LOWNDES COUNTY, Miss. - The Golden Triangle Regional Airport terminal in Columbus will offer free streaming internet - at its “GTR SkyFi Learning Laboratory” - for students who might not have access at home beginning Nov. 2. Airport officials decided to offer the space in light of the increase in online K-12 learning. Students will be able to schedule a desk in an upstairs section of the terminal by phone or online. The service is free and students 16 and under must be accompanied by an adult. The airport will also provide complimentary parking for students using the lab. (Source: WCBI 10/30/20)
Aerospace and defense news from Central-to-North Mississippi and Central Louisiana region.
Saturday, October 31, 2020
MSU prof's fusion energy grant
STARKVILLE, Miss. - Mississippi State University professor of physics and astronomy, Chuji Wang, is receiving a grant from the federal Department of Energy to study fusion energy science, which is widely considered by scientists to be one of nature’s most complex subjects. Wang’s proposal, “Optical trapping and manipulation of single particles for MDP,” received a 24-month, $214,000 grant, one of four DOE-funded programs currently in progress. Wang’s research is in collaboration with the Magnetized Dust Plasma Experimental (MDPX) facility at Auburn University. (Source: MSU 10/30/20) https://www.msstate.edu/newsroom/article/2020/10/msu-faculty-member-researching-fusion-energy-science-doe-grant
Friday, October 30, 2020
Kiln facility’s $92M C-5M pact
Tyonek Services Overhaul Facility - Stennis LLC, of Kiln, Miss., has been awarded a $92,800,000 contract for C‐5M sustainment. This contract provides for alternative modification installation services. Work will be performed in Waco, Texas, and is expected to be completed by March 31, 2030. This award is the result of a sole-source acquisition. A combination of FY 2020 transportation working capital funds and FY 2020 operations and maintenance funds in the amount of $6,577,182 are being obligated at the time of award. The Air Force Life Cycle Management Center, Robins AFB, Ga., is the contracting activity. (Source: DoD 10/30/20)
PA master's for MSU-Meridian
STARKVILLE, Miss. - A Master of Physician Assistant Studies degree program at Mississippi State University at Meridian has achieved accreditation-provisional status, from the Accreditation Review Commission on Education for the Physician Assistant (ARC-PA), and will enroll its first cohort at the Riley Campus in Meridian in January. The PA master’s is a 29-month curriculum. The accreditation-provisional status is the initial phase of accreditation for all new programs in a letter to MSU President Mark E. Keenum. “Located in a longtime Mississippi healthcare center like Meridian, the Master of Physician Assistant Studies degree program is a tremendous fit for MSU-Meridian and for East Central Mississippi,” said Keenum. Administrators have made final selections from more than 250 applicants and 50 finalists competing for 20 available cohort slots to begin studies on Jan. 6. (Source: MSU 10/26/20) https://www.meridian.msstate.edu/news/2020/10/26/msu-meridian%E2%80%99s-master-physician-assistant-studies-program-achieves-accreditation/
Tupelo earns nat’l main street award
TUPELO, Miss. - Downtown Tupelo Main Street Association (DTSA) has spent three decades transforming the city into a diverse area of economic growth and activity. On Oct. 30, DTMSA was honored, along with two other cities, as winners of the 2020 Great American Main Street Award, which recognizes communities their excellence in comprehensive preservation-based commercial district revitalization. Civic leaders joined the DTMSA staff at the convention center for the live streamed announcement and where the Great American Main Street plaque was unveiled. TMSA produced a video - ‘Downtown Tupelo: A Place For Dreamers’ - as part of its award application celebrating its uniqueness. The video won a 2020 Mississippi Main Street Association award for Outstanding Community Promotion. MMSA also honored downtown business BlairHaus for Outstanding Retail Merchandising and Mayor Jason Shelton as a Main Street hero. (Source: Daily Journal 10/20/20) https://www.djournal.com/news/downtown-tupelo-main-street-association-wins-national-award/article_7a9a4cc3-dc9a-594a-90f7-e7f8705147d8.html
MSU grad is White House Fellow
The President’s Commission on White House Fellows announced the appointment of its 2020-21 class of White House Fellows. The White House Fellowship provides professionals from diverse backgrounds an opportunity to engage in public service for one year by serving in various roles in the federal government. Selected individuals spend one year working as a full-time, paid fellow to senior White House Staff, Cabinet Secretaries, and other top-ranking government officials. Among the selectees was Wes Spurlock of Norco, Calif., who earned a Master’s of Business Administration from Mississippi State University. He is being placed at the United States International Development Finance Corp. He is a Lieutenant Colonel in the United States Air Force. He has served as Squadron Commander of the 344th Air Refueling Squadron at McConnell AFB, Kansas where he was responsible for leading a team of more than 100 military and civilian personnel that delivered and operated the AF’s newest aircraft, the KC-46 Pegasus. Before that Spurlock was a Military Aide to President Obama and President Trump, where he was responsible for the Presidential Emergency Satchel (nuclear football) and assisted the President