Profile 2022: Setting the Stage by Natchez Democrat

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PROFILE 2022

Contents TABLE OF

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THE NEXT GENERATIONS Young adults return home to build their careers PARTNERS IN BEAUTIFICATION Brooking and Guido bring flowers, art, shopping to Under-the-Hill community STAYING CONNECTED Coach says soccer helps people stay connected A VIDALIA VISIONARY Murray’s legacy fuels growth decades later AN EDUCATIONAL SPARK Fallin center teaches workforce skills

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FOR THE FUTURE Recreational enhancements coming to the Miss-Lou in 2022 CHARTING THE COURSE AD helps build athletic success at charter school ‘A PARTNER IN THIS COMMUNITY’ Preston builds business success on partnerships INSPIRING FUTURE PERFORMERS Teacher shares passion for theater with students

REGIONAL PUBLISHER Kevin Warren REGIONAL EDITOR Stacy Graning COMMUNITY EDITOR Jan Griffey WRITERS Sabrina Robertson Hunter Cloud CONTRIBUTORS Ben Hillyer Marketing Kaelin Daye Lisa Sanders Denora Stewart DISTRIBUTION Theresa Davis

ON THE COVER Katelee Laird is one of a new generation of business owners setting the stage for future growth in the Miss-Lou. Photo by Sabrina Robertson

PROFILE 2022

MAGNOLIA BLUFFS CASINO – HOTEL

MAGNOLIA BLUFFS CASINO HOTEL HAS BEEN PROUD TO PARTNER WITH THE NATCHEZ COMMUNITY FOR MORE THAN 9 YEARS!

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• LOCAL SPONSORSHIPS | $1.86M • COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT FUND | $1.85M • NATCHEZ VENDORS | $27.4M • NATCHEZ CITY TAXES | $6.5M *Financial data since 2013.

LOCALLY OWNED & OPERATED

328 Main Street Natchez, MS 39120

WWW.MURRAYLANDANDHOMES.COM

Travis Murray Edna J. Murray Courtney Covey

7 R O T H H I L L R OA D | N A T C H E Z , M S 3 9 1 2 0 1 - 8 8 8 - 5 0 5 - 5 7 7 7 | M AG N O L I A B L U F F S CA S I N O S .C O M

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PROFILE 2022

The

STORY BY SABRINA ROBERTSON THE NATCHEZ DEMOCRAT

Generation

atchez has been known for a long time as one of the top communities to retire. In addition to that, many locals find that it is also a good place to continue to live, work and raise a family once they finish school— setting the stage for future generations of Natchezians who continue to help their community thrive. The young Kate Lee Laird could barely get a "hello" out before another couple wandered into her Franklin Street art studio for a look around. The couple, who was from North Carolina, admired Laird's work as they were engaged in conversation about the best places to eat dinner and listen to music in Laird's hometown of Natchez. Laird, who is the daughter of Nancy and Bruce Laird, said there was once a time she wanted to move somewhere up North and start a life away from home. She graduated from Cathedral in 2010 and later earned her degree in fine art with a concentration in painting and drawing from Louisiana

State University. "I was working for my mom's sign company and thought I would save up some money and go live someplace that is really cool," she said. She has loved painting since was old enough to hold a brush and had a small studio at the back of her mother's sign shop where she spent most of her free time. However, as interest in her art grew within the Natchez community, she changed her mind about someday leaving Natchez and started painting full-time. She now rents a larger studio on Franklin Street, where she can greet out-of-town visitors every single day. "As the business took off, I never had any desire to leave," she said. Laird soon learned she is capable of traveling like she always dreamed of while still living and working in Natchez, she said. "It's so affordable to live here that I get to travel all of the time," Laird said. Not only can she travel, but

Laird said she meets people every day from all around the country and internationally who travel here. "I get to meet people from all over," she said. "Sometimes people will come in here and they will stay and talk for like 30 to 45 minutes." Laird said he has booked her first international live wedding painting in France this July. Laird said the bride-to-be met her at one of the first live wedding paintings she ever did. "She was like, 'I'm not even dating anybody but whenever I do get married, I want you to paint at my wedding,'" Laird said. This was approximately four years ago at Dunleith. Years later, Laird was asked if she would travel to France for the wedding, she said. "It's because of Natchez," Laird said. "I have this connection because it was someone that I met at a wedding here in Natchez and not even someone who is from here." Laird stays involved in her

Daniel Guedon

Young adults return ‘home’ to build their careers

PROFILE 2022

hometown in other ways besides promoting Natchez from her business. She organizes the arts and crafts part of the annual Natchez Balloon Festival and does volunteer activities with the Humane Society and Natchez Adams County Chamber of Commerce. Despite the many visitors she meets and the number of couples she paints at destination weddings, Laird said she doesn't know if her painting would have been successful were it not for her local friends and community supporting her passion. "I don't think I would be as successful as I am if it wasn't for Natchez," she said. "It's all of my friends and family and people that have known me that have helped get me on my feet by being supportive."

Sarah Beth Willard

Sarah Beth Willard, who founded Natchez Grazing in February 2021, also said it's because of Natchez's love of entertainment and hospitality that her charcuterie

board business has done as well as it has. "Natchez accepted my business so well," she said. Willard is an artist too, but with food instead of paint. She designs a carefully plated feast of fruit, meat and cheeses that can feed anywhere from one person to more than 50 people. "Every single table I make is different and I think that is part of what people like about them. It's not so cookie cutter and it's individualized to my specific customer," she said. Her boards and tables are a hit with parties and big events such as weddings. She currently works out of Sissy Eidt Browning's commercial kitchen at takes orders by email to natchezgrazingco@ gmail.com. She later plans to move into a brick-and-mortar shop at the former Wilson-Holder Drug Company on Franklin Street with her new business partner, Liza Sharp Plauché. Willard said the new store,

Kate Lee Laird

called "Natchez Olive Market," will hold olive oil and vinegar infused with flavors and specialty cheeses as well as grab-and-go charcuterie plates. "I've always wanted to start my own business and it makes it even sweeter that it is in the food world," Willard said. "My grandmother, Bethany Overton, was an incredible cook and known for her ability to entertain. I grew up watching her and I guess that channeled me to do all of this." Willard, the daughter of Jim and Selah Willard, is also a Cathedral and Louisiana State University graduate. She completed her degree in fashion merchandising with a minor in business in 2017 and entertained the idea of moving to New Orleans and joining the fashion scene there once she found her footing. However, Willard said she worked for some strong, independent women in Natchez who inspired her to do more inside of her hometown. "All of the friends I graduated with were going to Dallas, New York, New Orleans and all over the place but I didn't know what I wanted to do just yet. I moved back to Natchez to regroup and was lucky enough to get a job with Debbie Hudson at the Chamber of Commerce." As the office manager at the chamber for two years, Willard said she met and connected with a lot of people within the community and became involved in the Young Professionals group. "That was the starting point for me to think of Natchez as something other than the small town to move away from," Willard said. "Living here every single day, I tend to forget how beautiful this

city is and now I've grown to appreciate it more as an adult." After working for the Chamber, Willard said she landed a marketing job with Margaret Perkins at Listen Up Y'all Media group. "I've been lucky enough to work for some incredible, really strong women and that gave me the push to start my own business," she said. "COVID hit while I was still working at Listen Up Y'all and that made me reevaluate some things. I started Natchez Grazing Co. as a side hobby in February 2021. Within two months, it took off and that was my full-time thing."

