 1941, there is a Denon Bishop who is a salesman, living in Jackson. Maybe this is a summer job.

In 1946 and 1947, he was principal, mathematics teacher and coach for football and basketball at Redwood High School. The 1947 yearbook was dedicated to him. He had done graduate work at the U. of Alabama. In 1948 and 1949, he continued as principal, and coach but was assisted by Gatlin W. Edwards in 1948 and Thomas Jones in 1949. In 1950, he had moved to Cary, MS and was then principal there.

Note from Mel Oakes: Would appreciate more information on Mr. Bishop. Email me oakes@physics.utexas.edu

Below are entries from the 1937 Delta State The Broom yearbook.

Bishop third from left at back.

1938 Delta State Yearbook, The Broom. He was described, "one of the finest guards in the state. One word describes Denon–"Scrappy".

Bishop is labelled number 10 in photo above

1938 Delta State Football Team. H. Denon Bishop is front row center, number 49.

1938 Delta State, H. Denon Bishop Senior Photo

Laura Louise Knapp Bishop
April 26, 1918–March 29, 2014
Gulfport, Mississippi

Louise K. Bishop, age 95, passed away on Saturday, March 29, 2014 in Ocean Springs.

Louise was the daughter of George M. (1876–) and Ora Lola Lewis (1887–1988). She was born April 26, 1918, likely in Moorhead, Mississippi. Her siblings included Lessie M. (1906-), Christina (1908–). George M. Jr. (1912–), Margie G. (1922–), and Montez M. Her father, born in Kentucky, was a machinist and employed as assistant superintendent of an oil mill in 1930. In 1910, he was an oil mill machinist in Madison, MS. George had come to Mississippi from Texas where his father (born in Ohio) was a broom maker. Ora was born in Mississippi. They were married in 1905.

Mrs. Bishop attended Sunflower Junior College in Moorhead, MS, from 1936-38 where she was an honors student. She played the cornet in the band as a freshman and was a member of the basketball team. In the 1938 “Sunflower Petals”, the student newspaper, the gossip column, “Just Between Us” reported, “To whom it may concern—Miss Louise Knapp announced that she was tired of school and that she was considering matrimony very sincerely.” She graduated from the Mississippi University of Women and then received her master's in biology from the University of Southern Mississippi. She retired as an educator after 48 years having taught at Redwood High School, Cary H.S., and Rolling Fork H.S., all in Mississippi. She was recognized as an outstanding educator.

Mrs. Bishop was an active member of MS City United Methodist Church in Gulfport, MS. She also was a member of the Gulfport Garden Club, Rose Society and Women's Club.

She was preceded in death by her husband, H.D. Bishop, her parents, three sisters and one brother.

Survivors include her son, Leslie Gerald Bishop and wife Debbie; granddaughter, Amy Louise Bishop; sister, Margie Brandt; and her nieces, nephews and other loving family members and friends.

A Memorial Service will be held at 1:00 p.m., Tuesday, April 1, 2014, at Mississippi City United Methodist Church, 219 Courthouse Road in Gulfport. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to the church's general fund.

(Would appreciate any corrections to above information. Mel Oakes, oakes@physics.utexas.edu)

Comments:

“I was one of those students at Cary for a number of years. She taught us so much in Home Economics. Mr. Bishop was my basketball coach for a number of years. I will always remember them both.”
~
Kathaleen Hays / Bradshaw,
Belle Chasse, Louisiana

Louise Knapp
Moorehead, Mississippi
Sunflower Junior College, 1, 2: Baylor Fraternity, 1, Scrapbook Chairmen, 4: Home Economics Club, 4, Kodak Chairman, 4: W. A. A. 3: Swimming Club, 4: Swimming Team 3, 4; “YP Group, 3: “Y” Sponsor, 4.
1940 Meh Lady yearbook, Mississippi University for Women

Louise Knapp, second from left, seated. 1940 Meh Lady yearbook, Mississippi University for Women

Mark M. Chaney
(June 8, 1887–July 14,1978)

Mark M. Chaney was born June 8, 1887, in Decater, MS to George Washington and Susan Chaney. he was one of eight children. He was inducted into the US Army on May 3, 1918, in Sharkey, County, MS. He was sent to Camp Pike, Arkansas and shipped overseas to Edinburgh, Scotland and finally to France. At right we see a photo of Mark in France. He suffered a mustard gas accident while in France. He was return to civilian life on August 21, 1919. He apprenticed in his brother's law firm and became a lawyer. He attended Mississippi Normal School in Hattisburg. He married Maud James on July 6, 1926, in Little Rock, MS, and became principal of Redwood School. He and Maud had one son, Mark M. Chaney, Jr. His wife, Maud, had attended Clarke College in Newton and was a teacher at a number of schools including Culkin. He served in the Mississippi legislature for four years, choosing not to run for re-election. He left Redwood to become the principal of Bovina School. He died July 14,1978.

Mark is shown with his extended family in the photo below. His father was George Washington Chaney.

John David Crews
(May 25, 1926–February 22, 2012)
Taught English at Redwood 1950-51.

John David Crews died shortly before midnight on Ash Wednesday at age 85. Services will be Saturday, February, 25 at 2:00 p.m. at St. Peter’s Episcopal Church with visitation from noon until 2:00 in the Parish Hall. Burial services will follow at Oxford’s St. Peter’s Cemetery. Waller Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.

Dr. Crews was a longtime Professor of Literature at the University of Mississippi and an active member of the Oxford community who served as an Oxford Alderman in the 1970s. He loved teaching students and sharing his love of English literature, especially poetry and novels of the 19th and 20th Century. He led many community and church initiatives to improve Oxford where he lived for over 45 years. As an alderman he was fondly known by family and friends as “Landslide Crews” after he won his alderman election by a mere 3 votes.

