Forever Maroon

1) L-R: G.V. “Sonny” Montgomery, Sen. James Eastland, Bob Tyler, John Hamner, Rep. David Bowen, Sen. John C. Stennis, and Rep. Trent Lott at MSU Alumni Association event in May of 1975. 2) Montgomery pictured with Jim Buck Ross at a class reunion. 3) Montgomery on sidelines with Dean Frances Coleman, Mattie Sink and George Lewis during football game. 4)

Mississippi delegates of National 4-H Club Congress on the steps of the U.S. Capitol with Montgomery in 1972. 5) President George H. W. Bush, Congressman Montgomery, U.S. Sen. Thad

Cochran and others are pictured at MSU’s 1989 Commencement. Montgomery and Bush were freshmen congressmen together in 1966. 68 WINTER 2020

6) L-R:Jerry Clower, MSU President Donald Zacharias, Hunter Henry, G.V. “Sonny” Montgomery, Janet Marie Smith, H. Devon Graham and Steve Grafton during half-time at a football game. 7) L-R: George Lewis, Donald Zacharias and Montgomery at the library. 8) Statue of Montgomery near the MSU Drill Field. 9) Montgomery family and friends celebrating and honoring Montgomery’s 100th birthday.

The namesake of scholarships, a foundation and Mississippi State University’s veteran’s center, G.V. “Sonny” Montgomery would have celebrated his 100th birthday Aug. 5. The longtime congressman for Mississippi’s 3rd Congressional District and “Mr. Veteran” died May 2, 2006 at 85.

Born in Meridian, Montgomery always considered the Queen City home despite the family’s frequent moves during the Great Depression. He graduated from McCallie Military Preparatory School in Chattanooga, Tennessee, before enrolling at Mississippi State where he played basketball, managed the football team and was elected Mr. MSU.

He graduated in 1943 and was commissioned as a second lieutenant into the U.S. Army. He deployed to Europe with the 12th Armored Division during World War II and later with the 31st Infantry Division during the Korean War. He was awarded the Legion of Merit, the Bronze Star, the Army Commendation Medal and the Combat Infantryman Badge. In 2005, he was presented the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President George W. Bush.

Returning to Mississippi after his military service, he was elected to his first public office in 1956 and began a 10-year career representing Meridian in the Mississippi Senate. He then successfully ran for Congress and held the seat for 30 years. He was named chairman of the House Veterans Affairs Committee in 1981, a position he would hold for 13 years, and also served as a senior member of the Armed Services Committee.

In Congress, Montgomery championed legislation that increased veterans’ eligibility for home loans, life insurance and medical coverage. He also co-sponsored the law that made the Veterans Administration the 14th cabinet department in the federal government. However, he considered his signature achievement in Congress to be the passage of the so-called Montgomery G.I. Education Bill, which expanded the original G.I. Bill to enhance education benefits for active-duty military personnel and extend those benefits to National Guard and Reserve members.

After his death in 2006, the G.V. “Sonny” Montgomery Foundation was established with the bulk of his estate. Since that time, it has awarded approximately $2 million to a variety of causes that focus on the support of service members and veterans, education opportunities and leadership development. Among the beneficiaries of that support is the Montgomery Advisement and Career Services Center at MSU-Meridian and the Montgomery Center for America’s Veterans at Mississippi State.

Montgomery Foundation board members include former staff members and close associates: Brad Crawford; Fred Sullivan; Alex B. Weddington; Ronnie Walton; Bob Bailey; Bo Maske; David Kennard, Sharon C. Johnson; Sid Salter; Pam Steverson; and Kyle Steward. n

Louis A. Hurst Jr. of Houston, Texas, will be remembered for his legacy of impact at Mississippi State University. He enjoyed a steadfast connection with MSU as an alumnus, a true Bulldog fan and a loyal contributor to academics and athletics who desired to make a positive difference in his home state of Mississippi. He died July 22 at age 95.

