Graveside services for Norma Alford Hodges will be held Thursday at 2 p.m. at Dr. W.S. Simmons Memorial Cemetery in Progress, Miss. with the Rev. David Gilbert officiating. Robert Barham Family Funeral Home in Meridian is in charge of arrangements. Ms. Hodges, 82, died Sept. 27, 2009, at Oasis Health and Rehabilitation in Yazoo City. She was born April 1, 1927, in Magnolia, Miss. After graduating from Mississippi State College for Women in Columbus in 1947, she taught Modern Dance, P.E. and Health for 35 years at Meridian Junior College and Meridian High School. She was active in teaching Swimming, Senior Aerobics and Senior Water Aerobics at Meridian Community College and privately for many years. She had waterfront at Camp Chattooga in Tallulah Falls, Ga. She was a member of First Baptist Church of Meridian. Survivors include her daughter, Sheila Hodges McKie and her husband, Ed, of Yazoo City; grandson, Hoover McKie of Starkville; brothers, Howard W. Alford of McComb and George A. Alford of Richland; and half-sister Lucy Alford Hull of DeKalb. She was preceded in death by her former husband, Billy Hodges; and her parents, Luke W. Alford and Lura W. Alford. The family requests memorials be made to Camp Chattooga, PO Box 70, Tallulah Falls, Ga. 30573. Pallbearers will be Hollis Alford, Howard Alford, Hoover McKie, Bob Simmons, Buddy Simmons and Rex Simmons. Visitation will be today, from 5 p.m.-7 p.m. at the funeral home.
Published in The Meridian Star on 9/30/2009
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
Monday, September 28, 2009
Saturday, September 26, 2009
Facebook | Inbox - Cat's keep rolling
Facebook Inbox - Cat's keep rolling: "Bruce Bancroft September 25 at 10:46pm Reply
The #2 Meridian Wildcats improved to 5-0 on the season with an impressive 35-0 win over the Natchez Bulldogs.
One other note, the MHS-Oak Grove game on Oct. 9 will be televised statewide. You can check http://cellularsouth.com for listings."
The #2 Meridian Wildcats improved to 5-0 on the season with an impressive 35-0 win over the Natchez Bulldogs.
One other note, the MHS-Oak Grove game on Oct. 9 will be televised statewide. You can check http://cellularsouth.com for listings."
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
George Carlin's Views on Aging
Do you realize that the only time in our lives when we like to get old is when we're kids? If you're less than 10 years old, you're so excited about aging that you think in fractions.
"How old are you?" "I'm four and a half!" You're never thirty-six and a half. You're four and a half, going on five! That's the key.
You get into your teens, now they can't hold you back. You jump to the next number, or even a few ahead.
"How old are you?" "I'm gonna be 16!" You could be 13, but hey, you're gonna be 16! And then the greatest day of your life . . . you become 21. Even the words sound like a ceremony . . . YOU BECOME 21. . . YESSS!!!
But then you turn 30. Oooohh, what happened there? Makes you sound like bad milk. He TURNED, we had to throw him out. There's no fun now, you're just a sour-dumpling. What's wrong? What's changed?
You BECOME 21, you TURN 30, then you're PUSHING 40. Whoa! Put on the brakes, it's all slipping away. Before you know it, you REACH 50 . . . and your dreams are gone.
But wait!!! You MAKE it to 60. You didn't think you would!
So you BECOME 21, TURN 30, PUSH 40, REACH 50 and MAKE it to 60. You've built up so much speed that you HIT 70! After that it's a day-by-day thing; you HIT Wednesday!
You get into your 80s and every day is a complete cycle; you HIT lunch; you TURN 4:30; you REACH bedtime.
And it doesn't end there. Into the 90s, you start going backwards; "I was JUST 92."
Then a strange thing happens. If you make it over 100, you become a little kid again. "I'm 100 and a half!"
May you all make it to a healthy 100 and a half!!
HOW TO STAY YOUNG
1. Throw out nonessential numbers. This includes age, weight and height. Let the doctor worry about them. That is why you pay him/her.
2. Keep only cheerful friends. The grouches pull you down.
3. Keep learning. Learn more about the computer, crafts, gardening, whatever. Never let the brain idle. " An idle mind is the devil's workshop." And the devil's name is Alzheimer's.