Dr. Crews was a native of Vicksburg where he spent much of his youth in activities at the YMCA and Christ Episcopal Church. His great-grandfather, Bernard Gotthelf, was the first rabbi to serve the Jewish community of Vicksburg. He left Vicksburg in 1944 to join the U.S. Navy during World War II. After military service, he graduated from the University of the South in Sewanee, Tennessee.

After serving as a journalist in Mississippi and Florida, and teaching English at Redwood High School in Vicksburg from 1950-51, he attended the University of Virginia where he received his master’s and Ph.D. in English Literature. He then returned with his wife and four children to Oxford, Mississippi where he joined the Ole Miss faculty.

He was a faithful and active member of St. Peter’s Episcopal Church in Oxford where he served on the vestry and led many efforts to serve the poor and needy of the Oxford community. As one friend noted, “He had true and abiding compassion for his fellow human beings and showed special courage and integrity during the early 1960s when he took his family to Black churches and brought Black families and friends with him for the first time to St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in segregated Charlottesville, Virginia. That was a rare and courageous act in the South of the early 1960s showing special character and resolve.”

Dr. Crews loved classical music and listened to it daily. He wrote poetry and plays throughout his adult life and believed so strongly in the importance of education that he helped establish tutoring and other outreach programs in Oxford to assist the underprivileged youth of Oxford and Lafayette County. He read voraciously and as a special treat for his young children would engage in dramatic readings of great passages of literature.

John and June Crews married in 1953, and enjoyed a wonderful marriage and partnership of 58 years.

Dr. Crews is survived by his wife, June, his four children, John David Crews, Jr. (Claire), William Lowrey Crews (Catherine), Emily Fox (Leland), and Lynn Crews, seven grandchildren, Mary Catherine Molpus, Lowrey Crews, Perrin Crews, Elaine Hatch, Brian Hatch, Battle Crews, and Caroline Crews, and one sister, Anne Crews.

He was pre-deceased by his father Cleveland Y. Crews, his loving mother, Evelyn Gotthelf Crews, and his brother James Crews.

In honor of Dr. Crews’ service to his country, the flag of the United States Navy will be flown at Waller Funeral Home.

Memorial contributions in Dr. Crews’ memory may be made to St. Peter’s Episcopal Church, 113 S. 9th Street, Oxford, MS 38655 or PFLAG, 1828 L Street, NW, Suite 660, Washington, DC 20036.

Charles Adams Davenport
August 24, 1879–June 27, 1975)
He was born in Bethel, Giles, Tennessee, to Levi Patrick and Eunice Nelson Adams Davenport.

Davenport graduated from Peabody College. In 1918, he is teaching in Laurel. MS. In 1922 he was selected to teach a 12 week course in Farm Mechanics. He is a teacher at Sunflower Agricultural H. S. in Indianola, MS in 1920-22.

Charles and Susie Lee were married 29 December 1920 in Bedford, TN. She was born in Texas in 1897.

He was married to Susie Lee. They had a son, C. A. Davenport, Jr. (In Cincinnati, OH and a daughter, Margaret, later Mrs. J. R. Wainwright of Jackson.

In 1928, Davenport was named Superintendent of Bogue Chitto Consolidated High School in Lincoln County, MS.

From 1933-1935, he was the Smith-Hughes agricultural teacher at Camden High School in Camden, Madison County, MS.

From 1936 to 1940, Davenport is principal at Oak Ridge High School. He resigned his position at Oak Ridge in July, 1940, after serving four years as principal to take a position back at Bogue Chitto School where he had served for ten years.

Billy King Pennington of Oak Ridge remembers the Davenports. Their daughter Margaret married James Wainwright and the couple lived with Charles an Susie. Margaret continued attending Oak Ridge.

In 1943, he and his wife Susie Lee, math teacher, were teaching at the Bogue Chitto School. In 1951 the was the Superintendent of the Bogue Chitto School. His wife was teaching there also.

Susie died in May 1982. Charles died in Pulaski, TN in 1975.

Dorothy “Dot” Moore Dorman

1928–April 17, 2016

Dorothy “Dot” Moore Dorman died Sunday, April 17, 2016, at her residence. She was 88. Born in Vicksburg, she was the daughter of the late William Burnie Moore and Beryl McDonald Moore. William was a lumber inspector who was born in Tennessee as was Beryl. William and Beryl were married December 23, 1920 in Tulot, Arkansas. The 1930 census records record that Dot and Margaret were born in Arkansas, however, the 1930 record says Vicksburg.

Dot was a graduate of the Clay Street Elementary School, Carr Central High School in the class of 1945 and a graduate of MSCW in 1949. While at MSCW she was president of the sophomore, junior and senior class. Dot was a graduate of MS College with two master degrees, one in Counseling and the other in Elementary Education.

She taught at Carr Central High School for thirteen years and Redwood High School for twenty-four years before retiring in 1986.

Dot served as counselor at Camp Kitty Wake in Long Beach, MS and Camp DeSoto in Mentone, Al. She was a member of the National Education Association and the MS Education Association. Dot was a member of the Redwood Homemakers Club and the Redwood United Methodist Church.

She is survived by one niece, three nephews, and other relatives. In addition to her parents, she was preceded in death by her husband, Coach James C. “J.C.” Dorman, a sister, Margaret Moore and an aunt, Brownie Moore Davis.

Services will be 11 AM Wednesday, April 20, 2016 at Riles Funeral Home with Rev. Troy Piccaluga, Pastor of Redwood United Methodist Church officiating. Visitation will be at the funeral home from 9:30 Wednesday until the service. Burial will be in Cedar Hill Cemetery. Memorials may be made to Redwood United Methodist Church or St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.

