In Tupelo, Elvis is king.
In fact, he is more prominent in death than he ever was in life. Up until his death in 1977, the only homage paid to the entertainer in the town of his birth was a small park in East Tupelo, which was home to a swimming pool, youth center and the small two-room shotgun house where he was born in 1935. There were no celebrations or festivals in the city to celebrate him.
Today, Elvis is everywhere in town – parks, trails and statues – and through the festivals and celebrations that dot the calendar from January (he was born Jan. 8, 1935) through August (he died Aug. 16, 1977) and beyond. Elvis is not simply an icon, he is essential to the city’s tourism industry, such as it is.
But those who grew up in Tupelo, as I did, will tell you that when it comes to those who probably had the greatest impact in making Tupelo what it is today, Elvis rates no better than third, behind George McLean, the publisher of The Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal, who used the newspaper to promote the city and region like few others, and Jack Reed Sr.
Working together, as McLean and Reed often did, particularly in the area of economic development, the men altered the landscape in a truly transformational way.
But in some respects, Reed’s influence went much further.
Reed, a lifelong Tupeloan, died Wednesday at age 91. Outside of Tupelo, he will be remembered as a businessman who operated the town’s most successful department store and for Reed Manufacturing Co., a garment factory and a major employer.
He will be widely remembered for his business acumen, his prominent role in state politics (he was the Republican nominee for Governor in 1987) and his substantial role in economic development through the region. He was a key advisor to Gov. William Winter in forming landmark education reform in 1982.
Back home, Reed is remembered for all of those things, of course, but he will also be remembered as the moral compass of the city, a man whose gentle nature, good humor and ability to unify those who often viewed each other as enemies helped ease the city through the difficult years of integration and the struggle for Civil Rights.
Tupelo was not immune to the ugly sentiments of the times and the divisions that arose from them. Yet few Mississippi cities navigated these rough waters better than Tupelo, and the man most responsible for that was Reed. Reed believed deeply in racial equality at a time when it was not popular to hold those views.
A strong advocate for education, Reed’s commitment to public schools galvanized the city when many other cities sought to circumvent integration by opening private schools and academies. That never happened on Reed’s watch. Everyone had a seat at the table and a voice that would be heard. As a result, the commitment to the city’s public school system stood fast and the schools thrived.
Private schools have their roles certainly, but when the first private school in Tupelo opened in 1983 – Tupelo Christian Prep – there were many in the community who felt a tinge of remorse and viewed it as a sign that the city’s devotion to its schools, so carefully nurtured by Reed, had waned to some degree.
For decades and in numerous ways, Reed’s quiet leadership helped unify and strengthen the city – black and white, rich and poor.
With all due respect, the next statue erected in Tupelo should not be yet another image of the King of Rock and Roll. It should be a likeness of the man who will be remembered as the conscience of the city – Jack Reed Sr.
Slim Smith is a columnist and feature writer for The Dispatch. His email address is [email protected]
Slim Smith is a columnist and feature writer for The Dispatch. His email address is [email protected].
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