in implementing command and control of the United States’ Nuclear Arsenal. He has served overseas on multiple deployments, including Operations Enduring Freedom, Iraqi Freedom, and Unified Protector. Wes is very involved with the Gold Star community. He also has earned a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering from the Air Force Academy and a Master in Public Administration from the Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government. (Source: White Houston 10/29/20) https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefings-statements/white-house-appoints-2020-2021-class-white-house-fellows/ Applications for the 2021-22 Fellowship year will be accepted from November 2, 2020- January 6, 2021, at 5:00 p.m. ET. The application link and additional information is available at https://www.whitehouse.gov/get-involved/fellows/.
Vertex hiring logistics manager
Vertex Aerospace of Madison, Miss., a company that provides global aerospace support, Systems Integration, Fabrication, Contractor Operated and Maintained Base Supply, Engineering, Maintenance, Modification, Repair, and Overhaul, Training Support, and all levels of Maintenance, has a job listed for a senior manager in supply and logistics. The position calls for managing a team of Logistics/Supply professionals to ensure all aspects of material are planned and executed in accordance with contract requirements and Supply Chain policy and procedure in support of the maintenance, service and support of a fleet of customer aircraft. All aspects of the contract material Logistics, Demand and Supply are the responsibility of this position. (Source: Vertex 10/2020) https://www.linkedin.com/jobs/view/sr-manager-supply-logistics-madison-ms-at-vertex-aerospace-2246889955/?refId=26b391e8-b105-4ed5-943b-369720f2c1d4&position=24&pageNum=0&trk=public_jobs_job-result-card_result-card_full-click
Dem: Biden to scuttle ship plan
A change at the White House in January 2021, if former VP Joe Biden defeats President Donald Trump at the polls, will likely rewrite the Defense Department’s National Defense Strategy (NDS), scuttle plans for a 500-ship Navy, and spend less on the military, according to Rep. Adam Smith (D-Wash.), chairman of the House Armed Services Committee. The progressive wing of the Democrat party is expected to argue for major cuts in defense in order to expand domestic programs. Smith said he's opposed to drastic reductions in military spending. "They want to re-shift priorities" away from defense, Smith said in a virtual chat hosted by the Center for a New American Security. However, major reductions in the current proposals for a defense budget around $741B are likely off the table, Smith said. In the Democratic party platform Biden endorsed, and in previous response to a survey conducted by the Military Officers Association of America, the former VP suggested there was likely a midway point between the hawks and doves on defense spending. "The real question is not how much we invest - it's how we invest," Biden told MOAA. One major difference between the presidential candidates is how they would approach implementing the current NDS, which has the military shifting away from counterterror operations to preparing for potential conflict with Russia and China, Smith said. America should be strengthening alliances with allies during this power competition with Russia and China, he said, rather than committing to "America First" policies of the Trump administration. (Source: Military.com 10/29/20) Center for New American Security is a DC-based think tank established in 2007 by co-founders Michèle Flournoy and Kurt M. Campbell. (Two former President Barrack Obama administration officials.) It specializes in US national security issues. https://www.military.com/daily-news/2020/10/29/biden-administration-would-rewrite-nds-toss-500-ship-navy-overboard-lawmaker-says.html
MS Restoration Plan 3 seeks input
The Mississippi Trustee Implementation Group is beginning the process of planning for its Restoration Plan III and is asking for public input regarding natural resource restoration project ideas in the Mississippi Restoration Area through Nov. 30. Restoration types in RPIII may include: Sea turtles, Marine mammals, Birds, Habitat projects on federally managed lands, and Recreational opportunities. Details about the Restoration Types and Approaches being considered, including the location of related information in the Trustees’ Programmatic Restoration Plan can be found on the website https://www.gulfspillrestoration.noaa.gov/2020/10/mississippi-trustee-implementation-group-welcomes-publics-project-ideas
Thursday, October 29, 2020
CG overflying Zeta impacted areas
The Coast Guard is conducting an overflight of Hurricane Zeta impacted areas this morning (Thursday). Vice Adm. Steven Poulin, commander of the Coast Guard Atlantic Area, will be aboard an MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter to conduct assessment operations. He serves as the operational commander for all Coast Guard missions from the Rocky Mountains to the Arabian Gulf, spanning across five Coast Guard Districts and 40 states. From April 2009 to July 2010, he was the Commander of Coast Guard Sector Mobile, Ala., where he directed CG operations in Mississippi, Alabama, and the Florida panhandle. He further served as Incident Commander for the Deepwater Horizon oil spill response operations in that same geographic area from April to October 2010. (Source: Coast Guard 10/28/20) Follow-up details likely forthcoming from CG.