Daniel Guedon

Another young Natchezian who says he appreciates his hometown as an adult is Daniel Guedon, a United Mississippi Bank loan officer. He is a 2011 graduate from Adams County Christian School who went on to study business administration at Mississippi State University. While at AC, Guedon said he played every single sport they offered. He is also a member of the First Baptist Church of Natchez, where is he is a member of the praise and team. Some of his favorite childhood memories include playing games with his four brothers and sister and attending the Natchez Balloon Festival. Guedon said while "everyone goes through the thought of wanting to get out of town and live somewhere else" that stage for him didn't last long. A family man, Guedon said his friends and family here are his number one reason for staying. He never had a chance to miss home while in college. He spent a lot of weekends and hol-

idays coming back to Natchez to be with his biological family and church family. He and his bride, Beth Fortenberry, have a five-month-old son named Reed. "I love Natchez. It's an awesome town, small enough but you still have everything you need. Besides that, all of my family is here and my wife's family is here and that was a big draw." He worked at Great River Industries as the purchasing manager before starting at UMB, a job which Guedon says sort of "fell into my lap." "One of the loan officers here had just left and I was talking to someone and they just asked me if I would be interested in it," Guedon said. "I came here and interviewed for it and it was an awesome fit. I already knew a couple of people here. I have been here now for two and a half years." Guedon said one thing he enjoys about it is having the time to spend with family community involvement. He is a member of the Natchez Santa Claus Committee, Kiwanis Club and Leadership Natchez's 2021 Class. As a member of Leadership Natchez, Guedon said he has grown to appreciate his community more by seeing how all of the different parts work, from local government and industries to education in schools. "Growing up here, I would see all of these places but never really understood what they were all about," he said. "I was actually able to go in and see what they do and what their mission is. It was very eye-opening to see all of the cool things going on around me that I didn't even know about."

Sarah Beth Willard

Guedon says he also enjoys seeing new businesses start-up after he helped them finance it at UMB, knowing that he had a small part in it. "I love the fact that I get to do this and see and hear what is going on around town," he said.

Wesley Anderson

Family is also a big part of what brought Wesley Anderson, a 2015 graduate of Cathedral, back to Natchez after working at a well-established salon in Baton Rouge. Anderson, the daughter of Jim and Stephanie Anderson is the oldest of seven siblings, all girls. As such, Anderson said she grew up helping her younger sisters with their hair and doing makeup with her friends. She planned to go to college up until two months before she graduated from Cathedral and shocked her friends and family by going to beauty school instead. She attended the Aveda Arts & Sciences Institute in Baton Rouge, then worked at a salon called "Via Veneto" before deciding "on a whim" to return home to Natchez, she said. "I had a big support system at home by just knowing everyone. My clientele built up very quickly between my mom's friends with her being a teacher at Cathedral and with six little sisters. I came home to be the big sister and help out and got to meet their friend's parents. That has been a big help." She has been back now for four years as of November working as a stylist at C'est Jolie on Franklin Street in Natchez. To help accommodate a large number of clients, the salon has plans to move to a new location

near the corner of Main and Pearl streets, between "The Painted Petal" and "One of A Kind" gift shops this spring, she said. Anderson has upwards of 170 regular clients by herself. She works beside Meghan Wood, the owner of C'est Jolie; MaCee Crouch and Taylor Boyd. "It all fell into place," she said. "I find myself being way busier here in Natchez, especially with weddings. Natchez is a destination place for weddings. I didn't realize until I moved back here how many people travel to come to see Natchez." Anderson said some of her clients book the salon for their wedding party's hair and makeup while other times she will travel to the wedding venue to do their hair and makeup on-site. "It is so fun being able to go to these beautiful homes and do my favorite thing all day," she said. She added one of the best parts of the job is making friends from all walks of life in varying age groups and personalities. "The connections that you make are unreal," she said. "I have so many best friends of different age groups and I have a great connection with all of them." Outside of working at the salon, Anderson is involved in the Krewe of Phoenix during Mardi Gras season and also volunteers with the Chamber of Commerce. Anderson said she is not the only one of her classmates to end up in Natchez. "When COVID-19 happened, a lot of my friends were graduating from college to wind up back here," she said. "We're all doing different things within our community."

Wesley Anderson

PROFILE 2022

Brooking and Guido bring flowers, art, shopping to Under-the-Hill community This fall has been really dry, unusually dry, he said. The LSU alumnus got his degree in botany and takes any opportunity he can to plant flowers as long as he has bare ground. Along a trail on the bluff behind Under-the-Hill saloon, he planted thousands of wildflowers. St. Francisville’s mayor Bobee Leake traveled to Natchez this fall to learn what Brooking puts into cultivating a natural garden like that. He has now put wildflowers in heavily traveled areas in St. Francisville, Brooking said.

BY HUNTER CLOUD THE NATCHEZ DEMOCRAT

ATCHEZ — Silver Street Gift Shop owner Gail Guido is one of the first faces tourists see when they step off their steamboat at Natchez Under-the-Hill. She and her husband Greg Brooking live in a flat above the store with a picturesque view of the Mississippi River. Before it opened as a store six years ago, the ground floor was used as a basement and a recording studio for Brooking, who plays guitar. Guido worked part-time at Darbys and then full-time at Darbys until one day she decided to get out and do her own thing. She said with the support of her husband, they opened the space as a store and watched it grow from 10 items to a retail space which offers probably close to 2,000 items. These range anywhere from food products, books, pocket knives, puzzles, perfumes, decorations and clothes. “It takes a lot of guts to open a shop and one day I was ready. We went to market. It’s been fun and a lot of work,” Guido said. “With the boats coming, I feel so fortunate. They come off that boat and they will poke their head in and say they are coming back to shop. The position is very fortunate. It gets busier and busier.” Some of the travelers who visit the shop are international tourists. She had some visitors from Germany stop by the store in January. It was the first time in about two years that she has had international visitors due to COVID. When the store first opened, the front room was retail and a room to the left was used as a gallery for local artists. Over time, it has merged into a mixture of products and art everywhere a patron turns. Before they bought the building, it had sat empty for 12 years, she said. Before then, it was a gift shop called The Riverboat which Nancy Biglane ran and owned. They still have customers who visit and talk about the Riverboat, she said.

