Pulse Fall-Winter 2020 by enterprisejournal

28 Back to School Pandemic Style

pesto t a e r g r o f e mak Fresh herbs mith shares her recipe! Donna S

In this issue: • In Step With Dr. Steve Bishop, the No. 1 Bear

• Home Schooling Parents turn to educating from home

Operation Christmas Child

Social Distancing, Masks, Hand Santizer all now the norm.

• Santa’s Helpers Organization keeping Christmas dreams alive

• Turning 75 Selman’s Jewelers celebrating anniversary

On the cover: Our food columnist, Donna Smith, not only a great cook but a creative designer, shares her beautiful tablescape for the Autumn season. Cover photo by Donna Smith

Staff From the Publisher

e can all say that lots of things have been changed by the coronavirus. But people like Steve Bishop, president of Southwest Mississippi Community College, are among those who can justifiably say that almost everything they do has been changed. Bishop and his staff at Southwest, along with all other educators in the area, had to expand online instruction last spring with no warning as

the virus shut down schools and businesses. For the current fall semester, Southwest has taken the lessons from earlier in the year and greatly expanded its online courses. Change is often difficult, but it also is part of life. Change usually is manageable, but this year has presented educators, medical workers and just about everyone with immense challenges. It’s to the credit of Bishop and so many others that we have weathered the storm quite well.

Publisher - Jack Ryan Editor - Matt Williamson Advertising Manager - Vicky Deere Advertising sales-

LeWair Foreman, Stacy Godwin, Steven Sawyer & Margie Williams.

pulse is a publication of J.O. Emmerich & Associates Inc. and is produced in association with the Enterprise-Journal, 112 Oliver Emmerich Dr., McComb, Mississippi. For more copies or advertising information, call 601-6842421, write P.O. Box 2009, McComb, MS 39649 or e-mail advertising@enterprise-journal.com.

Volume 13, Issue 2

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Dr. Steve Bishop

Papa Bear leads SMCC By Mack Spe ncer Among bears in the wild, males tend to be loners and can pose dangers to young cubs, while females are the caretakers and protectors. That makes Southwest Mississippi Community College President Dr. Steve Bishop more of a mama Bear to all the Bear cubs that have returned to the SMCC campus. In developing a safe, health-conscious return to campus in the midst of the COVID19 pandemic, “the whole process was a learning experience,” Bishop said. “We had to think outside the box. We had to brainstorm a lot of ideas.” That’s a process that began during spring break in March and continues into the present and the foreseeable future. Officials at SMCC and other schools nationwide extended spring break by a week, hoping that would be enough time to regroup and bring students back to campus safely. Instead, classes went online for the remainder of the spring semester, which had a little more than a third of the way left to go. Four classes were held on campus in a controlled setting over the summer — a dry run for scaling up to full attendance in the fall — but most instruction remained online. “If we had known that we’d have to stay closed for the rest of spring, we could have prepared our students to go online,” Bishop said. “But they left for spring break and they never came back. We never expected that to happen. “It took a lot of effort to convert everything to online. Fortunately, by that point, some assignments had been completed and there were already grades recorded.” Bishop said he believes the online components of education will remain and perhaps continue to grow in importance even when the imminent threats of a pandemic have passed. “More technology is just going to be a way of life for us,” he said. “There are things we’ve been forced to learn how to operate to be more efficient and more effective.” Even in a fall semester in which students are back in classrooms, living in dormitories, eating in the cafeteria and practicing for sports seasons soon to start, the number of online classes is higher by both choice and necessity. In addition to the students who would have taken online classes anyway, some students seem to have taken more online options to cut down on their exposure to others. Still others were shunted to online sections of courses when the need to space students out in classrooms resulted in reduced capacity for many classrooms and an inability to schedule more sections of classes in person.

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Dr. Steve Bishop, president of S has had to think outside the box planning for this school year.

ent of SMCC, the box in year.

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“The students want to be here, and I think they want to follow the protocol because they want the college to stay open. I would argue that the students are safer at college.” Dr. Steve Bishop, President, SMCC

“We had to brainstorm where to have classes,” Bishop said. “We have seats marked off in the auditorium in the union where we normally don’t have classes. We’re having classes in a meeting room in the fieldhouse. There’s a lecture hall in the nursing building where we can distance students. We considered having some classes in the gym, though that never happened. We’ve had a few classes in the balcony in the fine arts auditorium. We are utilizing all of our facilities.” Within the structures in place on campus, Bishop said students are largely complying with little argument or protest. “The students want to be here, and I think they want to follow the protocol because they want the college to stay open,” Bishop said. “I would argue that the students are safer at college.” He pointed to the availability of three balanced meals a day, athletic team curfews, indoor and outdoor exercise possibilities and temperature screenings every day that can help keep students