'Extraordinary times' for NJROTCs
GREAT LAKES, Ill - Many of the more than 600 Naval Junior Reserve Training Officers’ (NJROTC) units across the country and globe are going back to school in some form this fall - in socially distanced classrooms or attending virtual classes online. There are 1,250 NJROTC instructors across the “working tirelessly to deliver our Citizenship Development program to students,” said Tim Daseler, Naval Service Training Command (NSTC) deputy commander for NJROTC/NNDCC (Navy National Defense Cadet Corps). These are “extraordinary times,” he said. But these leaders are working to deliver the program in innovative ways. The NJROTC and NNDCC are part of the Navy’s Citizenship program and overseen at NSTC. “I am very proud of our cadets’ commitment and perseverance with adapting to and operating in this new learning environment,” said retired Navy Cmdr. Rick Hamblet, the Senior Naval Science Instructor (SNSI) at Vista Ridge High School in Cedar Park, Texas. In this “new normal” instructors and cadets have to adapt and overcome challenges. (Source: NSTC 10/28/20) NJROTC units in Mississippi: Canton HS, Gautier, Greenwood, Grenada, Moss Point, Neshoba Central, NE Lauderdale (Columbus), Pascagoula, Pearl, Pearl River Central (Carriere) , Picayune and Warren Central (Vicksburg). https://www.navy.mil/Press-Office/News-Stories/Article/2396712/navy-junior-rotc-units-contend-with-new-normal-in-new-school-year-naval-science/
MP: Prepare for multi-day outages
Mississippi Power crews, and newly arriving crews from outside the area, were beginning work to assessing damage and restoring power after Hurricane Zeta passed through its service area causing widespread outages. Peak outage is still being determined, but about 91,000 customers were without service when restoration began late Oct. 28. At 5 a.m. today, about 84,000 customers were without power. Some 400 outside resources began arriving Thursday morning to staging sites at Gulf Islands Water Park in Gulfport and the Petal Fairgrounds. MP's transmission and distribution system sustained significant damage in the storm. The worst impacted area is from Biloxi to Hancock County, according to MP spokesman Jeff Shepard. “Customers should be prepared for a multi-day restoration event." MP's best estimated restoration time is expected to be given on Oct. 30. (Source: Mississippi Power 10/29/20) In Louisiana: About 470,000 people, primarily in New Orleans metro, were without power early Thursday, according to Entergy. Some 175,000 were without power in Jefferson Parish and about 115,600 were without power in Orleans Parish. Entergy tentatively expects to have power restored this weekend, according to WWL-TV.
