Contact: Sammy McDavid
STARKVILLE, Miss.--Former governor William Winter will deliver both commencement addresses May 2 at Mississippi State.
Spring graduation programs will be held at 9 a.m. and 2 p.m. in Humphrey Coliseum.
During the morning ceremony, Fred E. Carl Jr. of Greenwood, founder of the nationally recognized Viking Range Corp. and a major university benefactor, will be presented an honorary doctor of science degree. Carl attended MSU's School of Architecture for a time and provided a 1979 endowment for its statewide, non-profit community design outreach program that was renamed the Carl Small Town Center in his honor.
More than 2,000 students are degree candidates at the 131-year-old land-grant institution.
The 9 a.m. ceremony involves the colleges of Arts and Sciences; Architecture, Art and Design and its School of Architecture; and Business and its School of Accountancy.
The 2 p.m. ceremony includes the Bagley College of Engineering and its Swalm School of Chemical Engineering; and colleges of Veterinary Medicine (master's and doctoral candidates only); Agriculture and Life Sciences and its School of Human Sciences; Forest Resources; and Education.
Winter, a Grenada native, led the Magnolia State 1980-84. He now is senior partner in a prominent Jackson-based law firm.
His election to the state's highest office culminated a public service career that began in 1947 when he won a seat in the Mississippi House of Representatives while a student at the University of Mississippi Law School. During World War II, he had served with the U.S. Army in the Philippines.
After three House terms, Winter was chosen by voters to become state tax collector. He subsequently was elected state treasurer and lieutenant governor.
Long a staunch supporter of public education, he gained a national reputation for leadership in securing passage during his gubernatorial term of the Mississippi Education Reform Act.
Over decades of public service, Winter has received numerous awards and honors. Among them are a Profile in Courage Award from the John F. Kennedy Library Foundation and, earlier this year, the Mississippi Medal of Service from current Gov. Haley Barbour.
In his official recommendation to the State College Board for Fred Carl's honorary degree, university President Mark Keenum noted the Leflore County businessman's "accomplishments as founder and CEO of Viking Range Corporation, as the chief architect in the revitalization of his hometown of Greenwood and as a friend of higher education through his extensive service to the College of Architecture, Art and Design at Mississippi State."
Keenum also said Carl "has lived his life making a difference in the lives of thousands of people."
Viking Range, which Carl established in the 1980s, is an international manufacturer of professional kitchen appliances specifically designed for home use. With manufacturing facilities in Greenwood, the company now produces a complete range of kitchen products, including small appliances.
In line with the company's growth, he led in making the Central Delta city a tourist destination through a Viking-operated cooking school and the renovation of a closed hotel that he reopened in 2003 as The Alluvian. Located in the historic downtown area, the boutique lodging quickly gained a national reputation for its upscale service and amenities.
With Viking and The Alluvian, Carl has gone on to create numerous other municipal development initiatives. His achievements have received major recognitions by such diverse entities as the U.S. Small Business Administration, Kitchen & Bath magazine and the Mississippi Development Authority, among others.
For more information about Mississippi State University, see http://www.msstate.edu/.