A love for Natchez

PROFILE She 2022 lived in Colorado for

HUNTER CLOUD | THE NATCHEZ DEMOCRAT

ABOVE: This is a room that was once an art gallery in the shop but now it has mixed together into an eclectic collection of arts and items for sale. SUBMITTED

BACKGROUND: Greg Brooking plants these poppies every single year and has done so since 2011. This year the poppies will bloom in a bed of King Albert’s Trumpet Daffodils. more than 20 years before moving back home to take care of her dad George Guido who died from leukemia. At first, she stayed for her mom Margaret but fell in love with Natchez again. It was a new town than the one she grew up in. Everything was beautiful, the buildings and the landscape. “Growing up you take it for granted,” Guido said. She attended Cathedral at the same time Brooking, a Ferriday native, attended. They had gone out in high school but never dated. She said it was happenstance that they crossed paths later in life. They moved back to Natchez about 12 years ago. “I couldn’t be happier,” Guido said. “He touched my soul and I touched his.” Together they work to beautify an area of Natchez which is visible to tourists, restaurant goers, natives and the patrons of the next door Under-the-Hill saloon. Guido is calm, reserved and a visionary while Brooking is energetic, constantly in motion and a doer. “Greg’s enthusiasm is overwhelming. Sometimes, I feel like it is too much,” Guido said. “If he wasn’t as exuberant, I don’t think anything would get done.” His most popular beautification project started out largely as an attempt by Brooking to plant flowers in his front yard.

Thousands of Poppies, which bloom each spring, are planted on the river bank. In 2011, Dick Stewart, who owned a riverboat casino, asked him to plant more poppies and paid for the bulbs. That year, the Mississippi River crested at 62-feet and washed away all of the poppies. A temporary levee was built around Silver Street to protect the buildings there, Guido said. It was like they were a walled in community. The following year, Stewart held a 5K poppy race, Brooking said. Ever since, it has become an expectation for him to plant the poppies, he said. Thousands of dollars are spent on the seeds and a lot of man hours are needed to plant them. It takes three weeks for a man to plant all of the poppies, he said. In a vacant green lot between Silver Street Gift Shops and River Edge Suites, a group of trees once grew. Natchez’s 2021 Ice Storm took them all out so Brooking saw another opportunity to plant Daffodils. “I have planted 1,000 daffodils there and they will bloom in March,” Brooking said. “At the same time, I wanted to plant them in the poppies too. So the Daffodils will come up in March. They are the King Alfred Trumpets and will come up first while the poppies are still growing. I wanted a longer time for people to enjoy the blooms.”

Gail Guido and

Greg Brooking

Setting the stage

He would love for Natchez to landscape the median first seen when motorists cross the Mississippi River Bridge to and from Vidalia. If he had more time, money and bare ground it would be a project he would undertake. “If others would see what we did and take vast areas and beautify them, then we would have an era of beautification,” Brooking said. “In Natchez, you could look back 20 years from now and say they did start an era. You have to have conscientious people during the projects. They have to want to.” Natchez’s master gardeners have put up flower baskets around the city which has helped beautify the town. Brooking said as long as he is alive he will plant the Poppies. Brooking and Guido’s next project could be the Under-theHill wall which runs beneath Silver Street. The bricks are old and crumbling and at times can become engulfed by vegetation. They want to save it, and after talking to Mimi Miller with the Natchez Historical Society, which would require restoring it properly to the state it originally was. “We want to restore the wall and have the City see it as a historical piece of architecture and an engineering feat. It must have been built to prevent the bluff from caving in,” Brooking said. “It’s unimaginable to me. It has layers and layers of bricks. They have metal pieces which tie it back into the ground. It’s a forgotten piece and there were certainly buildings built into it.”

PROFILE 2022

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FORMER COACH STAYS CONNECTED WITH THE

Dai Vu

GAME, FAMILY BY HUNTER CLOUD THE NATCHEZ DEMOCRAT

ATCHEZ — Soccer referee, former soccer coach and antique furniture restorer Dai Vu moved to the United States when he was 13. It is a great country for those who dream, he said. The Vietnamese refugee, who moved from Laos to New Orleans did not know any English. He said it was not easy for him to adapt to a different culture. Multi-lingual, he speaks four languages, Thai, Vietnamese, Laotian and English. “I know what I’m thinking but sometimes I can’t say it in english,” Vu said. His parents and brothers are still in Laos, he misses them and the country. COVID has not allowed him to go back to visit them. However, technology and FaceTime has allowed him to stay in touch and see his family face to face. In New Orleans, he found a community of Vietnamese people. He played soccer with them which continued when he went to Delgado Community College. At Delgado, he earned an associates in Computers. It is a degree he does not use today. After Katrina hit, he lost everything and moved to Natchez where he found a quiet community for his wife and two daughters. “It's small and slow moving, I loved the no traffic,” Vu said. “It is a good place to raise a kid too. I worked for a while on my own in antique furniture restoration. I now do that as a hobby. When Coach Dennis Hogue retired from Natchez High School, I coached for five or six years.” Soccer connects people Soccer players and coaches are familiar with the talkative, smiling “Coach Dai.” He walks the lines of soccer pitches with his yellow referee jersey and flag in hand. The game of soccer is a 14

PROFILE 2022

way he can connect with others in the community. Several of the kids he coached at Natchez High School. Louis Loy is one of the last players he coached at Natchez before Loy transferred to Adams County Christian School and Voo became a referee. His coaching career at Natchez High School began when Dennis Hogue recommended Voo to the school as a candidate to replace him. He was a subcontractor, which meant he worked as just a coach. In college, he played some soccer and had the knowledge to be a coach. Natchez High School was great, he said. The players were disciplined and respectful. “It clicked there. They gave me respect,” Vu said. “As a coach they respected me. When they see my skill, they respect me as a player. You can show them and let them know what to do. We built a team from Morgantown to get them to where they were successful. We beat teams we never beat before.” Natchez High School made it to the playoffs a couple of times under his leadership. He said it was not easy because they had to build a team with players who had no experience. Some wanted to walk in and start playing soccer without the technical knowledge. Additionally, Vu did not have the luxury of selecting players. Instead, he had to ask kids to play for him. His proudest accomplishment as a coach is former Natchez High player Herbert Stedman. He played at Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College and played in the semi-pros too. “It was the most proud I have ever been,” Vu said. “He became a coach and won a few leagues. He is in the Marines and is also a ninja warrior now. If you can teach the student better than you, what else can you ask for?” Hogue said he first met Voo through a Sunday soccer group. As a player, he is pretty skillful with the ball but does not have a lot of speed. With good ball control he is a crafty player who can

juke a player out of their shoes. Recruited to referee Vu stepped down from coaching at Natchez High School in 2018. The MHSAA immediately started recruiting him to become a referee so he did. It took less time and less stress than coaching, he said. As a referee, he is able to control the game instead of the players controlling him as a coach. It is something he enjoys because he sees kids in the area growing and develop new skills, he said. “Sometimes you have to be calm because you think to help the kids,” Vu said. “You can’t help them as a referee. It is not hard, you just get used to it. Hogue said with referees he never knows what he will get. Sometimes, the referees are kids from junior colleges or colleges who have some knowledge of the game but not all the nuances of refereeing. His first impression with Voo was it was clear he knew what he was doing. This was clear when he started playing Sunday soccer with Hogue and the first moments he stepped onto the pitch to referee. “It is clear he is a student of a game. When he comes down to the soccer field I know we have someone who knows what they are doing,” Hogue said. “I know his soccer knowledge is intensive. When he comes onto the pitch he exudes that. It is hard to be a referee. I think that is why he can be chatty, he knows what he is doing.” Fooling with antiques In his spare time, he enjoys working with antique furniture. It could be mirrors, bed frames, cabinets or antique wardrobes. He enjoys bringing a renewed life to antiques even if it takes a bit of time. Each piece of furniture varies on how long it takes to restore, he said. “I love it, it's on my own hours,” Vu said. “Each piece is different. They all have different places of origin. You learn the more you work you learn different technical things. You learn about the builder and how to work the wood. It is fun. To me it is something you have to want to do.”

