Special to the Press Register
The Ole Miss Alumni Association is honoring eight recipients for its Distinguished Alumni Awards in 2019 in recognition of their service and accomplishments with one a man with area roots.
Inductees into the Alumni Hall of Fame are: Kimsey O'Neal Bailey (BSPh 94), of Aberdeen; Donald R. Cole (PhD 85), of Oxford; Jake Gibbs (BSPHE 61), of Oxford; Duncan M. Gray III (BA 71), of Oxford; and Richard C. Howorth (BA 72), of Oxford, but raised in Marks.
Created in 1974, the Hall of Fame honors select alumni who have made an outstanding contribution to their country, state or the University of Mississippi through good deeds, services or contributions that have perpetuated the good name of Ole Miss.
Howorth was born in Marks and majored in English and sociology at UM.
After years of considering the feasibility of an Oxford bookstore, Richard and his wife, Lisa (BA 76, MA 84), learned the business by working in one in the Georgetown neighborhood of Washington, D.C., returning home two years later to open Square Books in 1979.
Square Books gradually ex-panded to become four stores in three buildings, barely 100 feet apart on the historic Oxford Square.
In 2011 and 2015, he was appointed to the board of directors of the Tennessee Valley Authority, including two years as board chair.
In 2008 Howorth received the Authors Guild Award for Distinguished Service to the Literary Community, one of only two booksellers to receive the designation. Square Books was named Publishers Weekly Book-store of the Year in 2013, and Square Books recently was recognized with a Citation of Merit from the Mississippi Institute of Arts and Letters.
The Howorths have three children – Claire, Beckett and Bebe – and two grandchildren.
The Alumni Association will host a reception for the honorees at 6 p.m. Oct. 4 in the Gertrude C. Ford Ballroom at The Inn at Ole Miss. A ticketed dinner for the award recipients will follow the reception at 7 p.m. Those interested in attending the dinner should register in advance by calling the Alumni Association office at 662-915-7375.
David Orris McCormick (BA 77, JD 80), of Pascagoula, will receive the Alumni Service Award for service to the university and the Alumni Association over an extended period.
Sly Lee (BSPSC 10, MS 12), of Los Angeles, will receive the Outstanding Young Alumni Award, which recognizes alumni who have shown exemplary leadership throughout their first 15 years of alumni status in both their careers and dedication to Ole Miss.
Vaughn L. Grisham, of Oxford, will receive the Honorary Alumni Award, which honors individuals who, though not UM graduates, have consistently demonstrated extraordinary commitment, support, dedication, loyalty, leadership or service that has enriched the substance of and contributed to the advancement of the university's or Alumni Association's missions, reputation or prestige.
"We are excited for this opportunity to celebrate some of the university's most successful and notable alumni and friends," said Kirk Purdom, Alumni Association executive director.
"These inductees stand out both with their accomplishments in their careers and with their service to Ole Miss and their communities. We look forward to hosting them on campus at Homecoming to show our appreciation."
Individual seats are $100 per person while space is available. Reserved tables of 10 are available for $1,200. $25 from the sale of each individual seat, and $250 from the sale of each reserved table will go toward the Herb Dewees Alumni Association Scholarship.
The Ole Miss Alumni Association is honoring eight recipients for its Distinguished Alumni Awards in 2019 in recognition of their service and accomplishments with one a man with area roots.
Inductees into the Alumni Hall of Fame are: Kimsey O'Neal Bailey (BSPh 94), of Aberdeen; Donald R. Cole (PhD 85), of Oxford; Jake Gibbs (BSPHE 61), of Oxford; Duncan M. Gray III (BA 71), of Oxford; and Richard C. Howorth (BA 72), of Oxford, but raised in Marks.
Created in 1974, the Hall of Fame honors select alumni who have made an outstanding contribution to their country, state or the University of Mississippi through good deeds, services or contributions that have perpetuated the good name of Ole Miss.
Howorth was born in Marks and majored in English and sociology at UM.
After years of considering the feasibility of an Oxford bookstore, Richard and his wife, Lisa (BA 76, MA 84), learned the business by working in one in the Georgetown neighborhood of Washington, D.C., returning home two years later to open Square Books in 1979.
Square Books gradually ex-panded to become four stores in three buildings, barely 100 feet apart on the historic Oxford Square.
In 2011 and 2015, he was appointed to the board of directors of the Tennessee Valley Authority, including two years as board chair.
In 2008 Howorth received the Authors Guild Award for Distinguished Service to the Literary Community, one of only two booksellers to receive the designation. Square Books was named Publishers Weekly Book-store of the Year in 2013, and Square Books recently was recognized with a Citation of Merit from the Mississippi Institute of Arts and Letters.
The Howorths have three children – Claire, Beckett and Bebe – and two grandchildren.
The Alumni Association will host a reception for the honorees at 6 p.m. Oct. 4 in the Gertrude C. Ford Ballroom at The Inn at Ole Miss. A ticketed dinner for the award recipients will follow the reception at 7 p.m. Those interested in attending the dinner should register in advance by calling the Alumni Association office at 662-915-7375.
David Orris McCormick (BA 77, JD 80), of Pascagoula, will receive the Alumni Service Award for service to the university and the Alumni Association over an extended period.
Sly Lee (BSPSC 10, MS 12), of Los Angeles, will receive the Outstanding Young Alumni Award, which recognizes alumni who have shown exemplary leadership throughout their first 15 years of alumni status in both their careers and dedication to Ole Miss.
Vaughn L. Grisham, of Oxford, will receive the Honorary Alumni Award, which honors individuals who, though not UM graduates, have consistently demonstrated extraordinary commitment, support, dedication, loyalty, leadership or service that has enriched the substance of and contributed to the advancement of the university's or Alumni Association's missions, reputation or prestige.
"We are excited for this opportunity to celebrate some of the university's most successful and notable alumni and friends," said Kirk Purdom, Alumni Association executive director.
"These inductees stand out both with their accomplishments in their careers and with their service to Ole Miss and their communities. We look forward to hosting them on campus at Homecoming to show our appreciation."
Individual seats are $100 per person while space is available. Reserved tables of 10 are available for $1,200. $25 from the sale of each individual seat, and $250 from the sale of each reserved table will go toward the Herb Dewees Alumni Association Scholarship.