4. Enjoy the simple things.
5. Laugh often, long and loud. Laugh until you gasp for breath.
6. The tears happen. Endure, grieve, and move on. The only person who is with us our entire life, is ourselves. Be ALIVE while you are alive.
7. Surround yourself with what you love, whether it's family, pets, keepsakes, music, plants, hobbies, whatever. Your home is your refuge.
8. Cherish your health: If it is good, preserve it. If it is unstable, improve it. If it is beyond what you can improve, get help.
9. Don't take guilt trips. Take a trip to the mall, to the next county, to a foreign country, but NOT to where the guilt is.
10. Tell the people you love that you love them, at every opportunity.
AND ALWAYS REMEMBER:
Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away.
(Sent to us by Marty Davidson)
"How old are you?" "I'm four and a half!" You're never thirty-six and a half. You're four and a half, going on five! That's the key.
You get into your teens, now they can't hold you back. You jump to the next number, or even a few ahead.
"How old are you?" "I'm gonna be 16!" You could be 13, but hey, you're gonna be 16! And then the greatest day of your life . . . you become 21. Even the words sound like a ceremony . . . YOU BECOME 21. . . YESSS!!!
But then you turn 30. Oooohh, what happened there? Makes you sound like bad milk. He TURNED, we had to throw him out. There's no fun now, you're just a sour-dumpling. What's wrong? What's changed?
You BECOME 21, you TURN 30, then you're PUSHING 40. Whoa! Put on the brakes, it's all slipping away. Before you know it, you REACH 50 . . . and your dreams are gone.
But wait!!! You MAKE it to 60. You didn't think you would!
So you BECOME 21, TURN 30, PUSH 40, REACH 50 and MAKE it to 60. You've built up so much speed that you HIT 70! After that it's a day-by-day thing; you HIT Wednesday!
You get into your 80s and every day is a complete cycle; you HIT lunch; you TURN 4:30; you REACH bedtime.
And it doesn't end there. Into the 90s, you start going backwards; "I was JUST 92."
Then a strange thing happens. If you make it over 100, you become a little kid again. "I'm 100 and a half!"
May you all make it to a healthy 100 and a half!!
HOW TO STAY YOUNG
1. Throw out nonessential numbers. This includes age, weight and height. Let the doctor worry about them. That is why you pay him/her.
2. Keep only cheerful friends. The grouches pull you down.
3. Keep learning. Learn more about the computer, crafts, gardening, whatever. Never let the brain idle. " An idle mind is the devil's workshop." And the devil's name is Alzheimer's.
4. Enjoy the simple things.
5. Laugh often, long and loud. Laugh until you gasp for breath.
6. The tears happen. Endure, grieve, and move on. The only person who is with us our entire life, is ourselves. Be ALIVE while you are alive.
7. Surround yourself with what you love, whether it's family, pets, keepsakes, music, plants, hobbies, whatever. Your home is your refuge.
8. Cherish your health: If it is good, preserve it. If it is unstable, improve it. If it is beyond what you can improve, get help.
9. Don't take guilt trips. Take a trip to the mall, to the next county, to a foreign country, but NOT to where the guilt is.
10. Tell the people you love that you love them, at every opportunity.
AND ALWAYS REMEMBER:
Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away.
(Sent to us by Marty Davidson)
Sunday, September 20, 2009
Friday, September 18, 2009
Sunday, September 13, 2009
Meridian When Mom and Pop Were Young - Part 1
Joe B. Steward writes that these old photographs (in Part 1 and Part 2 videos) are from Hammond Studios and that Jerry Hammond's father and grandfather took the pictures. If anyone has additional information, please write.
More Memories of Jack Shank
Jack Shank (see his picture, posted 9-12-09) taught me history at Meridian Junior College in 1960.
Jack was an Army photographer and landed with the second or third wave on D-Day. One day he brought up D-Day in class and told us he was stunned when he landed and saw all the dead bodies. Jack said he thought all of the men that hit the beach on the first wave had been killed. Up until then I had never really realized how terrible D-Day was. I think that day Jack had a great impact on my decision to pursue a degree in History and I never forgot what he had said about D-Day.
I accomplished my degree goal while in the Air Force at Eglin AFB, FL. My super civilian boss Lou Vegas made this possible. Lou was a retired Air Force Colonel who had flown B17s over Germany in WWII. With his help, I was allowed to attend the U. of West Florida in Pensacola for a year to complete requirements for a degree in History.