Pallbearers will be Joey Irwin, Fred Louis Newcomb, Donald Oakes, Bubba Hanks, Doug Jeter, Johnny Griffin, Billy Bishop, Richard
Bounds and Tom Lee.

This from the Mississippi State College 1947 Yearbook, Meh Lady. This was Dot’s sophomore year.

Dot Moore is third from right on front row.

Dot is 10th from right end on back row in white sweater, to the right of woman in dark blouse.

Coach James "J.C." Dorman
February 26, 1926–June 7, 2014

Coach James C. (J.C.) Dorman died Saturday morning, June 7, 2014, at his home with family and friends. Coach Dorman was from Walnut Grove, MS, the son of the late Jesse Dorman and Carrie Monaghan Dorman. He served 2 years in the Navy during World War II.

Coach Dorman was a graduate of the University of Southern Mississippi and later received graduate degrees from Mississippi College. He taught and coached at Redwood School for 38 years. He and Dot Dorman started their educational careers in September 1949, J. C. at Redwood and Dot at Carr Central.

Coach Dorman was an avid athlete, hunter and horseman. He loved hunting so much, it was said that he started getting ready for the season a month before opening day.

He is survived by his wife, Dot Moore Dorman; his nephews, Robert Dorman, Mike Dorman and Odell Dorman, Jr and several nieces and nephews including Stacey and Paul Marcus.

Services will be 11 AM Tuesday at Riles Funeral Home with Reverend Troy Piccaluga, Pastor of Redwood United Methodist Church, officiating. Jimdel Pickens, Ronnie O’Quin, Sheriff Martin Pace, Linda Hanks and Loraine Lee will take part in the service. A eulogy will be given by Melvin Oakes. Visitation will be Monday from 5 to 7 PM and Tuesday from 10 AM until the hour of the service.

Active Pallbearers will be Donald Oakes, Floyd Oakes, Melvin Oakes, James Wyatt, Billy Wayne Bishop, Ted Porter, Billy Carl Irwin, Fred Louis Newcomb and Johnny Franklin.

Honorary Pallbearers will be Gene Allen, Johnny Roland, Joey Irwin, Larry Davis and all of the boys and girls who participated in sports at Redwood and Tallulah Deer Camp at Fitler, MS.

Memorials may be made to Redwood United Methodist Church or to favorite charities.

For more about Coach Dorman and a eulogy delivered by Mel Oakes, click here Eulogy.

Kerna Mae Hester Faris
1929–July 22, 2013

FARIS, Kerna Mae Hester, age 84, passed away at her home in Glen Allen on July 22, 2013. She was the widow of Burnell C. Faris. Kern Mae was born in Mize, Miss., to Isom and Josephine Ainsworth Hester. She taught at Redwood School in Redwood, MS from 1951 to 1955. She moved with her husband to Virginia in 1957.

Mrs. Faris was a teacher for Richmond Public Schools for 25 years, ending her professional career as the Family and Consumer Sciences teacher at Henderson Middle School. She was an active member of Ginter Park United Methodist Church.

Her survivors include two daughters, Joy Faris Buzzard and husband, Joe, and Leasa Faris; three grandchildren, Brian Robertson, Ryan Buzzard and Cameron Buzzard; and two great-grandchildren, Peyton and Kiley Robertson, all of Richmond. In addition, she is survived by a brother, Curtis Hester of Texas and his family; and several nieces and nephews. Mrs. Faris was preceded in death by her sister, Grace Hester Wallace; and brothers, Ruport Hester and Roland L. Hester. The family will receive friends from 4 to 6 p.m. on Monday, July 29, 2013 at the Faris' home. A celebration of her life will be conducted by the Rev. Dr. Robert C. Womer at Westhampton Memorial Park Mausoleum Chapel on Tuesday, July 30, at 11 a.m. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the U.M.W. of Ginter Park United Methodist Church, 1010 W. Laburnum Ave., Richmond, Va. 23227, or to Hospice of Virginia, 1700 Bayberry Ct., Suite 300, Richmond, Va. 23226.

Aubin Austin Holliday
December 16, 1892–December 13, 1981

Aubin Austin was born in 1892 to James Singleton (1856-1942). and Virginia Birdsong (1861-1937) Austin in Warren, County. Her siblings include Leon B., Estelle S., Elmira Louise and Florence. In 1880, James was a physician in Bolton, MS. He had studied at Mississippi College in Clinton, MS. James and Virginia were married March 11, 1882 in Hinds County. Buried in Austin-Grant Cemetery at Oak Ridge.

She, along with her sister, Elmer Louise, were certificate students in 1914 at Mississippi Normal School in Hattisburg. Here are several pictures from the 1914 Neka Camon (New Spirit) yearbook. Aubin is on the basketball team. back row, extreme right. The other is a group picture which should contain both Aubin and Elmer.

Her sister Elmer Louise returned to Southern and graduated in 1924.

Any help identifying Aubin and Elmer in this photo would be appreciated.

Aubin married John T. Holliday in about 1917. Aubin and John had four children, Virginia, John, James, and Estell. John was a farmer in Sharon, Madison County, MS. She was widowed and lived with her parents.

Mrs. Holliday's grandniece, Virginia and her husband, Donny Weaver provided the photos below:

First photo is of Virginia Holliday Rounsaville, daughter of John and Aubin Holliday. She graduate at Oak Ridge at age 15 and went to Mississippi Norman School.

The second photo includes Aubin, her daughter, Virginia and granddaughter, Rachel Cormier daughter of Stella Ruth Holliday Cormier. The third is Mrs. Holliday, daughter, Virginia, and great-granddaughter, Ginger Weaver (Donohue), Ginger is the daughter of Donny and Virginia Wedgeworth Weaver.