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healthy and safe. Being on campus “is beneficial in a lot of ways,” he said. “They’re learning, they’re in a structured environment, they have access to the cafeteria. They can get services they may not get elsewhere.” Bishop said the Reopening the Campus Committee he created in May to study and implement measures to help bring about reopening gave valuable service in getting ready for this semester, and continues to meet and discuss various issues relating to COVID-19 precautions, for students and staff. “Our faculty and staff are trying to be examples,” Bishop said. “They are encouraging our students to stay well, and maybe in the near future we can ease some of the protocols.” He noted that a number of events in the spring semester, such as Bear Necessities and the spring stage band show — not to mention spring sports — had to be canceled, and graduation became a

largely virtual process. “That was devastating to some of our students, especially our athletes,” Bishop said. “The stage band show is an outstanding event, and those members couldn’t finish the semester and perform for the public. “Having school during this pandemic was and continues to be new every day. We just keep wrapping our brains around it more.” In the meantime, precautions remain in place — not just masks and distancing, but plastic glass shielding installed to separate receptionists, cafeteria workers and other staff from students or visitors. Academically, clinical and laboratory requirements have been shifted earlier in the semester, so that most, if not all, of those experiences can be completed before Thanksgiving, in case another wave of COVID-19 makes closure of the college necessary again. Food service has been spread out, with additional hours of service and more outdoor seating near the cafeteria. Students may also just take meals to go to their dorm rooms or anywhere else they would like to eat. Coaches are following Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines while preparing their teams for their debut games this fall. In Step With: Bishop expressed relief that, in addition to the pandemic conditions, SMCC didn’t have Dr. Steve Bishop to deal with either or both of the hurricanes that made landfall in the past month, as Laura shifted westward to Cameron and Lake Charles, La., while Sally shifted eastward and landed near Bay Minette and Orange Beach, Ala. He still has other responsibilities to keep in mind, however, as the president of the Mississippi Association of Community Colleges, which means he works with the presidents of the state’s 14 other community colleges on instituting policies and practices that are largely consistent across the system. The system has presented a united front on most pandemic response issues, though East Mississippi Community College did break ranks and announce it would not participate in fall athletics. Pressure and responsibility is “heightened,” he said, but “it’s comforting to discuss other professionals’ insights and learn from them so we can make the best decisions for the system ... It’s a learning opportunity for me, but it helps Southwest even more so.” Being president of MACC is “an honor, but it happened to be during a pandemic.” As for his home campus, he’s happy with how things are going so far, even with the difficulties presented by the circumstances. “I’m proud of the entire college community,” Bishop said. “Everybody is working together to make us successful. I hope things will be even better in the spring, if we have a vaccine (for COVID-10) by then. “I’m encouraged, and I think we have great days ahead. I’m proud of what we’ve done. There are just things that it will take time to get over.” n 2020 Fall-Winter Issue

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Terri Waterman-Baylor begins a challenging year at South Pike High School.

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Back to School Pandemic Style

By Ca le b McCluskey To the delight of teachers, students and parents, school is back in session for all of the districts in Pike County — but it was not without some debate and hiccups. “It is quite challenging. We are in uncharted waters, and it is a learning process for the students as well as the teacher,” said Terry WatermanBaylor, who teaches family dynamics, contemporary health and resource management at South Pike High School. “As long as we continue to work together as a community and as parents, we can accomplish this and pass the pandemic.” The South Pike School District is using a mix of the hybrid school model of online and in-person classes in upper grades and sending younger students to school five days a week. Waterman-Baylor said, for the most part, schooling has gone fairly well, but there have been a few “hiccups,” such as students not having internet or the proper devices on which to do the work. “We are learning together, and it is challenging when you have students who do not have the adequate equipment for learning,” she said. “This is the new normal. We take it one day at a time. There have been some hiccups, but altogether, it is working.” Waterman-Baylor is also the South Pike Junior High cheer coach, and she said it has been an interesting transition in practicing and performing. She said her team wears masks when not performing, and when they are, they are also socially distancing to make up for the lack of masks. “We are working together to make it work,” she said. Amy Gazzo, whose son Jacob attends Parklane Academy, said she was initially concerned about her son going back to class, but those worries have since eased.

At top, Latoya McGee takes a visitor’s temperature at Osyka Elementary School. Below, signs at the school encourage social distancing among students.

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“I had my concerns about him coming back to school physically, but Parklane has done a really good job taking care of the students. Things have gone better than I expected.” Amy Gazzo Concerns about returning to school have eased for Amy Gazzo and son Jake.

“I had my concerns about him coming back to school physically, but Parklane has done a really good job taking care of the students. Things have gone better than I expected,” she said. Parklane Academy started classes virtually and moved into traditional two weeks after the first day. Masks and social distancing are required. Jacob, 16, is a rising basketball and baseball star at the school. His mother said allowing him to go to school was important for his social development. “My son plays sports as well, and the coaches have done a really good job of taking precautions. They are on top of taking care of them,” she said.

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Gazzo also said being a teenager is a critical moment in a young person's life. Young people are building their personalities, gaining friendships and having moments that shape their lives forever while at school. “It is all those little milestones that you forget that they want to share with their peers from getting their driver’s license to going to dances,” she said. The McComb School District is the only district that has consistently stayed in the virtual learning model since its classes started, and Monica Dillon, who is the parent of multiple children in the district, said she cannot complain about virtual learning but yearns for her children to be able to return to physical classes.

Social distancing and masks are now the norm for students attending classes at SMCC.

