Profile 2022 by The Daily Leader

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www.colin.edu

wesson • natchez • Simpson

Copiah-Lincoln Community College does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, age, disability, or other factors prohibited by law in any of its educational programs, activities, admissions, or employment practices.

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Contents TABLE OF

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THE GOLDEN TOUCH Bernie Reed finds business success in Brookhaven and beyond BROOKHAVEN IS A HAVEN FOR THE ARTS WILLING HEARTS LEAD TO A FUTURE OF CARE SETTING THE STAGE FOR LEARNING The Reading Nook provides one-on-one educational support

28 34 36 44

LAYING THE FOUNDATION Tech center preparing students for competitive job market HEALTH CARE VISIONARY Alvin Hoover leads KDMC through challenges, growth FOUR GENERATIONS OF BUSINESS SUCCESS THE JEWISH BACKSTORY OF BROOKHAVEN

REGIONAL PUBLISHER Kevin Warren GENERAL MANAGER Stacy Graning CONTRIBUTORS Brett Campbell Angela Cutrer MARKETING Betsy Belk Christy Thornton DISTRIBUTION Kaleena Brown Kristie Champagne

Profile 2022 Setting the Stage is a publication of Brookhaven Newsmedia Inc., 128 N. Railroad Ave., Brookhaven, MS 39601. For information or additional copies, call 601265-5298 or email news@dailyleader.com

For four generations, the Perkins family has built and run a successful furniture business in Lincoln County. Today, Don Perkins runs the business, which celebrates its 135th anniversity 2022. Photo Courtesy Don Perkins

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from the editor

etting the Stage It’s a simple concept, but a critical one. Setting the stage implies gathering the tools and the pieces necessary for something – a performance, a business launch, the growth of a community. And while it seems like a simple step, it is in many ways the most crucial one. That’s why we chose to focus on how we’ve set the stage for success – in the past and in the future – here in Brookhaven and Lincoln County for our Profile 2022 edition. From preparing young people for successful careers to adapting educational resources to meet changing needs, we explore some of the programs right here that are making a difference each day. We visit the history of Kings Daughters Medical Center here in Lincoln County, from its humble beginnings to the work done by modern leaders to position the medical center to grow and thrive as patient and provider needs and

systems continue to evolve. And, of course, scores of our local businesses and industries are represented in this edition, highlighting what makes each of them unique in the goods and services they provide and what makes them so valuable to our economic success. We hope you enjoy this edition of Profile 2022. We’re excited about what’s head this year and into the future. Stacy G. Graning General Manager

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Reed Bernie

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Golden The

Touch Bernie Reed finds business success in Brookhaven and beyond

ernard “Bernie” T. Reed’s voice through the phone reflected the sounds of the road as he’s dashing off to yet another city. Reed’s not the kind of man who ever stayed in one location for very long, not when there were deals to make, customers to please and money to be made. Reed founded Reed’s Metals in 1998, operating from a portable shed in Lawrence County. “Through hard work and dedication to delivering an exceptional customer experience, [the] company [grew] into one of the South’s leaders in metal roofing and pre-engineered steel buildings,” its website stated. These days Reed, 52, doesn’t want to brag, but he has a lot to brag about. His hard work and visionary attitude mean he’s come and gone in quite a few businesses - and left them better off than before. By the time he sold Reed’s Metals in 2018 to IOP of Chicago, the business had seven locations in six states. The reason Reed started his first business goes back to his childhood. “I’m from Florida, but my dad was a forester and I used to come with him up here all the time,” Reed said of his younger days, which were quite nomadic. “I love the culture here. The people are good, down-to-earth folks and it was a great place to raise kids.” Reed said he’s been blessed in the family department as well; he has five children and 11 grandchildren, all living in the area. “I recently bought a six-bedroom, five-bath lodge near Percy Quinn State Park [in McComb] for our family to gather,” he said. “It’s right near the

