Daily Corinthian E-Edition 080112 by Daily Corinthian

Wednesday Aug. 1,

2012

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Daily Corinthian Vol. 116 No. 184

Thunderstorm Today

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102

• Corinth, Mississippi • 26 pages • 2 sections

City leaders discuss tax levy vote BY JEBB JOHNSTON jjohnston@dailycorinthian.com

Drawing on his football days, Corinth Mayor Tommy Irwin asked citizens to endorse “the mother of all plays” as he made his pitch for Future Fare at Corinth High School Tuesday night. Irwin presented a look at city finances as well as the proposed Future Fare spending and argued that it is a pivotal time for Corinth to make infrastructure improvements. “If we do the right things, you’re going to see things that you didn’t dream would come to Corinth,” said Irwin. “I believe that. I’ve lived it. I’ve seen it all over the country. It will happen.” On Aug. 21, Corinth voters will go to the polls to decide the special election on an ad valorem tax increase of 12 mills for a five-year period. It would be Corinth’s first tax increase since 2001, when the city increased the ad valorem tax by 5.5 mills with 4 mills designated for a bond issue that financed street paving and a new fire station. A school district increase accounted for the rest. Ward 1 Alderman Andrew Labas said he has been asked

why the board decided on a property tax increase. “It’s the only mechanism that we as a city board really have in place to go after to increase taxes … We looked at the option of a gasoline tax,” he said. “We looked at sales tax. All of that is going to take a change in state law.” The board also decided not to look at bonds. “The issue with floating a bond right now is we don’t have the income to make those payments,” said Labas. “We’re on a shoestring budget as it is.” A few individuals said they support the proposed tax increase. One who does not is Harold Patrick, who said he is hearing concerns from a number of people in the business community. He said residential developers who have open lots will be hurt as well as business owners who cannot shoulder additional costs in their operations. “I feel like there’s other opportunities to get this revenue,” he said, citing the tourism tax as an example. City officials said that would require legislative action and is

Staff photo by Steve Beavers

Please see LEVY | 11A

Kathi Irwin, the wife of Corinth Mayor Tommy Irwin, passes out Future Fare booklets prior to the meeting Tuesday night.

New Ole Miss AD charts future

Storm damage

BY BRANT SAPPINGTON bsappington@dailycorinthian.com

Staff photo by Steve Beavers

Church members help clear a tree that fell on the home of 80-year-old Maxine Johnson at 301 Lilac Street.

Storm systems down trees, power lines; Cleanup crews work throughout night BY STEVE BEAVERS sbeavers@dailycorinthian.com

A late-night storm kept city and county workers busy on Tuesday. High winds was responsible for a marority of the damage with several trees toppled in the first and second districts of Alcorn County. “It got pretty woolly,” said emergency management coordinator Ricky Gibens, who was driving home on County Road 218. The first front hit the area around 11 p.m. with a second dumping a torrential downpour, according to Gibens. “It was a light show all

through the night and morning,” said the emergency coordinator. “The wind was at least 70 mph plus and blowing my truck all over the road.” Alcorn County Board of Supervisors President Lowell Hinton said county workers were out from 10:30 p.m. until 5:30 a.m. cleaning up debris. “It seems the first and second districts were hit the worst with most of the damage being from Kendrick Road to Box Chapel Road,” said the 1st district supervisor. “There were multiple trees down on multiple roads.” Homeowner Charles Curtis was cleaning up debris in his yard at 122 County Road 226 in

Farmington early Tuesday. “It got pretty windy and came up all at once with quite bit of rain,” said Curtis. “I have seen damage that was worse than this, but was never involved.” Curtis said a tree that was already leaning fell into another tree and knocked down a power pole close to his driveway. “Everything was knocked out and it was over in about eight to nine minutes,” said the 30-year owner of the CR 226 home. According to 2nd district supervisor Dal Nelms, the cleanup process was a hectic one. “We got five calls at one time,”