“The safety of my children is my top concern, but we have got to get these children in the classroom,” she said. “Virtual is great, and I don’t have much negative to say about it, but it is stressful. I just want them back in school where the educators can be with them, making sure they are getting the grade they deserve.” Dillon said virtual is stressful because she is a full-time healthcare administrator, and her husband is a business owner, meaning there is no adult in the home while they are working. “The only issue is that I’m a full-time healthcare administrator, and my husband owns a business, so it is very hard for us to be there for our fifth-grader and knowing what is due and when,” she said. Dillon said it is not the fault of the district that virtual learning has these issues and school officials are doing their best to keep their students safe. “I love the McComb School District. I have nothing bad to say about them because they have been doing everything they can to make sure students are getting what they need to pass on virtual,” she said. n

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Safe at home By Ernest Herndon COVID-19 has thrown many public and private schools into disarray. Home-schoolers, not so much. Oh, it’s had its effects. Fewer public functions on the one hand. More people trying it out on the other. But for parents teaching their own kids in their own homes, there’s no big fuss over masks, sanitizers and social distancing. “HSLDA (Home School Legal Defense Association) just released new numbers: One in every 10 children are being home-schooled in Mississippi right now,” said Lindsey Alexander, secretary of the Home Educators of Southwest Mississippi. Ironically, a number of local home-schoolers dropped out of the association to avoid social gatherings during the pandemic, but as many more have joined to get support as they home-school. “We’ve had a flood of new home-schoolers,” Alexander said. n n n Alexander and her husband Mark, who live at Ruth, have four children, ages 1 to 14. She started homeschooling three years ago when she decided public school was not addressing the needs of a son who is dyslexic. While her three sons were all making good grades in school, when she did an online assessment, “I squalled,” Alexander said. “Even though they were A-B students, on the national average they were in the 40 percentile.” Plus, she learned that Mississippi ranked 46th in education, she said. “I realized my children had memorized, they had not learned,” she said.

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“We did two years in math in one year,” she said. “We’ve done five years in two now, because the ratio is one teacher to three students.” She also discovered her boys were deficient in “life skills,” from finances to filling out forms to buying groceries. Getting started wasn’t easy. She tried standing up as her kids sat, like a classroom. Didn’t work. They wound up sitting around a table. “We spent the next six months unlearning public education,” Alexander said. “It was really hard the first year because I had to learn to be around my kids. There were days that none of us liked each other.” That’s no longer the case, she said. “The first three months that we did it, they did not enjoy it at all. After that, they loved it.” Her oldest son has a knack for numbers. “He’s 14 and he’s already on the stock market,” Alexander said. The middle son enjoys English literature and has written a gaming program based on “Jane Eyre.” Her youngest son is “very physical” and participates in basketball and parkour, a sport that involves running, jumping and climbing. The fact that home-schoolers are educated at home doesn’t mean they don’t get plenty of social interaction, Alexander said. “My kids are more socialized now than they were in school,” she said, citing field trips, sports and a host of other group activities. And romance? “I’ve had three girls ask my high school son to go to a dance this year,” Alexander said. n n n Elise Parker of Magnolia has five children ages 6 to

Many parents choosing home schooling as option

Dana Freeman, left, and Jeanne Tate are among many mothers in southwest Mississippi who home-school their children.

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19. A former schoolteacher, she has been home-schooling for 16 years. Even before that, she and husband Pat formed a favorable impression of home-schooling when they lived in north Mississippi and nearly everyone in their church home-schooled. After teaching a couple years in McComb, both public and private schools, “I said, ‘There’s too much wrong. I can’t fix all this,” Parker said. As vice president of the local home-school association, Parker is hands-on in keeping kids involved. When McComb Recreation Department canceled its soccer season due to COVID-19, Parker formed one of her own. It now has 14 teams. The association rents space at First Baptist Church, McComb, and offers a host of activities to its children, including basketball, volleyball, cross-country, baseball, powerlifting, Beta Club, yearbook club, back-to-school dance and prom dance. Home-schooling in no way limits kids’ aspirations. Parker’s oldest son Whit is in the Marine Corps. Another son works at Wendy’s, another as a lifeguard. Even her 6-year-old daughter has big dreams. “Katie wants to be a tattoo artist and an astronaut,” Parker said. n n n Dana Freeman of Liberty started home-schooling when her oldest daughter, now 23, was in first grade. “I just noticed she wasn’t really doing what she needs to do,” Freeman said. She and her husband Jennings thought hard before switching. “We prayed about it for a long time and it’s just like that’s what we need to do,” she said. “It was hard. I feel like I failed a lot.” But she learned to go at her daughter’s pace, and soon “she was learning so much. She was just able to learn faster.” Freeman now has six children, the youngest 7 years old. The oldest is a doula (birth assistant), the next oldest is planning to go to Southwest Mississippi Community College in hopes of being an occupational therapist. Her teenaged son aims to be an electrical lineman, while her 13-year-old daughter wants to be a welder. n n n The beauty of home-schooling is that parents are able to zero in on children’s interests and inclinations and cultivate them, said Jeanne Tate of Terry’s Creek. She and husband Chuck have 10 children ages 2 to 26.

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Elise Parker, right, looks over homeschool material with Lindsey Alexander.