BY ANGELA CUTRER ANGELA.CUTRER@DAILYLEADER.COM

DAILY LEADER PHOTO

LEFT: Bernie Reed started his first business, Reed’s Metals, back in 1988. ABOVE: Bernie Reed Photo courtesy of MStop50.com airport, so we can drop in for birthdays and holidays or whatever. It’s just the perfect spot for that.” Another new business is The Hideaway, created in 2014 where couples come to marry, corporate brethren come to bond and birthday girls (and guys) come to joyfully usher in another year of life. Located at 828 Pleasant Grove Dr SE, Monticello, The Hideway’s idyllic property near Brookhaven, “was too beautiful to keep to himself,” Reed stated. “It really is lovely.” Amid rolling hills, serene gardens and an oak tree forest, the 250-acre estate boasts six event venues for from 15 to 300 guests. Whether for weddings, receptions or parties, The Hideaway’s White Pine Barn expanded to include other venues for poten-

PHOTO COURTESY OF MSTOP50.COM

tial get-togethers, including the Wooden Cross, The Chapel and The Brown Barn. Reed created Lincoln Electric Supply, 1709 Hwy 84 East, Brookhaven, with master electrician Matthew Wallace to form a partnership based on offering customers quality products at a competitive price. The two brought together a knowledgeable staff together in order to assist customers with electrical and welding needs. Lincoln Electric also offers contractors free delivery to job sites and provides electrical, welding and generator supplies. It has a retail store as well as route trucks. Clay’s Transport at 658 Caleb Drive SE, Brookhaven, is another Reed brainchild, this time with James Waldrop. They have

32 flatbed trucks, 10 van trailers and two heavy hauls for oversize loads. Reed Capital Investors is a business that primarily invests in or acquires small businesses to help them grown. In Tennessee, Reed has mining companies. Reed has also been busy recently making connections with people in Nashville and on Kentucky Lake. In 2017, Reed was named to the Mississippi’s Top 50 Most Influential list, a listing seemingly made for a man who finds keeping still is just not in his vocabulary. But why so many investments? Reed said after he sold Reed’s Metals, he felt lost. “I literally lost a year,” he said. “I felt like someone in a boat in the ocean, just floating. “So, I jumped right back in with small businesses, and found a passion in real estate. I really like helping businesses because the challenge drives me. I love it.” Reed sheepishly mentioned he just purchased a jet for all the traveling necessary among his many remaining businesses. “I don’t mean that to sound like I’m bragging,” he said. “It’s just that having it will help so much to deal with all the projects we have going on. And I live in Brookhaven, have a house in Florida and a piece of property in Montana, so .... the jet will help with all that.” Reed doesn’t plan on leaving Brookhaven for good. “I love Brookhaven,” he said with feeling. “It’s been a good environment to start a new business. People have been very supportive of anything we’ve done. “It’s just a good place live.” PROFILE 2022

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BROOKHAVEN IS A HAVEN FOR

THE ARTS BY BRETT CAMPBELL FILE PHOTOS

rookhaven is known as a center for the arts. It is home to hundreds of musicians, visual artists, actors, dancers, jewelry makers and those who create unique art that doesn’t squarely fall into any one category. Here are just a few of the artists who have helped develop the Brookhaven arts landscape and are helping carry it into the future. Wyatt Waters is a celebrated watercolor painter who, though he now lives in and operates a studio in Clinton, regularly makes trips back to his Southwest Mississippi hometown to paint en plein air — outside, typically, painting what he observes in front of him. With a last name like Waters, perhaps he was destined to become a watercolorist. Don Jacobs is a renowned muralist and founder of Brookstock, the near-annual reunion of bands from the area that also brings in new artists to share their original material. Jacobs’ style is easily recognizable on the album covers and music posters he has created, the many in-home murals he has created in such places as a church baptismal area, the Natchez home of a filmmaker and the Cherokee Alley mural in downtown Brookhaven. Tyler Bridge owns the city’s lone recording studio, Brookhaven Music Studios, on East Cherokee Street. Leader of The Bridge Band, which also features his brother Nick in the lineup, Bridge was also co-owner of the city’s former music store. Blake Scafidel is a pianist who PROFILE 2022