Last photo is of Aubin Holiday.

Floyd S. (1902–84) and Maud M. (1908–92) Franklin

Floyd Franklin in front of entrance to Redwood High School. (ohoto from Georgia N. Edward Mathes)

The Franklins were institutions at Redwood High School. They joined Redwood faculty in 1950. Floyd served for many years as principal and math teacher. Maud was the consummate English teacher. They both devoted nearly all their time and energy to the school and its students. They had high expectations for both. Many lives were changed for the better as a result of their commitment. We are all in their debt.

Floyd Simmons Franklin was born in Pulaski, Mississippi, on December 3, 1902 to Lavander and Cora Franklin. His siblings were Agnes, Eunice, Newt, Carrie B., Emma Lee, Robert J., Harbin J. and Thelma L. His father was a farmer.

Floyd and Maude married Aug 15, 1929 in Lafayette, MS. In 1930, they were both school teachers in Scott County Public Schoos in Mississippi. In 1932, Floyd was superintendent of school for Good Hope, MS. In 1940, they are again both teachers Pisgah Vocational High School in Sand Hill, Rankin County Public Schools. They have two daughters Sarah Gwendolyn "Gwen"and Janie Sue. Gwen married Herbert Leroy Lunsford, Mississippi State Univesity graduate. He was a Colonel in the USAF. On July 25, 1967, his plane went down over North Vietnam and he was listed as a MIA-POW until June 23, 1976 when he was offically declared dead. Gwen (1930-2012) married Harlan Leroy Sluyter (1920-) from Council Bluffs, Iowa in 1976. Both were working at White Sands Missile Range in Las Cruces, NM. In December of 1954, Sue, a graduate of Mississippi State College for Women and a teacher at Benoit High School, married Robert Lee Bright, a veteran and employee of Illinois Central Railroad.

In 1943 Floyd ran unsuccessfully for the office of sheriff in Scott County.

Floyd died in Las Cruces, New Mexico in November 3, 1984. He is buried in Hillcrest Cemetery by his wife Maude.

Willie Maude Mize Franklin was born in Tula, Lafayette County, MS , June 31, 1908. Her parents, Loys Amiel (1887–1955) and Nona Ethel Lindsey (1887–1980) Mize were farmers. Her siblings included sisters, Lila Adell (b. 1906), Emma Ruth (1911–12), Thelma Quinn (1910–2007) and brother James Lindsey (1917-81). She attended the U. of Mississippi 1926-27, summers of 1927–31, 1933. During her year at Ole Miss she was a star basketball guard. Pictures below are of the team.

Maud Mize is in the middle of the back row. The complete pages with recognition of her performance are shown below.

Maud is shown above at right end with hands up.

In 1945, she enrolled in U. Southern Mississippi and graduated in 1947 with a BS in English. She attended U. Miss during summers of 1957–59, 61,63. She taught English and Latin at Hillsboro, Scott County, MS 1929–30; Elementary Goodhope, Scott Co, MS 1932–34; Elem Pugah, Rankin County, MS 1936–42; Elem Harperville, Scott Co. MS, 1942–43, High School English 43–47; High School English, Walnut Grove, Leake Co MS 47–49; Librarian and High School English, Redwood, Warren Co MS 1949–62; Librarian, Culkin, Warren Co MS 1963–65; Librarian, Warren Central, Warren Co MS 1965–?. She was a member of American Library Association, Southeastern Library Association, Mississippi Library Association; Delta Kappa Gamma; AAUW; Vicksburg Little Theatre Org; Mississippi Art Assn; Vicksburg Historical Society; Vicksburg Art Assn.

Floyd and Maude married Aug 15, 1929 in Lafayette, MS.

In 1963, Maud wrote an essay for her masters thesis, "The Story behind Vicksburg" (M.Lib.Sc. essay; University of Mississippi; 1963). Call Number: Lib.Sc.Essay F8332.

Following retirement they first moved near their daughter and son-in-law, Sue and K. O. Bright in the Northwest; later, seeking a warmer clime, they moved to Las Cruces, NM. Floyd died in 1984 and on October 12, 1988, Maud married Eldie Eugene Dickerman, a former Professor of Biology at Bowling Green University, Bowling Green, OH. They are pictured at right. She died in 1992 and he died in 1995 in Wimberly, TX. The Franklins had two daughters, Sue Franklin Bright and Gwen Franklin Lundsford.

Emily Bessie Fullilove
(April 13, 1922–October 11, 1971)

Born in Carroll County, MS to Charles Augustus (1897–1976) and Tammie Lishman Fullilove (1897–1990). They were farmers. She had a younger sister, Bernice. She taught second grade at Redwood 1945–48. Moved to Natchez and taught there. She died of cancer in Winona, Montgomery, Mississippi, and is buried in Vaiden Cemetery, Carroll County, MS

Kalar Coody Fultz
October 13, 1913-May 10, 2012

Kalar Coody Fultz died at her home Thursday, May 10, 2012. She was 98 years young. Her late parents were Lewis Marion Coody and Rebecca Caroline Butts Coody. She was preceded in death by her husband, Frederick Kent Fultz; sisters, Anne Lee Ratliff, Mellgwin Garnett and Marianne Smith. Her brothers were Excell, Edwin, Melville and L.H. Coody. Immediate survivors are one son, Lewis Kent Fultz (Linda) of Brandon and one daughter, Rebecca Brooks (Neil) of Vicksburg. Others include Alice Fultz; grandchildren, Michael Fultz (Aleasha), Bekki Hall (Peter), David Brooks and Erin Brooks; five great-grandsons, Rhett, Collin, Parker and Noah Brooks and John Williams; one great-granddaughter, Kalar Dawn Hall; several nieces, nephews; and her faithful caregivers.