Index Stocks...... 7A Classified......5B Comics......3B Wisdom......2B

Weather......5A Obituaries......3A Opinion......4A Sports......8A

Please see STORM | 11A

University of Mississippi Athletic Director Ross Bjork is focused on the future. “If we stay still, we fall behind,” Bjork told members of the Booneville Rotary Club Tuesday. The head of athletics at Ole Miss visited the club on his way to Tuesday night’s annual meeting of the Tri-State Rebel Club in Iuka. Bjork, who was appointed in March to take the post vacated by embattled longtime AD Pete Boone, said he realizes Ole Miss and its athletics department have been through some tough times in recent years and he believes the time has come to stop focusing on the past and chart a clear course toward success in the future. “The page has been turned,” he said. Bjork came to Ole Miss from a highly successful twoyear stint as director of athletics at Western Kentucky University, where helped reshape the program. He plans to do the same at Ole Miss and he’s calling on all those who love and support the school to come together to help them build on the successes of the past and forge a new and brighter future. He said he understands clearly how high the expectations are for him and for his department. “I know expectations are high and with that comes a responsibility to perform at the highest level,” he said. He said university athletics are operating with a $65 million budget, the highest in

Staff photo by Brant Sappington

Retired legendary Northeast Mississippi Community College Football Coach and Athletic Director Bill Ward (left) chats with University of Mississippi Athletic Director Ross Bjork following Bjork’s remarks Tuesday to the Booneville Rotary Club. the school’s history, but still lower than many rivals such as Alabama and LSU. Bjork has already begun his transformation of the program with the hiring of a new women’s basketball coach and a track and field coach. He has also restructured the athletic department with the creation of several new positions to make it more effective and responsive. Long-term goals include an ambitious building plan that includes improvements to the current training center, including a new full-service dining facility, a more attractive and awe-inspiring lobby and other renovations. A key piece of the vision is a new basketball arena to replace the venerable but aging Tad Smith Coliseum. “We cannot blow up Tad Smith arena quickly enough,” he said with a laugh. He said the old arena has Please see REBELS | 5A

On this day in history 150 years ago British authorities ignore American demands to seize the newly launched ship Enrica. The ship will later be renamed the CSS Alabama and will be responsible for the destruction of 60 Union merchant ships.

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2A • Wednesday, August 1, 2012 • Daily Corinthian

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3A • Daily Corinthian

Wednesday, August 1, 2012

Deaths Annie Belle Reed Burns

sic, flowers and going to church. She was preceded in death by her husband of 55 years, Tedford Butler; a son, Tommy Lee Daniel Butler; her parents, William Thomas and Minnie Gale Barnes Smith; her brothers, William Jack Smith and Simon Barnes Smith; and her sisters, Flossie E. Wilson, Jewell Beatrice Mullins, Mary E. McFall and Patsy Joan Hindmon. Survivors include a son, Larry Joe Butler of Corinth; her sisters, Minnie Grace Jones of Corinth, and Bonnie L. Strickland and husband Pete of Corinth; a special friend, John Knight and wife Darlene of Corinth; numerous nieces, nephews, other relatives and a host of friends. Minister Charles Curtis, John Knight and Charlie Browning will officiate. Pallbearers will be John Knight, Wayne Strickland, Danny McKee, Danny Spears, Randy Jones and Doug Butler. Visitation is 1 p.m. until service time at Magnolia Funeral Home. Online condolences can be left at www.magnoliafuneralhome.net.

Mrs. Annie Belle Burns, 77, of Corinth, died Tuesday at Magnolia Regional Health Center. Mrs. Burns was retired from the North Mississippi Children’s Shelter and the Alcorn County School System, she was formerly an associate of Piggly Wiggly. She was a member of Cross Way Church and also cared for the children’s nursery at Cross Winds Church. Services for Mrs. Burns will be 2 p.m., Friday, August 3, 2012, at McPeters Funeral Directors Chapel with Haskel Sparks officiating and burial in the Henry Cemetery. Visitation will be Thursday, August 2, 2012, 5 until 8 p.m. at McPeters. Mrs. Burns is preceded in death by her husband William “Buckshot” Burns, her parents Rasty and Georgia Anna Reed, a sister Mary Ann Parks. Survivors include her brother, John R. Reed (Marie) of Omaha, Neb.; her family, Pat and Orville King, Helen Henson; special grandchildren Trey King, Jessica King, Nathan King, Alicia King; special great grandchildren, Laikyn King and Tret King; nieces and nephews, James Reed (Daphia), Donna Kay Smith (Russ) and Billy Joe Reed ( Cindy); a sister-in-law, Rita Burns Carter and her church family. Pallbearers will be Cecil Stroup, James Hopkins, Mike Lewis, Andy Greening, Wayne Leatherwood and Junior Morgan.

