Contact: Maridith Geuder
Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott, Rep. Chip Pickering, former congressman G.V. "Sonny" Montgomery, and former agriculture secretary Mike Espy are among participants in a special public program focusing on Mississippi's legislative contributions.
Mississippi State University is host to the Nov. 11 and 12 conference titled "Legacy of Leadership: Mississippians on Capitol Hill." All programs will take place in the McComas Hall theater.
The event is jointly sponsored by MSU's John C. Stennis Institute of Government and University Libraries, along with the Starkville-based John C. Stennis Center for Public Service.
The Nov. 11 [Thursday] program includes presentations by Lott and former Gov. William Winter, as well as observations of the state's evolving congressional delegations.
"Historically, Mississippi has produced a host of national leaders who have earned key legislative positions," said conference organizer Frances Coleman, dean of libraries. "This conference will examine what their contributions have meant to the nation."
In conjunction with Legacy, MSU officially opens major portions of Stennis' papers and announces a new Congressional and Political Research Center at a 9 a.m. ceremony on the 12th [Friday] in the John Grisham Room of Mitchell Memorial Library.
Joining Coleman at this second event will be Pickering, congressman for the 3rd District; editor and syndicated columnist Sid Salter of Forest, whose papers also are housed at the library; and MSU President Malcolm Portera.
In addition to the Stennis papers, the library's congressional collection includes the papers of Montgomery, Pickering and Espy; former congressmen David Bowen and Charles Griffin; and Sen. Thad Cochran's late congressional aide Wiley Carter of Jackson and 5th District Rep. Gene Taylor's current chief of staff Wayne Weidie of Ocean Springs.
The Legacy conference occurs during the 10th anniversary of the Stennis Center for Public Service, an agency created by Congress to promote and strengthen public service leadership in America. "We look forward to continuing to hold up Sen. Stennis' life and principles as an example for present and future generations to emulate," said executive director Rex Buffington.
Marty Wiseman, Stennis Institute executive director, said students, especially, can learn from the examples of Mississippi leadership on Capitol Hill. "This program will trace a very powerful influence that continues today," he added.
The Nov. 11 [Thursday] Legacy events in the McComas theater include:
--9:30 a.m., opening plenary session with Pickering, Portera and Buffington.
--10 a.m., Winter, giving an historical overview of Mississippi's political leadership in Washington;
--11:15 a.m., Winter, syndicated columnist Bill Minor and former Stennis administrative assistant Eph Cresswell, sharing retrospectives of Stennis' 1947 Senate campaign;
--2:15 p.m., Lott, discussing his transition from congressional staffer to Senate leader; and
--3 p.m., a reception for those attending the conference, McComas theater lobby.
For more information about Legacy of Leadership, contact Debra Fairbrother at (662) 325-0812.