A rose to Allegra Brigham, who quietly slipped away from her post a a vice president at Mississippi University for Women on June 30. Brigham’s retirement came five months after she accepted the VP job at the behest of new MUW President Dr. James Borsig. But Brigham’s greatest contributions to her alma mater will always be linked to the 18 months she served as interim president prior to Borsig’s arrival. Taking on that role at a time that the university was torn by inner turmoil, Brigham was able to heal wounds and build consensus. Her tenure ended June 30. Her legacy begins now.
A rose to “Read Across Columbus” a joint program of the City of Columbus, the Columbus Police Department and the Columbus-Lowndes Public Library. The program, held each Monday and Tuesday in the summer, not only gives kids a place to go, it helps build reading skills, a key element to combating the drop-out problem that threatens to become an epidemic. Give a kid a book and you give her a future. These kinds of programs make a difference.
A rose the Columbus Nationals, who swept through the competition in the 10-year-old Dizzy Dean South State Tournament to earn a berth in the Dizzy Dean World Series, which begins on July 20 in Southaven. The Columbus team scored an astonishing 35 runs in a pair of wins over Louisville to secure the trip to the World Series. Thirty-five runs? Shouldn’t these guys be in the Babe Ruth World Series?
A rose to the Market Street Festival, which was featured in a study by Main Street Now, The Journal of The National Trust Main Street Center. The study was used as the basis of the Journal’s article, entitled “Measuring the Economic Impact of Special Events.” Held annually since 1996, The Market Street Festival this year had an attendance of 36,000 and generated $7.32 million. The Journal has discovered what we have known all along: The Market Street Festival is good for visitors and merchants alike.
A rose to mother nature, which at last seemed to be in a cooperative mood this past week. After weeks of dry, scorching days, the heavens opened, nurturing plants and farms while providing a respite to the heat for people and pets. The rain doesn’t necessarily mean an end to the drought, but it does do much to ease concerns of a disastrous farming season.
The Dispatch Editorial Board is made up of publisher Peter Imes, columnist Slim Smith, managing editor Zack Plair and senior newsroom staff.
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