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Daily Corinthian Vol. 116, No. 79
• Corinth, Mississippi •
Partly sunny Today
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22 pages • Three sections
Youth: ‘Mr. Havis is our hero!’ BY MARK BOEHLER editor@dailycorinthian.com
Over the years in the eyes of thousands of local youth, Havis Hurley is their hero. This status has now earned the longtime Corinth servant of kids the title of Junior Auxiliary 2012 Outstanding Citizen. Amid tears and applause, Hurley accepted the award before friends and family Saturday night at the 50th Golden Gala Charity Ball at Shiloh Golf and Athletic Club. The longtime youth coach and mentor who served as director of the SportsPlex from 1987-2006 has taken 53 youth groups to Disney World through the years. His next project is taking a busload of special needs children and their chaperons to the land of magic in June. “It just keeps you young,” Hurley told the Daily Corinthian last week in an interview for fundraising efforts for the next trip. Hurley fell in love with Disney World when he attended the opening of the park in October 1971 with a group of youngsters from the Boys Club of Ft. Lauderdale, Fla., where he was working at the time. The innocence, cleanliness, beauty and magic of the world of Disney captured him as he saw the reactions of the young people. The longtime sports leader and mentor came to Corinth
from Ft. Lauderdale in 1978 to manage the Corinth Parks and Recreation Department. A 1967 graduate of Delta State, Hurley returned to his hometown where he was a multi-sport standout and graduate at Corinth High School in 1961. He made his first trip to Disney World with a group from the SportsPlex in 1989. Since that time, he’s taken groups from the Boys and Girls Club, Project Attention, SportsPlex and numerous other agencies and organizations. His goal is always to broaden their horizons and help them see there’s a bigger, more magical world, he told the newspaper. In an interview with the Daily Corinthian recently, Hurley said his next trip was inspired by his current experiences as a bus driver for the Corinth School District. He transports approximately 18 children with special needs to school each day. He said he’s been inspired by their courage and positive attitudes. He said these children, who face challenges every day, never seem to be upset or negative. The idea for this trip was born from a desire to give back to them and help them have a truly special experience. Dozens of people touched by Hurley’s actions wrote letters of support to the Junior Auxiliary to nominate the youth leader for the community’s top award.
“Havis has always been there for all children of the Corinth area,” wrote Carol Mitchell, community service director for the Corinth Housing Authority. “In all endeavors, Havis goes over and beyond what is asked of him. There is truly no one more deserving than he for this recognition.” Civic and community leader Dr. John Dodd worked with Hurley when he was a board member at the SportsPlex, previously known as the Corinth YMCA or Corinth Y. “His talents included referee, umpire, carpenter, plumber, psychologist, mediator and mentor,” wrote Dodd. “Havis never lost sight of the disadvantaged child. One of his goals was to ensure that any child could be involved in any activity regardless of their financial status.” “Havis’ legacy will always be his service to children, his love for community, his sharing of values and most importantly the giving of his time in an unselfish manner,” added Dr. Dodd. Corinth businessman J.B. Darnell played sports with Hurley in their high school days, and they remain close friends today. “Havis has always been concerned with others and especially the young and those less
Photo by Bill Avery
Havis Hurley’s lifetime mission to be a mentor to local youth has earned him the Junior Auxiliary 2012 Outstanding Citizen Award.
Please see MENTOR | 2A
Battle of Shiloh 150 years later ... Thousands get closer to long history at Shiloh
BY BOBBY J. SMITH bjsmith@dailycorinthian.com
An army has again descended on Shiloh, Tenn. On Saturday a multitude of spectators, reenactors, sutlers, food-vendors and more flocked to a spot of land right outside Shiloh National Military Park for the first big day of the BlueGray Alliance’s 150th Anniversary Battle of Shiloh Reenactment. Tom Parson, park ranger for Shiloh National Military Park, was tending the National Park Service’s tent at the site early Saturday. By 11 a.m. more than 600 people had already passed through the tent; on Friday 1,200 reenactors were there. “The crowd is huge, and everybody is having a good time,” Parson said. He said the nearby Shiloh Park was opening up areas for parking space that had never before been used for that purpose — all the way to one-half mile from the Visitor Center. Iowa native Bill Jordan spent the morning getting himself and his horse prepared to recreate the role of the 8th Texas Cavalry (known as Terry’s Texas Rangers) in the battle reenactment.
BY JEBB JOHNSTON jjohnston@dailycorinthian.com
Staff photo by Bobby J. Smith
Learning history through reenactment Iowa’s Bill Jordan — a “galvanized” Rebel — is portraying a member of Terry’s Texas Rangers.
SHILOH, Tenn. — Whether reenacting it, learning about it or just talking about it, thousands of people felt closer to history on Saturday at Shiloh. Carted in by the wagon loads to the Blue-Gray Alliance reenactment site near the military park, spectators viewed demonstrations of Civil War life and battle reenactments while dealing with muddy conditions from Friday’s rain. Kathleen Wingate, who came from West Monroe, La., has experienced the extremes of reenactment weather at Shiloh. She also participated in the 145th anniversary activities. “It snowed right after the battle,” she said. “It was so cold.” Keeping cool was the bigger challenge Saturday while dressed in elaborate period costuming. Wingate said she enjoys participating in living histories for schools and goes to as many
Please see MUD | 10A
Please see HISTORY | 10A
Index Stocks...... 7A Classified......4B Horoscopes ...2B Wisdom......1B
Weather......5A Obituaries......3A Opinion......4A Sports......8A
On this day in history 150 years ago Federal forces under Gen. Lew Wallace skirmish with Confederates outside of Adamsville, Tenn. Scouts arrive in Savannah to report the Army of the Ohio had crossed the Duck River and would soon form a junction with Grant’s army.