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brought a Branson-style music show to the city, with dueling pianos and medleys of timeless pop hits. His wife Carrene teaches piano at Downtown Music Academy, which offers lessons taught by multiple gifted artists, including Vidalia Sanders, Kyle Graves, Rona Barrett and Greg Smith. Tony Norton is even on-hand to help with band instruments and to repair guitars. Kim Sessums is a medical doctor whose sculptures are seen by thousands in such locales as the Vicksburg National Military Park — the Mississippi African-American Monument — and The Billy Graham Library in North Carolina — a life-size bust of the famed preacher. The city was home to the first movie theater in Southwest Mississippi. Jack E. Sarphie opened the Sarphie Theatre June 20, 1931, on what is now South Whitworth Avenue. It was located in the building known by many as the former Arcade Theatre or Lofton’s Building. Sarphie sold the theater in 1935 to competitors who made it into the Arcade Theatre. It was in the Arcade that motion pictures became popular in the area. Some time around 1950 the theater was sold again and combined with a theater on Cherokee Street to become The Haven Theatre. The Haven is now owned by Brookhaven Little Theatre Company, who purchased it in 1982 and remodeled it primarily for state productions. Another Brookhaven native, Derek Covington Smith, is a visual artist whose works are displayed in New

York’s pop culture gallery THNK1994. He continues to create and to teach others through his local studio, The Little Yellow Building. He is also heavily involved in the Brookhaven Regional Arts Guild. Janet Campbell Smith is another familiar name in the arts world, and is also heavily committed to the arts guild. Smith has taught many area artists — helping them create the future of art — through her role as art instructor at Copiah-Lincoln Community College. Native musician Virgil “Big Juv” Brawley was honored in May 2021 with a Mississippi Blues Trail marker in Railroad Park. Others listed on the marker include the late Blind Jim Brewer, also a Brookhaven bluesman, as well as current rhythm and blues singers Oren “Mr. Redboy” Witherspoon and Walter “Walt Geezzy” Graham. Brookhaven is also home to the state’s official School of the Arts. Mississippi School of the Arts is a public, residential high school for 11th and 12th grades, providing advanced programs in music, theater, visual arts, media arts, literary arts and dance. MSA is literally helping mold the artists of today and tomorrow on a dayto-day basis. Brookhaven continues to contribute to the arts world, and more and more artists are “created” here every day. There is no better place in South Mississippi for an artist to be, and no better community of artists with which to surround themselves.

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The Arts

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Willing

Hearts

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Willing

Hearts lead to a future of care BY ANGELA CUTRER PHOTOS BY ANGELA CUTRER

fter witnessing the sad death of young seminary student on board a ship traveling from Europe to New York in the 1800s, Margaret Bottome felt the need to create an organization that existed solely for the purpose of ministering until others. She also hoped a recognizable badge would help those in need find a person trained in helping those grieving. Her dream came true on Jan. 13, 1886, when 10 founding members chose the silver Maltese cross as

a new group’s badge, “In His Name” as its watchword and “Not to be ministered unto, but to minister” as its motto. Willing Hearts Circle had come to be. In 1894, the Willing Hearts Circle organized in Brookhaven by ladies who visited the sick while providing food, clothing and medicine for the needy. By 1914, the Circle group purchased the furnishings of the Brookhaven Sanitarium, and in 1922, with the assistance of a city bond issue and bricks PROFILE 2022

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donated by Brookhaven Pressed Brick Company, the Circle opened a new facility, King’s Daughters Hospital, located on the corner of North Jackson and West Congress streets. A nursing school also operated there from 1924 until 1944. The hospital relocated to its present location on Highway 51 in 1964, into a building leased from the Lincoln County Board of Supervisors. The old location was deeded by the city to Silver Cross Home and a hospital auxiliary was organized in 1977 to provide hospital volunteers. In 1982, the Office of Housing and Urban Development made funds available for a project to provide low-income housing for the elderly and handicapped. The Willing Hearts Circle established a nonprofit corporation to build and operate Kingsborough Apartments, building 64 apartments. In 1996, Silver Cross Home constructed a 60-bed nursing home behind the hospital and in 2010, added a therapy center. Silver Cross Nursing Home was organized in 1965 by the women of the 16

