Contact: Maridith Geuder
Phil Hearn
More than three decades ago when it roared onto Mississippi's vulnerable gulf coast, Hurricane Camille wrought a devastation rarely experienced before or since.
Phil Hearn, author of a book based on firsthand accounts of the 1969 Category 5 storm, will speak Wednesday [Nov. 17] in a public program at Mississippi State. The noon presentation in the T.K. Martin Center conference room [corner of Hardy and Morrill roads] is sponsored by the university's Faculty and Professional Women's Association.
Hearn's book, "Hurricane Camille: Monster Storm of the Gulf Coast," was published in August by University Press of Mississippi. The release coincided with the 35th anniversary of one of the deadliest hurricanes in the nation's history.
The research writer in MSU's Office of University Relations, Hearn is a Laurel native who was a UPI wire service reporter in Alabama when Camille struck near Pass Christian, killing more than 170 people and wreaking more than $11 billion in property damage across Mississippi and other Southern states.
Later, during his tenure as news director for the University of Southern Mississippi's public information office, Hearn became interested in eyewitness recollections preserved in the oral histories of USM's McCain Library and Archives.
"I wrote a series of newspaper stories on the 20th anniversary of Camille, and that became the starting point for the book," Hearn said.
Focusing on the personal stories of 15 survivors, he vividly recreated the drama of those who experienced the wrath of the "monster" storm. The compelling results have been featured in national media ranging from "USA Today" to MSNBC.
Hearn also will be featured Nov. 19 in a 9:30 p.m. Mississippi Public Broadcasting "Conversations" segment that will be re-broadcast at 4 p.m. on the 21st.
The MSU Bookstore will have books available for purchase and signing at the event.
For more information, visit http://www.msstate.edu/org/FPWA or telephone (662) 325-7454.