Mississippi Moments Podcast

Here is a favorite of ours from June 2009, featuring Southern Miss coach and first full-time Athletic Director, Reed Green.

On November 9th, 1965 a power outage plunged New York City into darkness during rush hour.  Clarksdale native, George Falls was in a helicopter with Holiday Inn founder, Kemmons Wilson when the lights went out.  He recalls the  ride back to New York City in total darkness and the way people made the best of a bad situation. This extended cut gives many more details than the original radio version.

In August of 1954, the first franchised Holiday Inn opened for business in Clarksdale, MS. George Falls, then a senior in high school, recalls the excitment and feelings of pride shared by the entire town. After college, Falls went to work for the fledgling company. As a member of the Franchise Department, he witnessed Holiday Inns' metamorphosis from a small southern chain into an industry giant. Please enjoy the bonus material in this extended cut.

Margaret Loesch, of Pass Christian, earned her degree from The University of Southern Mississippi in political science, but it was in children's television that she made her career. Starting as a typing clerk at ABC in 1971, Loesch quickly rose through the ranks to become head of children's programmnig at NBC. She developed many classic kid's shows including The Smurfs, GI Joe, Transformers, Power Rangers, and Muppet Babies. This is the first MS Mo podcast episode that has been extended from the original broadcast length of 4 1/2 minutes. We hope you enjoy the bonus material!

Jimmy Havard played football for Southern Miss from 1958 to 1962. He recalls making the freshman cut in the summer of ’58.  In 1961, Havard set a record for the longest punt return in Southern Miss history. He remembers that play and Roman Gabriel, the famous North Carolina State quarterback who tried to stop him. Years later as the coach for Petal High School, Havard kept a pre-game superstition he got from Coach Vann.  

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 the program matched the growth of the school.    Pie Vann was inducted into the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame in 1971 and into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1987.  He passed away in September 1982.  

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 one project called the Blues Mobile.

   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.    Black details some of the Folk Life exhibits and events that have been produced by the museum and why they are important to all of us.

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 gathering of a few Faulkner faithful.  Abadie says that no one expected such a huge response or that it would become an annual event.

   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 passed away in 2007, at the age of 83.  

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 young man from McComb who played the piano. Happy Fourth of July from your friends at MPB and the Center for Oral History & Cultural Heritage!

   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 his mother worked.  He remembers being much too slow to keep up with the women.

   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 had a negative impact on the crab population. 

    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 overdose in Joshua Tree, California. Ethridge explains how the final wishes of Parsons led to one of the most bizarre incidents in the history of Rock-n-Roll. Ethridge discusses the legacy of the Burrito Brothers and the legend of Gram Parsons.    Chris Ethridge passed away on April 23rd, 2012, at the age of 65.  

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 Parsons and Chris Hillman. Chris Ethridge passed away on April 23rd, 2012, at the age of 65.

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, Jaimoe (Jay Moe) would help form a new band with an unknown guitar player named Duane Allman.

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 nets has been obscured. He explains why gill nets are actually superior to other types of fishing.  

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 lack of transportation made tenant farmers dependent on the plantation store for supplies.