SUBMITTED

ABOVE: In his spare time, Vu refurbished antique furniture like this bed.. TOP: Vu has also refurbished desks, chairs, wardrobes and this dresser and mirror. He enjoys learning the craftsmanship behind each antique furniture piece. HUNTER CLOUD | THE NATCHEZ DEMOCRAT

BACKGROUND: Dai Vu is a former Natchez High School soccer coach who is now a referee in the MAIS and MHSAA. PROFILE 2022

A Vidalia

Visionary Murray’s legacy fuels growth decades later

STORY BY SABRINA ROBERTSON THE NATCHEZ DEMOCRAT

PROFILE 2022

idney A. Murray Jr., a late Alderman and mayor of Vidalia, has been known for his many different contributions to the town from the development of the beautiful riverfront scenery to his recruitment of new industry to pull Vidalia out of a state of economic stagnation. The Miss-Lou mourned the death of Sidney Murray Jr. on April 30, 2002, but his legacy continues to impact Vidalia today and for generations to come. What is perhaps his most significant contribution was his work at establishing the Sidney A. Murray Jr. Hydroelectric power plant. Murray worked over a span of 13 years to see his vision come to life. His son, Bill Murray, said his dad was like "a motor that was always running." "He woke early every morning to go to work for the Town of Vidalia and came home late every evening, including weekends," Murray said. As busy as Sidney Murray Jr. was, he was not without his hobbies. Sidney Murray Jr. was also a painter and played golf and "built a house in the country with his bare hands," Murray said. He has fond memories of growing up with his two brothers and one sister and walking the rows of irrigated crops with his dad to find arrowheads and other Native American artifacts. He attended baseball games with his dad just like any other father and child would. Vidalia Mayor Buz Craft said he first knew Sidney Murray Jr. from working with him at Johns-Manville. "He was the plant manager for Johns-Manville, one of the first jobs I had," Craft said. "He was well respected by all of the employees and supervisors there and was also Mayor of Vidalia." Sidney Murray Jr. served as mayor of the Vidalia for 24 years from 1960 to 1984. Sidney Murray Jr.'s dream While the idea to build the hydroelectric plant came to Sidney Murray Jr. while he was in office, the project would not begin until after Murray decided to "retire" from being mayor by not running for a seventh term, Murray said. Formal dedication of the Sidney A. Mur-

ray Jr. Hydroelectric Station would come in August of 1990. The 25,000-ton, 13-story plant was built at Avondale Industries near New Orleans beginning in December 1985 and was transported by barges up the Mississippi River to its present location. It was so large and so tall that it had to be submerged to pass under bridges made to accommodate the passage of large ships. "It's a big story that a lot of people nowadays don't know," Murray said. He added, "If kids ever get a chance to go there and see it and look at the pictures, they soon realize what Vidalia has." In the very beginning, Sidney A. Murray Jr.'s vision was easily disregarded as "just a crazy man's dream," Murray said. His desire was to stabilize the town's utility rates for its residents, which at the time were extremely high and the residents were "up in arms" over it, Murray said. "He started thinking about what he could do and watched the Mississippi River flow past the bridge. ... He thought maybe that flow and speed of the water could drive a turbine and generate electricity." He was a graduate of Tulane University and had a friend there in engineering named Brad Lancaster, Murray said. Lancaster lived and worked in Baton Rouge but the two stayed in touch as friends. He called him to Vidalia and pitched the idea to Lancaster, who said the river had "a lot of volume but not enough force" to do what he envisioned. There are no slopes in Vidalia's flat land for gravity to help it along. The idea dropped to the back of Sidney Murray's mind until one day he visited the Old River Control Structure, located about 40 miles South of the town. The complex was built by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in 1963 to regulate the flow of water from the Mississippi into the Atchafalaya River, preventing it from changing course. They took him out on a boat into the inside of that structure, something they did periodically to make sure it was stable, Murray said. "He looked at that the water flowing through that structure and called Brad again. He came down and looked at it and said that would do it," Murray said. Planning and development Getting approval from the Corps of Engineers was a long and tedious process, Murray said. However, before anything

was done there was a referendum, a vote of the people, on whether the project would be done or not. "It was overwhelmingly approved," Murray said. "He was very blessed that people trusted him and thought good of him and did a wonderful job. You had to know him. He had a way about him where he would talk and people would listen and believe that things were going to be good. I don't know anything that he did that didn't turn out positive. He was my father but he was also a rare individual. He dedicated himself to Vidalia. ... There is no doubt about it." In the documentary "The Power of a dream- Story of the Sidney A Murray Jr. Hydro-Electric Power Station," Murray himself said the project "is not a one-man show." It took a workforce collaboration from 16 foreign countries and 24 different states to plan, fund, build, transport and flip the switch on the $550 million project, the world's largest prefabricated power plant and Louisiana's first hydroelectric station. Not only does the plant produce more power than the town can use, 192 megawatts of it, but the expense of building it would require a number of investors. Tom Pickens, who owned Catalyst Energy Corporation—one of the project's main investors—worked out an agreement with Vidalia. The town would turnover ownership and operation of the plant to Catalyst where the Vidalia remains a co-licensee of the project. Vidalia would then have the opportunity to buy back ownership of the $550 million plant in 2030 for $1,000. Additionally, the town entered a contract with Louisiana Power & Light, or Entergy. The company buys all but six percent of the power produced and the town receives annual royalty payments based on a percentage of the plant's earnings. The remaining percentage is sold wholesale to Louisiana Energy and Power Authority and the town buys the power from them at market rates to use.

Paving the way

Craft said the added expense of what the town pays for its power is made up with the annual hydro-royalty rebates, which are gifted back to residents with checks. "It costs us two or three cents more to get

Sidney A. Murray Jr. our power but we also get that big rebate check at the end of the year," he said. This year, that royalty rebate has jumped to 20 percent of the plant's earnings. It started out at 3.5 percent when the plant first came online and increased a little more each year. "Since I've been in office, we've paid back over $5 million to citizens and businesses in Vidalia. It is going to be anywhere from $2.5 million to $3 million every year now that we will be rebated back to our citizens in their electricity bill," he said. Craft said should the town buy the plant in 2030, it is estimated that it would bring in an additional $15 million of revenue for the town each year. However, whether or not that happens depends on the leadership at the time and the financial business decisions that are made up until then, he said. "When we buy this plant, if we buy it, that is an additional $15 million available for us to use and be smart with," he said. "With green industry becoming dominant worldwide, Vidalia's opportunity is big. By 2030, companies will have to purchase carbon credits to use what they call 'dirty energy.' With green energy, you don't have to pay those credits. The people here have the opportunity to use 100 percent green energy. If you're a company, wouldn't you want to be in Vidalia?" The allure of green energy produced by the hydroelectric plant has already been a draw for new industries such as Vidalia Mills and Syrah Resources, who this year finalized a purchase agreement with Tesla for the lithium-ion battery material produced at its Vidalia operation. The impact of Sidney Murray Jr.'s dream stretches further into Vidalia's future than perhaps he ever imagined, Craft said. Murray said his father's goal from the start was simply to provide long-term stabilization of the energy rates for the people of Vidalia, which he did and more. "I don't think he realized how big what he was doing is," Craft said. "His vision was to help the people of Vidalia save on their energy. He, at that time, didn't think that we would be talking about carbon credits or green energy being mandated for companies. He loved Vidalia enough that he wanted to help save the Vidalia people money. ... I can't imagine any other person doing what he did in today's world. He was PROFILE 2022 | 17 an amazing man."

