A rose to Mississippi State women’s basketball coach Vic Schaefer and the team’s fans, who used a record-breaking attendance mark to generate $46,000 in donations to the Boys & Girls Club of the Golden Triangle. About a month ago, Schaefer said he would make a $10,000 donation if the team broke the season attendance record. Thursday, in the team’s final home game – the fourth straight home sellout – the Bulldog set a new season attendance record mark of 113,814. Schaefer honored that pledge after the game while Bulldog fans donated another $36,000 from collections during recent home games. Thursday was, indeed a night to celebrate, not only the team and its loyal fans, but the good work the Boys & Girls Club does for kids in our communities.
A thorn to Starkville aldermen Ray A. Perkins, David Little, Henry Vaughn and Ben Carver, whose decision to deny a parade permit to the LGBT group “Starkville Pride,” was an unnecessary demonstration of defiance that damages the city’s reputation and the aldermen’s credibility and will ultimately be overturned because it is a violation of the Constitution. Carver, the only one of the four to speak about his decision, said he was simply doing the bidding of his Ward 1 constituents. He misses a larger point: Elected officials are charged with representing the best interests of the people, which sometimes does not align with their preferences. Citizens may respect or ignore whatever they please, but elected officials are sworn to uphold the laws of our land. Sometimes, that means making unpopular decisions. But, then, that’s what the aldermen signed up for. The four aldermen who voted against the permit have violated their oaths of office.
A rose to Mississippi University for Women, which dedicated Pioneers Plaza, a new campus space honoring those who have contributed to shaping the school’s history, with a ceremony Friday. Pioneers Plaza is the corridor that stretches from Carrier Chapel east toward Welty Hall and features a plaque honoring the first six African-American students who enrolled at The W in 1966. They included Diane Hardy, Barbara Turner and Laverne Greene as undergraduates and Jacqueline Edwards, Mary L. Flowers and Eula M. Houser as graduate students. All were from Columbus. Pioneers Plaza is a testament to those students, as well as so many whose contributions have make The W a truly special place.
A rose to the Columbus Choral Society for its outstanding spring concert performance of “Requiem” Saturday evening at First Baptist Church. The concert featured a string orchestra and a special appearance by Richard Elliott, principal organist with the world-renowned Mormon Tabernacle Choir. That 360-member chorus of men and women has performed at inaugurations and World Fairs, in concert halls from Australia to the Middle East. If the organ world has rock stars, Elliott is one of them. It was a real feather in the cap for the Columbus Choral Society to attract so notable an artist and a special treat for concert-goers. Bravo!
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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