Willing Hearts Circle of the International Order of The King’s Daughters and Sons, an interdenominational Christian service organization. In 2014 the Silver Cross board of directors leased the management of the home to Advanced Health Care Management (AHM). The money from that lease goes right back into the community, said current Willing Hearts chairman, Sarah Foster. “Countless organizations have been helped throughout the years with that money,” she said. “We make sure it goes right back into the community and we have a great sense of pride about that.” KDMC grew from The Willing Hearts Circle and operated a nursing school there between 1924 and 1944. In 1999, King’s Daughters Hospital changed its name to King’s Daughters Medical Center to reflect the expansion of services to the community. “I’m highly impressed myself that a group of women in the early 1900s were able to do what most women could not at that time, considering

the norm, and the group is still going strong today,” said Foster. The group has 55 members who meet monthly and they seat seven members on the KDMC board. The Willing Hearts Circle and King’s Daughters Foundation recently completed major improvements and a memorial project to former KDMC board member and Willing Hearts Circle member Sue Fenn Minter in the Willing Hearts Memorial Garden. Located at the northwest end of the hospital, the garden features a commemorate wall to Minter and other Willing Hearts members who have passed away. Donations from the KDMC Foundation and the Silver Cross Foundation made the improvements possible. After all these years, Foster said the group will continue to pray for the hospital, the employees and the community itself. “We consider ourselves the praying body for the hospital,” she said. “There are not many communities that still have a local hospital in town, and we want to always be as supportive as possible.”

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Health Care

Visionary Alvin Hoover leads KDMC through challenges, growth

Braxter Irby, MD, Alvin Hoover and David Carner, MD

I Carl Smith, Alvin Hoover, the late KDMC Chaplain Ken Kirk and Tillmon Bishop at the KDMC Prayer Walk.

Alvin and wife Nancy with Wyatt Waters and Robert St. John.

Alvin cooking at a KDMC Foundation event. 18 | PROFILE 2022

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n 2007, King’s Daughters Medical Center welcomed new leadership with the addition of Alvin Hoover. Some 15 years and many accomplishments later, Hoover is now set to retire from his role as chief executive officer in September. Hoover moved to Southwest Mississippi from Abbeville, S.C., with his wife and two daughters. At the time, Hoover had served as chief executive officer at Abbeville Area Medical Center, a 25-bed hospital with a staff of 200. He stepped into the role of CEO at KDMC with a 400-member staff and a 112-bed facility. Hoover was selected for the KDMC leadership role primarily for his track record in salvaging the floundering finances of AAMC and improving its facilities. When he moved to Brookhaven in 2007, KDMC was in the midst of an $11 million expansion and renovation. “Serving as the CEO of KDMC has been the role of a lifetime,” Hoover said when he announced his retirement. “Early on, the KDMC Board challenged me to make our mission known, and together we have shown our community of KDMC’s commitment to ‘always provide quality health and wellness in a Christian environment.’” Under Hoover’s leadership, KDMC has achieved consistent accolades for work environment, patient safety, patient satisfaction and employee engagement, including the following: • Named a “Modern Healthcare Best Place to Work in Healthcare” in 2020 for the fourth consecutive year and eight of the past 10 years. • Internationally-recognized ISO 9001 certification, the “Gold Seal” for quality programs. • Achieved patient safety grade of “A” from Leapfrog for seven of the past 10 grading periods. • Consistently achieved “Centers for Medicare; Medicaid Services” five stars for patient satisfaction. • Received full recognition by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for the hospital’s

BY BRETT CAMPBELL AND ANGELA CUTRER SUBMITTED PHOTOS quality, evidence-based “Diabetes Prevention Program.” • International recognition as a “Designated Baby-Friendly” birth facility for offering an optimal level of care for breastfeeding mothers and their babies. • Led the hospital to modernize facilities and equipment through more than $50 million of capital improvements. • Recruitment of 25 physicians across multiple sub-specialties. As for KDMC success during the last 15 years, Hoover said even prior to his arrival that the mission of KDMC was forefront at the epitome of his purpose. “The board wanted to ensure our mission –‘Always provide quality health and wellness in a Christian environment’ - was lived out by our employees and was lived out through faith,” Hoover said. “We wanted to live out our faith every day. Employees do the same and that mission means a great health care and work environment. “That’s what drives that most of all - employees’ engagement scores. We have mid 90 percent during the last 10-11 years, which is a tremendous score. Most hospitals have less than 50 percent, but we are consistently in 90-95 percent rage.” Hoover said KDMC has expanded basic medical care services, as well as specialties, including OBGYN, surgery, orthopedics, EMTs, psychiatry and pediatrics. “We’ve grown medical staff and services,” he said. “Not necessarily more beds, but things like the wound care center, the sleep center and the pain center.” However, it hasn’t always been as positive as CEO for Hoover. The last couple of years have been hard in health care, he said. “[Many] things have changed, and in the ways we run health care as well,” he said. He described how