Kalar graduated in 1936 from Mississippi University for Women. She taught at Tchula, Oak Ridge and Culkin Academy before being promoted to the Central Office of Warren County Schools in 1943. In 1967, she became assistant superintendent of education until retirement in 1978. Twice during this time, she served as interim superintendent, the first woman to hold this position, devoting 40 years to the education of Mississippi school children.

Kalar held many offices and received several outstanding achievement awards during her memberships in Business and Professional Women, Delta Kappa Gamma and Pi Alpha Kappa sorority. She was a lifetime member of First Presbyterian Church, where she taught Sunday school and Bible classes and served as an elder. Kalar will be remembered for her devotion and service to her family, church and community.

Arrangements are being handled by Riles Funeral Home with visitation at 10 a.m. Saturday, followed by services at 11 a.m. Burial will be at Cedar Hill Cemetery. Memorials, in lieu of flowers, may be made to Jacobs Ladder at First Presbyterian Church.

From an article on Kalar Coody Fultz:
By Gordon Cotton, Vicksburg Post, August 24, 2008
Photo taken by Meredith Spencer

Kalar Fultz always has a laugh on her lips, a twinkle in her eye.

She'll be 95 on Oct. 13, and Kalar Fultz said that most of her friends died long ago and have gone on to heaven, "and they probably wonder why I didn't make it."

It's that sense of humor, along with a hearty laugh and a ready smile, that helped guide her through a highly-acclaimed career in education in Warren County.

In 1943, she went to work in the office of the superintendent of education. Twice she was appointed to the top job, filling unexpired terms. That post has been held by very few women in the state and, in 1967, she was named assistant superintendent in charge of business affairs, a job she held until she retired Jan. 31, 1978.

When Kalar began her job, all she had in the office to work with was a manual typewriter and an adding machine. She eventually acquired an electric posting machine and, because of her foresight and leadership, the office was equipped with a computer bookkeeping system, making Warren County one of the few school districts to have such state-of-the-art technology. The one-person job she handled evolved into a system that dealt in the millions of dollars, rivaling large businesses in its complexity.

Kalar could probably have been elected to the superintendent's job had she so desired. A lot of people urged her to run, and financial backing was available. But the job was too demanding, she decided, and would interfere with her family life. She believed she could have a public career along with a happy marriage and raise a family—and nothing was more important to her than her husband, Fred, and her son and daughter, Kent and Rebecca.

She got her training early and earned her stripes when still in school in Yazoo County. The youngest of nine children, she grew up on a cattle farm at Phoenix, MS, operated by her father, Lewis Coody. When she was in high school, her mother became terminally ill, and Kalar nursed her and managed the household and still graduated head of her senior class. She learned that she could take care of herself.

In 1932, Kalar enrolled at Mississippi State College for Women–now Mississippi University for Women. Her father had already educated six of her siblings (two others were deceased), and she said, "He thought education meant tuition and board plus nothing. I don't guess it ever occurred to him a girl might want bobby pins or a Saturday movie."

To ease her financial straits, she got a job at the Goose–the student center at MSCW–making a dime an hour plus meals. She went to the business office, explained that she wouldn't be eating in the cafeteria, so whenever her father sent a check she took it to the business office where the cost of her meals was refunded.

It was the height of the depression, and money was scarce, but occasionally she would write her father that she needed a book. "One thing he would do was buy books," she said. He remarked, when she graduated, that she bought more books than any other child he had educated.

At the “W,” she majored in secretarial science and accounting with enough education courses so that she could teach. A cousin had majored in something—Kalar said she wasn't sure what it was—but it included cutting up frogs and things like that, which wasn't how she planned to make a living. For three years, she taught all subjects for the seventh and eighth grades at Tchula for $96 a month then came to Warren County and taught at Oak Ridge and Culkin.

The school children had a lot of fun with her name, she said—Kalar Coody—"and I was about as bad as they were." She got her unusual name from a school teacher—it was a surname—who had lived with the family when teachers in rural districts boarded in the community. Her first name was Vera, but she didn't like it, and in the first grade she arbitrarily changed it to Marian. Many years later, it took some legal efforts to straighten it out when retirement came.

In 1936, "Fred met me. I wasn't looking for anybody." Fred Fultz had graduated from Mississippi State University and was working in the family dairy business. His father, in a delivery wagon, took milk to Kalar's home, but Fred only went on the delivery route if he knew it included Kalar Coody.

"So I married the milkman," Kalar said. The ceremony took place in Tallulah, La., the day after Christmas in 1936, and the marriage was kept secret for two years because the school system would not hire married teachers. Only when the rule was changed, did she and Fred reveal their secret. Over the years, Fred became her "stabilizer, the best-adjusted man in the world," her only confidante. He died Aug. 16, 1986, a few months shy of their 50th anniversary. During those years, Kalar and Fred never missed any school event that involved their children. "We didn't send them," she said. "We took them."

Of her work in the central office, she said, "I ran off two and then got one I'd raised like I wanted." Actually, she had good working relations with both Emmitte Haining and Noel Nutt, but she had worked with Sharp Banks from the time he came to Warren County as a teacher and coach and then a principal before being elected to head the schools. Though she said she was never in on decision-making, Banks said at her retirement that he always, if unofficially, sought her advice and opinions.

"I don't want to impose my advice," Kalar said. “But, if someone wants to hear it, I'll give it. I try to shoot squarely. If I have to disagree, I try to do it tactfully." One teacher said Kalar could listen for five minutes without interrupting!

Kalar's duties included taking care of all the 16th Section lands and making out the monthly payroll for both the county and Vicksburg, for the city paid part of her salary "which wasn't all that much." She knew every teacher by name and many of them by face.

