Mississippi Moments Podcast

During WWII, Mississippi Southern College (Southern Miss) discontinued its football program. After the war, Coach Thad “Pie” Vann combed the South looking for new players.   Vann recalls the decision to leave the Gulf States Conference and how an undefeated season in 1958 led to national recognition.    Vann served as head football for Southern Miss from 1947 to 1968.   He notes how the growth of...

Growing up in Greenville, Deloris Franklin developed a love of the Blues at an early age.   After college, Franklin would often go see live music. She reminisces about the best venues in Greenville and of sitting next to a young singer named Tina Turner.   Working with the Mississippi Action for Community Education, or MACE, allowed Franklin to put her love of the Blues to good use. She remembers...

   Patty Carr Black began designing exhibits for the Old Capitol Museum in Jackson in 1970.   She recalls the decision to focus on Mississippi’s cultural heritage.    In 1974, the Smithsonian Institute asked Mississippi to be the featured state for that year’s Folk Life Festival. Black explains how that experience brought positive national attention to the state and a new pair of friends for her....

As a college student in North Carolina, Ann Abadie grew to love the writings of William Faulkner.   She discusses her decision to move to Faulkner’s home town of Oxford. Visitors to Oxford frequently requested tours of Faulkner’s home and other sites of interest.   Abadie explains how this led to the first William Faulkner Conference in 1974. That first conference was planned as an intimate gather...

   Lt. General Mickey Walker of Jackson was awarded a Silver Star during WWII and later served in the Far East Command during the Korean War. He recalls rising through the ranks to become chief of the National Guard Bureau during the Reagan administration.    After retiring, Walker became president of the Camp Shelby Military Museum. He explains how the museum got its start.     Mickey Walker pass...

General Emmet H. "Mickey" Walker of Jackson served as a platoon leader with the 95th Infantry Division during the battle for the French city of Metz as well as several other major battles in the European Theater during WWII. He received Bronze and Silver Stars and went on to serve with distinction as Chief of the National Guard Bureau under President Reagan. He recalls the Battle for Metz and a yo...

   From the beginning, seafood fueled the growth of the Gulf Coast economy. Retired fisherman Walter Ross discusses the early days of the seafood industry.    Oyster processing plants in Biloxi used steam to make shucking the oysters easier.   Ross recalls fondly the smell of the steam coming from the many large factories.    When he was thirteen, Ross began working part time in the factory where...

   William Thiroux (pronounced T-rue), of Ocean Springs, has been catching crabs for over thirty years.   He recalls a thriving industry and a plentiful supply.    In an effort to protect the crab population, Mississippi made it illegal to catch female sponge crabs,  a move Thiroux says has decimated the state’s crab industry. He  feels that by allowing the harvest of only male crabs, the law has...

    In 1967, Chris Ethridge, of Meridian, was twenty years old and working as a bass guitar player in Los Angeles.   He recalls how a mutual friend put him in contact with country rock legend, Gram Parsons. Ethridge and Parsons, together with Chris Hillman of The Byrds, went on to found country rock band, The Flying Burrito Brothers.         Four years later, in 1973, Gram Parsons died of a drug o...

Prior to the advent of the modern supermarket, people had their produce delivered by local grocers and street vendors. Helen Rayne of Natchez recalls how her grandmother would shop for food. Rayne details how her grandmother would buy whole milk and use it to make other dairy products. She also remembers the fun her grandparents had on wine bottling day.

From an early age, Chris Ethridge of Meridian was interested in music.   He recalls how his father’s job affected that interest and  how his love of Hank Williams’ music eventually led him to the bass guitar.   In a career spanning close to five decades, Ethridge performed and recorded with Willie Nelson, Jackson Brown, Linda Ronstadt and was a member of the Flying Buritto Brothers along with Gram...

Jai Johanny Johanson (pronounced Jay Johnny) learned to play the drums while growing up in Ocean Springs. He remembers playing clubs in Gulfport while still in high school. Through contacts made while playing around Jackson State, Jai Johanny landed a job as drummer for Otis Redding. He explains how that led to a spot in Percy Sledge’s band. By 1969, Jai Johanny had a new stage name. That year, Ja...