the recent past continues to cause concern. “The nursing shortage in particular,” he described as a serious issue. “We need 58 nurses in emergency and ICU, but we only have 39. Hospitals across the state are facing the same problem. “We’ve never had a problem with turnover. [However], we’ve lost more than 30 nurses in the course of the last months and we’ve only been able to hire four or five. “That means, say, in the ER, someone might have to wait 30 minutes to be seen because we have to do the best we can with who is available. After a car accident, for example, when a patient needs immediate care and we need to get you stabilized, we do so to transfer you to another hospital, but with the shortage, we can’t provide all the care someone may need.” Hoover also said one his “great disappointments” is the lack of Medicaid expansion in Mississippi. “The federal government is willing to send money to the states for it, but Mississippi has not done it,” he said. “Our nursing shortage and bad debt makes it all worse. Bring those monies into our state or our community.” The Kaiser Family Foundation reported in a 2016 report that “rural hospitals have long struggled financially and the situation is getting worse. ...Since 2005, 181 rural hospitals have shut their doors [due to] an older, poorer population; advances in outpatient medical procedures; and a decision among many Southern states against expanding Medicaid under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. ... That leaves hospitals with a greater share of uncompensated care as uninsured patients continue to be treated.” The coronavirus pandemic made matters worse by delaying nonessential services that bring in revenue. But Hoover said the main distinctness of KDMC is that they’ve tried to keep good health care in a small community, staffed by em-

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PHOTOS COURTESY KDMC’S DAVID CULPEPPER

Alvin Hoover speaks to a Willing Hearts Circle gathering. PROFILE 2022 | 19

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ployees who sincerely care, even in the midst of national hospital financial strife and closures. “We’ve tried to provide so many things [to this community] so people don’t have to leave home for Jackson, Hattiesburg, Baton Rouge or New Orleans,” he said. Glowing comments from surveyed patients reflected positivity to this service mentality. Hoover is a fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives, has served as chair of the Mississippi Hospital Association Board of Governors, chair of the American Hospital Association’s Small or Rural Hospitals Governing Council, chair of the Myriad ACO — a Mississippi statewide accountable care organization, and president of Mississippi True — the state’s provider-sponsored health plan. Locally, Hoover is an active member and deacon at First Baptist Church Brookhaven. “It’s been a wonderful place to work and to live. We plan to stay here in our retirement. Brookhaven has been a great to raise our family and we’ve made such wonderful church friends and friends in the community.” Hoover actively serves in the community, having held leadership positions with the Brookhaven-Lincoln County Chamber of Commerce, Industrial Development Foundation and Economic Development Alliance. He earned a bachelor of science degree from Houghton College, a master of education degree from Georgia State University and a Master of Health Service Administration degree from Central Michigan University.

Brenda Day, Ophelia Allen, Alvin Hoover

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Rex Lumber has been producing high quality lumber products for almost 90 years. We are family owned and operated.

810 W. L. Behan Road • Brookhaven, MS 601.833.1990

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y e

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Laying the

foundation Tech center preparing students for competitive job market BY ANGELA CUTRER SUBMITTED PHOTOS

he Brookhaven Technical Center, led by director Trevor Brister, strives to offer learning disciplines in real-world work, such as automotive repair, medical assisting and culinary arts. “I am honored to work with a faculty that is committed to forming a positive, influential, and productive relationship with each student that ensures a safe environment for learning and a mutual commitment for success,” Brister said. “The faculty and staff at BTC are dedicated to training all of our scholars for careers and how to use skills obtained to enhance their lifelong success. All BTC programs prepare students for college and careers through rigorous curricula aligned to labor market demands.” Brister added that training from BTC sets up students to succeed in today’s competitive job market, by not only gaining knowledge and a skill set needed to be successful in a career field, but also strengthening personal skills such as lead| PROFILE 2022