She said she never put much stock in good luck or breaks, believing that setbacks and problems are a natural part of life, but that "you learn from them and then go on. I always figured hard work and determination could accomplish any goal."

Her accomplishments have been many. In 1976, the Business Professional Women’s Club named her Woman of the Year and, two years later, she was named Mississippi's Woman of Achievement. She was honored by the Mississippi Congress of Parents and Teachers and later as Retired Teacher of the Year.

She was a worker at the polls for 30 years and helped organize the Culkin Water District. She's been involved in numerous health-related crusades, has worked in Salvation Army fund drives and has held many leadership and service posts at First Presbyterian Church. She's been active in a garden club, homemakers’ club and Delta Kappa Gamma International.

Kalar smiles and laughs easily, explaining that, "With all this bunch I had to fool with, I had to have a good disposition, didn't I?"

Following retirement, she took some extensive trips. But, now, following some hip and knee problems last year, "all my travels are to the beauty shop and the doctor." Her daughter, Rebecca Brooks, lives nearby, and her son, Kent, who lives in Brandon, keep close tabs on her. A caregiver, Trudy Smith, stays with her.

How will she celebrate her 95th birthday?

"By sitting in a soft chair—like I do every day," she said, then added with a typical Kalar Fultz comment and a twinkle in her eye, "God just gave me a lot of time to get forgiveness for all the bad things I had done."

Kalar’s father, Lewis, is show below. He was born in Phoenix also and died in Bentonia.

Mellgwin Coody Garnett
November 30, 1904–April 14, 1999

Third Grade Teacher,

Mellgwin Coody Garnett was born in Phoenix, Yazoo County Mississippi to Lewis Marion Coody (1877-1970) and Rebecca Caroline Butts (1872–1932). She married James Monroe Garnett (1901–). Her siblings included half-brothers, Excell, Edwin, sister, Annie Lee (Ratcliff) (1902–92), brothers, Lewis Melville (1908–95) and Leslie Howard (1910–83), sister, Kalar Coody (Futz 1914–2012) and half-sister, Mariann (Smith).

Mellgwin attended Mississippi Women's College, later became William Carey College. She graduated in 1925 with a degree in modern languages. She also participated in basketball, hockey and was in student government. Her sister, Annie Lee, also attended MWC.

She taught third grade at Redwood High School until she retired in 1969. She was the mother of Pat Garnett Chesse, a much-loved teacher, who taught commercial courses such as typing and bookkeeping at Redwood from 1952-54. She had just graduated from MWC. Her other children included Jamie who also taught school in Grenada and James Monroe III who attended Mississippi State.

Mell died April 14, 1999 in Duckhill, Mississippi. 23, 1999. She was 94 years of age. Mell’s father Lewis is show below. He was born in Phoenix also and died in Bentonia. Despite a third grade education, Lewis served in the Mississippi House of Representatives. He and his wife, Rebecca, enabled all of their daughters and sons to receive college educations. Below are some photo of Mellgwin, Annie Lee and their cousin Ella Rhee at MWC.

Mellgwin's senior picture from the MWC yearbook, Pine Burr, 1925.

John Calvin Holton
(January 8, 1889–August 10, 1975)

HOLTON, John Calvin was born on January 28, 1889 in DeKalb, Mississippi, United States. Son of Robert Henry and Fannie (Bethany) Holton.

He was a former state legislator and agiculture commissioner. He was born in Kemper County and served as Mississippi's commisioner of agriculture from 1928 to 1940. He served in the Missisippi House from 1916 to 1920.

Holton was a 1915 graduate of Mississippi A&M later Mississippi State University. He also attened Tulane University. and taught school in Simpson, Smith and Warren County. Member, Mississippi Legislature, from Winston Company, 1916-1920. Joint Author of bill creating State Plant Board and promoted other agri. legislation. Citrus Canker Work, Bureau Plant Industry, United States Department of Agriculture, Washington, District of Columbia, 1916-1920. Inspector, State Plant Board, in charge of sweet potato inspection work, A. and M. College Superintendent, Agriculture Consolidated Schools, two years Entered campaign as Candidate for State Commissioner of Agriculture, 1923. Superintendent, High Schools, 1923-1926. Elected Commissioner of Agriculture and Commerce, since 1927.

He married Ruth Patton Crookin April 20, 1916 in Henderson, TN. Their daughter was Mrs Dorothy Holton Kelley of Yazoo City, MS and their son was Harry H. Holton, a pilot, who died in a plane crash. during WWII on 10 Jul 1944 (aged 23) Kunming, Yunnan, China. He had flown many flights over "The Hump" between India and China.

Farmer Kelly
(January 12, 1889–April 26, 1961)

Farmer Kelly was born in Robertson, Tennessee to Robert Payne and Elizabeth Ann Matilda Pond Kelly. He married Louise Pearson in Robertson, TN on August 13, 1917. Their daughters were Sarah Betty and Helen Louise.

He attended the University of Tennessee from 1911-1915 where he was captain of the football team.

In 1917, Kelly was the County Agent in Simpson County, Kentucky.

On August 26, 1917, Kelly enlisted in the US Army at Ft. Harrison, Indiana. He served in France in WWI with Company D 354th Infantry with a rank of Captain. He was gased during the war. He returned to the US on May 22, 1919 on the ship Imperator, a troop transport ship. He was discharged at Camp Taylor, KY on June 16, 1919.

In 1930 he was a principal of a public school in Warren County, MS, presumably Oak Ridge..

He served as the County Agricultural Agent in Lowndes County from 1936 until his retirement in 1951.

He is buried in Columbus, Lowndes County, Mississippi, USA

Farmer Kelly at left. Captain of U. of TN football team

Farmer Kelly, middle of second row from front. Alpha Tau Omega fraternity.