Dorothy Depoyster Haynie

Dorothy Depoyster Haynie, better known as Mamaw, passed away from complications of Alzheimer’s Disease on Monday, July 30, 2012 at the age of 83. Dot graduated from Corinth High School and attended the “W.” She then went on the obtain a Master’s Degree from Mississippi State University. She spent 12 years as the librarian Haynie at Kossuth Elementary School where she instilled a love of reading in the hearts of so many. She also spent 27 years working at the Corinth Public Library where she was surrounded by her beloved books. Dot often said that you can go anywhere in the world in a book, and

Artie Butler

Funeral services for Artie Marseiles Butler, 78, of Corinth, are set for 2 p.m. today at Magnolia Funeral Home Chapel of Memories with burial at Fraley’s Chapel Church of Christ Cemetery. Mrs. Butler died Sunday, July 29, 2012, at Magnolia Regional Health Center. Born April 12, 1934, she was a homemaker. She was a member of Kendrick Road Church of Christ. She loved her family and friends, and before she got sick she loved to go out and visit them. She loved listening to gospel mu-

Christopher Lane Hall

Funeral services for Christopher Lane Hall, infant son of Chris and Tiffany Hall, are incomplete at this time and will be announced by McPeters Funeral Directors when finalized.

Rudy Adams

WALNUT — Funeral services for Rudolph “Rudy” Adams, 73, were held Monday at Shackelford Funeral Directors of Middleton, Tenn., with burial at Rogers Springs Cemetery in Middleton, Tenn. Mr. Adams died Friday, July 27, 2012, at Magnolia Regional Health Center in Corinth. Born April 24, 1939, in Portland, Mich., he was a truck driver. He was preceded in death by his parents, Rudolph Martin Adams and Marguerite Wells Adams. Survivors include his

wife, Patricia M a t thews Adams of Waln u t ; o n e daught e r , MagAdams gie M. Vuncannon (James) of Corinth; two step-daughters, Katina Mardis (Willie) of Selmer, Tenn., and Christy Cook (Calvin) of Selmer, Tenn.; his grandchildren, Adrianna Betancourth, Jonathan Willis, Daniel Bryant, Jackie Yearwood, Amanda Schielke, Sarah Cook and Jordan Bryant; and one great-grandchild. Jesse Cutrer will officiate.

J.C. Hastings

Funeral services for J.C. Hastings, 72, are set for 3 p.m. today at Memo-

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rial Funeral Home Chapel with burial at Old Kemp’s Chapel. Mr. Hastings died Sunday, July 29, 2012, at St. Francis Hospital. Born Sept. 28, 1939, in Hinkle, he was retired from the City of Corinth Street Department with 30 years of service. He was of the Baptist faith. He was preceded in death by his parents, John and Elma Hastings; and several brothers and sisters. Survivors include his wife, Shelia Hastings. Bro. Bill Wages will officiate. Visitation is today from noon until service time.