After Hurricane Katrina, the decision was made not to re-open the Gulfport harbor to commercial fishermen. William Stewart discusses the impact this has had on the fishing industry.   According to Stewart, being able to sell directly to consumers is vital to many fishermen’s survival. He expresses his frustration on this and on the outlawing of gill nets. Stewart feels that the truth about gill ne...

Eugene Stork of Pecan, Mississippi, spent many years as a commercial fisherman. He recalls the pleasure of harvesting oysters, and  how his wife would help him process his catch.   He also describes the proper way to shuck an oyster.    

Betty McGehee of Natchez recalls growing up on several plantations in Louisiana that were managed by her father. She  details the difference between tenant farmers and day hands.  McGehee also explains how the l ack of transportation made tenant farmers dependent on the plantation store for supplies.

    Jackson County resident Wesley Stork learned to fish from his father during the 1930s. He recalls the back-breaking work and how his father caught and sold terrapins to make ends meet.    In 1948 Stork began working for Clark Seafood. He recounts his 39 years with the company and how changing laws affected the industry.

    Growing up in Jamaica, Raymond Brown learned to cook traditional island foods from his mother.   He recalls his decision to open a Caribbean-style restaurant in Biloxi.     O ffering a wide variety of Caribbean foods in his restaurant, Brown explains how he combines traditional island recipes with Southern style. He  uses fresh ingredients and traditional cooking techniques to assure his custo...

Father Peter Quinn was the priest of Hattiesburg’s only black Catholic Church, Holy Rosary, during the Civil Rights movement.   Taking a leadership position in the movement made him a frequent target. He was protected by a group called the Deacons of Defense.   Quinn recalls being shot at as he left Vernon Dahmer’s house one evening. He also recounts when Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. took a nap at h...

In 1966, Father Peter Quinn was a young priest at Hattiesburg’s Sacred Heart Church. When he was asked to become the priest for the community's black parish, he soon found himself involved in the Civil Rights movement. Quinn explains how as spiritual leader, he was called on to calm the community’s young people after Dr. King’s assassination.  

    Having the right mixture of fresh water and salt water is crucial for growing oysters. Clyde Brown recalls how community leaders in Jackson County increased oyster production.     It is not flooding but pollution that has affected the oyster reefs in Jackson County. For that reason Brown fears that they will not receive assistance like other coastal counties.  He also explains the differences...

Reecy Dickson decided to run for Superintendent of Education of Noxubee County in 1975.   She recalls her decision to run for a position that had only been held by white males.   Dickson was eight months pregnant when she was campaigning for the office of Superintendent.   But, that didn’t stop her from going door to door or registering new voters

    Our coastal wetlands are an important natural resource for a variety of reasons.   Jennifer Buchanan of the Mississippi Department of Marine Resources discusses how they affect the seafood industry. Buchanan explains why the waters of the Mississippi Sound are brown, and why that’s a good thing.  

    For many Mississippians, family recipes are cherished keepsakes. Lisa Burnett of Ruleville remembers cooking with her family and a favorite cookbook. Burnett recalls both her grandparents, George and Tina Burnett, were excellent cooks.   She describes a typical Friday night growing up in Ruleville and her Papaw’s unusual smoker.     In 2009, Burnett published her own cookbook of family recipes...

   After building the first four Holiday Inns in Memphis , Kemmons Wilson teamed up with Mississippians Wallace Johnson and Bill Walton to begin selling franchises.    Mike Sturdivant, of Glendora , was a recent Harvard graduate in 1956.   He recalls meeting Wilson and opening his first Holiday Inn in Meridian . Soon Sturdivant and his former college roommate, Earle Jones, began opening Holiday In...

Over the years, commercial fishermen and conservationists have often viewed each other as adversaries.   Peter Floyd of Pascagoula has worked as a commercial fisherman and a turtle researcher.   In a recent interview, he explains how he sees things differently.   Floyd explains how a life-long interest in herpetology, the study of reptiles and amphibians, led to a second career as a turtle researc...