Born on May 15, 1925, in Poplarville, Hurst served in the military before college. He honored his country with service in the United States Navy from 1943 to 1946. After military service, he proudly continued his family’s Bulldog tradition of education, following in the footsteps of his late father, Louis A. Hurst Sr., who earlier attended the land-grant institution.

In 1949, Hurst earned an MSU accounting degree and later g-raduated from the Graduate School of Banking at Rutgers University. He had an illustrious 32-year career as a bank examiner with the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. before retiring in the early 1980s as an assistant regional director for the FDIC Memphis Region. His years in the banking industry taught him much more than the value of a dollar—his wise investments allowed him to contribute generously to MSU.

Hurst voluntarily served the MSU Foundation board of directors and the College of Business senior executive advisory board. He was honored as the MSU National Alumnus of the Year in 2007 and was the College of Business Alumnus of the Year in 2003. He was also saluted among the college’s top 100 graduates for its centennial.

The Louis A. Hurst Jr. Residence Hall at MSU stands as a named tribute honoring his legacy. A part of the Zacharias Village complex, the 82,000-square-foot residential facility was dedicated in 2006.

A strong belief in a quality education is reflected in the legacy Hurst left at MSU. The L.A. Hurst Jr. Scholarship Endowment in the College of Business established in 1999 emphasizes moral and ethical character as traits he desired in recipients. Hurst also established the L.A. Hurst Presidential Endowed Scholarship, a four-year award for MSU’s elite students in the Judy and Bobby Shackouls Honors College.

At MSU, the Hurst legacy is perpetual. Proceeds from a planned gift from Hurst will continue his immeasurable impact through scholarships, helping generations of future Bulldog students fulfill the promise of a college education. n

engineering ’49; retired faculty) 95, Madison — A native of Greenwood, he took time out of his Mississippi State education to join the Army Air Corp in 1945 as a navigator. He later joined the Army National Guard and earned a doctoral degree from the Georgia Institute of Technology. He was a longtime member of the MSU engineering faculty and periodically did engineering research and consulting at Eglin Air Force Base in Florida on the early stages of what is now known as MOAB, “the mother of all bombs.” — Aug. 28, 2020

85, Houston, Texas — Raised in Grenada, he served in the U.S. Army during the Korean War. He worked in retail in Louisiana before settling in Houston where he opened Mr. B, a men’s store in Bellaire, Texas. After closing the store, he sold real estate until his retirement. He was active in the Bellaire/Southwest Rotary for more than 30 years and was named Mr. Bellaire. — Feb. 11, 2020

administration, ’43) 96, Indianola — Born in Burns, she was a member of the Zeta Tau Alpha sorority at Mississippi State. She later moved to the Delta and began teaching first grade. She taught at Linn Elementary, Lockard Elementary and Indianola Academy, where she served as principal for 21 years and established the first secondary-school computer lab in the state. After leaving the academy, she joined IBM as an educational consultant before teaching at Mississippi Delta Community College for 19 years. Through its Capps Technology Center, she taught employee training, employee certification and management techniques for businesses and industries throughout the region. She then taught computer skills to senior citizens through the Sunflower County Library System before retiring at 91. During her career in education, she served as president of the Mississippi Private School Education Association, president of the Mississippi Delta Chapter of Phi Delta Kappa, president of the MPSEA Elementary Principals and president of the Alpha Epsilon Chapter of Delta Kappa Gamma, which named her Woman of Distinction in 1989. She was a charter member and board member of the Mississippi Educational Computing Association and a certified accreditor for the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools. She served as president of the Indianola Twentieth Century Club, the Indianola Pilot Club, the Indianola Teen Club advisory board and the American Lung Association of Mississippi. She was also a 4-H sponsor and Girl Scout leader. — July 20, 2020