Wednesday, October 28, 2020
Austal keel laying of LCS 32
MOBILE, Ala. - Austal USA shipyard, in Alabama's only port city, hosted the future USS Santa Barbara ship's sponsor and keel authenticator, Mrs. Lolita Zinke on Oct. 27 at a keel laying ceremony. The ship is the 16th Independence-variant Littoral Combat Ship (LCS). Mrs. Zinke welded her initials into the ship’s keel plate officially authenticating that its keel “has been truly and fairly laid.” Lolita Zinke is a native of Santa Barbara. After graduating from the University of California at Santa Barbara, Lolita graduated from California Western School of Law. Lolita married Ryan Zinke and began a second career as a Navy spouse and additionally served as a civilian employee on the flag officer staff of Adm. Jeremy Boorda at the Chief of U. S. Naval Forces Europe in London. Her husband is a retired Navy SEAL who served in the Navy for 23 years; a former U.S. representative from Montana; and the 52nd Secretary of the Interior. (Source: Seapower Magazine 10/27/20) https://seapowermagazine.org/austal-usa-holds-keel-laying-ceremony-for-the-future-lcs-santa-barbara/
Tuesday, October 27, 2020
BSEE: Zeta monitoring for O&G ops
The Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE) has activated the Hurricane Response Team while Tropical Storm Zeta continues toward the northern Gulf of Mexico coast Oct. 27. The Hurricane Response Team is monitoring offshore oil and gas operators as they evacuate platforms and rigs in the GoM. The team works with offshore operators and states and federal agencies until operations return to normal. Based on data from offshore operator reports submitted before 12 noon on Tuesday, personnel have been evacuated from a total of 154 production platforms - or 23.95 percent of the 643 manned platforms in the GoM. Personnel have been evacuated from three rigs (non-dynamically positioned) - or equivalent to 30 percent of the 10 rigs of this type operating in the Gulf. Nine dynamically positioned rigs have moved off location out of the hurricane’s projected path as a precaution. This number represents 56.25 percent of the 16 DP rigs currently operating in the Gulf. From operator reports, BSEE estimates about 49.45 percent of current oil production in the Gulf of Mexico has been shut-in. BSEE also estimates that about 55.35 percent of the natural gas production in the GoM has been shut-in. After the storm has passed, facilities will be inspected. (Source: BSEE 10/27/20) https://www.workboat.com/news/offshore/bsee-monitors-gulf-of-mexico-offshore-activities-in-advance-of-zeta/
Tuskegee Airmen virtual roundtable
ARLINGTON, Va. - In observance of the 75th anniversary of the end of WWII, Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Charles Q. Brown Jr. interviewed two Tuskegee Airmen, during a virtual roundtable, Oct. 20. The event was part of the American Veterans Center’s 23rd Annual Veterans Conference, which will premiere on Oct. 28. Present at the event were Tuskegee Airmen retired Lt. Col. (Dr.) Harold Brown and retired Lt. Col. Alexander Jefferson. Also in attendance were Reserve Officers' Training Corps and U.S. Air Force Academy cadets. “It’s very important for our service members ... to have an understanding of the history of our Air Force," Gen. Brown said. According to the National Museum of the United States Air Force, the 99th Pursuit (later Fighter) Squadron (Tuskegee Airmen unit) was formed as the result of an Army Air Forces experiment when the military was racially segregated. The squadron was comprised of black Airmen who “demonstrated conclusively that African Americans - if given equal opportunities and training - could command and support combat units as well as anyone.” The unit served with distinction in combat, and contributed to the eventual integration of the U.S. Armed Forces in 1948. “I was a (young kid) when I joined … it wasn’t until I got older that I realized we had really done something wonderful and made an accomplishment here,” Lt. Col. (Ret.) Brown explained. The roundtable highlighted the Tuskegee Airmen’s achievements and legacy of breaking barriers. Can you imagine 72 P-51s in the air over something like 500 B-17 (and) B-24s? The sky was completely covered literally everywhere and, to me, it was a big show,” Jefferson said as he reminisced about his first combat mission. “To tell you the truth: I enjoyed it, I had a hell of a good time.” Both Lt. Col. Brown and and Jefferson were shot down during the war and served months as prisoners of war. (Source: Secretary of the Air Force 10/26/20)
Wicker has caveat to Navy ship plan