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Brookhaven

Technical Center

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ership, cooperation, and communication, which are vital for today’s industries. The Brookhaven Technical Center was created in 1973 under the leadership of Superintendent Dr. James Tremal Jr. to prepare students for high-skill, high-wage careers and for further educational opportunities. Since opening its doors 48 years ago, BTC career pathway programs now consist of programs of study that include culinary arts, health science, engineering, polymer science, digital media and automotive. Courses are organized around labs that are 30

designed to simulate actual workplace environments. “All of the programs are created and aligned with the industry needs within the Brookhaven community,” Brister said. Students from 9th to 11th grade can enroll in one of the career pathway programs and stay in the program two years to be considered finished with coursework. “On an average school year, we have approximately 175 students enrolled in our career pathway programs,” Brister said. “We also have two enrichment courses called Family and Consumer Science (Family Dynamics)

and Contemporary Health, which are four nine-week courses. We have approximately 200 students throughout the school year in those courses.” The BTC attempts to instruct and offer hands-on training to its students so they might meet success head on. “Hearing about our students excelling in two and four-year colleges or walking into businesses and industries within the community and seeing students who came through our programs working and being successful makes me feel good that we were a part of their career development,” Brister said.

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Brister has been with the Brookhaven School District for 19 years. He started out as a special education teacher and football coach at the high school. After teaching and coaching for several years, he became an administrator as assistant principal at Lipsey Middle School for two years. He then moved up to being the principal at Fannie Mullins Alternative School for four years. He has been director at BTC for the past eight years. Brister said the main goal of the BTC is to provide opportunities for students to attain the knowledge and skills needed to be successful in their career of choice. “However, the majority of BTC students go on to attend two and four-year colleges to further their training after we provided their foundation.” PROFILE 2022

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Story 6

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The Reading Nook

The Reading Nook provides one-on-one educational support 34

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BY ANGELA CUTRER PHOTOS BY ANGELA CUTRER

he Reading Nook is a Brookhaven educational center established in June 2013 for children with dyslexia and reading disorders. The founders recognized a need for a private school for the students in this area because “while parents are advocates for their children, parents often do not have the resources needed to provide the extra help,” the company’s website stated. The next year, in August 2014, the founders created the Reading Nook private specialized education school, which offered preschool through middle school with 14 students. By the next year, the school had grown to 32 students. Today there are 123. Its small classroom setting helps ensure each child gets one-on-one instruction, said Millicent Porter, the owner who serves as p sych o m e t r i s t , speech-langua g e pathologist and dyslexia therapist at the center. “In our Christian-based environment, we use books and curriculum from Bob Jones Press and ABeka,” she said. “In addition, we realize that children learn differently, so we accommodate each of our students’ learning needs, with a goal to prepare students to return to regular school.” Porter, who is now working on her doctorate in development psychology, opened the school after a frustration with public school mentalities of crunching numbers, c o u n t ing heads and poor training, especially

PHOTOS BY ANGELA CUTRER

LEFT: The Reading Nook ABOVE: Millicent Porter owns and operates The Reading Nook. when it came to dyslexia. “I wanted to be able to help the students I saw struggling, that I knew I could help,” she said. “We wanted to offer the most normal education possible, equivalent to public school. In 2023, the first graduation of 12 grades will occur and we are very proud of that.” Porter said the reason the school worked toward becoming certified through the Midsouth Association of Independent Schools - which the school will become in April means the students at her center will graduate with a diploma. “We had kindergarten through eighth grade, but the students wanted to stay on,” Porter explained. “So now we have PreK through

11th grade, and by next year, our 12th graders can graduate. We will now also qualify for our students to participate in college dual enrollment.” The students keep coming, so Porter plans to add a new building, which means they will be able to accommodate 50-70 more children. And she’s not leaving teachers out either. Porter is developing a certified program for teachers to become credentialed in phonetic reading mastery. “We will offer the program in conjunction for teachers wanting to better themselves and students in the classroom,” Porter said. “And it will not be just for elementary, but all teachers.” Porter employs 22

teachers and class size is no more than nine students at a time. However, the school has a “pull-out program” so that when students who find themselves struggling with a certain issue that has cropped up, that student can be removed from the class for one-on-one intensive individualized training to help fine-tune a skill. “Because we are a private nonprofit school, we can help a student’s needs with independent attention,” Porter said. The Reading Nook is open 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday-Thursday and Fridays 7:30 a.m. to noon and offers tutoring services Monday through Thursday after school for children.

