March 26, 2009
GOVERNOR BARBOUR PRESENTS MEDAL OF SERVICE TO 10 MISSISSIPPIANS
Governor Haley Barbour today honored 10 Mississippians with special new recognition for their lifetimes of significant contributions to improving their state.
The Mississippi Medal of Service was given to businessman Bobby Chain of Hattiesburg, former Rep. Robert Clark of Lexington, former University of Mississippi Medical Center CEO Dr. Wallace Conerly of Terry, businessman and former supervisor Lum Cumbest of Jackson County, civil rights activist Charles Evers of Jackson, former Jackson State University president John Peoples of Jackson, former Justice Lenore Prather of Columbus, former Governor William L. Waller of Jackson, businessman Clovis Williams, and former Governor William Winter.
“These outstanding Mississippians have devoted countless hours and enormous amounts of their time, talents and energy to making Mississippi a better place to live, work and raise a family,” Governor Barbour said. “They are shining examples of the things that make Mississippi such a special place. Marsha and I are very appreciative of their lifetime of efforts and proud to honor them with the inaugural award of the Mississippi Medal of Service.”
Biographies of the recipients follow:
Bobby L. Chain Sr.
Whether called upon by Presidents Johnson and Reagan or even the citizens of Hattiesburg, Bobby Chain has always answered. Mr. Chain has devoted much of his time and energy to improving education and the business climate in Mississippi. He began his career in the management program at Mississippi Power & Light and worked at a Tennessee engineering firm before returning to his hometown. There he founded Chain Electric, where he currently serves as CEO, and was elected mayor.
Continuing his public service, he was appointed by the late president Lyndon Johnson to the National Advisory Council for Small Business Administration, and by the late president Ronald Reagan as Chairman of the National Advisory Council on Adult Education.
Among his many honors, Mr. Chain was the 1975 winner of the Albert Gallatin Award for Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Tennessee, which is presented to independent business professionals. He also was inducted into the Mississippi Business Hall of Fame in 1994.
He has served on the Board of Directors for the Mississippi Economic Council, the Mississippi Research and Development Foundation, Mississippi Workforce Council, and the Commission on Efficiency in Government. With his sights focused on education, Chain served a 12-year term on the Board of Trustees of the Institutions of Higher Learning, which included a stint as board president.
Robert Clark
Robert G. Clark, Jr. is a native of Holmes County who resides in Ebenezer. He is a graduate of Jackson State University. He has completed 36 years of service as a member of the Mississippi House of Representatives from District 47. He has completed his term as Speaker Pro Tempore.
He is recognized nationally for his service on the Policy and Steering Committee of Education Commission of the States, the Education Committee of the National Conference of State Legislators and various study committees on education and other vital state and national issues. He served as Chairman of the House Management Committee. He was also on the Advisory Board for the Delta Research and Cultural Institute, the senior ranking member of Mississippi’s Legislative Black Caucus, Chairman of the Board of Directors for the Mississippi Action for Community Education in Greenwood, Mississippi, and Chairman of the Mississippi Action for Community Education Fund Board.
He worked diligently to make the R.F.K. Holmes County Economic Development Agency a reality. He has received the Outstanding Achievement Award for Education in Mississippi, the Award of Distinction and the Outstanding Leadership Award presented by the University of Mississippi, and Alumnus of the Year from Jackson State University.
Dr. Wallace Conerly
Dr. Wallace Conerly, vice chancellor emeritus of the University of Mississippi Medical Center, served as the institution’s CEO from 1994 to 2003—the most expansive era in Medical Center history.
Dr. Conerly joined the faculty of the Medical Center in 1973. Before he was vice chancellor, he was assistant vice chancellor for 13 years. He also served as medical director of respiratory therapy and director of the Medical Center Division of Continuing Health Professional Education.
A native of Tylertown, Conerly received a Bachelors of Science with honors in 1957 at Millsaps and the MD in 1960 at Tulane University. He did special training at the US Air Force School of Aerospace Medicine and took a fellowship in medicine at Ochsner Foundation Hospital in New Orleans.
During his tenure as vice chancellor, he helped design and carry out the largest building program in the history of higher education in Mississippi. He created the Office of Research that helped to triple the amount of research funding to the institution. He also worked aggressively to bring increased diversity to the Medical Center, and in 2001 the Medical Center was recognized as a National Role Model Institution by Minority Access, Inc., for his efforts.