“We decided to home-school before we had children,” Many students like, Leonard Tate said. “We met a family who home-schooled in our McDonald take classes online. church. We liked what we saw. They were learning all sorts of things that I never knew.” While the basics of reading, writing and arithmetic are not neglected, home-schoolers can explore topics they might not encounter in a classroom, she said. Her oldest son is an EMT intending to enlist in the Coast Guard. Her oldest daughter is studying to become an overseas missionary. Other kids’ interests include photography, border collies, beef farming and being a doula. All of her children play musical instruments as well. Tate and Freeman start their day with prayer or Bible reading, then classwork all morning. Afternoons are either free time or work on projects. They don’t belong to a home-school group, but they see to it their kids are involved in a host of group activities. “We have get-togethers,” Tate said. “We go places with one of many that help people get started. like-minded people.” Numerous curricula are available. Parents learn to choose what Tate urges prospective home-school parents to join the Home suits their children best. School Legal Defense Association, which provides information on “Try something,” Tate advised. “Just start. Don’t be afraid to each state’s requirements along with other assistance. mess up. Trial and error. Develop a consistent routine.” n She also recommends the book “‘Home School with Ease,”

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Artist of th e Quarter Suzie Shumate enjoys painting landscapes and nature By Ca le b McCluskey Suzanne “Suzie” Shumate has been an artist over half of her life now. Shumate has lived in Kentwood, La., for 20 years, but she grew up and lived in Pensacola, Fla., most of her life. It was in Pensacola where her love of art blossomed. Now 64, she started painting in her 30s by taking a watercolor class at a local junior college. Now she dabbles in many other media, from acrylic and oil to pastels and ceramics. “I really kind of started art later in life. … It was something I always enjoyed, but I had never really done any. It was something that was in the back of my mind that I wanted to do,” she said. “I just started painting. I started with watercolor, but I kind of decided I liked to try other things.” Shumate’s inspiration touches on a variety of topics, but she mostly paints what she sees. She brings a camera when traveling to take pictures, adding that “the little things that stand out are what I like to paint.” “The subjects I like to paint are natural landscapes or elements of nature,” she said. “I also like to paint small vignette pieces and things I’ve seen in my travels, the memories that you have from when you visited something.” From the Alaskan tundra to the plains of Africa, Shumate and her husband, Guy, who is a big-game hunter, have traveled the globe. He brings home trophies and she brings home inspiration. “I love the scenery and being there,” she said of taking hunting trips with her husband. “It is amazing just to see the grandeur of the world. There is just something beautiful in every place we go to.” She recommends artists keep their eyes peeled, push to stay productive and find an art community to join. “Look around. You can find some reference to art in everything you do even with setting your table,” she said. “I look around and see art in everything. You just have to be open to it.” She said the pandemic slowed down her creative process, making her less motivated to paint, but she said she has to push against that. She said it is important to do at least one art-related activity a day from doodling on a napkin to painting her next piece. “I tell myself this every day. You just have to make yourself do it,” she said. Getting with a small group of fellow artists helps her stay motivated, she said. “Being part of a group, it makes sure you continue to work on something, so you can share it for critiques,” she said. Shumate said her favorite part of art is sharing it with others, but she noted that the coronavirus pandemic not only slowed down her art process but it has also halted all of the workshops she used to attend. “Before the coronavirus, I found sharing ideas with other artists to be helpful,” she said. “I find later on when I am trying to figure out something, I will remember something from a workshop that will help me finish a piece.” Shumate is part of multiple art groups and is the president of the Hammond Art Guild. Her paintings can be found at the Gulf/South Art Gallery in Summit. “It is nice to have a local business that promotes local art, not just for the artist but also for the community,” she said. n

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President Shalonda Weathersby, front, stands with former president Mary Porter, right. Other helpers are, from left, Monzella Tickles, Jerry Norwood, Patricia Monroe, Michael McClain, Pat Brown and Vice President Tommie Lee. Not shown is Secretary Terry Boss.

Gloster’s Santa’s Helpers By Ernest Herndon GLOSTER — Decades ago, a woman named Dorothy Edwards came up with a plan to give gifts to children in her town. She called it Santa’s Helpers. Mrs. Edwards died in 2016 but the organization carries on, giving presents to some 200 children each December — though this year may be a challenge with COVID-19. Shalonda Weathersby, the current president, was a Santa’s Helpers recipient as a child. “I love Christmas and I’ve been watching Santa’s Helpers ever since I grew up,” said Weathersby, 36, who is deputy town clerk. She recalls getting not only toys but apples and oranges. “I was excited. I looked forward to it. We would all line up and they would distribute toys to all the kids,” Weathersby said. And, of course, she got to meet Santa and have her photo taken with him.

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“It’s still exciting seeing the children excited also,” she said. On distribution day, “we just all pitch in like one big happy family.” n n n Tommie Lee, a town alderman and former police chief, started helping with the program in the 1990s, shortly after it was formed. He’s currently vice president. “That was my childhood mother,” Lee said of Edwards. He attended school with one of her sons and often went to their house. “She would feed us like we were her own children,” he said. “I lived in Centreville but I stayed most of the time at Miss Dorothy’s. That’s why she called me her child.” Her generosity didn’t end with her children’s playmates. Mrs. Edwards had an uncanny skill for getting donations from businesses and individuals to fund Santa’s Helpers. “She enjoyed doing that. That was her big thing,” Lee said. “One thing was the love of children. She would be so happy

Mary Porter sits next to Santa during Christmas program.

