Tuesday, April 21, 2009

April Society Meeting

Hello all!

Sorry to be a bit late in publishing details about the upcoming NMSHGS meeting!

Susie Dent sent me the following information:

" World War II veteran Eugene Spearman from Tupelo, MS will present the next program for the Northeast Mississippi Historical and Genealogical Society. Mr. Spearman served in the Air Force during World War II and has been a participant in the Society's oral history program. He will tell stories of his experiences in combat and also will entertain by singing. The public is invited to attend.
"The meeting is scheduled for Thursday, April 23, 2009 at 6 p.m. in the Helen Foster Auditorium, Lee County Library, 219 North Madison, Tupelo, MS. For additional information, call Susie Dent, 662-844-2307 or email nems.hgs@gmail.com.

Hope to see you all there!

Bill Miles at Columbus-Lowndes Public Library

I just received the following email from Mona Vance, archivist at the Columbus-Lowndes Library. Sounds like a wonderful program for anyone who is able to attend!

If you are interested, please contact Brenda Durrett at (662) 329-5300!

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Former State Representative, newspaper editor-publisher and political consultant Bill Miles will be discussing his recently published memoir, Scribe Among Pharisees on Monday the 27th from 2 until 3 p.m. at the Columbus-Lowndes Public Library.

The book is a collection of first-hand stories and memories of by-gone days. Miles chronicles more than a half century of Mississippi politics and southern life. Scribe Among Pharisees documents the good and the bad about Mississippi as seen through this newspaperman-educator-public relations/advertising executive turned politician.

Former Mississippi Governor William F. Winter who wrote the Foreword said: “Writing out of his own personal knowledge, Bill Miles is able to frame events in a way that makes us feel a part of the story - as we identify with various unforgettable characters this book brings to life. Reading this book is like unlocking a vault where heretofore unknown tales are stored.”

Bobby Harrison, Capitol Bureau Chief for the Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal, said: “As a journalist-private businessman and politician, Bill Miles has seen history made in Mississippi and in some instances helped make it. He compellingly puts his journalistic instincts to work in Scribe Among Pharisees whether talking about farm life and a three-legged cat in Itawamba County, covering crime in Northeast Mississippi and the integration of the University of Mississippi, consulting for some of the state’s most powerful politicians or serving in the Mississippi Legislature. Bill has an easy, enjoyable writing style that makes his recollections even the more memorable.”

Bill Miles grew up on a farm in Itawamba County as the youngest of five children. He attended Itawamba Junior College (now Itawamba Community College) and received his B.A. with a major in journalism from the University of Mississippi. He has worked for various newspapers including The Birmingham, AL News, the Memphis Commercial Appeal, the Memphis Press Scimitar and the Daily News (Jackson, MS). Later, he formed the magazine Mid-South Publications, Inc. and was instrumental in creating Bristow-Miles Associates, Inc., the region’s first advertising and public relations firm. In 1996, Miles was elected to the Mississippi House of Representatives for District 21 where he served for the next twelve years.

For further information about Miles’ presentation at the library, contact Brenda Durrett at (662) 329-5300.

Hope to see you all there!


Mona K. Vance
Archivist
Local History Room
Columbus-Lowndes Public Library
314 North Seventh Street
Columbus, MS 39701
662-329-5304
archives@lowndes.lib.ms.us
www.lowndes.lib.ms.us