Dr. Conerly has served on the Board of Directors of the Mississippi Chapter of the American Red Cross, the Capital Area of United Way, the Metro Jackson Chamber of Commerce, Junior Achievement, the Jackson Medical Education District and the Community Bank. He is a past president of the Jackson Rotary Club. He was Millsaps Alumnus of the Year in 2002 and was the first Mississippian to serve on the Board of Regents of the National Library of Medicine.
Lum Cumbest
Lum R. Cumbest was born on April 29, 1924 in Cumbest Bluff, Mississippi. After graduating from Wade High School in 1942, he served in the United States Army from 1943 to 1946.
From 1942 to 1998, he was president and co-owner of Cumbest Manufacturing Company, a logging and sawmill operation in Jackson County. Cumbest also was the co-owner of Suniland Dairies.
Cumbest has always been actively involved in community service and in business in Jackson County. He is an active member of Caswell Springs United Methodist Church, where he served as the Chairperson of the Administrative Board from 1949 to 2007. Cumbest chaired the Seashore District Retirement Home Board, served on the Mississippi Methodist Hour Board, was a member of the District Board of Missions for the Seashore District, and was a member of the Board of Directors of Merchants and Marine Bank from 1957 to 1982. One of his biggest achievements was securing property for the construction of a public park and recreational fields in North Jackson County. Today, the 100-acre Lum Cumbest Park offers multiple lighted playing fields, press boxes, batting cages, basketball courts, 9 tennis courts, a soccer field, a splash garden, a large playground, a model airplane field, and an 18-hole golf course.
While serving as a District 1 supervisor for Jackson County from 1957 to 1982, Cumbest made significant strides for South Mississippi. As a member of the board, he helped attract industries such as Chevron, Mississippi Power Company, and Byrd-Johnson Propeller Plant (now Rolls-Royce Naval Marine) to Jackson County. He gained funding to build Singing River Hospital and to construct a water reservoir in North Jackson County for use by local industry. Cumbest’s efforts were instrumental in the West Bank expansion of Ingall’s Shipbuilding and in the addition of the Jackson County Campus of Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College. He also worked with the board to deepen Jackson County’s ship channel to a depth of 42 feet, so large, ocean-going ships could have full access to the port of Pascagoula. He served as President of the Mississippi Association of Supervisors in 1981, and he was a founding board member of the Agriculture and Forestry Museum Board in Jackson, Mississippi.
Charles Evers
Charles Evers has been a leader in the civil rights struggle. Born in Decatur, Mississippi, he served overseas in the U.S. Army during World War II. He returned to Mississippi in the 1940s and organized voter registration drives. He graduated from what is now Alcorn State University. After the death of his brother in 1963, he took on the position of State Field Secretary for the NAACP’s Mississippi Chapter. While serving in this capacity, he led many demonstrations. In 1969, he was elected Mayor of Fayette and was the first African-American to hold this elected office in the state since Reconstruction.
Currently, Mr. Evers serves as the Station Manager for WMPR (90.1 FM). He launched a career in radio as a disc jockey at WHOC in Philadelphia, Mississippi. Mr. Evers continues his work as a civil rights activist and advocate for human rights throughout the United States. Actively sought out as a public speaker nationwide, he motivates young people to work together and to seek a better understanding. He hosts the weekly talk show “Let’s Talk,” which features a call in segment as well as local and national guests.
John Peoples
A native of Starkville, John A. Peoples Jr. was drafted into the U.S. Marine Corps shortly after high school graduation. He was Honor Man in his recruit training platoon and was a sharpshooter rifleman. He spent 2 ½ years in the Marines, attaining the rank of Sergeant. After being discharged, he entered Jackson State University and earned a Bachelors Degree in Mathematics. He then attended the University of Chicago, where he earned his Master of Arts and Doctor of Philosophy Degrees.
After serving thirteen years in the public school system of Gary, Indiana, as a teacher and school administrator, Dr. Peoples was employed at Jackson State University as a Professor of Mathematics and Vice President in 1964. In 1967, he was elected President of Jackson State University. He served from 1967 to 1984. During his 17-year tenure, student enrollment grew from 2,200 to 7,800.