U.S. Sen. Roger Wicker (R-Miss.) gave a nearly-complete approval to the overall future of the Navy’s fleet plan that Defense Secretary Mark Esper outlined earlier this month, but still had some reservations on unmanned ships. “As a longtime advocate for a bigger Navy, I was delighted with the goals he outlined,” the Wicker, a member of the Senate Armed Services Seapower Subcommittee and chairman of the Senate Commerce, Science, & Transportation Committee, said in a statement. In early October, SECDEF said the future fleet plan calls for reaching 500 manned/unmanned ships by 2045, and 355 manned ships by 2035, partially funded by increasing the Navy’s shipbuilding budget. Esper’s declaration received a mixed reception from members of both parties’ House and Senate Armed Services Committees. “He is asking Congress for as much as an 18 percent boost to the Navy’s shipbuilding budget,” Wicker claimed. “I wholeheartedly welcome this funding goal, but the details of how the money is spent will be critical.” It wasn’t clear where the senator got the 18 percent number, quipped Defense Daily. In SECDEF’s speech, he said reform efforts to redirect funds within the and reforms across DoD would increase the shipbuilding account to 13 percent. Wicker didn’t want things to move too fast on the production of unmanned vessels, a similar view of other members of defense committees. New unmanned ships show promise, but have a way to go before being battle-ready, according to Wicker. Use of these new technologies “too quickly” could result in production delays and higher costs. “They should be integrated carefully and gradually,” he continued. The House and Senate FY ’21 defense authorization bills would force Navy to certify key technologies and systems independently before production moves ahead. Wicker called for the Pentagon and Congress to provide shipbuilders with earlier notice on contracts, guarantee production rates for major ship classes, and make more use of block buy contracts to help stabilize the industrial base if they want to increase the fleet. (Defense Daily 10/26/20) Mississippi is home to the largest shipbuilder in the country at Huntington Ingalls Industries' Pascagoula shipyard. https://www.defensedaily.com/press-releases/global-top-4-commercial-aircraft-turbofan-engine-manufacturers-decennial-strategy-dossier-2010-2019-of-pratt-whitney-rolls-royce-ge-aviation-and-safran-the-covid-19-pandemic-will-make-f/
Naval air orders 1-day standdown
The commander of the Naval Air Forces command, Vice Adm. Kenneth Whitesell, ordered a one-day safety standdown (Oct. 26) for all non-deployed aviation units after two crashes last week, the Navy announced. “This stand down provides an opportunity for our aviation commands to focus on how to further improve operational risk management and risk mitigation across the Naval Aviation enterprise,” read the Navy statement. “The safety of our personnel and our local communities is a top priority we take all aviation incidents extremely seriously.” Last Friday, Navy Lt. Rhiannon Ross, a 30-year-old instructor pilot, and Coast Guard Ensign Morgan Garrett, a 24-year-old student aviator, died after their T-6B Texan II crashed in an Alabama town west of Naval Air Station Pensacola, Fla. On Oct. 20, an F-18E Super Hornet crashed near Naval Air Station China Lake, Calif. The pilot was recovered safely. The standdown provides an opportunity for aviation commands to focus on how to further improve operational risk management and risk mitigation across the Naval Aviation enterprise. (Source: USNI News 10/26/20) https://news.usni.org/2020/10/26/air-boss-orders-naval-aviation-safety-stand-down-after-two-crashes
La.-built FRCs feasibility study
LOCKPORT, La. - National Security Advisor Robert O'Brien recently announced plans to conduct a feasibility study on whether to base Coast Guard Sentinel Class Fast Response Cutters (FRCs) in American Samoa to counter “destabilizing and malign actions” by China in the Indo-Pacific region. Together with the FRCs already based in Guam, these FRCs will help the U.S. to maintain its commitment to peace and prosperity, and ensure that America remains the partner of choice in the region, he said. In early 2020, Bollinger Shipyards in Louisiana delivered the USCGC OLIVER HENRY to the Coast Guard, which is the second of three FRCs to be homeported in Apra Harbor, Guam, in support of Operation Aiga, which is an effort to strengthen island nations in Oceania, including through fishery patrols and enforcement. That cutter marked the 163rd vessel Bollinger has delivered to the Coast Guard in its 35-year period, and 40th FRC delivered under the current program. “Should the proposed feasibility study demonstrate a need for additional FRCs, Bollinger Shipyards and the maritime defense industrial base stand ready to construct and deliver the high-quality and high-endurance vessels