James Lee Patterson

James Lee Patterson,

boy, did she! She will be very missed. Dot attended Strickland church of Christ Preceded in death by her husband, Robert L. (R.L.) Haynie, Sr., her parents, H.N. and Lucille Depoyster, and a son-in-law, Kenneth Childers, Dot was a beloved mother and grandmother. She is survived by her children: Susan Childers, Janis Haynie (Jerry), Lucinda Haynie, Robert L. Haynie, Jr., Tim Haynie (Lynn), and Lisa Lamberth. Grandchildren: Mike Childers, Jeremy Haynie (Melissa), Dusty Haynie, Marilyn Hude (John), and Robert Bradford Lamberth. Great-grandchildren: Cody Childers, Brittany Childers, Tyler Childers, and Jayce Haynie. Great-great grandchildren: Cayden White and Preston Baker. She is also survived by her sister, Billie Sue DePoyster Dillngham, as well as many nieces and nephews. Funeral service will be 10:00 A.M. Thursday at Memorial Funeral Home Chapel with Minster Brad Dillingham officiating. Burial will be in the Indian Spring Methodist Church Cemetery Family will receive fiends from 5 to 8 Wednesday at the funeral home. The family asks that in lieu of flowers donations be made to the Alzheimer’s Foundation at www.alz.org or to the Corinth Public Library in her memory. Condolences can be left at wwwmemorialcorinth.com Memorial Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.

Martha Richardson

Martha Sue (Gentry) Richardson was born Jan. 24, 1934, in Corinth. She died Saturday, July 28, 2012, at Baptist Trinity Hospice House. Martha Sue attended Biggersville High School and married James Lloyd Richardson from Rienzi in 1951. They moved to Memphis, Tenn., and she loved being a stay-at-home mom; handmaking her five children’s clothes, cooking exceptional meals for her family, taking carloads of kids and their friends to the drive-in theater or bowl60, died Wednesday, July 25, 2012, at St. Francis Hospital in Memphis, Tenn. He was a former mechanic with the City of Corinth. He was preceded in death by his mother, Ruby Rorie Patterson. Survivors include one son, Jimmy Patterson of Burnsville; his father, Tom Patterson of Corinth; one grandson, Kalvin Patterson; a sister, Martha Patterson; and a brother, Donnie Patterson. Mr. Patterson will be buried in the Valley of The Dogwood Cemetery with a Memorial Service at a later date. McPeters Funeral Directors is in charge of arrangements.

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ing alley, doctoring scraped knees, mending broken hearts and creating a home full of laughter and joy. She taught her children strong work ethics, family values and what it meant to have a moral compass. After a successful Richardson 20-year career at the Vapors Supper Club, she showed her determined spirit and grit and became a successful business owner opening two popular nightclubs with her sister Ettie, Marlee’s in the 1980s and Kings Inn in the 1990s. During this chapter in her life, she made a positive impact on untold numbers of young people, many who still refer to her as “mom.” She enjoyed a wellearned retirement in 2002 and could be found almost any given Sunday surrounded by family, food and fun. Her interests included reading, birds, flowers, nature, antiquing and traveling the U.S. as well as abroad. She adored her dogs, Sebastian, Daisy and Charlie. She was preceded in death by her parents, Alton and Hazel (Parvin) Gentry; two sisters, Ettie Lee Phillips and Mary Glen Blakney; two daughters, Dian Holloway and Linda Carol Cordo; one granddaughter, Sheyenne ValentineGripp; a daughter-in-law, Bonnie (Armstrong) Richardson; and a grandson-inlaw, Jeremy Reynolds. She is survived by three children, Ben Richardson (Pat) of Oakland, Tenn., Suzette Gripp (Michael) of Eads, Tenn., and Joe Richardson (Adrianne) of Germantown, Tenn.; 14 grandchildren; 18 great-grandchildren; one great-greatgrandchild; and numerous extended family members and friends. She was a wonderful mother, sister, friend and “Grandma,” and she will be deeply missed by many. Memorial Park Funeral and Cemetery of Memphis, Tenn., was in charge of arrangements.

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Opinion

Mark Boehler, editor

4A • Wednesday, August 1, 2012

Corinth, Miss.