Dorothy Edwards of Santa’s Helpers, left, and Amy Walsh of Amite County 4-H, share a laugh at the United Givers kickoff breakfast in this 2011 file photo. during the time we would be giving out toys. She loved it,” he said. “We’d collect donations and we would go out and buy the gifts.” Businesses like Drax, AT&T, Entergy, Walmart and Vine’s as well as individuals contributed to buy gifts for children ages 2 to 12. The former Grocery Store and now Piggly-Wiggly contribute fruit for gift bags. Cynthia Davis, a former Gloster town board attorney who now lives in Louisiana, was one of many citizens who donated. “What a great project it was,” she said. “Dorothy Edwards was always a go-getter when it came to assisting the youth of Gloster. She was tireless in her efforts to help them in any way she could.” Parents fill out applications, but there are no requirements, Lee said. The applications just enable Santa’s Helpers to have a head count. “We hardly ever turn anybody down. We normally have enough to give everybody,” Lee said. “We used to give away at the fire department. It got so large that we moved to the National Guard (armory),” he said. “The fun of it was to see the smiles on the children’s faces.” Edwards’ daughter-in-law Linda, of Jackson, had her own organization and was able to contribute lots of toys. “Sometimes I would meet her with a trailer in Brookhaven to pick up gifts,” Lee said. On giveaway night, “they (children) would come in and meet Santa and get their gifts. It was like a fellowship,” Lee said. As the years went by, children grew up and started bringing their own kids. “You’ve got the kids when Miss Dorothy first started now bringing their kids and grandkids,” Lee said. n n n Mary Porter, who was president for 10 years, remembers when Edwards asked her to take over. “I knew her casually, so one day she invited me to go meet her and let’s have lunch. She said, ‘I’d like for you to take over Santa’s Helpers.’ ”

Porter was surprised since she lived in Centreville, so she asked Edwards why her. “She said, ‘God told me to contact you.’ I said, ‘Well, if God sent you to Centreville to ask me to take over this position, I guess I’d better be obedient.’ ” Edwards introduced her to others involved and trained her in how the program worked, starting in September with collecting toys. “Every year was better and better,” Porter said. “It means like a younger child, the underprivileged children, parents that are unable to buy toys and Christmas gifts, to make the children happy, to me to see smiles on the little children’s face, and for the parents to participate and bring their children out,” she said. Last year Porter decided it was time to turn over the reins. “I told them that I was up in age, 84, and it was kind of hard for me to go out and shop for toys and do the things I was doing,” she said. She’s proud of her time with the program. “It really is a blessing for Santa’s Helpers to be here in Gloster,” Porter said, noting kids come from surrounding areas as well. “It was important,” Porter said. “A lot of people thought it was money in it for us but it was not, it was for the children. It was all volunteer. It came from the heart.” Pat Brown, one of the many volunteers, started helping the program when she went to work as deputy town clerk 121⁄2 years ago. “It’s fun seeing the kids excited, glad to see the toys. It could be just one toy. It could be a small toy,” she said. Santa’s Helpers will meet later to decide how to handle the giveaway this year, considering the coronavirus. “Early November we ought to be able to know whether we’re going to do it or now,” Lee said. “Maybe we’ll have a drive-by so the kids won’t have to get out.” Santa might even have to stand outside in that case, Lee said. Regardless, “children look forward to it. They enjoy it.” n 2020 Fall-Winter Issue

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Gifts and gospel Operation Christmas Child sends joy to kids around the world By Ernest Herndon There aren’t many ministries where people of all ages can send good cheer directly from their own hands to needy children around the world. That’s what Operation Christmas Child does, literally. And participants are busy now buying toys, clothes, toiletries and school supplies to stuff into shoeboxes for Christmas delivery. Area coordinator Lola Holifield of McComb got involved with the ministry over 20 years ago. “It was something I could do with the family, everybody could be involved in,” said the home-schooling mother of five. “I love it because my children can be involved. All ages can fulfill the Great Commission by packing shoeboxes.” The local ministry packed 25 boxes her first year. Last year the count exceeded 25,000. Holifield got so involved she’s made two trips overseas, to Peru and Paraguay, to help with distribution. “In Peru I got to see the scope of how far-reaching it went,” Holifield said. The boxes not only thrilled the children, they affected parents, grandparents — even pastors. “There were two particular ones that were ready to throw in the towel,” Holifield said. “It’s like giving the pastor a million dollars.”

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An illustrated gospel pamphlet titled “The Greatest Gift” accompanies each box in the language of the recipient country. Kids are invited to participate in “The Greatest Journey” class series that goes into more depth. “It brings kids in. They show up the next Sunday. They want to know, ‘Why did you give me this box?’” Holifield said. Logistics coordinator Dawn Barrett of Tylertown had similar reasons for getting involved. “I home-school my sons and wanted to give them an opportunity to volunteer,” she said. “I love the fact that we’re giving the children something that will bless them. Even more I love that this gives them to opportunity to share Jesus.” Barrett was planning to go to Cameroon, Africa, this past April, but that got postponed due to COVID-19. Meanwhile she and her kids work year-round on the boxes. Prayer mobilization coordinator Cindy Hedden of Jayess found out about the ministry when she joined a Walthall County home-schooling group. “It’s just such an incredible way to make an impact that I could do other than just sending money,” said Hedden, whose husband David is pastor of Enon Baptist Church. “It was so hands-on. This ministry is just so miraculous.” Operation Christmas Child is an outreach of Samaritan’s Purse, which puts out numerous videos of children receiving gift boxes around the globe. “It is just so inspiring when you hear testimony of children who got boxes and