Workforce Development

spark An educational

Story 5

Fallin center teaches workforce skills BY SABRINA ROBERTSON THE NATCHEZ DEMOCRAT

he classrooms at the Fallin Career and Technology Center are quite different from the traditional whiteboards and rows of desks or tables. One classroom looks like a vehicle mechanic shop, with the smell of rubber tires and motor oil and with giant red vehicle lifts and alignment machines on the floor. To the back of the building in a ventilated garage-like area is a room used specifically for painting cars after making auto collision repairs. Another classroom is attached to a laboratory that looks like a hospital, with real hospital beds and equipment lining the walls. Patient dummies are hooked up to IV bags and mannequins display a puzzle of the various organs inside the body.

History

Since 1995, the Fallin Center has provided career technical training to students at the high school level, said Fallin's director, Cleveland Moore. It began as a vocational-technical center where Natchez Freshman Academy is today before moving next to the Natchez High School campus, where it was later named for its late director, Richard Lee Fallin. Through the years, it has changed and adapted based on the interest of the students and the current labor market. What has not changed, Moore said, is their goal of helping students prepare for life after high school, whether they decide to go to college or head straight into a career. "We have seven programs as of now," Moore said. These programs include career pathway experience; a work-based learning program; collision repair; carpentry and construction; digital media technology; health science; teacher academy; and early childhood education. Just before the COVID-19 pandemic, Fallin reintroduced classes of three18

PROFILE 2022

and four-year-old students who both receive lessons preparing them for kindergarten and also help second-year early childhood education students receive clinical hours by working directly with younger students. Each class at Fallin takes two years, Moore said. The first year is mostly instructional while second-year students get to apply what they've learned, both at Fallin's in-house learning labs and in the real workplace.That is done through an array of school and community partnerships. "For each program we have, we try to have one business partnership to go with it," Moore said. Some courses, such as Early Childhood Education, roll right into classes offered at Copiah Lincoln Community College where some students are dually enrolled. All second-year students are also provided with a free ACT Work Keys exam, Moore said. "That gives prospective employers a very good snapshot of what you can do. Von Drehle and several companies in Vidalia are requiring that you be ACT Work Keys tested and it's becoming the nationally accepted exam for students who want to go directly into a career field," he said.

Career pathways

Richard Bellar, who is the career pathways teacher, helps students learn the basic skills needed to be an effective employee before testing those skills in the actual job setting. The career pathways program is introduced to students as early as middle school to garner student interest in a particular field, Moore said. "We have a large number of students enrolled in our work-based learning class, primarily juniors and seniors, who work in a plethora of businesses throughout the Miss-Lou," Moore said. "All over Natchez, we have students working through the work-based learning program. One of the keys to that program is you're getting hands-on experience in the work setting. Students make some money as they prepare to go to college or into the work setting and it also helps them with resume writing, job interview skills and all of the essential 20

PROFILE 2022

skills that are needed to be in a full-time job." Bellar was named Teacher of the Year for Natchez Adams School District for the 20212022 academic year, Moore said. Bellar is preparing to retire at the end of the school year after working as a teacher for 12 years in Natchez and approximately 40 years altogether, he said. "I've never met anyone more knowledgeable of all of the interworking parts," Moore said of Bellar. "I think he could teach any program at this school. He lends himself to all of the staff members, he's our tech guru and our students just love 'Mr. B.'" Bellar said he coordinates and helps students work at various job sites in the community. "I have 108 students right now and they're all working out in the community," he said. "I meet with the workers once every nine weeks to find out how they're doing. The kids get their knowledge for the class out of Canvas, an online device that we use. At the end of the year, students will update their resumes." Bellar said he has approximately 70 different business and employer partnerships, the largest being the Natchez Adams School District. "I have nine or 10 kids that work for the school district from the warehouses to the offices." Inside Fallin's carpentry shop, Kenneth Stewman, who is not only a carpenter but a "jack-of-all-trades," teaches students how to build whole buildings, from foundation to shingles.

That also includes lessons on plumbing, brick masonry and electrical work, which were once classes on their own, Moore said. "You can't go wrong with Mr. Stewman," he said. "He has an abundance of knowledge." Stewman said he has been teaching at Fallin since 2012. "I teach a little bit of all of it," he said. "Building a house, you get a chance to do electrical, your roof and painting and several other things." Like with other classes at Fallin, students' lessons have real-life applications. The classes participate in the building of Habitat for Humanity houses, where they apply the skills they have learned to build houses from the ground up, Stewman said. "Hands-on, you can't go wrong," he said. Moore had an equal amount of praise for Carlton Brown, who teaches collision repair, and all of the other teachers at Fallin. "They really love what they do because Mr. Brown or Mr. Stewman could go into private industry and work for themselves and make three times what they make as a teacher. They're dedicated to the students and being here. Mr. Stewman is highly sought after for work outside of school and Mr. Brown has his own shop in Franklin County where he lives. I'm trying to hold on to them for as long as I can." However, Stewman said he chose to be a teacher because he wanted to share his knowledge with younger generations. "You have to want to do this," Stewman said. "I want to give something back. You have kids who really get into it and I love

to see when they learn what to do. It's not hard, but you have to know how. I love to see the ones that learn it and get excited and then motivate the others and then they all get it and it takes off. It makes you feel good about yourself to see them succeed."

Planning for the future

Moore said Fallin is looking to expand the reach of its program within the next year to offer it to students at local private schools. "I've been working closely with Jessica Carter at Cathedral and David King at Adams County Christian School because one of the things we want to do is offer CTE (career technical education) programs to the entire high school population of Natchez and Adams County, which encompasses Cathedral and ACCS," Moore said. "Hopefully we will have students from those two high schools taking classes here next year. If we're going to center our workforce, it has to be an all-in approach. We have to make sure they have access to those programs." Moore said there will also be room to add more programs at Fallin. What new classes they offer would be determined by surveying students' interests and analyzing the regional labor market data. "Those are the two contributing factors determining what programs we will add going forward," Moore said. "We want to look at bringing programs such as welding, agriculture and culinary arts. I think those are things that would be high up on the student interest surveys that we're putting together."

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PROFILE 2022

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Recreational enhancements coming to the Miss-Lou in 2022 BY HUNTER CLOUD THE NATCHEZ DEMOCRAT

LOCAL COMMUNITY IMPACT

Recreational

ATCHEZ — The Miss-Lou’s government and recreational leaders have taken steps to enhance the recreational experience for residents and visitors of the Miss-Lou. They have several key upgrades and programs planned for 2022. Natchez Alderwoman Valencia Hall, who serves Ward one, is leading the recreational upgrades in Natchez. As

of February 1, 2022, the city was in the process of gathering quotes and bids for improving playground equipment. Hall said they have a bond for $2 million to be spread across all six parks, Duncan Park’s Golf Clubhouse and the North Natchez Park Building. New playground equipment will come to North Natchez Park and Duncan Park. It will be Americans with Disabilities Act compliant. Even the grounds for the playgrounds will be wheelchair and walker friendly.

