Contact: Sammy McDavid
STARKVILLE, Miss.--During separate commencement remarks Saturday [May 13] at Mississippi State, two members of Mississippi's congressional delegation praised the life of their late colleague and prominent alumnus of the university who died Friday.
"Over the years, I counted on the counsel of former congressman G.V. "Sonny" Montgomery," said 1st District Rep. Roger Wicker during MSU's morning graduation program. "He was a preeminent figure in the life of our state, and no one was more successful in representing his state and this university in Washington, D.C., than Sonny Montgomery."
The morning program was the first university graduation to be led by new MSU President Robert H. "Doc" Foglesong. Before beginning his part on the program, Foglesong asked the large Humphrey Coliseum audience to take a moment of silence in tribute to Montgomery.
"His fingerprints, his legacy will be felt for decades," Foglesong said of the 1943 Mississippi State graduate and 30-year member of the U.S. House of Representatives..
Speaking during the second ceremony, U.S. Sen. Trent Lott said he felt "mightily this afternoon the spirit of the presence of our friend, G.V. 'Sonny' Montgomery.
"You know, he was 'Mr. Veteran' and 'a congressman's congressman' and all the other accolades thrown his way, but to me he was just a great friend," Lott said.
In his presentation, Wicker called members of Class of 2006 "the best educated collection of students ever to receive diplomas from this university.
"The body of knowledge and information is simply greater than ever before," the veteran Tupelo lawmaker explained. "Your opportunities, therefore, are immense, almost unlimited."
In planning their futures, Wicker urged graduates to consider the last decade of the 20th century in which the nation's economy "witnessed the longest sustained peacetime economic boom in history.
"During this time, the Dow Jones industrial average went up over 9,000 points and our gross domestic product grew by almost 40 percent," he said. "Yet, at the same time, there were more than a half million business failures during this economic boom decade."
While expressing hope that "none ever will suffer an economic reversal of fortune," the congressman urged the former students to "not be too discouraged if you do, because, after all, America is the land of second chances."
In an address interrupted frequently by applause and laughter at his seemingly off-the-cuff observations, Lott began by quoting from the most famous British prime minister of the 20th century. The quote by the Pascagoula resident who lost his home to Hurricane Katrina later was reflected in several comments he made about the state's recovery from the massive storm.
"If you are a Winston Churchill," Lott said, "I think you can give a speech this short and not need to say anything more: 'Never give in, never give in, never, never, never. In nothing great or small, large or petty, never give in, except to convictions of honor and good sense.'"
He drew some of the loudest applause while urging all who claim the state as their home to "never doubt that being from Mississippi or being a student from Mississippi is an advantage.
"Whether you grew up in Maben or Jackson or Pass Christian or Hernando, you have experienced something in life that people in New York and Boston just don't get," he said. Pausing, he added: "It's common sense, it's human contact, it's caring about your fellow man."