grew up to be adults,” Hedden said. “It just gives me chill bumps the way this could impact little children.” The Rev. Brock Burch of Progress, pastor of Silver Springs Baptist Church, got involved last year at the invitation of church members. “You’re fulfilling the Great Commission,” he said. “You can literally reach the nations through this ministry. Each box is a child or a family that you’re reaching with the gospel.” This year’s goal for his 80-member church is 600 boxes, and 500 are already done. The congregation works year-round on the project. Central dropoff team leader Janet Touchstone had all five of her children participate in the project. “I wanted them to be involved in ministry,” she said. “We couldn’t find anything, but with Operation Christmas Child they could be involved.” Central dropoff is located at the back of the Southwest Mississippi Community

Working on Operation Christmas Child boxes are from left Dawn Barrett, Cindy Hedden, Janet Touchstone, Lola Holifield, Diane Van Norman and the Rev. Brock Burch. College Workforce Training Center. Churches and individuals take boxes to local dropoff points in area counties, then to SMCC. Collection Week, the week before Thanksgiving, is the favorite time of the year for the Touchstone kids and usually has many child-friendly activities and exhibits, she said. Due to COVID-19, this year’s collection will be drive-through. “They can pull up. There will be masks and gloves. We will unload them,” Touchstone said. Church relations team member Diane Van Norman of Liberty got her church, Enterprise Baptist, involved several years ago. It helped that her son, the Rev. Shan Van Norman, is pastor. “It’s just to see the look on these children’s faces and that they get to know Jesus Christ,” Van Norman said. “And of course I like to shop. It all just kind of worked together.” Enterprise Baptist, which has an average Sunday attendance of 35, collected 87 boxes in 2011, Last year the total was 1,488 last year. Each year the church exceeds its goal. “I don’t think it’s me. It’s God,” Van Norman said. “I just tell them. They just give — and give and give.” The church has a jug where people deposit coins to help with shipping costs. Last year the jug alone yielded over $1,000. There was also a donation of $9,000. Elderly people participate in Operation Christmas Child as well

as kids. “They are overjoyed to have a ministry they can contribute to,” Barrett said. Holifield recalled a group of nursing home residents, some over 100 years old, who held a “packing party.” Until it closed, St. Mary of the Pines sisters packed boxes every year as well. Van Norman’s 89-year-old mother, Lena Purl Tuberville, bundles pencils for the gift boxes. Hedden said an elderly man in her church found his niche by assembling fishing kits. “He made 50. It was such a blessing to us, but it made him feel better,” she said. “The whole ministry makes us feel better. When we don’t have a big gift to do, we can all come together and do this.” From central dropoff, boxes go to a processing center like Dallas or Atlanta. Local teams often volunteer there as well. “It’s awesome,” Van Norman said of the experience. “I just like seeing how it all comes together. It’s the final thing before the child gets the box.” The ministry is nondenominational and reaches people of all religious backgrounds — such as a Muslim community in Chad. “This past year the imam of one of the mosques was passing out boxes and asked Operation Christmas Child to come back next year,” Barrett said. n

2020 Fall-Winter Issue

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2020 Fall-Winter Issue

Selman’s Jewelers-Gemologist celebrates 75 years! By Matt Wi lliamson Lamar and Betsy Murrell may not be natives of McComb, but if anyone can ever lay claim to the city as an adopted hometown, it’s them. The couple bought Selman’s Jeweler’s 35 years ago this year, and 2020 also marks the 75th anniversary of the business, located at 1311 Delaware Ave. Working for themselves has allowed them to be active in the community through various civic and community organizations. Betsy serves on the McComb school board and leads the Junior Auxiliary’s annual Camp Sunshine for disabled children and adults. The family’s civic and professional affiliations also include the United Givers of Southwest Mississippi, Pike County Chamber of Commerce, St. Andrew’s Mission, the McComb Rotary Club, the Pike National Bank board of directors, Mississippi Jewelers Association, Retail Jewelers Organization and American Gem Society. Their daughter, Kristin Ratliff, is just as active in the operations of the business and in serving the community as her parents. She runs an offshoot of the business, Facets by Selman’s, in the District 51 storefront on Highway 51 in Summit and helps with merchandising and marketing. She’s the fourth generation of the Murrell family to work in the jewelry business. “Our business is dependent on our community, so we do what we can to give our time and service to events,” Kristin said. The Murrells bought Selman’s from Van Rawls in 1985. Rawls had bought the store from Charles Selman. Lamar’s grandfather, Vernon Murrell, got into the industry through the Navy, where he learned to repair clocks on ships.

2020 Fall-Winter Issue

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Lamar Murrell works at his jeweler’s bench at Selman’s Jewelry in McComb. At left are business cards for the four generations of the Murrell family, all jewelers.