“In our Christianbased environment, we use books and curriculum from Bob Jones Press and ABeka. In addition, we realize that children learn differently, so we accommodate each of our students’ learning needs, with a goal to prepare students to return to regular school.” — Millicent Porter, the owner who serves as psychometrist, speech-language pathologist and dyslexia therapist at the center. PROFILE 2022

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PHOTO COURTESY MSRAILROADS.COM

Corner of the T.H. Perkins Company building.

PHOTO FROM PE

RKINS WE

The interio BSITE ro T.H. Perkins f the original Company st ore.

Four generations of business success BY ANGELA CUTRER SUBMITTED PHOTOS

ince first opening its doors in 1887, the T.H. Perkins Company has grown, expanded and changed with the times. And its current owners plan to keep going. Don Perkins, the fourth generation running the business, thinks the reason for the company’s longevity is the way they treat their customers. “We’ve always enjoyed satisfying people’s needs,” he said. “It’s not just a paycheck - it’s an enjoyable job. I think people appreciate our service after the sale; we want to take care of everyone we meet.” Don’s great-grandfather opened the company in its original location 135 years ago and expanded to a building across the street in 1905. He was a man

with a vision, and that carried down to his son. “My grandfather went to Memphis and brought back the first televisions in Mississippi,” Don said. “He was also the one who brought in new styles not seen across the state yet.” But Perkins was not just about furniture: “We were the oldest Maytag dealer in the state until we stopped carrying appliances,” Don said. Don started in the business when he was about 14, riding a truck and working in the warehouse. He and his wife Theresia now sell name brand furniture and mattresses, featuring an Ashley Furniture showroom and a La-z-boy Comfort Studio Gallery, along with other custom designer lines. As for the future, Don said he’s not sure what will happen. “I’m 66 now,” he said. “I don’t have any siblings interested in the business, and I have no grandchildren. I plan to retire in, oh, 10 to 12 years,

PHOTO FROM PERKINS WEBSITE

A Perkins wagon carrying furniture.

so hopefully, someone will want to step in then.” But that’s a way off and the Perkinses have current plans for expansion. “Going forward, we’re going to remodel our building and update our showroom,” Theresia said. “We’re looking forward to continuing our family traditions, here in Brookhaven and all across the state.”

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Perkins

Don Perkins is the fourth generation to work at Perkins Furniture.

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The Jewish

backstory of

Brookhaven

DAILY LEADER PHOTO

TOP LEFT: Rabbi Arron Rozovsky visited the Lincoln County Historical Museum for the first time in November 2018. The museum is the former home of the B’nai Sholom Temple. Pictured are, from left: Rozovsky, and Lincoln County Historical and Genealogical Society members Cathy Bridge and Joe Brown. ABOVE: The interior of the B’nai Sholom Temple in Brookhaven before it was deconsecrated to be used as a museum. 44

PHOTO BY GOLDRING/WOLDENBERG INSTITUTE OF SOUTHERN JEWISH LIFE

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BY BRETT CAMPBELL SUBMITTED PHOTOS

