Contact: Maridith Geuder
STARKVILLE, Miss.--Paying homage to a statesman whose career spanned three decades, Mississippi State student leaders soon will unveil a statue of former congressman G.V. "Sonny" Montgomery.
During a May 6 public ceremony, the life-sized bronze sculpture by Raymond artist Tracy H. Sugg will be dedicated at the university. The 10 a.m. program will take place on the southwest lawn of the historic MSU Drill Field.
Rep. Chip Pickering, R-Miss., who succeeded Montgomery as the state's 3rd District congressman, will join MSU President Charles Lee, Student Association President Adam Telle and other campus, local and state officials. Montgomery, a 1943 Mississippi State graduate and former student association president, also is scheduled to attend.
MSU students launched the project in 2002 to honor a Mississippian and MSU alumnus "who has been an outstanding example of public service," said Telle, a May communication and computer science graduate from Northport, Ala.
"Sonny Montgomery not only represents the caliber of person attending Mississippi State; he also has been one of the university's and one of Mississippi's most outstanding ambassadors," Telle said.
First elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1966, Montgomery held the office for 15 two-year terms and a span of seven presidencies.
The former Meridian businessman and state senator was the author of 1988 congressional legislation that came to be known as the Montgomery G.I. Bill, which extended benefits of the original 1947 legislation.
His longtime advocacy for military veterans, as well as three decades of military service that included active duty both in World War II and the Korean conflict, helped earn Montgomery the Capitol Hill title "Mr. Veteran." He retired from the Mississippi Army National Guard with the rank of major general.
William Kibler, MSU vice president for student affairs, commended student leaders for their vision in initiating the recognition.
"Mr. Montgomery is a great American servant, leader and one of our most beloved alumni," Kibler said. "The statue that will be dedicated on our campus is a fitting tribute to his legacy at Mississippi State, the state of Mississippi and the nation."
For more information about the May 6 event, telephone Kibler at (662) 325-3045.