Farmer Kelly, Specials Clubs, U. of TN. Kelly upper right area is mark with K. 1913 Yearbook.

Robbie Lancaster Larche
1891–1961

Robbie E. Lancaster Larche died 1961 in Vicksburg, MS. She was 70 years of age.

She was born June, 1891, in Ellis County, Texas to William R. and Fannie Lancaster. Her father, a farmer, was born in Missouri and her mother was born in Mississippi. Her siblings included brothers, Charley, Lee, Bert T., John, sisters, Ruth, Ida, Ella, and Fannie. She married James Frederick Larche who was born February 24, 1883 in Louisiana and died December 1, 1973.

Mrs. Larche taught first grade at Redwood for many years. She attended North Texas State Teachers College in 1911. During this time, a year of school was all that was necessary in order to teach school. She would have been 20 in 1911. Below is a picture of her from the 1911 yearbook. She is labelled No. 50. She taught in the Wichita Falls, Texas, in 1918, in the Dallas School System in 1920.

Lucy Barrow Nailer Lee
(1917–2012)

The last Warren County, name-bearing member of the Nailer family went to be with the Lord on Feb. 18, 2012, with the passing of Lucy Barrow Nailer Lee. She peacefully slipped into Jesus’ arms at home surrounded by her family.

Lucy Barrow Nailer was born to Daniel Burnett Nailer and Georgia Kline Nailer on Jan. 31, 1917, in Warren County where she lived the remaining 95 years of her life.

She was a graduate of All Saints’ Episcopal College and Mississippi State College for Woman. She worked as a teacher at Oak Ridge School followed by employment with the WPA, librarian with the Corps of Engineers, bookkeeper at All Saints’ and teacher in the Warren County schools until retirement in 1981.

Mrs. Lee was an active member of the Vicksburg Theatre Guild since the 1940s where she met her husband, Goode S. Lee, in 1952. After marriage in 1953, she had three children: Howard Nailer, Ann Bythewood and Elizabeth Barrow Lee.

Of her many roles at Vicksburg Theater Guild her heart belonged to “Gold in the Hills,” in which she acted, directed and produced for nearly 40 years.

Mrs. Lee is survived by her daughters, Ann Lee Sloan (Russell) of Tupelo and Elizabeth Lee Thornton (Phil) of Vicksburg. She has three grandchildren, John Sloan, Lauren Sloan and Will Sloan, all of Tupelo, and three step-grandchildren, Anthony Thornton of Nashville, Matthew Thornton (Amanda) of Hattiesburg and Taylor Thornton of Clinton. She has two great-grandchildren, Addison Sloan and John Ayden Sloan.

She was preceded in death by her husband, Goode Stallworth Lee; and her son, Howard Nailer Lee.

Mrs. Lee was very proud of her heritage and ancestry in Warren County dating to the 1700s in the Barrow, Kline and Nailer families. Those families were pioneers of the state of Mississippi and some of the first families in Warren County.

Mrs. Lee’s family would like to extend a special thank you to the staff of Patient’s Choice Hospice and the former staff of Belmont Place for their loving care of Mrs. Lee.

Services will be held at 11 a.m. Tuesday, Feb. 21, at Riles Funeral Home in Vicksburg with the Revs. Cary Stockett and Scott Reiber officiating. Burial will follow at Wintergreen Cemetery in Port Gibson

Visitation will be from 9:30 a.m. until the time of the service at the funeral home.

Pallbearers will be her grandsons, John Sloan, Will Sloan and Matthew Thornton; and Robert Featherston, James Pat McKinney and Chris Jolly. Honorary pallbearers will be Dr. Walter Johnston, Dr. Mike Davis, Gordon Cotton, Anthony Thornton, Taylor Thornton and Jimmy Featherston.

Memorials may be made to Samaritan’s Purse and Vicksburg Theatre Guild.

From Mississippi University for Women magazine “Visions”, Summer 2007:

“Lucy Barrow Nailer Lee, who directed the sophomore class play at MUW more than 70 years ago, was recently profiled in Vicksburg Post in the article, “Lucy Barrow Nailer Lee: At nearly 90, the world is her stage.” Lee always had a love for theater, and as a child, she and other girls made their own entertainment, which included plays. In college, she majored in English and secretarial science and earned hours in drama. She worked as a teacher, a social worker, a bookkeeper and in public relations promoting schools. Lee was involved in numerous plays and had many roles in the Vicksburg Theatre Guild.”

Shelby Preston Keefe Booth Martin
(1913–2008)

Mrs. Shelby Keefe Martin died Sunday, Dec. 14, 2008, at her residence at Belmont Gardens. She was a third generation native of Vicksburg. Mrs. Martin was 95.

She was the only child of Edward Eugene Keefe and Margaret Preston Keefe. She attended All Saints’ Episcopal School in Vicksburg and Arlington Hall in Arlington, Va., where she graduated with a major in piano performance. After graduation, she continued her studies locally and at summer workshops conducted by Rudolf Ganz, Tinka Knopf, Ruth Sienczynska and others at the Chicago Musical College.

Mrs. Martin was past president of the Matinee Music Club of Vicksburg and of the Music Forum of Jackson, Miss. She was an adjudicator for the National Guild of Piano Teachers and served as local chairman for the Guild. She was on the Pre-College Board of Mississippi Music Teachers Association and served as Vicksburg chairman for the MMTA Pre-College Auditions. She organized and was president of the Vicksburg Piano Teachers Association. She was a charter member of the board of directors of Vicksburg Community Concerts and served for 20 years. She had appeared many times as soloist and accompanist for the Matinee Music Club, operettas and the Little Theatre Productions.