“It was needed. I didn’t see any equipment at any of our parks that is ADA compliant,” Hall said. “We will make sure the grounds will be accessible where the equipment will be. They will be able to participate with their peers. We will include swings for those with mobility issues. We will also have bucket seats for students too. Everyone has the right to participate in all activities and we won’t exclude anyone.” In addition to upgrading playground equipment, the city will replace back-

boards, nets and rims on basketball goals at parks across Natchez. Shanora Cole is in the process of starting a youth basketball and an adult basketball league. COVID’s Omicron variant delayed the start of those leagues, Hall said.

Duncan Park Golf

Natchez’s public golf course at Duncan Park is in the process of receiving a long awaited facelift to the course’s clubhouse. Superintendent Greg Brook-

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ing said he would like the golf course clubhouse to have a wow factor to it starting with the foyer. Outside, he would like to have a patio space with room for 120 people to watch golf. Currently, players finish a tournament round on the No.2 green to a hillside of spectators. Inside the clubhouse, they would like a lounge area big enough for 50 people. This way golfers could relax and have a beer after a round. Locker rooms for men and women and an emphasis will be placed on the bathrooms so they are adequate for any golf event. The goal for the upgrades are to improve the experience for visitors and to not compete with local businesses. Hall said they are applying for Duncan 24

PROFILE 2022

Park to become a Mississippi Landmark. It would give the city more opportunities to receive funding for upgrades to the facility. Brooking said there should be a final rendering of the project in late Spring or early Summer. Architect Belinda Stewart is designing the new clubhouse and Brooking can not wait. “I’m very excited. It is a major place for the city of Natchez,” Brooking said. “An improved clubhouse at the golf course would mean a lot to the city in general. More people will play because of it. Right now, they don’t have anywhere to sit down after a round. It will be a nice clubhouse. Mayor Dan Gibson and Valencia came along and did something about it.” In addition to golf, Duncan Park offers tennis and pickleball as opportunities for

people young and old to enjoy. Pickleball director Frankie Spence said they have beginner pickleball clinics on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 5:30 to 6:30. He said they also offer beginner tennis programs for adults and for kids. There are plans to upgrade the tennis facility at Duncan Park by adding two to four tennis courts and four to six pickleball courts. Right now, they are looking to upgrade the lights to LED.

Growing the game of Soccer

Concordia Parish Recreation District 3’s Complex saw improvements and has plans to continue growth this upcoming year. District 3 Director James Thomas said they have plans to build a pavilion by the soccer fields and possibly a walk-

ing track. This space would allow families to grill or hangout during soccer tournaments. He said there is an additional possibility of adding a concession stand to the soccer field area. Additionally, there is talk of taking the Relay for Life at the Vidalia Riverfront and turning it into a soccer or football field because it already has lighting there. Soccer is one of the main focuses for the recreation complex. “We implemented a new soccer program and will offer it in the fall and spring,” Thomas said. “We had some guys come in with the National Soccer Association who took it over. Each kid who signs up their first year gets a soccer ball and two jerseys. Now, all of our soccer goals are for a certain age group too.”

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Charting the

course

AD helps build athletic success at charter school BY HUNTER CLOUD THE NATCHEZ DEMOCRAT

ERRIDAY — The difference between Delta Charter and the other three public schools in Concordia Parish is simple. Delta Charter is independent to make its own rules and curriculum. It is a bit confusing as it stands in the same location of the private Huntington School, which closed in May of 2010. Some think it is a private school Storm softball coach and athletic director Jeanie Crnkovic said. Huntington was her first job out of college. It was a small school, she recalls. A Ferriday native, she graduated from Ferriday High School and went to Delta State University where she earned a degree in psychology and a minor in math. She played softball for the Lady Statesmen, or Fighting Okra. A painting depicting caricatures and scenes from Delta State’s campus hangs in her office. Every athlete who graduates from Delta State gets one, she said. From 1998 to 1999, she taught and coached at Huntington. “My first year of teaching was here at Huntington,” Crnkovic said. “I coached and umpired softball in the summer and some of the mothers found out I was graduating college. They asked me to come to Huntington. At a private school, you didn't have to have a teaching degree. I came to Huntington and taught math since it was my minor. I fell in love with teaching and coaching. I knew it was what I wanted to do.”

A certified teacher

By 2000, her need for insurance and other benefits led her to reach out to a former principal of hers. Fred T. Butcher was an interim principal at Ferriday High School and was on the school board, so she called him. He told her she could have a job there but had to get her teaching certificate in five years. It took all five years for her to earn her certificate as she started a family. She drove back and forth to the University of Louisiana-Monroe. It was a dangerous trip because she didn’t have a cell phone and was traveling alone and pregnant to classes. Charter school fresh start After teaching at Ferriday, she 26

PROFILE 2022

Jeanie Crnkovic

took a job teaching at Vidalia High School. She was a Viking for nine years and was comfortable. Her kids were happy and she was doing well, she said. Then David Boydstun Jr. called, his mom Caroline was on the school board trying to get Delta Charter started. He was a friend and knew she coached at Ferriday and Vidalia, she said. Several times she told him no until one day she changed her mind. “I wanted to get back into coaching and there wasn’t a position open at Vidalia High,” Crnkovic said. “I was nervous (about the move). I had 14 years with the Concordia Parish Public School District. Making that change was nerve wracking. I knew how much I was missing softball though. I thought ‘what a good opportunity to start a new program.’ The next time Boydstun called I told him I would come.” She was most worried about losing her insurance. If she could keep it and her retirement she would make the move. They offered her a job to start a softball program and she coached basketball the first year too. Delta Charter first opened its doors in August of 2013. Before it could open, Delta Charter had to meet with the US Department of Justice officials about desegregation requirements. It is something which limits their growth as a school, she said. In the nine years since she made the move, she is happy and satisfied. The Storm has great students and a great principal, she said.

A growing Storm

In those nine years, the Storm’s athletics program has grown too. They have added soccer, tennis and track and the number of kids participating in those sports has grown. Athletic facilities have seen improvements too with the addition of a new softball fence and scoreboards for softball, football and baseball.

HUNTER CLOUD | THE NATCHEZ DEMOCRAT

Jeanie Crnkovic once coached at Huntington School, which was in the same location as Delta Charter is now. She has now been a softball coach for nine years and an athletic director for eight years for the Storm. In total, she has spent 23 years as an educator in Concordia Parish.

She would like to have a bigger concession stand located in the middle between the football, softball and baseball field. Her biggest hope is anybody who would like to come to Delta Charter and is qualified for the rigorous curriculum could be able to regardless of their ethnicity. “Our overall goal is to one day be open to anyone who wants to enroll, that way everything grows. The campus grows and the sports complex grows,” Crnkovic said. “We want to grow in numbers as a school. I want everyone who wants to come here to be able to.” For eight years, she has served as the Storm’s athletic director in addition to her duties as a softball coach. It keeps her busy and on the computer. A lot of her work as AD is done with the Louisiana High School Activities Association. Each athlete at Delta Charter has to have a folder on file with permission slips, birth certificates and their grades. Twice a year, LHSAA sends a representative to check the folder.