(fyi - My older brother Lester lived at the Silver Leaf Manor in Meridian the last year of his life. It is very nice place.)
(Reporter: James E. Minor Smith)
Jack was an Army photographer and landed with the second or third wave on D-Day. One day he brought up D-Day in class and told us he was stunned when he landed and saw all the dead bodies. Jack said he thought all of the men that hit the beach on the first wave had been killed. Up until then I had never really realized how terrible D-Day was. I think that day Jack had a great impact on my decision to pursue a degree in History and I never forgot what he had said about D-Day.
I accomplished my degree goal while in the Air Force at Eglin AFB, FL. My super civilian boss Lou Vegas made this possible. Lou was a retired Air Force Colonel who had flown B17s over Germany in WWII. With his help, I was allowed to attend the U. of West Florida in Pensacola for a year to complete requirements for a degree in History.
(fyi - My older brother Lester lived at the Silver Leaf Manor in Meridian the last year of his life. It is very nice place.)
(Reporter: James E. Minor Smith)
Saturday, September 12, 2009
Ever wanted to take a class at Yale?
Have you ever wondered what it would be like to take a course at one of those extremely expensive Ivy League schools? Wonder no more.
Yale has put a handful of courses on the internet ... and the price is right ... free.
They filmed the actual classes and you can download the video, download it as an MP3 file (audio only) or watch streaming video. These are entire courses - about 20 classes and generally run an hour in length.
You will need to go to the above title (it contains a link) and explore the departments and courses that are being offered. There are only a handful but I expect they plan to offer more.
And after watching one of the courses, you can always say something like this, "Part of my college education included Yale."
Yale has put a handful of courses on the internet ... and the price is right ... free.
They filmed the actual classes and you can download the video, download it as an MP3 file (audio only) or watch streaming video. These are entire courses - about 20 classes and generally run an hour in length.
You will need to go to the above title (it contains a link) and explore the departments and courses that are being offered. There are only a handful but I expect they plan to offer more.
And after watching one of the courses, you can always say something like this, "Part of my college education included Yale."
MHS Wildcats - Football Report
"The #2 Meridian Wildcats improved to 4-0 on the season with a 21-6 win over Quitman. This was the 20th game in the series, but the first since the early 1940's. MHS leads the series 19-0-1. Go Cats!"
The Wildcat Newspaper Staff of 1958
Considering how much communication media have changed over the years, I thought it might be interesting to think back on how many people were needed to prepare and publish a high school newspaper. We did not have desktop publishing then and designing the layout and preparing the paper for type set in camera ready copy was a real chore. Judy McKellar, bless her soul, did most of that as editor, with our help.Is it not incredible that the paper was first produced in 1925? There was no word processing then, for sure.
(Reporter: Edwina Hubert)
Visit with Jack Shank
Classmates, you may remember a Meridian High School faculty member, Jack Shank . Jack, I believe taught in the Junior College and was the sponsor of our school newspaper, The Wildcat. He is pictured here in front of Silverleaf Manor in Meridian where he had been a guest for lunch. I was at the same table and later corralled him into this photograph outdoors. He is holding a copy of the first volume of his book, A History of Meridian. There is a sequel that I have not read, but he is willing to correspond with anyone interested in the books. Jack also wrote for the Meridian Star and developed the historical series originally for the Star.
I invited Jack to participate in our blog, if he chooses to do so. One point of interest he shared with me is that Kate Griffin is being replaced by moving 9th graders, I think, to the Meridian High School campus. Others of you may have more information on that than I do, but I do know that the Meridian Junior College Campus being relocated created space for 10th graders years ago.
Share what you know about this. When in Meridian, I did see new construction at Meridian High School along 23rd avenue where the new grade will be located.
I invited Jack to participate in our blog, if he chooses to do so. One point of interest he shared with me is that Kate Griffin is being replaced by moving 9th graders, I think, to the Meridian High School campus. Others of you may have more information on that than I do, but I do know that the Meridian Junior College Campus being relocated created space for 10th graders years ago.
Share what you know about this. When in Meridian, I did see new construction at Meridian High School along 23rd avenue where the new grade will be located.
(Reporter: Edwina Hubert)
Friday, September 11, 2009
Thursday, September 10, 2009
Tuesday, September 8, 2009
Monday, September 7, 2009
FALL'S IN THE AIR
Here is a reminder that fall is in the air. Son Peter made this one with his Canon in early morning.