Dr. Peoples has served 10 years as a commissioner on the Jackson Airport Authority, six years on the Board of Directors of Goodwill Industries, and 25 years on the Board of Directors of The Piney Woods Country Life School.
Justice Lenore Prather
Former Chief Justice Lenore L. Prather, a West Point native, graduated from Mississippi University for Women. She graduated from the University of Mississippi School of Law in 1955. In 1965, she was appointed as Municipal Judge in West Point, Mississippi. From 1963 until 1971, she was a part-time instructor at Mississippi State University in the Communications Department.
In 1971, Governor John Bell Williams appointed Justice Prather as Chancery Judge for the 14th Chancery District which consists of Lowndes, Clay, Oktibbeha, Noxubee, Webster and Chickasaw Counties. She was the first woman to hold the Chancellorship in Mississippi. Following her appointment as Chancellor, she attended the National Judicial College in Reno, Nevada.
Governor William F. Winter appointed Justice Prather to the Mississippi Supreme Court in 1982, and she became the first female Justice for the state of Mississippi. She was a Presiding Justice in 1993 and Chief Justice in 1998. After leaving the Mississippi Supreme Court, Justice Prather served as Interim President of Mississippi University for Women in Columbus, Mississippi. In May 2003, she was awarded an Honorary Doctorate degree from Mississippi University for Women.
Justice Prather also was inducted into the University of Mississippi Alumni Hall of Fame and was selected as the Ole Miss Alumna of the Year. She also was recognized by Mississippi State University as a two-time recipient of the President’s Commission on the Status of Women Award for Outstanding Mississippi Women and the Distinguished Jurist Award. She is a former member of the Mississippi Humanities Council and was active in Southern Women in Public Service, an initiative of the John C. Stennis Institute at Mississippi State University. Justice Prather is a member of Rotary International and is a Paul Harris Fellow. She has been included in Who’s Who in America from 1984 through 2002.
Governor William Waller Sr.
Governor William Waller, Sr. was born on October 21, 1926 in Oxford, Mississippi. After graduation from University High School, he earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration from the University of Memphis. In 1950, he graduated from the University of Mississippi School of Law, and then served in the U.S. Army Counterintelligence Corp. This was the Korean War interval, and he was engaged in teaching evidence at the Counterintelligence Corps School at Fort Hollebird in Baltimore, Maryland. In 1959, Mr. Waller was elected District Attorney for the counties of Hinds, Madison and Yazoo. He was re-elected again in 1963. In 1971, he was elected as the Governor of Mississippi and served a four-year term. He continues to practice law in the city of Jackson, as head of the law firm of Waller & Waller. At his law firm, he is engaged in trial practice in both civil and criminal cases.
He is the author of Straight Ahead, an autobiography depicting significant historical events in Mississippi transpiring over a period of 70 years.
Clovis Williams
One outstanding leader in the State of Mississippi is Clovis Williams, who has served Mississippians through various capacities for nearly 40 years. As an active representative for the Republican Party, Clovis has helped with numerous political campaigns including the Reagan-Bush campaign from 1981-1988; Kirk Fordice from 1991-1992; Trent Lott from 1994-1995; and my current administration since 2001.
He also has been of service to his nation as evidenced by his military experience where he served for three years during World War II with the 8th Air Force in England and, during that time, he flew 25 missions over Nazi Germany. He also served one year during the conflict in Korea.
Governor William Winter
Governor William Winter served as the 58th Governor of Mississippi from January 1980 through January 1984. A native of Grenada, Mississippi, Winter received his undergraduate and law degrees from the University of Mississippi. Before serving as Governor, he was elected to the offices of state representative, state tax collector, state treasurer and lieutenant governor.
He has been chairman of the Southern Regional Education Board, the Southern Growth Policies Board, the Commission on the Future of the South, the National Civic League, the Kettering Foundation, the Foundation for the Mid South, and the Mississippi Department of Archives and History. He was a member of President Clinton’s National Advisory Board on Race. He was recently awarded the Profile in Courage Award by the John F. Kennedy Library Foundation.
He has been a long-time advocate for public education, racial reconciliation and historic preservation. He was born and raised on a Grenada County farm which he now owns and operates and in 2005 was named Mississippi’s Tree Farmer of the Year. He is an attorney in the firm of Watkins Ludlam Winter & Stennis in Jackson.