necessary to carry out and perform the mission at hand,” said Ben Bordelon, President/CEO of Bollinger Shipyards and Chairman of the Shipbuilders Council of America. Bollinger is also participating in industry studies for five government programs: CG’s Offshore Patrol Cutter (OPC), Navy’s Common Hull Auxiliary Multi-Mission Platform (CHAMP), Navy’s Auxiliary General Ocean Surveillance (T-AGOS(X)), Navy’s Large Unmanned Surface Vehicle (LUSV) and the Navy’s Light Amphibious Warship (LAW) program. Bollinger has 10 shipyards throughout Louisiana with direct access to the Gulf of Mexico, Mississippi River and the Intracoastal Waterway. Bollinger is the largest vessel repair company in the Gulf of Mexico region. (Source: Bollinger Shipyard 10/26/20) http://www.bollingershipyards.com/blog/proposal-to-expand-fast-response-cutter-program-in-american-samoa-to-strengthen-u-s-strategic-presen
Vertex wins $70M helo contract
PATUXENT RIVER, Md. - The Navy awarded a $70,438,194 base-year contract to Vertex Aerospace of Madison, Miss., on Oct. 20 for Contractor Logistics and Maintenance Support (CLS) of the Advanced Helicopter Training System (AHTS) program with six options for a total contract value of $465,200,548. Three proposals were submitted for the contract. The task order contract for CLS was awarded on a best-value tradeoff basis with a base and six options. CLS availability is scheduled to begin in calendar year 2021 and continue through calendar year 2027. The Leonardo-built TH-73A AHTS will replace the 35-year-old TH-57 training system to meet advanced rotary wing and intermediate tilt-rotor training requirements for the Navy, Marine Corps and Coast Guard through 2050. “This contract ensures the Navy can successfully maintain the TH-57s until the TH-73A is operational in the fleet. Vertex will ensure the Navy has capacity to train several hundred aviation students per year at Naval Air Station Whiting Field, Fla., said Capt. Holly Shoger, Naval Undergraduate Flight Training Systems Program Office program manager. (Source: NAVAIR News 10/26/20) https://southernmarylandchronicle.com/2020/10/26/navy-awards-logistics-maintenance-support-contract-for-advanced-helicopter-training-system/
Monday, October 26, 2020
C-130s on mosquito patrol in La.
BARKSDALE AFB, La. - Two Air Force Reserve Modular Aerial Spray System-equipped C-130 Hercules aircraft from the 910th Airlift Wing (AW) at Youngstown Air Reserve Station, Ohio, deployed to Barksdale on Oct. 20 to conduct mosquito control aerial spraying missions starting Oct. 20, following Hurricane Delta. FEMA requested the unit, and upon approval by the Pentagon, U.S. Northern Command activated the unit. Service members are “privileged to be able to assist the interagency team and people of Louisiana as they recover from the recent hurricanes Delta and Laura,” said Lt. Gen. Kirk Pierce, commander of the First Air Force (Northern), HQ’d at Tyndall AFB, Fla. The C-130s are scheduled to spray in Acadia, Calcasieu, Cameron, Iberia, Jeff Davis, Lafayette and Vermilion parishes. The 910th is home to DoD’s only aerial spray capability and dedicated aerial spray maintenance flight. (Source: 2nd Bomb Wing 10/26/20) Mississippi Note: Lt. Gen Pierce took the helm of 1st AF Northern in July. He had an early career tour from December 1992 to February 1995 as Flight Commander and T-38 Instructor Pilot with the 50th Flying Training Squadron at Columbus AFB, Miss.
Sunday, October 25, 2020
Scholarships for 7 MSU-M students
Seven working-adult students at Mississippi State University-Meridian are 2020-21 scholarship recipients through the Jerry and Ruth Scott Foundation. The scholarships are designed to benefit working adult students completing their degrees at MSU-Meridian, and who maintain high academic achievement. Over $90K in scholarship assistance has been awarded since its inception in 2016. The Scotts lived in Meridian for more than 30 years and were active community members. Ruth Scott attended MSU-Meridian from 1989-93. The recipients each are receiving $3,500 for the academic year: Christopher Mulford, a junior kinesiology major, from Chunky, Miss.; Nakyjia Stephens, a junior criminology major, from Lauderdale; Sara Mazzella, a senior elementary education major, from Lawrence; Sarah Pilgrim, a senior business administration major, from Louin; Katie Beddingfield, a graduate student in counselor education, and Ashley McLeod, a junior interdisciplinary studies major, both from Meridian; and Dre’Anna Davis, a graduate student in elementary education, from Quitman. (Source: Meridian Star 10/23/20) https://www.meridianstar.com/news/local_news/msu-meridian-scholarships-awarded-through-scotts-planned-gift/article_470cb5e6-cf5a-5a4c-b95d-0e9b5242d25f.html