The public will have a chance to celebrate the career of former Biloxi Mayor A.J. Holloway during a reception for Holloway and his wife on Sunday from 2 to 4 p.m. at the Biloxi Civic Center.
The casual gathering will feature free food and refreshments and is being billed as “A Celebration of a Lifetime of Public Service.”
Holloway, who at 22 years in office is the city’s longest serving mayor, resigned in March, citing an accumulation of health issues.
The former mayor, who turns 76 on April 17, was in his sixth term as Biloxi’s mayor at the time of his resignation. He was first elected to the City Council in 1989 and was elected to his first term as mayor in 1993. As mayor, the former Ole Miss football star oversaw the most prosperous time in the city’s history, that period after the arrival of casino gambling, and he has directed a massive post-Hurricane Katrina municipal rebuilding effort that began shortly after Katrina struck almost 10 years ago.
“A group of volunteers and civic-minded businesses have come together to make this reception happen,” Chief Administrative Officer David Nichols said. “It’s just a chance to show appreciation to the Mayor and Macklyn for their years of dedication to Biloxi, a city both of them love deeply. As has been said before, Mayor Holloway had an extraorinary career. At no time in our 300-year history have we had one individual who has provided so much leadership to this city in some of its best and most challenging times.
“We want this to be a great occasion for the Mayor and Macklyn.”
City seeks nominations for Sports Hall of Fame
The Biloxi Parks and Recreation Department is now accepting applications for the 2015 class of the Biloxi Sports Hall of Fame, which will be inducted in August.
The department is seeking nominees whose playing career is completed but may still be coaching or volunteering in Biloxi. The inductees will be selected on athletic achievements, advancement in sports and community service. Applications may be acquired weekdays from 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at the Parks and Recreation office, located at 377 Hiller Drive, or online at https://biloxi.ms.us/residents/parks-recreation/sports/hall-of-fame/. Application deadline is June 30, 2015.
See the online Biloxi Sports Hall of Fame
Visit the Parks & Recreation page online
Program to spotlight desegregation of Biloxi schools
A free public program to mark the 50th anniversary of the desegregation of Biloxi Public Schools will be presented Thursday, April 23 at the Biloxi Visitors Center. Seating will begin at 5 p.m. and the program will begin at 5:30 p.m.
“Biloxi School Desegregation: A Historic First” will feature a panel of regionally known Civil Rights scholars who will discuss the Biloxi school district’s “first-in-the-state” desegregation. As part of the program, a panel of several witnesses to the historic event will discuss its significance for Biloxi and Mississippi. Local attorney Reilly Morse, president and CEO of the Mississippi Center for Justice, will moderate the panel discussion.
This program is free and open to the public, and it will be followed by a reception and book signing. The public is invited to participate in the program by bringing written questions, observations and remembrances, which will be posted at the event so they can be shared. For more information, call the City of Biloxi Museums Office at (228) 435-6244.
Meet the panelists and learn more abou the program