“After he got out, he opened a shop in Franklinton (La.). He took some other courses and went to watchmaking school,” Lamar said. His grandfather sold that business to Lamar’s father, Lanny Murrell, who opened a shop in Amite, where Lamar cut his teeth in the industry. After college, he worked for a jeweler in Houma, La., “I went off to Houma, and worked for a jeweler there for four years and then the opportunity to buy Selman’s came up and fortunately we were able to do it,” he said. Two weeks after thy bought the restore the Murrells learned they were pregnant with Kristin. The business was originally located downtown before it

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2020 Fall-Winter Issue

moved to another location on Delaware Avenue. It’s been in its current location since 1991. There store has a staff of seven, most of whom have been there for years, including Chris Richardson, who has more than four decades of experience and has been working alongside Lamar on the jeweler’s bench for years. Lamar said the business has been going strong, which he suspects has a lot to do with its local ties. “I think people enjoy knowing the owners and knowing that we’re here for the long run and that we’re not going to be moved by management to a different location,” he said. “It’s a great thing, it really is, to have the loyal customers, to have them appreciate you and to keep you in business.”

Lamar Murrell works at the jeweler’s bench.

Kristin said quality and personal attention are the biggest benefits customers will receive when shopping at Selman’s. “We hand select every single item that’s in here. Obviously, there’s a standard of quality we choose to keep,” she said. The business has a website that brings in online sales, and Kristin said other factors, such as a lack of competition from mall retailers and stores in Brookhaven, help keep people coming to Selman’s. “We are fortunate to have probably a 40-mile radius of customers,” she said. Betsy said business has been up during the pandemic, with a lot of people foregoing expensive vacations for their anniversaries and other celebrations and splurging on jewelry instead. Kristin noted that Mississippi Magazine has touted the business as the go-to place for antique jewelry. The Murrells said it’s not uncommon for jewelers to pass on the trade from generation to generation. “There are a lot of third-and fourth-generation jewelers,” Lamar said. “Traditionally, they say that business starts to tank on the third generation. The first generation builds it up, the second generation keeps it going.” He has no such concerns with Kristin, a fourth-generation jeweler. “Kristin has come into the business and has great passion for the work,” Lamar said. And while they may be working alongside their actual family, it’s as if a similar bond extends to their staff and the community. Lamar said one of the benefits of owning your own business is the ability to devote efforts to community service. “It does allow you to put back into the community because the community has been so good to you,” he said. n

2020 Fall-Winter Issue

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Pesto Chicken Naan Sliders From yeast to herbs to chicken...yummy!

You’re standing in line at the grocery — the proper distance apart of course — and you can’t help but notice all the magazines at the checkout counter featuring beautiful photos of baked holiday goodies — fluffy rolls, beautiful golden breads and special yeasty treats that you know your family would enjoy and that you’d love to serve. You sigh and remember all the times you’ve tried your hand at baking with yeast. You’ve bought the little yellow DONNA packet, carefully measured out more SMITH flour than you’ve ever used at one time before, made sure the water was warm DIVINE but not too warm, and waited for the DISHES little bubbles to appear. n You mix up the dough and wait eagerly for it to rise majestically. If your results were like mine, more often than not, all the measuring, mixing and shaping resulted in less than outstanding results. Oftentimes, it’s been just plain sad.

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2020 Fall-Winter Issue

But fear not — instant yeast is the answer to your dough dilemma! Discovering instant yeast has taken my baking skills in a totally different direction. Since instant yeast is mixed in with the flour, salt and other ingredients, there’s no proofing and waiting around for the yeast to get happy with the bit of sugar and just the right temperature water. Using instant yeast is a total game changer. So don’t be afraid—you can make specialty breads and rolls. Because I bake yeast breads often and most recipes call for teaspoons or tablespoons of yeast, I buy instant yeast in a larger package and store it in the freezer to keep it fresh. If you’d rather buy the single packets, note that each single packet contains about 21/4 teaspoons. Some cooks are intimidated by bread making, but if you can follow the directions of a recipe, you can definitely bake bread. Not only is homemade bread delicious, it’s economical, too. So come on and join in the fun! You can do this! I came up with this recipe to take advantage of an abundance of fresh basil. In the springtime, everyone wants to plant a couple of basil plants. They look so pretty sitting there on the outdoor display, so you load them up. A couple of months later you think, “What am I going to do with all this basil?” Pesto is the answer! Pesto freezes well. Just dole it out in clumps, quick freeze, then transfer the clumps to a freezer container. I’ve also made basil-based salad dressing and frozen it with excellent results.