Letters to the editor

Future Fare will add to city’s great qualities To the editor: On behalf of the management and board of directors of Commerce National Bank, I convey our support of the City of Corinth’s proposed Future Fare plan. This plan represents a forward approach to improve our city and enhance its wonderful qualities. As Corinth’s only hometown bank, we are deeply rooted in the community and believe the proposed paving, milling and overlay will go a long way in continuing to improve our city’s curb appeal. These projects are vital in the recruitment of new industry and the retention of our other partners in the business community. Along with improving our roads, the continued work on our drainage issues and the gateway corridors will add to the charm of our city and county. Future Fare signifies our chance to make lifelong advancements in our community, and that is the very reason Commerce National Bank is in full support of this initiative. Frank A. Davis EVP & COO Commerce National Bank

Program will help make good first impressions To the editor: It is with great enthusiasm we are writing this letter of support for the Corinth Future Fare program. We feel the Future Fare program is necessary to improve the economic development of our city and propel Corinth forward. As the only independently owned and operated pharmacy businesses in Corinth, we are aware the appearance of the city has a profound impact upon the decision of industries, healthcare professionals and business owners to relocate to Corinth. The disrepair of the city and its buildings deters progress. When potential proprietors or healthcare professionals visit Corinth, first impressions are pivotal. Repair such as paving rough city streets, cleaning up unkempt property, and improving sidewalks will make the city aesthetically pleasing. As a result, it will depict the city of Corinth as the desirable place to live and work that it is. The Future Fare program will begin the process of providing a better quality of life for the residents of Corinth. Hopefully, with the implementation of these improvements, Corinth Future Fare will encourage future generations to locate in our city and be productive members of our community. These additional residents are the lifeblood of our city and will ensure continued economic prosperity for the generations to come. It’s our opinion Future Fare will provide the needed revenue to make necessary repairs and boost the local economy. We are very much in support of this program and encourage everyone to vote in favor of Future Fare on Aug. 21. Rick Quinn, Medical Plaza Pharmacy Greg Quinn, B&R Pharmacy Mike Gunn, Gunn Drug Company

Prayer for today

State’s hospitals will complicate Medicaid expansion fight STARKVILLE — How simple it would be if the legislative battle in Mississippi over the future of the Obama health care reforms were merely a battle between Republicans and Democrats. On the surface, that’s the rub. The Republican leadership — Gov. Phil Bryant, Lt. Gov. Tate Reeves, and House Speaker Philip Gunn — all say they oppose a Medicaid expansion in Mississippi because of state budgetary concerns. Bryant said funding a Medicaid expansion would likely require substantial budget cuts in education and transportation. Reeves said adding 400,000 people to Medicaid would cost about $1.7 billion over a decade. Gunn called the expansion a “budgetbuster” for the state. But Democrats and public health care advocacy groups say Mississippi can’t afford to turn down additional federal dollars available for public health care in a state with a high percentage of uninsured citizens. Seeking to influence both sides in the partisan battle over the proposed expansion of Medicaid in Mississippi will be the state’s hos-

“Restore us, O Lord Almighty; make your face shine upon us, that we may be saved” (Ps. 80:19, NIV). Amen.

A verse to share The mountain peaks belong to the Lord. — Psalm 95:4 (NIV)

Letters Policy The Opinion page should be a voice of the people and reflect views from a broad range in the community. Citizens can express their opinion in letters to the editor. Only a few simple rules need to be followed. Letters should be of public interest and not of the ‘thank you’ type. Please include your full signature, home address and telephone number on the letter for verification. All letters are subject to editing before publication, especially those beyond 300 words in length. Send to: Letters to the editor, Daily Corinthian, P.O. Box 1800, Corinth, Miss. 38835. Letters may also be e-mailed to: letters@daily corinthian.com. Email is the preferred method. Personal, guest and commentary columns on the Opinion page are the views of the writer. “Other views” are editorials reprinted from other newspapers. None of these reflect the views of this newspaper.

Reece Terry publisher rterry@dailycorinthian.com

pitals. After the recent Supreme Court ruling that sparked public opposition to Sid Salter M e d i c a i d Columnist e x p a n s i o n by Bryant, Reeves and Gunn, the Mississippi Hospital Association released a statement that contained this ominous scenario: “Failure to expand Medicaid eligibility will leave just under 200,000 Mississippians with no health care coverage at all. These Mississippians will be left ‘in the gap’ — not eligible for Medicaid and not eligible to purchase health insurance through the health insurance exchange. The result could be devastating. Hospitals cannot be expected to treat such a large volume of people with no expectation or prospect of payment for those services. The result could very well mean the closure of many of our community hospitals,” the MHA statement claimed. The hospitals are expected to hang their political hats on the estimated annual $315 million costs of

