OXFORD – The accidental overdose of a young University of Mississippi alumnus brought the UM family together in recent years to support an initiative aimed at preventing such tragedies in the future.
On Friday (Sept. 6), the results of this initiative will be unveiled when the new William Magee Center for Wellness Education, an alcohol and other drugs education and prevention facility, is officially dedicated. Those attending the 4 p.m. event at the center's home in the new South Campus Recreation Center, will learn about new services available for students and hear about ambitious plans for the facility's growth.
The new center honors the memory of William Magee, who was 23 when he died in 2013. William was an accomplished, well-rounded UM student who excelled in the Sally McDonnell Barksdale Honors College and the Croft Institute for International Studies, lettered in track and was named to the SEC academic honor roll. After his 2012 graduation, he sought help through rehabilitation programs but relapsed after a concert with friends.
Before his overdose, while trying to beat drug addiction, William had let his family know that once he had succeeded in overcoming his struggle, he hoped to be able to help others who were battling substance abuse. Six years after his passing, the new William Magee Center for Wellness Education is open on the UM campus, enabling William's goal, said his father, David Magee, of Oxford.
"We are so proud that the center honors our late son, William," David Magee said. "He told me the week before he died that he wanted to help people one day. Now, he'll get to help others long into the future.”
The Magee family has shared the story of their son's struggle with addiction and provided the inaugural gift that launched the fundraising campaign to strengthen wellness resources and support to Ole Miss students. In the two years since the campaign began, more than $2.7 million in gifts and pledges of all sizes have been made to the center by a wide variety of donors: from students, Greek organizations and alumni to companies and foundations.