PESTO CHICKEN NAAN SLIDERS NAAN 2 c. all purpose flour (I prefer King Arthur brand) 1 t. instant yeast 3 t. sugar 1 t. salt 1 t. fennel seeds, crushed 3 T. sour cream (may sub plain yogurt) 2 T. olive oil 2/3 c. warm water 2 T. butter, melted, plus 1/2 t. garlic salt for brushing on cooked naan Additional flour, as needed, to keep dough from sticking Naan, a traditional Indian flatbread, keeps several days stored on the countertop and freezes well. I like to keep some in the freezer for quick meals. Flatbread can be used in a number of different waysâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;pizza, sandwiches, or drizzled with garlic butter and served with pasta. To freeze naan, after completely cooling, place naan between wax paper and store in a tightly closed container or ziplock bag. To reheat, remove from packaging, wrap in foil and reheat at 350 for 15 minutes. This bread recipe was

2020 Fall-Winter Issue

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inspired by the wonderful site Onceuponachef.com. When measuring flour, use a pierced spoon to fluff up the flour and gently spoon into the measuring cup, leveling off the cup with the edge of the spoon handle or the edge of a knife. When yeast is added directly to the dry ingredients, as in this recipe, the “warm” water should be about 120 degrees. The water should be a good bit warmer than room temperature, but you should be able to comfortably hold your finger in the water. In the bowl of a mixer, stir together flour, yeast, sugar, salt and fennel seeds. The fennel seeds are optional, but add such a nice flavor that plays well with the pesto sauce. Feel free to substitute another seed or herb of your choice or just leave it out. In a separate bowl, blend sour cream,

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2020 Fall-Winter Issue

olive oil and water. Add wet ingredients to the flour mixture. Using the dough hook (if you have one), knead on low speed to make a very soft, sticky dough. If you don’t have a dough hook, no problem. You can mix up the dough with your mixer, plop it out on a floured surface, and knead the mixture gently with well-floured hands to bring it together. The dough will be

very sticky. Oil a large bowl with cooking spray, place the dough into the bowl, sprinkle it with a bit of flour, cover it with plastic wrap, and allow it to rise until doubled in bulk. This takes about 90 minutes in my kitchen. When baking with yeast, follow the directions in the recipe on rising (such as double in bulk) rather than the estimated time given. Your kitchen may be cooler than mine. Once the dough has risen, turn it out onto a well-floured surface, sprinkle with flour, and dust your hands and a rolling pin with flour. I like to use a silicone mat or cookie sheet to keep the flour neatly contained. Pat the dough into a rough rectangle, and divide it into 12 pieces, dusting with flour to keep it from sticking to your hands and the rolling pin. Form each piece into a smooth

ball by putting the edges to the center and tucking them under; set aside. I like to use a kitchen scale when I’m baking if I’m looking for uniformness in each piece such as rolls, hamburger, or hot dog buns. With naan, I just eyeball it. Heat a cast iron skillet over medium high heat. Roll out the dough with a rolling pin into a rough circle approximately 5” in diameter. Sprinkle with a little additional flour if the dough sticks to the rolling pin. Place the naan one at a time into the preheated, dry skillet. Cook one side till the top is fully bubbled and the bottom is browned, about a minute. Then flip the naan to the other side and cook till blistered and browned, about another minute. Remove naan to a cooling rack and brush with the melted butter and garlic salt. While one piece is cooking, roll out the next piece. Cook the remainder of the naan, adjusting the heat lower to medium if they seem to be over browning. Keep warm in a very low oven while making the pesto and chicken or store the naan on the counter, wrapped, or prepare for freezing and freeze. Yield: 12 pieces PESTO SAUCE 2 c. fresh basil leaves, packed 3 sprigs parsley 1/2 c. olive oil 3 cloves garlic 1/2 c. pine nuts, toasted (may sub pecans) 1/2 c. Parmesan cheese 1/2 t. red pepper flakes 1/4 t. salt 1/4 t. freshly ground pepper Roughly chop the basil, parsley, and garlic for ease in processing. In the bowl of a food processor or blender, process all the ingredients to form a thick, creamy sauce, tamping down the basil if necessary. Drizzle in additional olive oil a bit at the time if mixture just seems too thick. Taste and adjust seasoning with freshly ground pepper and additional salt. Dispense into a container and press plastic wrap directly to the surface to prevent discoloration. The pesto can be made in advance and refrigerated or frozen until ready to use. Yield: about 1 1/2 cups

then slice across the grain into thin, bite size pieces. Season with Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper. Coat a non-stick fry pan with olive oil and heat over medium high heat. Sauté chicken pieces in two batches till lightly golden and fully cooked. Stir in sun dried tomatoes. ASSEMBLY - Add pesto sauce to sautéed chicken and tomatoes, mixing to coat chicken thoroughly. Top each naan, buttered side up, with spoonful of chicken mixture. Sprinkle with shredded cheese. Fold over, serve, and enjoy. Refrigerate leftovers. This dish reheats beautifully. To warm, wrap in foil and reheat at 350 for 20 minutes. Yield: 10-12 generous sized sliders. n

CHICKEN 2 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves 1/2 t. dried Italian seasoning 1/4 t. salt 1/4 t. black pepper Olive oil 1/2 c. chopped sun dried tomatoes 1/2 c. Mozzarella cheese Place chicken breast halves in a zip lock bag and tenderize with the flat side of a mallet. Slice each chicken breast into three strips 2020 Fall-Winter Issue

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Great pumpkins Williamson Nursery welcomes in fall with gorgeous gourds

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2020 Fall-Winter Issue

At left, ‘Prince Charming’ helps Avery Wallace of Bogue Chitto try on a glass slipper at Williamson Nursery’s Fall Fairytale celebration. Girls whose feet fit the slipper won a free pumpkin. The Nursery, located on Johnston Chapel Road outside Summit, also offered face painting, pumpkin painting, door prizes and games.

2020 Fall-Winter Issue

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2020 Fall-Winter Issue