HUNTER CLOUD | THE NATCHEZ DEMOCRAT

These are newspaper clippings from Jeanie Crnkovic’s time at Delta Charter. They hang in her office at the Storm’s basketball gym. She schedules teachers and administrators to work games, ambulance services, security and stays in contact with the head of the referees to make sure they have their schedules or schedule changes. Student grades are another big responsibility as she has to make sure they are eligible to compete. Coaches have to com-

plete their required online clinics for rules and it is her job to ensure they have done so. “It can be a handful but I like the responsibility of being athletic director,” Crnkovic said. “It keeps me busy. I’m not just busy during softball season but I’m busy during the summer time setting up free physicals.”

Close knit school

Delta Charter is a small school that feels like family, she said. The school is a small community like the town of Ferriday. With her job as Athletic Director, she has to contact parents a lot but oftentimes she already has the parents contact info in her phone. She knows the kids and parents and has established

a relationship, she said. “We are small and I feel like this one by far is more close knit than the other schools,” Crnkovic said. “Maybe it's because we are the only charter school in Concordia Parish. The relationships I have with the students and the teachers, it's a different vibe than what it was at the other schools. We are closer here. I didn’t have the same close relationships at those schools as I do here.” She is seven years away from getting her 30 years of teaching in. Her hope is to be at Delta Charter until then. Right now, she enjoys coaching and doesn’t see herself quitting anytime soon. Lady Storm softball players keep her young and in check. It's also fun because she had two sons but never any daughters so she enjoys being around the girls. “I still love to get out there and play,” Crnkovic said. “As long as I’m able to coach, I will.” PROFILE 2022

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‘A partner in this

Kevin Preston

community’ Preston builds business success on partnerships

BY JAN GRIFFEY THE NATCHEZ DEMOCRAT

ATCHEZ — At 6 foot 6 inches tall, it’s understandable Kevin Preston could seem an intimidating figure. Get to know him, and you learn what’s most important to him is your comfort. Natchez attorney Tony Heidelberg met Preston when Preston was building a casino in Natchez, and the two have been as close as brothers since. Heidelberg said Preston cares for people. All people. “In a nutshell, I call Kevin an over-caring person. He concerns himself with how people are treated. He truly wants everyone to be treated fairly, whether you are female, African American, Latino — Kevin feels everyone deserves an equal shot,” Heidelberg said. Preston is president and founder of Premier Gaming Group, the owner of Magnolia Bluffs Casino and Hotel in Natchez. Maybe that value of putting people first in his business and among his family and friends is rooted in his south side of Chicago upbringing, an area known for its mix of affluent and blue collar residents. Preston went to college at Wichita State on a basketball scholarship, but after an injury, completed his degree and also played basketball at the University of St. Francis in Joliet, Illinois. After graduation, Preston secured an internship with Harrah’s in its riverboat casinos in the Chicagoland area. He continued to work with Harrah’s through 1999, in corporate finance, risk

PROFILE 2022

management and operations at 10 of its casino and hotel properties, including Las Vegas, regional riverboat operations and Native American gaming facilities. Preston worked at several other gaming and hotel operations, earning more responsibility with each. He parlayed his experience in the gaming and hospitality industry into the founding a company that led to the creation of Magnolia Bluffs in Natchez — developing, financing and constructing a new casino. In 2015, Preston’s company acquired the assets of the former Isle of Capri casino, including its hotel. Now it is the Magnolia Bluff Hotel and Preston will begin an extensive renovation of each room and the entire hotel facility this March. “We will work floor by floor, so the hotel will not have to close during the renovations,” he said. Late last year, Preston added to his company’s stable of businesses Louisiana Downs Casino and Racetrack in Bossier City, Louisiana. “I think Louisiana Downs just gives another option to folks,” he said. “Bossier is a little over three hours away. We are still getting our feet under us there and doing some changes that need to be made there — remodeling and cleaning things up. I have been able to watch the horses train and practice and that has been amazing.” In Natchez, thanks in large part to sports betting, Magnolia Bluffs has seen its revenue and market share grow. “We are getting into a more stabilized time. We are going into our third year for sports

book and that’s been tremendous for us. We have seen our market grow and customers are enjoying the new bar and lounge and restaurant. It’s really changed the game for us. “Lots of casinos have a kiosk and their customers don’t deal with people when placing a sports bet. That’s not the way we do business,” Preston said. “We have employees and that makes for a more personalized experience. It’s important to keep the human factor involved in the business. For us, it means more when we can look a

customer in the eye and get to know them. I’ve heard our employees ask how our customers’ kids are doing or how their mom is doing. I think that’s particularly so important in Natchez.”

Community investment

“We are a partner in this community — a partner who is truly invested in the community,” Preston said. “So many times, businesses are not engaged in the town they are in. That’s not us. We are just thrilled to be in Natchez. We fit this community well.” Preston is proud of what

Magnolia Bluffs contributes economically to Natchez and Adams County. Magnolia Bluffs makes lease payments annually of a minimum of $1 million to the City of Natchez for the land on which the casino sits. That number has increased in recent years because of a provision in the lease that ties it to revenue generated by the casino. The lease payment for 2021 was in excess of $1.4 million. In addition, Magnolia Bluffs pays property taxes of more than $600,000 per year. It also contributes $243,000 annually to a community development fund, an amount that increases every five years. “I sit on that board and we make decisions based on applications that come in. We have purchased new furniture for the firehouses, we have contributed to the pool, have bought new computers,” Preston said. Magnolia Bluffs made a one-time payment of $1,000,000 to the YMCA project that led to the community swimming pool and made a one-time payment of $300,000 to the city’s trail project. The 190 or so full- and parttime employees at Magnolia Bluffs share in a total annual payroll of around $7 million. “The majority of our employees live in Natchez and Adams County and Vidalia, Louisiana. They shop, eat and spend their money in this community,” Preston said. Another of Preston’s missions is to do as much business as possible with local vendors, he said. “The majority of the business we do is local. We could PROFILE 2022

go to larger corporations and get deals, but we choose to do as much local business as possible. That works to our benefit. We can call a vendor, like Reeve (Gibson) at The Rock Shop and they are there in a second,” Preston said. “Our goal is to do as much business locally as we can and help as much as we can.” Statistics compiled by Magnolia Bluff shows it has spent almost $27.5 million to local businesses since 2013 and has spent $568,125 in contributions and sponsorships to Natchez area groups since that time. “Our commitment to Natchez and Adams County is to be a really good corporate citizen. We are always there to say yes,” he said. “We know that it is a privilege to have a gaming license and if you do the right thing, that goes a long way.”