uncompensated care (the cost of treating uninsured patients that is not reimbursable by any federal program) as justification for the Medicaid expansion. Hospitals nationwide are taking the same course, particularly in states like Mississippi that have relatively large uninsured populations and extensive poverty. Mississippi’s Medicaid expansion debate is likely to renew an old political division that engendered a three-year battle between the MHA and the then-Democratic Partycontrolled House of Representatives on one side and former Gov. Haley Barbour, the state Senate and the Division of Medicaid on the other over the so-called “hospital tax.” The fight began in 2006 when the federal government disallowed the state’s Medicaid Disproportionate Share Hospital funding plan. That action left the state Medicaid program short $90 million that had previously been used to draw down another $270 million in federal matching funds. MHA president Sam Cameron and the House

leadership called the proposed “hospital tax” a “tax on the sick.” Barbour, the state Senate and the Division of Medicaid contended that the funding assessment was in place prior to Barbour taking office in 2004 and that the basic assessment plan had been created and approved by the association in conjunction with the Division of Medicaid and the Legislature. After a protracted and politically bloody threeyear fight, the “hospital tax” was adopted by lawmakers. Now, in the wake of the Supreme Court decision on the Obama health care reforms, the state’s hospitals and the Legislature are again on a collision course with the influential MHA. The stakes are high for the state’s hospitals that provide Medicaid coverage and emergency room treatment for the indigent. And the stakes are perhaps just as high for the state’s GOP legislative leadership who see controlling state spending as their primary objective. (Sid Salter is a syndicated columnist. Contact him at 601-507-8004 or sidsalter@sidsalter.com.)

At least have something to haul home BILOXI — All of us are gamblers, whether we admit it or not. If we put money in the stock market, or drive a car on roads overrun with texting fools, or even get out of bed and go outside, we are gambling, if not with our money with our lives. And yet there’s something altogether different and desperate about the casinos and the fast rate at which ordinary people will push money into machines in the hope of making more. A suspension of disbelief, I’d call it. I never can figure out the appeal, exactly. I love the Mississippi coast, always have, one of the best kept secrets in the South. Even post-Katrina, it’s an unofficial architectural museum, a laid-back anecdote to the high-rise clutter of Florida beaches, where you have to check into a hotel or condo to see the water. But the casinos that thrive where the working shrimp

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Mark Boehler

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editor editor@dailycorinthian.com

Willie Walker

Roger Delgado

circulation manager circdirector@dailycorinthian.com

press foreman

boats used to dock are a mystery to me. I’m clueless, as the kids would say. Rheta There is Johnson no glamour, once you Columnist pass the fancy shops and live flowers in the lobby of a hotel that wears the casino name. Patrons wear blue jeans and tennis shorts and maybe even their idea of what one should wear to a casino, but the amalgamation is decidedly unglamorous, like old Mardi Gras beads strewn in a kitchen junk drawer. There is no view of the ocean, lest you be distracted from gambling. There is no raucous laughter or convivial air; gambling is a solitary sport. Coast casinos are not one-size-fits-all. There are smoke-free casinos for the sensitive, military and se-

nior discounts at some of the restaurants, a Jimmy Buffett casino for Parrotheads. The casinos work at it, whatever “it” is. You might say you come here for the cheap buffet, or the shops, or a show, but I’m betting you’ll gamble just a little. Just enough to pay for the evening at the restaurant, the shops or the show. If that doesn’t work out, you say you paid for the fun. As that “man of virtues” William Bennett once told us, not everyone is betting the milk money. I check my watch and feed the quarter slot $20. It takes three minutes for the hungry machine to finish it off. It would take a minimum-wage worker nearly three hours to earn it. I sound like a scold whenever I talk about gambling. But having grown up with Depression-era parents and grandparents, I’m more incredulous than disapproving. My grandmother would

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wash and reuse tin foil until it was soft and wrinkled. Now, two generations later, grandmothers are rolling in behind their walkers to push their Social Security checks into the clattering slot machines. I’ve wasted more money in my life than I care to recall. I’ve bought more useless bric-a-brac than a Dollar Tree store, more clothing in a year than my grandmother owned in her entire life. And boats — those holes in the water into which you throw money — have seduced me since I could float in a miniature boat in a circle at the state fair. But when I’ve spent money — carelessly, unwisely, impulsively — there’s most always been something in a bag or on a trailer to haul home. (To find out more about Rheta Grimsley Johnson and her books, visit www. rhetagrimsleyjohnsonbooks.com.)

