Award Winning

Milly Moorehead West Captured Mississippi Momements That Matter Images

Milly Moorhead West is a photographer. She believes this passion was sparked by her mother, who “used a Kodak Brownie and taught me how to load and roll the film, making the ‘taking’ a picture all the more interesting.”

When Milly was a sophomore at Ole Miss, her growing skill with a camera collided with journalism, another curiosity that would remain with her throughout the years. “I took courses and documented things I thought other people should see, whether newsworthy in the traditional sense or not. I was drawn to the margins of society. In the 1980s I found what inspired me in the towns of the Delta.”

Milly’s images of people she had met on the streets, their private spaces, and surrounding landscape were showcased and awarded prizes in many exhibitions across the South, including the 1984 World’s Fair in New Orleans and the 11th Annual Bi-State Competition and Exhibition at the Meridian Museum of Art, where her submission beat out 249 other entries to become the first photograph to win Best in Show. Later that year in Memphis, she won another Best in Show at Art in the Park.

Milly’s exhibition in 1985 at Clarksdale’s Carnegie Public Library resonated deeply with its influential director at the time, Sid Graves, Jr., who praised her photography. “Few artists attend to the subjects Milly Moorhead addresses in her work, which finds values, wealth, and dignity in plac-

By THAD LEE | The Oxford Eagle

Milly sold Southside in the winter of 2002 to Vickie Cook and taught photography at Ole Miss during the 2003 spring semester. Later that year she married Rest West and moved to Oklahoma to attend the University of Tulsa, where she earned an MFA in Photography and won the prestigious Gussman Award in Art.

es of extreme poverty and need. Her commitment to her art and its subjects avoids cliches and is unique.”

Milly’s ability to capture memorable pictures has made her a twotime recipient of the Mississippi Institute of Arts and Letters Award in Photography. She attributes her success to a willingness to travel with a camera, “which means leaving my other plans by the wayside. I stop my car, or approach a woman on a street, or carefully make my way into a situation which may or may not be awkward. If a person is not willing to be photographed, then nothing works, the moment passes. And I move on.”

As accomplished as Milly is as an artist, her greatest legacy may be the founding of Southside Gallery in 1993 on the Oxford Square with sculptor and her then-husband, Rod Moorhead. It is hard to imagine what Oxford would be like today without Southside’s presence. It has given the residents a means to encounter beautiful, bold, and sometimes challenging works and ideas. Because of its wonderful glass façade, the gallery has given countless people on foot the opportunity to see fine art that they otherwise may have never seen. Southside has given the community a place to hold events and gatherings that attract many of the town’s most interesting and sometimes overlooked characters. It has given collectors access to new art. And, perhaps most importantly, Southside Gallery has given artists, particularly local and regional artists, a place to show their work and engage with the public.

None of that would have been possible without Milly’s efforts and vision. “I had respect for our artists, and they had respect for me. It was a good time in my life. All of it. Nothing is perfect, and yet, those years on the square, working every day at Southside,” reflects Milly.

“It was a joyful time.”

Milly sold Southside in the winter of 2002 to Vickie Cook and taught photography at Ole Miss during the 2003 spring semester. Later that year she married Rest West and moved to Oklahoma to attend the University of Tulsa, where she earned an MFA in Photography and won the prestigious Gussman Award in Art.

Today, Milly and Rest live in Oxford and she continues to be an artist. “If there is a statement to be made about my philosophy, it is that our work defines us.” She affirms that “my work as a photographer brings oxygen into my life and is integral in my daily routine.”

Dr. Walker Swaney from Oxford Dental answers five questions about the word “greatness” and the success of his dental practice.

Swaney has been a dentist for 47 full years, and still carries the same amount of daily motivation and love for his community. Swaney has been included in this list of “greats” due to the nature of the office and his undeniable love for his patients and staff for decades past and decades to come.

1.What is the definition of the word “greatness” to you and Oxford Dental?

“Greatness” is a really big word and could mean many things to everyone. However, if it is referring to me, I have to say, “Whoa! I don’t feel like I am in the ‘great’ category.” I am very blessed to have had a long wonderful successful career.

I repeat, “great” is not in my vocabulary for myself but I do attribute my success to these traits:

1) I was born with a lot of energy! I certainly don’t need caffeine to roll in the mornings.

2) I love that I have a lot of “want to.” This means I don’t need motivation to move forward. I simply feel the need to be an action person and help in getting things done.

3) Lastly, for me, change is good. I embrace change. Being stagnant is not my style.

These personality traits are very helpful in my everyday process in accomplishing what’s next. This year I begin my 48th year. To have worked this long and still enjoy everyday means something to me. My practice though deserves the “greatness” category because I truly do feel it is “great!” The reason is because of the mindset our people have when they show up for work ev - ery day. Basically, we agree at the beginning of each work day that today we will strive to make a difference in people’s lives and make them feel like a special guest when they come to see us. We are fortunate to be able to treat over 60-70 patients a day.

I can honestly say that our patients share and exhibit that feeling of looking forward to coming in. They know that on that visit they will be greeted by a friendly voice on the phone, welcomed with a warm smile as they enter, then promptly seen after a “no wait” appointment time, treated with 100% kindness and care and hopefully no discomfort, and when they leave they are thanked and be told we appreciate their support, their referrals, and their loyalty. Consequently, we see over 4,000 active patients many of whom have been coming for over 30-40 years!

So where is the “greatness” in Oxford Dental? It’s in the culture we share, it’s in the devotion and concern we have for all our patients, and it’s in the open communication and closeness we all share with each other at work.

2.How long has Oxford Dental been open? Was the dream always to open up our own dentist practice?

I started my practice as an associate with Dr. Don Newcomb in 1975. He truly was a wonderful mentor and role model. Then, I practiced for over these last 45 years wanting to grow my practice, to offer my patients the best care possible, offering the latest technology available in the dental field, and always striving to improve.

At this point I am privileged to have four partners and associates working with me that also share this level of care and commitment that I share.

3.What sets Oxford Dental apart from the other dentist offices in the area?

Trying to “set myself apart” from other dental offices has never been a burning thought for me. Everybody has their idea and plan and method for delivering care to their patients. I do think the reason we might be perceived as different is the total patient commitment we all share in delivering the absolute best care in a relaxed, fun yet professional environment. Like I said, nobody wants to go to the dentist - but if you have to go and you need to go - why not go somewhere where you are treated like a special guest or treated like a friend and where you are made to feel welcomed and acknowledged and appreciated?

Most patients that come to see us say, “I have never been to an office like this. Thank you for being here.” That makes going to work all the more exciting and enjoyable. And to this day – that has never gotten old.

4.Have there been any hardships you’ve had to face that could have affected the business? How did you overcome

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DR. SWANEY them, if so?

As a longtime business own er, I feel very fortunate to have experienced mostly positive pro ductive experiences.

However, in the early years of operating a business with the prime rate at 21 percent cer tainly made you skeptical about what the future holds. Then, the “Great Recession” of the 20082009 years was certainly a chal lenge when most everyone was having a hard time financially.

Then, we all experienced the “Covid Years.” Who would think the world would be facing such an uncertain future and what the outcome would be.

Lastly, all business owners, no matter what their businesses are, have to have their employ ees understand the vision that the business owner has for his company. Sometimes this is an easy concept - sometimes this is difficult to grasp. But the future and success of any company, I