Paying civic rent

Preston makes his home in Union, Kentucky, with is wife, Michele, and daughters Kylee and Taylor. He spends a significant amount of time on the road traveling for business, much of that to Natchez. He has also spent much time over the years traveling to watch his daughters play volleyball. Daughter Kylee played volleyball, but was more artistically inclined. She is a junior at the University of Kentucky. Youngest daughter Taylor graduates high school this year and was Kentucky’s Gatorade Player of the Year in Volleyball. She signed a college scholarship and will play volleyball at the University of Oklahoma next year. “I’m focused on growing the business, but I enjoy going to different cities and towns and watching Taylor play and spending time with family. My down time is really about my family,” he said. In August 2021, Preston donated 33 pairs of shoes, 30 volleyballs, t-shirts and team bags to the new volleyball team at Natchez High School. He also brought down the members of his daughter, Taylor’s, high school volleyball team and coaches from St. Henry District High School in Erlanger, Kentucky, to put on a clinic for the Natchez High players. Three of the members of the St. Henry team, including Taylor, were offered college scholarships and were committed to playing volleyball on the college level. “Kevin never wanted to be an absentee owner of this business. He wanted to be engaged in the community,” Heidelberg said. “When he is in town, he attends Pilgrim Baptist Church. That’s the church he chooses to attend. It’s not because he’s trying to prove that he’s not a biased person. That’s where he feels comfortable worshipping.” Heidelberg said the idea that Natchez did not have a community pool was a point of contention for Preston. “He was bothered with the whole idea that there was no community pool for people to learn to swim and he put me to the task to make sure that got done. That’s something the community could do recreationally together. Our soccer leagues and baseball leagues, to a large part, are still segregated. He learned the history of trying to desegregate the pool in Duncan Park and he didn’t like that history. Kevin wanted to help change that,” Heidelberg said. He said Preston lost his father at a young age and lost his mother about three years ago and has formed family-like relationships with many in Natchez. “What people in Natchez don’t realize is they are Kevin’s family. He has become very close with a number of people, like Tate (Taylor) and John (Norris). David Paradise is like Kevin’s mentor and father figure. We spend a lot of time together,” Heidelberg said. “David was instrumental in giving Kevin the emotional business support when he got started here. When Kevin got started here, he initially felt like the powers that be were against him because of the Isle of Capri. But the average person was for him. With that being the case, Kevin fell in love with Natchez from its roots…He is a selfless person when it comes to the City of Natchez.” 32

PROFILE 2022

Compassion to give back to the communities we serve flows through the heart and soul of Atmos Energy’s employees. We are committed to helping students have a bright and healthy future by fighting childhood hunger and focusing on reading on level by 3rd grade, showing appreciation to our hometown heroes and providing assistance to our neighbors in need. We are proud to play a vital role in the communities we serve with our time, talent and resources.

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Inspiring future performers Teacher shares passion for theater with students BY SABRINA ROBERTSON THE NATCHEZ DEMOCRAT

alori Giannaris wakes up every morning around 6 a.m., ready to go to work at Adams County Christian School. Some evenings, she doesn't come home until after midnight. Those are the evenings she is usually at school checking all of the little details, including lighting, sound and stage design, to prepare for the next big theatrical performance of the ACCS Drama Club. Despite the long hours, Giannaris said she hasn’t had a day yet that she did not want to go to work. "I'm excited to come to work every morning. It's a dream job," she said. Her love of art, theater and teaching makes each day exciting. Giannaris's classroom is an explosion of colors, mostly her students' artwork hanging from the walls and ceiling along with stage props and costumes tucked into corners and shelves. The door is left open for students who come in not only for class but for in-between class hangouts. The Drama Club was born the year Giannaris started teaching a t

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ACCS six years ago. She implemented the program for students who needed other ways to be involved in extracurricular activities who were not interested in sports, she said. "I'm an artist by trade," she said. "We are a very athletically supported school with a lot of great athletic programs. But for a lot of students, athletics is not their niche. They don't participate in those things." Embodied in theater is not just acting and performing but lighting, design, directing, construction and choreography. "Theater is one type of art that encompasses many," she said. Theater also helps students learn and acquire an array of skill sets to help them in life, such as memorization, public speaking, quick-thinking, character building and teamwork, she said. "To get on stage in front of hundreds of people and give a performance takes so much courage," she said. "The more you do that, the more you improve skills across the board. ... You're implementing and growing life skills without realizing it." With theater, Giannaris said she gets to spend the majority of her time doing what she loves while painting, cutting, gluing and putting together a production piece by piece. "It's my little labor of love," she said.

ACCS Drama

Giannaris said she went to school to pursue social work at the University of Southern Mississippi. After graduating, she and her husband Nick traveled and lived in several places before Giannaris found out she had cancer. She fought the disease for two years and started teaching at ACCS soon after she went into remission. With two children going to school there, Giannaris said the job was a convenient placement for her. She quickly felt at home at ACCS and is now working toward her master's degree in education, she said. "Working here has changed the course of my life," she said. "This isn't where I saw my life going at all, but growing with the school and this program growing with me has changed my life for the better." In addition to theater, Giannaris said she enjoys sketching and painting. Primarily, her art is based on world cultures with an emphasis on religion. Most recently, she has taken to drawing anime characters because that is what her children like. Her sons, Cole who is 11 years old and Cam who is 9, are both artistically inclined as well. Giannaris said she has always had a passion for theater. She was very involved in Natchez Little Theater and started performing her junior year at Trinity. Her passion carried over into adulthood. She enjoyed attending performances at USM and is a member of the Mississippi Theater Association. Through teaching, Giannaris found she liked working behind the scenes in the planning and development part of theater. While she implemented the program at ACCS, Giannaris said her students are the drivers of it. "It is no surprise to my students when I spontaneously ask them to give a speech,"

she said. "The only time I really speak is when I'm giving awards to them because I like recognizing them for what they've accomplished. They do it all." The drama club includes skilled and talented actors, she said. "We've got about 80 kids in drama club and about half of those are backstage crew members. It's a student-led program. They design everything and I'm there and we have parent volunteers there to assist but the students design everything, construct everything and paint everything. ... Through the years, I've found that I can just let go of the reins and let the kids do their thing." Giannaris has not let go of performing herself. In April, she will be playing the lead role in the debut performance at an up-and-coming dinner theater in Natchez called "Storyville Cabaret," located at 121 North Commerce St. In the production "Bells Take the Big Easy," Giannaris plays the role of Mary Grace, who "has a lazy husband, two kids

and loves Google and hates her motherin-law," she said. The most difficult part of the program is funding it, she said. Their next production Willie Wonka Jr., which premiers in April, is planned to have the biggest stage set yet. Giannaris

has blueprints to build the Wonka factory in ACCS's auditorium, a feat that is well over the drama club's budget. "We don't usually have to fundraise because we take up money for tickets and that will roll over into our next production, but we have to do some fundraising this time," she said. Giannaris said for her, the best part of the job is watching the children grow and their passion for art grow with them. "My favorite part is taking a student who is initially more reserved and helping to cultivate them into an outgoing stage person. They'll join as backstage help and before I know it, they are auditioning for leads in musicals and they are a completely different student than when I first met them. In general, watching the students grow a passion for something that I'm passionate about is rewarding." For those who would like to contribute to the ACCS Drama Club, whether monetarily or as a volunteer, for Willie Wonka Jr. and other upcoming productions, Giannaris said she can be reached via email to malorigiannaris@adamschristian.org.

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