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Editorials represent the voice of the Daily Corinthian. Editorial columns, letters to the editor and other articles that appear on this page represent the opinions of the writers and the Daily Corinthian may or may not agree.

Daily Corinthian • Wednesday, August 1, 2012 • 5A

REBELS

Deaths

CONTINUED FROM 1A

Randy Shook

Funeral services for Randy Lee Shook, 56, of Corinth, are set for 6 p.m. Friday at North Corinth Baptist Church. Mr. Shook died Friday, July 27, 2012, at his residence. Born Feb. 8, 1956, he was a self-employed painter. He was of the Christian faith. He was preceded in death by his father, Olen Lee Shook; his mother, Dorothy Jeanette Shook; and his sisters, Carol Darlene Sisco and Mary Janette Moss. Survivors include a son, Adam Shook (Takara) of Corinth; his daughters, Amy Thurman (Jonathan) of Corinth, and Michelle Hollins (Johnny) of Corinth; five grandchildren, Rylee Shook, Caleb Thurman, Carter Thurman, Courtney Moss and Caitlyn Moss; a brother, Danny Shook (Annette) of Corinth; and a sister, Brenda Shook of Corinth. Family and friends will officiate. Family will be receiving friends in the fellowship hall after the service. In lieu of flowers send donations to Adam Shook @ 93 Farris Lane, Corinth, MS 38834. Magnolia Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.

served the university well, but is overdue for a replacement. He envisions an approximately $80 million state-of-the-art arena that will carry the university far into the future. He said a fundraising campaign is already underway and if goals are met they could break ground on the new arena by next summer. Bjork said Coach Hugh Freeze is hard at work preparing for a new football season and they are expecting great things for the coming year. He described Freeze as a “Mr. Miyagi” type coach — comparing him to the methodical and focused mentor from the Karate Kid movies. The director said by focusing on the fundamentals he is preparing his squad for success on the field. “We’re really focused on

doing the little things right to do the big things on gameday,” he said. The entire athletic department is focused on making Ole Miss the number one school in the country for both academics and athletics with a focus on core values of academic excellence, social responsibility, engagement with the community and the campus and ultimately winning on the field and off. Bjork did not shy away from a pair of controversial subjects broached during a question and answer period following his remarks. Asked about the University’s retirement of the Colonel Rebel mascot and the replacement with Rebel the Black Bear, Bjork said he understands the issue is a very sensitive one for fans and supporters of the school.

Noting he was not at the school at the time the decision was made, he said he knows those who made the decision were focused on what is in the best interests of the university. He said the bear is currently being used primarily in promotions targeted toward children. He emphasized there are absolutely no plans to remove the “Rebel” name from the school and in fact the university is preparing to roll out a new advertising campaign focused on what it means to be a rebel from the perspective of students, athletes, administrators and others in the university community. Bjork was also asked about the decision made by Chancellor Dan Jones to end the practice by the Ole Miss band of performing the song “From Dixie with Love.” The athletic director said the issue is not with

the song but rather with the tradition of some fans chanting “The South will rise again!” at the end of the song despite repeated requests from the administration to end the practice. He said the athletic department and the administration are working closely with the student government association and others on campus to encourage a change in attitudes and it is entirely possible the song could return in the future if there can be assurances that the chant won’t happen again. Bjork said he’s also looking to help create some new traditions during the upcoming football season and fans will see some new activities on gameday as they continue to try to help the university have the greatest gameday atmosphere in the nation.

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6A • Wednesday, August 1, 2012 • Daily Corinthian

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