UNIVERSITY OF ALABAMA CAMPUS THIS WEEK
They're getting ready for a 9/11 Memorial Service on the Quad.
Writer Seeks Info on Delores Lott
AY Magazine looks appropriately middle brow and not some pulpy, sensationalizing publication.
http://www.aymag.com/home.php
--- On Mon, 9/7/09, Janie Jones wrote:
From: Janie Jones
Subject: looking for information about old classmate
To: dnjames@mac.com
Date: Monday, September 7, 2009, 3:18 PM
Mr. James, I got your email address from the web site about Meridian High School graduates of 1958. I write true crime articles for AY Magazine in Arkansas, and I specialize in unsolved murders and disappearances. I'm looking for anyone who can give me some information about Delores Lott, who was murdered in 1968. I understand she was a member of Meridian's class of '58. If you knew her or if you can refer me to someone who did know her, I will be most grateful.
Many thanks,
Janie Jones
http://www.aymag.com/home.php
--- On Mon, 9/7/09, Janie Jones
From: Janie Jones
Subject: looking for information about old classmate
To: dnjames@mac.com
Date: Monday, September 7, 2009, 3:18 PM
Mr. James, I got your email address from the web site about Meridian High School graduates of 1958. I write true crime articles for AY Magazine in Arkansas, and I specialize in unsolved murders and disappearances. I'm looking for anyone who can give me some information about Delores Lott, who was murdered in 1968. I understand she was a member of Meridian's class of '58. If you knew her or if you can refer me to someone who did know her, I will be most grateful.
Many thanks,
Janie Jones
Sunday, September 6, 2009
News from Ouida
(Ouida is one with eyes closed, second from left.)On August 11th, I traveled with members of my Franciscan fraternity to the St. Clare Monastery in New Orleans to celebrate St. Clare's Feast Day with Mass and to celebrate with Sr. Fidelis her 75th year of religious life. After Mass and spending time with Sister in the lovely gardens of the monastery, the six of us went to lunch together. It was a wonderful day with great fellowship and time spent with our dear sister, Sr. Fidelis.
Sr. Fidelis once told me that she wanted a web page, and so I gave her one. She is very, very interesting and smart! She once took classes in two or three languages all at one time, studying with post-it notes on the wall. Her page is: http://www.ourladyofthepearl.com/fidelis.htm We have been blessed to spend many hours with her. When she was younger, she was my spiritual director.
On August 29th, my Franciscan fraternity, held elections, and I was elected secretary and appointed webmaster again.
I have other websites and blogs which might interest some of you.
These Franciscan activities, websites, Maltese Rescue, grandbaby Peyton and family, and a job make up my life which is very blessed and very full.
A BIT OF NATURE
Here's our future banana crop and a pretty swallowtail butterfly on our butterfly bush - something to take our minds off the extremes of politics for a moment. Gee, am I the only Democrat in our class? Surely not. There's a bucketload of misinformation terrorism floating around. Maybe this post will generate some comments on our blog for a change. Freedom of speech and information is one thing, but misinformation is another. Let's get our facts straight. I don't know if you think discussing politics is appropriate for our blog, but it has already been introduced, and this is my contributiion.
Saturday, September 5, 2009
Wildcat Football
MHS moved to 3-0 on the season with a 27-10 win over Starkville last night. This is the Wildcats 15th consecutive win. With a South Panola loss look for the Cats to move up from their current #5 ranking.
Friday, September 4, 2009
Thursday, September 3, 2009
March on Washington DC
Meridian Wildcats-
Are any of you going to DC to march on Washington? I'll be there Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday. If you will be there, it would be great to connect. I'll be at the Renaissance Marriott M Street Hotel. I've signed up to attend most of the events; however, it would be great to gather for a chat. Hoping to hear from you.
Jinny
Are any of you going to DC to march on Washington? I'll be there Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday. If you will be there, it would be great to connect. I'll be at the Renaissance Marriott M Street Hotel. I've signed up to attend most of the events; however, it would be great to gather for a chat. Hoping to hear from you.
Jinny
Tuesday, September 1, 2009
Inside the Threefoot building
This hallway, containing the building's elevators, opens to 22nd Avenue and will be a secondary entrance to the hotel. This part of the building is considered of historic importance and will undergo a historically accurate renovation — but the current color scheme will go. None/Paula Merritt.
Read Story Here.
Read Story Here.