or most of Brookhaven’s history, the city supported a small Jewish community. In 2009, the local congregation dissolved and gifted its synagogue to the Lincoln County Historical and Genealogical Society, which uses the space as a museum. The synagogue building was erected in 1896, though Jews had lived in the area since 1852 and a cemetery had been established in 1861. Jewish religious services had initially been conducted in private homes, but by 1894 the community had grown large enough to support a permanent place of worship. The local Ladies’ Hebrew Society led the effort to form a congregation in 1894, meeting in Heuck’s Opera House. A place for central, organized worship was important for the Jewish community, many of whom were merchants. Jewish families had established the Inez Hotel in 1904 and started a public library in 1910, had operated hardware and dry goods stores and were civic leaders. Three of the city’s mayors were Jewish, as well — Abraham Lewinthal, 1889; Sam Abrams, 1910; and Harold Samuels in the 1970s and ’80s. The synagogue built by the congregation at the corner of South Church and Chickasaw streets is the city’s first and only temple. Jewish and non-Jewish trading partners responded to fund-raising letters with enough contributions to build the desired structure. The Gothic building has stained glass windows and a steeple with no bell. The cornerstone was laid May 28, 1896, presided over by Rabbi Isidore Lewinthal of Nashville, a relative of local residents. The congregation was named Temple B’nai Sholom — Temple of the Children of Peace — and followed Reform practices as a member of the Union of American Hebrew Congregations, later the Union for Reform Judaism. The group was never larger than 100 people, but the members led themselves in the absence of a full-time rabbi. Rabbis from other communities or student rabbis would sometimes lead services, but they were most often led by lay leaders in the Brookhaven congregation. Jews from Hazlehurst, Wesson and Crystal Springs joined with the Brookhaven synagogue to worship. The peak of Jewish involvement locally was around 1907, when approximately 85 Jews lived in Brookhaven. That number fell to 50 by 1937, and more of the younger Jewish generations began to move away in the 1950s and 1960s to pursue opportunities and education not available in Mississippi. Nevertheless, weekly services and classes continued until the 1970s. Services then began to be limited to worship on High Holy Days, as well as bar- and bat-mitzvot (“son of blessing” or “daughter of blessing” coming of age ceremonies) and weddings as needed. Until its dissolution on Aug. 30, 2009, it was the oldest synagogue in Mississippi still in use. It owned two copies of the Torah — scrolls containing the Books of Moses — one written in the late 1890s by Rabbi Lewinthal, and a Holocaust Torah from Prague. After more than a century in operation, the congregation held an official deconsecration ceremony to mark the synagogue’s closure. The remaining congregation members entered into an agreement with the Historical Society for the temple to be utilized as a local history museum, featuring the history of Brookhaven’s Jewish community and a permanent installation explaining the building’s religious architecture.

Jewish and non-Jewish trading partners responded to fund-raising letters with enough contributions to build the desired structure. The Gothic building has stained glass windows and a steeple with no bell. The cornerstone was laid May 28, 1896, presided over by Rabbi Isidore Lewinthal of Nashville, a relative of local residents.

PHOTO BY SYNAGOGUES 360

The former B’nai Sholom Temple — now the home of the Lincoln County Historical and Genealogical Society’s museum — sits at the corner of South Church Street and West Chickasaw Street.

DAILY LEADER PHOTO

Hal Samuels unveils a new historic marker for the B’nai Sholom Temple in front of the Lincoln County Historical and Genealogical Museum in October 2013.

PHOTO BY SYNAGOGUES 360

The former B’nai Sholom Temple — now the home of the Lincoln County Historical and Genealogical Society’s museum — sits at the corner of South Church Street and West Chickasaw Street. PROFILE 2022

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At Region 8 Mental Health, we offer comprehensive individualized treatment of the highest quality for those in need of behavioral health services for adults and children.

• Mental Health Services – Children & Adults • Intellectual & Developmental Disability Services – Individuals over 16 • Alcohol & Drug Services – Inpatient & Oupatient 601-823-2345 620 Hwy. 51 North www.region8mhs.org *Region 8 is funded in part by DMH

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A proud member of THE BROOKHAVEN COMMUNITY From a modest feed-and-seed store in small-town Mississippi to one of the largest poultry producers in the country, Sanderson Farms is proud to support Lincoln County. For 75 years, our team of caring individuals has been committed to producing quality products, responding to customer needs, and proudly participating as a respected part of our communities.

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VISIT OUR WEBSITE: WWW. TRAXPLUS.COM Summit 5122 HWY 98 Summit, MS 39666 (601) 600-2136

Hickory 9800 HWY 503 Hickory, MS 39332 (601) 635-5543

Columbus 2891 S Frontage Road Columbus, MS 39701 (662) 368-3300

Alexandria, LA 5913 Old Boyce Rd Boyce, LA 71409 (318) 542-7230

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