medicine, ’55) 86, Tupelo — He served as president of SAE fraternity at Mississippi State. He earned his medical degree from Tulane University in 1958, interning at Touro Infirmary in New Orleans where he was Intern of the Year and chief resident as he completed his training in urology. A member of the U.S. Army National Guard, he established the first urology practice in Northeast Mississippi, which ultimately grew to include six physicians. He retired after 39 years and began making medical mission trips around the world. An athlete at heart, he completed the Boston Marathon and climbed Mt. Kilimanjaro. He was a member of the American and Mississippi Medical Associations, serving as president of the urology division and as a diplomat to the American Board of Urologists. He served on the executive board of the North Mississippi Medical Center and its foundation. He helped pioneer the Good Samaritan Clinic, served on the Salvation Army and Sanctuary Hospice boards where he and his wife were among the founders. With Mississippi State, he served on the MSU Foundation and College of Arts and Sciences boards and was named the College of Arts and Sciences Alumnus of the Year in 1996. — June 24, 2020

’57) 85, Sugar Land, Texas — A retired teacher and coach, he spent 39 years with the Houston Independent School District. — July 8, 2020

education, ’63) 79, Clearwater, Florida — A native of Indianola, he was a member of Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternity. He retired as an elementary school principal with 31 years of experience serving the students of Kentucky and Arkansas. — May 11, 2020

’49; retired staff) 92, Jackson — He attended Hinds Community College before being drafted into the U.S. Army. He was honorably discharged after serving 15 months. Following his graduation from MSU, he earned a master’s from the University of Tennessee. In 1952, he began a 40-year career with Mississippi State’s Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station. In 1956, he was appointed superintendent of the Brown Loam Branch Experiment Station near Learned where he remained until his retirement in 1992. Following his retirement, he served three years as head of the Central Mississippi Research and Extension Center headquartered in Raymond. His work in beef cattle production and grazing research was well-respected by cattlemen across the southeast. He was inducted into the Mississippi Cattlemen’s Association Hall of Fame and was recognized by Mississippi State in 2015 with the research station he served for so many years renamed in his honor. — July 2, 2020

engineering, ’49) 93, Jackson — Following service in WWII with the Army Air Corps, he enrolled at Mississippi State and joined Kappa Sigma fraternity. He spent 30 years with Graybar Electric Co., and upon his retirement, he returned to Mississippi where he established three companies serving the telephone and cable industry. He also designed and patented several cable-related devices. He was a member of Elk, Rotary, Fraternal Order of Masons, Shriners, Jesters, Patrick Henry Memorial and the Order of First Families of Mississippi. — June 22, 2020 Harvey B. Ray (B.S. management, ’54) 87, Meridian — A member of Pi Kappa Alpha, he served as a captain in the U.S. Air Force. Following his military service, he enrolled in law school, later beginning his practice in Cleveland. He then moved to Meridian, practicing with Dan Self before teaming with Judge George Warner to start Warner & Ray Attorneys at Law, which later became Warner, Ray & Cobb. He served as president of the Meridian Jaycees and was selected Jaycee Man of the Year. He was also a member of the Bulldog Club and one of the key developers in Poplar Spring Estates and Briarwood Country Estates subdivisions. — June 24, 2020 Roy Delbert Ross (retired faculty) 91, Ozark, Missouri — After serving in the U.S. Army, he earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of Missouri, a master’s degree from the University of Georgia and a doctoral degree from Syracuse University. He then became an associate professor of forestry at Mississippi State University, which he served for 36 years. — July 27, 2020

geology, ’54) 91, Tulsa — Born in the Panama Canal Zone, she grew up in Iowa attending Cornell College before enrolling at Mississippi State. She worked as a petroleum geologist in Oklahoma. She was a member of the Garden Club and the Tulsa Audubon Society, serving for many years as historian. She occasionally prepared geological reports in support of local environmental defense initiatives or to address community concerns. She also supported early efforts to establish the Tallgrass Prairie Preserve. — June 30, 2020