Her memberships included Mississippi Music Teachers Association, Music Teachers National Association, National Guild of Piano Teachers, Music Forum of Jackson, Matinee Music Club of Vicksburg, Vicksburg Community Concert Association patron and Vicksburg Piano Teachers Association.

The Mississippi Music Teachers Association and the National Guild of Piano Teachers certified Mrs. Martin. In November of 2004, the MMTA awarded her honors for a lifetime of service to the music teachers and students of the state of Mississippi. She was listed in Who’s Who of American Women, Personalities of the South and International Who’s Who in Music. She was a former organist and choir director of Holy Trinity Episcopal Church and was a private piano teacher in Vicksburg for 51 years. She had wide experience in teaching all age levels. Many of her students received high honors, and some have gone on to careers in music.

She was preceded in death by her husband, John; son, Barrett Lawrence Booth, an engineer, shown at right; and grandson, Laurence Edward Booth.

Survivors are her granddaughter, Elizabeth Booth Johnson, Killingworth, Conn.; a great-granddaughter, Lauren Booth Barrett, Oxford, Conn.; daughter-in-law, Mary Guthrie Booth, Brookfield, Conn.; stepdaughter, Jean Martin Shumate and her husband, Randy, Shreveport, La.; three step-grandsons, Christopher Leach, Topeka, Kan., Robert Leach of Leesburg, Va., and Scott Leach of Shreveport; and five step-great-grandchildren, Shelby, Haley, Heidi, Hilary and Jackson Leach.

Services will be at 2 p.m. Thursday at the Church of the Holy Trinity, Episcopal, with Father Michael Nation, rector, and the Rev. Scott Reiber, pastor of Westminster Presbyterian Church, officiating. Burial will be at Cedar Hill Cemetery. Visitation will be from 5 until 7 tonight at Riles Funeral Home and Thursday at the McInnis Parish Hall of the Church of the Holy Trinity, Episcopal, from 1 p.m. until the hour of the service.

Pallbearers will be Paul Barrett, Kirk Johnson, Dee Cotton, Chris Leach, Scott Leach, Rob Leach, Randy Shumate, David Dabney and Bill Longfellow.

Memorials may be made to the Church of the Holy Trinity, Episcopal, 900 South St., Vicksburg, MS 39180.

Elon Mignonne McCandlass
July 8, 1897–February 17, 1982

Elon Mignonne McCandless was born on July 8, 1897 in Oak Ridge, Mississippi, to John Franklin (1851-1904) and Margaret Elizabeth Whatley (1858-1933) McCandless. Her siblings were:
Maude Eleanor McCandless (1882 - 1890),
Nancy Estelle McCandless Webster (1884 - 1940),
Marion Elizabeth McCandless (1886 - 1968),
Emma McFerren McCandless Butts (1889 - 1937),
Joseph Franklin McCandless (1891 - 1950),
Clyde Herbert McCandless (1894 - 1970),
Elsie Hilda McCandless (1896 - 1896),
Inez Evelyn McCandless (1899 - 1976)

Mignonne, with her sister Marion, attended Mississippi Normal College, a teacher’s college that was the beginning of Mississippi Southern University. They entered in 1914 and received their certificates in 1918. Estimated cost for nine months was $115. Students preparing to teach in a rural Mississippi school were not charged tuition. Interestingly, while Mignonne would have been 17 at the time she matriculated, her sister, Marion, would have been 28.

Marion Elizabeth and Mignonne McCandless, ca. 1917 (photo shared by Becky Chenault).

In the 1920s, Mignonne served as a bookkeeper for Soverns and Volk and for Baer & Brother, in Vicksburg, MS. In 1935, she was a Visitor for the Federal Emergency Relief Administration.

Late in life, her father was blind and ran the country store near Phoenix, Warren County, MS.

Mignonne is buried in the McCandless family cemetery at Oak Ridge.

BRADLEY'S CHAPEL WAS ORIGINALLY KNOWN AS
BELL HILL CHURCH

"Where two or three are gathered together in my name?’ would have been appropriate scripture back in 1925 at a country church at Oak Ridge.

Bradley's Chapel Methodist Church, located north of Oak Ridge toward Phoenix, had been vacant for three years. A large oak had fallen across the right side of the building; the ceiling and floors were falling in; the organ had been damaged beyond use. From a large membership, Bradley's Chapel had diminished to almost none, and on this particular Sunday, only two adults - Miss Mignonne McCandless and the Rev. S. B.Watkins - and two teenaged girls and three small boys met to reorganize the church.

"I saw the great need for the church doors to be opened again," Miss McCandless, a school teacher who was born and reared at Oak Ridge said. "The community was full of young people in need of religious training."

"The doors were opened again, but there was a lot of work to be done. The main chore, however, was getting people interested. "When they became interested, a great part of the battle had been won," Miss McCandless recalls.

Once Bradley's Chapel was functioning again as a church, ordinary business had to be tended to, and Miss McCandless was steward, Sunday School superintendent, delegate to both the district and the annual conferences and recording steward.

In order to secure funds for the church building, a political picnic was held in 1928, and people donated money and time for the barbecue that was held.

Enough money was made to begin improving the building. It was straightened, a new roof was put on, the ceiling and floors were repaired, and Miss McCandless gave an organ and served as organist...

There had been a time when Bradley's Chapel did not want for "workers in the vineyard," for in its earlier history there had been a membership of around 200.

Just when Bradley’s Chapel was organized isn’t known, but some think it was before the Civil War. It was functioning in 1869, for in that year Miss McCandless’ mother, who was then 11 years old, began going to church and school there.

Bradley's Chapel had its beginning as Bell Hill Church on the plantation of W. T. Bell, Sr. , in "The Valley" near the Yazoo River, about eight miles from the present structure.

Mignonne brother attended Mississippi Normal College. He is seen below: