Pillow Academy 50th Anniversary 2016 by Greenwood Commonwealth

PageO Greenwood Commonwealth / Thursday, October 20, 2016 mfiilt=RMqe=^kkfsbop^ov =======================================================================================================================================================================

From the headmaster

his year, Pillow Academy students, staff and alumni celebrate a half-century of service to education in the Greenwood-Leflore County area. This event is a significant and joyous milestone. The most important ingredient in any school or community is the people. Pillow Academy is blessed to be a part of a community filled with bright and energetic individuals committed to its mission to challenge and stretch its students to fully develop their potential. The school’s success can be attributed to this community and the extended Pillow Academy family who continue to support it year after year. We are grateful for their generosities and their contributions towards enhancing the facilities and programs at our school. The increasing student body is not the only growth that has occurred at Pillow Academy over the past 50 years. Advancements have been made in academics, athletics, the arts and technical endeavors. A number of construction projects have expanded the ability to better serve our students. A campus that began with a single building now encompasses newly renovated buildings for both high school and elementary, the Craig Performing Arts Center, an impressive athletic facility and some of the

finest athletic fields in the MAIS. Within the classroom, Pillow Academy continues to meet the technological needs of both students and faculty. The installation of SmartBoards in classrooms, a stateof-the-art science lab, transportable laptop carts, and a 1:1 computer program are just a few of the recent advancements. Pillow Academy’s mission is to educate the whole child in an environment of academic excellence and Christian values, so that each child is challenged to grow and mature in knowledge, wisdom and service. This founding purpose resonates through the daily experience on our campus as we continue its rich tradition of preparing students for life. The strong emphasis on the development of character in our students is a common thread that runs through our morning devotions, chapel programs, community service projects and classroom lessons. Oliver Wendell Holmes once said, “The great thing in this world is not much where we stand, but in what direction we are headed.” As we celebrate our past success, we look forward to what Pillow Academy can still achieve in the future. We will continue to pursue excellence in education.

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Aubrey Lucas 1978

Cheryl McNeer 1982

Stephanie Coker 1996

1970 ................................Janice Tingle 1971.................................Gwen Kersey 1972............................Kathy Murphey Evelyn Chin 1973......................John Fair Lucas III 1974 .............................Maxine Harper 1975 .............................Katheryn King 1976 .............................Ralph Hand III 1977................................Alan Williams 1978 ................................Aubrey Lucas 1979........................Jamie Shackelford 1980 ....................................Johnny Ola 1981.....................Perry Anne Stanton 1982..............................Cheryl McNeer 1983...........................Robbie Murphey 1984.........................Mary Beth Bryan 1985...................Ygondine Sturdivant 1986.....................................Mark Crick 1987........................Felecia Overstreet 1988...........................Melinda Wiggins 1989 ...............................Tucker Person 1990 .................................Kim Whicker 1991..............................Riddell Walcott 1992...............................S. R. Evans III

Ashley White 2003

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Taylor Bush 2016

1993 .................................Jon Barnwell 1994............................Memrie Barnett 1995..................................Claire Evans 1996...........................Stephanie Coker 1997 ....................................John Kosko 1998 ..................................West Cordell 1999........................Elizabeth Howard 2000 .............Ronnie Wade Robertson 2001 .................................Jocelyn Gong 2002 .................................Sarah Hoque 2003.................................Ashley White 2004..............Mary Kathryn Fondren 2005...........................Hillary Freeman 2006..................................Casey Carter 2007..................................Clifford Coile 2008....................................Baker Boler 2009.................................Amanda Hall 2010...............................Anish Sharma 2011 ....................................Sarah Bugg 2012..........................Kristen Stephens 2013 ...................................Jay Jackson 2014........................................Ali Evans 2015................................Katie Gregory 2016 ...................................Taylor Bush

John Bush II 1978

Stephanie Brown 1982

Kathryn Pittman 1996

1970 ..............................Betty Jo Wong 1971.................................Sally Morgan 1972 .............................. Shelia Bonner 1973..............................Clint Guenther 1974 .............Elizabeth Ann Rutledge 1975 ..................................Eta McNeer 1976.....................................Jack Moser 1977.....................................Sara Flautt 1978..................................John Bush II 1979.................Leigh Ann Kenwright 1980 .....................................Gene Crick 1981 .............................David Williams 1982 ........................ Stephanie Brown 1983................................Paula Switzer 1984 .....................................Donna Lou 1985............Martha Scott Poindexter 1986 ..............................Dexter Walcott 1987.................................Missy Brooks 1988...................................Jim Schissel 1989.............................Martha Stansel 1990.......................................Liza Webb 1991 .......................Susan Meriwether 1992..............................Scott McDaniel 1993...............................Richard Pillow

Sterling Kidd 2003

Bethany Tillman 2016

1994............................................Sue Joe 1995 ...................... Mary Tana Person 1996..........................Kathryn Pittman 1997 .............................Henry Johnson 1998 ....................................Lee Bidwell 1999.............................Jason Courtney 2000................................ Seema Ahuja 2001................................Lauren Moses 2002..................................Najiyah Kazi 2003.................................Sterling Kidd 2004.......................... Elizabeth Kalich 2005....................................Hugh Muse 2006................................Kate Sutphen 2007...............................Evan McCaleb 2008 ..................... Amanda Sturniolo 2009 ........................Matthew Waldrop 2010 ...........................Kelsey Stephens 2011....................................Drew Miller 2012 .............................Qua’Niya Head 2013 .............................Joseph Tillman 2014...............................Shelby Malouf 2015.................................Rebecca Falls 2016........................ Bethany Tillman

PageP Greenwood Commonwealth / Thursday, October 20, 2016 mfiilt=RMqe=^kkfsbop^ov =======================================================================================================================================================================

PageQ Greenwood Commonwealth / Thursday, October 20, 2016 mfiilt=RMqe=^kkfsbop^ov =======================================================================================================================================================================

History

‘A wonderful education’ W

School blossomed from humble beginnings

hen Gwen Pickett was a girl, her father, Marsh Pickett, decided she would change schools. His daughter was not happy. “I was mortified that my daddy made me leave my friends and go to school with all of those people from the country. I didn’t know them!” said Pickett, who lived in Greenwood and had been attending Bankston Elementary School. “I didn’t know they existed until we all got thrown into this little bitty metal building,” she said. Before long, however, she had made new friends and acquired a second lifelong family. The new school was Pillow Academy, which opened in 1966. The Picketts along with other families, most of them from outside of Greenwood, had decided to form a private school. For years, the families of students living out from town had paid tuition so their children could attend city schools. They foresaw a time when that practice would no longer be allowed, and throughout the South, citizens of both races were concerned about the volatility of forced desegregation. The Pillow family donated land, and supporters of the new school went to work. Labor it was. “A lot of people put in a lot of sweat equity,” Pickett said. Her dad, along with others, “were out there every day pushing dirt.” Her mother brought lunch and, after school started, served as the office secretary. Pickett was among the children helping out. “I planted the seeds for the first football field,” she said. Later, she was among those who painted the inside of the gymnasium. The first building that is now encompassed by Johnson Hall was erected. Eight full-time teachers joined the staff, which was directed by Arthur Button. More than 140 students were enrolled from kindergarten through eighth grade. During the next several years, new grades were added. By 1970, Pillow had its first graduating class. The school now is celebrating its 50th anniversary. Pickett thought back on those years. Her sister, Sandi, graduated from Greenwood High School the year before Pillow opened. Her brother, Marsh Jr., moved to Pillow when higher grades were started, and he was in the first graduating class in 1970. She graduated in 1974. “I got a wonderful education,” Pickett said. By the time of Pickett’s commencement, the Bill Davis years at Pillow had begun. He was headmaster from 1967 to 1969. The additional grades were added when he was headmaster, and the high school building, Hardeman Hall, was built. He stepped aside to become a history teacher and associate headmaster and stayed in those positions almost three decades. Davis, who died at age 79 in 2005, is still known for his deep devotion to the school and anyone associated with it. The school grew in enrollment and physical size. Today, it has 760 students and a campus covering more than 60 acres, according to Jay Watts, Pillow’s current headmaster and its ninth. Between 1969 and Watts’ installation in 2012, the school was led by Seth Dillon, Hoyte Carothers, Raymond Morgan, Tommy Thompson, Termie Land and Russell Robertson. Land served two separated sixyear terms with one ending in 2000 and another in 2012. Watts succeeded him. Those headmasters, under the direction of Pillow’s board, oversaw the erection of the E.B. Stribling gymnasium; the stu-

qÜÉëÉ=~êÉ=íÜÉ=Ñáêëí=Ñ~Åìäíó=ãÉãÄÉêë=~í=máääçï=^Å~ÇÉãóI=ëí~êíáåÖ=áå=NVSSK=qÜÉó=~êÉI=ëÉ~íÉÇI=Ñêçã=äÉÑíI=iìÅó=bäÑÉêíI=`ÉäÉëíÉ=_ìëÜI j~ííáÉ=p~åÇÉêëI=g~åáÅÉ=kÉáää=~åÇ=gÉÑÑÉ=`Ü~íÜ~ãX=ëí~åÇáåÖI=^êÇÉääÉ=jÉíÜîáåI=_áää=a~îáëI=^KtK=_ìííçå=~åÇ=içìáëÉ=pãáíÜK

qÜáë=áë=máääçïÛë=Ñáêëí=ÑáêëíJÖê~ÇÉ=Åä~ëë=áå=NVSSI=ïÜáÅÜ=ï~ë=í~ìÖÜí=Äó=j~ííáÉ=p~åÇÉêëI=Ä~ÅâK=máÅíìêÉÇ=~êÉI=Ñáêëí=êçïI=Ñêçã=äÉÑíI=_êó~åí pÜ~ïI=gçÜå=_ìëÜI=qçããó=_ä~ÅâI=_áääó=jçåíÖçãÉêóI=dêÉÖÖ=gçÜåëçåI=^ìÄêÉó=iìÅ~ë=~åÇ=píÉéÜÉå=cäçïÉêëX=ëÉÅçåÇ=êçïI=jáâÉ=jÅkìííI iáåÇ~=_êÉïÉêI=açåå~=`çêäÉóI=h~íÜÉêáåÉ=`çäÉI=j~êëÜ~=j~êíáå=~åÇ=`áåÇó=páãëX=íÜáêÇ=êçïI=i~ïëçå=_ê~åÜ~ãI=gçÜå=eìÑÑã~åI=g~åÉí=bî~åëI e~êí=píê~áåI=iÉÉ=^åå=qáääã~åI=_ÉäáåÇ~=bî~åë=~åÇ=oÉåÉ=páãéëçåK pqlov=_v=prp^k=jlkqdljbov

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PageS Greenwood Commonwealth / Thursday, October 20, 2016 mfiilt=RMqe=^kkfsbop^ov =======================================================================================================================================================================

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Celebration

2 days of events to mark milestone A

number of events marking the 50th anniversary of Pillow Academy will be held this weekend surrounding the Mustangs’ football cêáÇ~ó game against the Jackson Academy S=éKãKW Pre-game gathering on Bill Raiders on Bill Davis Field. Davis Field At 6 p.m. Friday, a pregame gathering SWPM=éKãKW=Recognition of Seniors for students, alumni and faculty will take SWRM=éKãKW=Recognition of champiplace in a tent located on the field. At 6:30, onship teams (teams will lead the senior members of the band, cheerleading Mustangs on to the field and remain squad and cross-country, dance and footon track for recognition. ball teams will be recognized as part of the annual “Senior Night.” T=éKãKW Kickoff Beginning at 6:50 p.m., the Recognition e~äÑíáãÉW Rededication of Bill of Champions will be held. Davis Field and Punt, Pass & Kick “Anyone who was a member of champievent onship team is asked to join us in the end cçääçïáåÖ=íÜÉ=Ö~ãÉW Fifth zone and lead the Mustangs on the field,” Quarter at Serio’s said Shawna Young, Pillow’s director of development. Following the procession, the champions will be recognized on the field’s athletic administrator at the school, died in 2005. track. That will be followed by recognition of The game will begin at 7 p.m. During Bill Davis Scholarship recipients. halftime, Bill Davis Field will be rededicatFor adventurous youngsters and adults, ed. Davis, a longtime teacher, coach and a “Punt, Pass and Kick” event will also

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p~íìêÇ~ó NN=~KãKW Family Fun Field Festivities will be held on the school’s campus. Activities include inflatables, laser tag, apple bobbing, face painting and a train that will tour the campus. N=éKãKW=A hot dog-eating contest for students in sixth through 12th grades. NWPM=éKãKW Worship service at the Craig Performing Arts Center

take place during halftime. A raffle for a new Ford Mustang will be held, with tickets costing $10 each. At the conclusion of the game, a “Fifth Quarter” will be held at Serio’s. The event

is dutch treat. “Everybody is invited,” Young said. Saturday’s activities, known as Family Fun Field Festivities, will begin at 11 a.m. “There will be games for all ages, inflatables, laser tag, apple bobbing,” said Anna Makamson. “There will also be a train that will take rides around the campus.” Other items planned include face painting and a selfie photo booth. All activities are free of charge. Vendors will be offering a variety of food items for sale. A hot dog-eating contest will take place at 1 p.m. Two contestants, from each of the school’s sixth through 12th grades, will compete. The festival, which will also include several surprise guests, is scheduled to end by 1:30 p.m. At 1:30, a worship service will be held in the school’s Craig Performing Arts Center. According to Headmaster Jay Watts, the service, which will include a number of speakers, should last about 40 minutes.n

pqlov=_v=_l_=a^oabk dent activities building, which includes a cafeteria; the elementary school’s Sandifer Memorial Library and its classrooms; a building for the kindergarten plus classrooms for art, music and computers; the Tol Thomas Library/Media Center; the Beth Roberson-Kathryn Pittman memorial courtyard; the Craig Performing Arts Center, including Sturdivant Hall; the renovation and expansion of the elementary school, which was renamed Johnson Hall; the renovation of the student activities building; buildings for the band and art; and athletic facilities expansions including the Stewart Patridge Weight Room and a field house. A sustained focus on academic achievement and preparation for college led to the development of an honors program and Advanced Placement classes. The school’s leadership began to place an emphasis on increasing college entrance exam scores, and with them, opportunities after graduation — including those made possible by college scholarships. Pillow’s leadership also obtained a federal tax exemption for the school. The exemption required the school to be open to students without regard to race and ethnicity. The student body diversified as a result. Termie Land, who oversaw the diversification, said the first AfricanAmerican student, a girl, arrived during his years as headmaster. “She fit in so well with the student body,” he said. “For whatever reason, she wanted what Pillow Academy had to offer. ... That just opened the door and paved the way for other African-Americans. That showed everyone that it was going to be positive for everybody.” A wider change was technological. Jane Hart Hargett, a member of the class of 1974 and now a part-time school systems

information and Web manager for Pillow, has been in the middle of it almost from the beginning. The first computer, she said, was installed in the elementary school when Bonita Webb was principal and Thompson was headmaster. Pam Tribble, who now works in the office, taught the first computer class in 1987. Hargett said, “I started teaching that class in the fall of 1988. The computers were Apple IIe and used a DOS prompt with a floppy disk. ... We had to purchase the software in multiples and have enough for each computer. We started with three to five of the Apple IIe and grew to have around 20 of these computers.” She remembered the work of high school science teacher Ed Miles, calling him “the driving force of technology in the late ’80s, early ’90s. He set up satellites and had Mac computers to provide distance learning for our students.” She said, “Computing was growing fast at this point.” Teachers began using them for writing tests and recording grades, so they carried floppy disks along with their grade books. These were gathered and the grades consolidated on them to generate report cards. “Mr. Miles had the foresight to register Pillow Academy for a domain name on the internet. He purchased ïïïKéáääçï~J Å~ÇÉãóKÅçã around 1993. Most people had not used a computer, and email was in early stages,” Hargett said. Two computer labs were completed and plans for the new Tol Thomas Library were under way by 1999. Students would save their work on disks and carry them back and forth between home and school. The century changed. Cellphones started to show up at school, and people then did

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1973......................................John Lucas III Robert Powers Randall Winstead 1974 .............................Elizabeth Rutledge 1975.......................................Anita Lindsey 1981....................................Lee Makamson 1982..................................Michael Clanton 1983..................................Robbie Murphey 1984 ......................................Donna Buford 1985 ..................................................Kin Gill 1986.....................................Dexter Walcott 1989......................................Tucker Person 1991 ........................................Lee Coleman D. Riddell Walcott 1992.............................................S.R. Evans

1993........................................Jon Barnwell 1997...........................................John Kosko Matt Hurt Micah Walker 1999 ......................................Gretchen Hall 2000....................Ronnie Wade Robertson Ryan Tappy 2001 .........................................Brett Person 2002 ........................................Sarah Hogue Najiyah Kazi 2007.........................................Clifford Coile 2009......................................Philip Douglas Nazif Chowdbury 2011...........................................Drew Miller 2015.......................................Katie Gregory

aÉëâíçé=ÅçãéìíÉêë=~êÉ=ëÉÉå=áå=íÜÉ=qçä=qÜçã~ë=iáÄê~êóLjÉÇá~=`ÉåíÉêK not know about their magnetism. “James Dale (then a student) had to print a paper, but his printer would not work at home. So he put his disk underneath his phone so he would not forget to bring his work to school to print.” That was a bad move. “I checked the disk and nothing was on it,” Hargett said. “The magnetism on the phone had erased or damaged the disk. That was a hard lesson for students to

1980.................Johnny Ola 1981................Jill Fondren 1982.............Mike Clanton 1983 .......Robbie Murphey 1984............Donna Buford 1985........................Kin Gill 1986...........Dexter Walcott 1987.................Tim Geddie 1988.......Chris Abernathy 1989............Tucker Person 1990 .............Kim Whicker 1991..........Riddell Walcott 1992..........Scott McDaniel 1993..............Jon Barnwell 1994 ...........John Coleman

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believe, but I used that example for years when warning students about their disks. And luckily, James had his paper on their home computer. He just had to get a new disk to save it.” Hargett was moved to the library as librarian, and eventually she began to manage the website. It now has more than 30 pages and contains information for parents and students in all grades, even kindergarten.

pq^o=píìÇÉåíë 1995 ..............Claire Evans 1996 ..........Meredith Allen 1997 ............Micah Walker 1998.........Martha Boswell 1999 ....Christy Seawright 2000..............Ronnie Wade Robertson 2001...............Brett Person 2002..............Najiyah Kazi 2003.............Charles Allen 2004 ...........Mary Kathryn Fondren 2005 ................Hugh Muse 2006......Aubrey Beckham 2007...........Evan McCaleb

2008................Baker Boler 2009...........Philip Douglas 2010 ...........Anish Sharma 2011................Drew Miller 2012......Kristen Stephens 2013 ..Watson Turnipseed 2014 ....................Ali Evans 2015............Katie Gregory 2016................Taylor Bush

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PageV Greenwood Commonwealth / Thursday, October 20, 2016 mfiilt=RMqe=^kkfsbop^ov =======================================================================================================================================================================

Alumni teachers

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máääçïDë=Ñ~Åìäíó=~åÇ=ëí~ÑÑ=êçìíáåÉäó=~ííê~Åí=~äìãåáK=cêçåí=êçïI=Ñêçã=äÉÑíI=~êÉ=eÉ~íÜÉê=qÉêïáääáÖÉê=d~êê~êÇI=~ÖÉ=Q=âáåÇÉêÖ~êíÉåI=`ä~ëë=çÑ=NVVNX=^åå~=_ê~åÅÜ=j~â~ãëçåI=ÜáÖÜ=ëÅÜççä båÖäáëÜI=NVVSX=j~êó=`ä~êÉ=q~óäçêI=ëçÅÅÉê=Åç~ÅÜ=~åÇ=ÉäÉãÉåí~êó=éÜóëáÅ~ä=ÉÇìÅ~íáçåI=OMMQX=qÉêêá=_ê~Åâáå=jÅa~åáÉäI=ëÅáÉåÅÉ=Ñçê=Öê~ÇÉë=Q=~åÇ=RI=NVUTX=h~íÜó=h~ãé=`ä~êâI=ÜáÖÜ ëÅÜççä=ã~íÜI=NVTOX=g~åÉ=e~êí=jÅjáää~å=e~êÖÉííI=ëÅÜççä=áåÑçêã~íáçå=ÇáêÉÅíçêó=~åÇ=áåÑçêã~íáçå=íÉÅÜåçäçÖóI=NVTQX=g~åáÅÉ=qáåÖäÉ=^ìëíI=Öê~ÇÉ=OI=NVTMX=~åÇ=açåå~=píçïÉêë=máííã~åI Öê~ÇÉ=OI=NVTSX=ëÉÅçåÇ=êçïI=bääÉå=j~É=_çäíçå=`çäÉã~åI=êÉ~ÇáåÖ=~åÇ=båÖäáëÜI=NVTOX=açí=píê~áå=jáääÉêI=ÉäÉãÉåí~êó=ëÅÜççä=äáÄê~êá~åI=NVTRX=dïÉå=táäëçå=qççãÉóI=Öê~ÇÉë=Q=~åÇ=R ëçÅá~ä=ëíìÇáÉëI=NVTPX=^Çêá~å=t~ííë=qêáÄÄäÉI=bip=EbëëÉåíá~ä=iÉ~êåáåÖ=póëíÉãFI=NVTNX=~åÇ=pÜ~É=pãáíÜ=`êçïÇÉêI=Öê~ÇÉ=PI=NVVRX=Ä~Åâ=êçïI=jáääáÉ=jÅfåíóêÉ=sÉãÉêI=ãáÇÇäÉ=ëÅÜççä ã~íÜI=NVURX=háã=_ä~åëÉíí=oìëíçãI=ãáÇÇäÉ=ëÅÜççä=båÖäáëÜI=NVUUX=qÉêêá=_êçïå=`êáÅâI=ãáÇÇäÉ=ëÅÜççä=êÉëçìêÅÉI=NVUOX=bäáò~ÄÉíÜ=cÉÇêáÅ=pÉîáÉêI=Öê~ÇÉë=Q=~åÇ=R=ã~íÜI=NVUPX=eçääó ^åå=m~ååÉääI=Ä~ëâÉíÄ~ääI=íÉååáë=~åÇ=ëíìÇó=Ü~ääI=OMNNX=gÉååáÑÉê=qççãÉó=oçÇÉåI=Öê~ÇÉë=Q=~åÇ=R=êÉ~ÇáåÖI=OMMMX=káÅâ=pÉêáçI=Ä~ëâÉíÄ~ää=~åÇ=ÜáëíçêóI=NVTQX=gÉÑÑ=gçåÉëI=ÇáêÉÅíçê=çÑ ÄìáäÇáåÖë=~åÇ=ÖêçìåÇëI=NVTMX=~åÇ=kÉáä=qìêåÉêI=ÑççíÄ~ääI=Ä~ëâÉíÄ~ääI=jáëëáëëáééá=ëíìÇáÉë=~åÇ=ÖÉçÖê~éÜóI=NVTTK=kçí=éáÅíìêÉÇ=~êÉ=h~íÜó=_äÉÇëçÉ=tççÇëçåI=éÉêëçååÉä=~åÇ=~ÅÅçìåíë êÉÅÉáî~ÄäÉI=NVTTX=açêáë=j~äçìÑ=c~êêÉääI=ÜáÖÜ=ëÅÜççä=ÄáçäçÖóI=NVTPX=g~ãáÉ=pÜ~ÅâÉäÑçêÇ=_äÉÇëçÉI=ÇáêÉÅíçê=çÑ=ÄìëáåÉëëI=NVTVX=a~îáÇ=q~óäçêI=ÉäÉãÉåí~êó=ëÅÜççä=~êíI=NVUPX=~åÇ=h~íÜáÉ q~óäçê=qÜçêåÜáääI=jìëí~åÖ=pÜçé=ÇáêÉÅíçêI=NVUSK==

Faculty, staff include many grads

ny day and everywhere at Pillow Academy, kids mix with adults who were once students there themselves. Alumni make up almost one-third of the 88-person faculty and staff. You’ll find them in the office, on athletic fields and in classrooms from kindergarten to grade 12. As students, they would swing into school, carrying books and papers and talking to friends, with good company and schoolwork on their minds. That’s still going on, and sometimes in surprising ways. “Our students teach us as much as we teach them,” said Jane Hart Hargett, a 1974 graduate whose jobs have included teaching computer classes and the development of the school’s information systems. She and the students occasionally have found themselves solving knotty problems together, and often a student would suggest, “Try this,” and provide the answer. It’s fulfilling when that happens, she said. Jeff Jones, Millie McIntyre Vemer and Ellen Mae Bolton Coleman said they have had similar experiences. Overall, they said they admire not only the accomplishments of students but their efforts.

In the past five to six years, Pillow has increased its internet speed, installed Smart Boards throughout Johnson Hall and added 10 to Hardeman Hall, added campuswide internet access with 22 access points, bought five iPad and Chromebook charging carts and upgraded its school information systems. “Kathy Clark and Charlie Staten were the first teachers to use wireless connectivity with projectors and PC tablets,” Hargett said. Last year, the school began “live streaming home football games and a few away games. Now coach Chad Hankins has taken the streaming even further. We can stream two events at the same time.” Russell Robertson, former headmaster and a member of the Class of 1983, spent 13 years at Pillow, including six as headmaster, leaving in 2006. He’s pleased by the school’s

Coleman, who graduated in 1972, has taught reading and English at Pillow for 27 years. She said the late Bill Davis, who was a headmaster and associate headmaster, recruited her. She was at home one day and he pulled into the driveway saying, “I’ve got a challenge for you.” That was the beginning for her. She’s loved the job and says it rounds out her life. “Not only do you like working here, but you hang out,” she said, explaining that she enjoys going to ball games and other events. She likes to sit in the stands, watch the game, chat with friends and listen to the band play. “To me, you come here and of course get an education but also a whole social environment,” she said. In class, the attention is on learning. To her, reading means understanding what is read. “I like for them to read well enough that they can read anything and become what they want to become,” she explained. It’s personal to her. “I like keeping up with the students once they graduate. When they are honored, we are honored.” She paused and said, “When they are hurt, we feel hurt.” This is part of being in the Pillow

Academy family, she said. Vemer, who graduated in 1985, said she was in the first grade when she discovered she wanted to teach, and so she has. “This is my 21st year at Pillow,” Vemer said. “For 18 of those years, I have just taught math.” She loves math herself, and she understands that is easy for some students and more difficult for others. She likes teaching both types of student. “I feel like I explain math well,” Vemer said. “I teach an honors math class and also a transitional class.” Both classes require effort, but the transitional class moves at a slower pace. “I am trying to give them confidence,” Vemer said. Right now, she is teaching in Hardeman Hall, which houses the junior high and high school. But she’s also been located in the elementary building, Johnson Hall. “I have moved back and forth between buildings six times,” Vemer said. She loves all of it and in the summer starts to think ahead to the fall. “I look forward to getting back,” Vemer said. Jeff Jones, who is in charge of the school’s buildings and grounds, in 1970 was a member of the school’s first graduat-

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advances, but what he remembers as most important are things he learned from students. He thinks back on the “times when students taught me something about perseverance, maybe about character, maybe about integrity. I was very fortunate. I was honored to be a part of their life for a short while.” During that time, the Craig Performing Arts Center opened. This particularly pleased Jo Quinn Smith, who taught music in the elementary school from 1967 to 1999. During her years, she said, school programs and plays were held, she said, “wherever there was an empty spot.” This has been replaced by the center. “I am so happy that they did that,” Smith said. Watts said he’s proud to be among the students and the school’s leadership. In recent years, Pillow has upgraded its science facilities to include two fully equipped science

labs. The Chawla Lab is in the elementary school, and there’s a new lab in Hardeman Hall for older students. “We have a great board that is very forward-looking,” he said. “We are looking to continue our movement toward a 21st-century education.” Katy Murphey, a substitute teacher for the past 50 years, remembers the days when there were no facilities — yet. Her husband, Bobby, was one of the founders. “They worked day and night trying to get it ready,” she said. Their two daughters and a granddaughter went to Pillow, and one of the daughters, Kathy Clark, has taught math at Pillow for decades. “I just love it. This is a very special place for a lot of people, and it has been from the very beginning,” Murphey said. “It’s so important to the community and the children, and just look at what has been accomplished here!” n

ing class. In 1993, he returned as an athletic coach. He’s had a lot of roles, and all of these felt to him like a continuation from high school of being in the right place with the right people, especially the students. He said it was gratifying to work with Pillow’s student athletes, including those who might not have been first string. Players who “got with the program,” which included spending summers working out and practicing in the heat, deserved his positive regard, he said. “I don’t think I ever coached one I didn’t like, and I loved most of them,” he explained. Headmaster Jay Watts said Jones has done a great job overseeing all the buildings and roads on campus. “He goes above and beyond,” Watts said. “He gives the students something to be proud of.” The safety and attractiveness of the entire campus are the “direct result of the many, many hours of work that Jeff puts in,” Watts said. Jones said he’s motivated by how he feels about the students. “You can’t help but feel respect for them, and you love them,” Jones said. n

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PageNM Greenwood Commonwealth / Thursday, October 20, 2016 mfiilt=RMqe=^kkfsbop^ov =======================================================================================================================================================================

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PageNN Greenwood Commonwealth / Thursday, October 20, 2016 mfiilt=RMqe=^kkfsbop^ov =======================================================================================================================================================================

Growth

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Putting the pieces together

uilding a school over 50 years means attracting and keeping teachers and students; it also means putting up brick and mortar and raising lots of money. Since its inception and its first days of operation in 1966, Pillow Academy has grown from one building to a full campus with multiple facilities for academics, the performing arts and sports, all financed through the extensive efforts of supporters of the school. It’s a bit of a jigsaw puzzle putting it all together, like a house whose family outgrows it and must be augmented with constant additions and renovations to meet the needs of all its members. Take the first building at Pillow, now called Johnson Hall, which originally housed 145 students from kindergarten through eighth grade and eight full-time teachers. By the time it was rededicated, named and renovated in 2009, the school

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had grown to 733 students, pre-kindergarten through high school. When the Commonwealth commemorated Pillow’s 40th anniversary in 2006, alum Dr. John Fair Lucas III remembered helping to put together lockers and desks as a student in that first building and then celebrating with a bonfire afterward, burning all the cardboard shipping cartons the pieces came in. By 1969, it was clear that Pillow was growing faster than the physical facility could accommodate. Bob Hardeman, one of the founders of the school, stepped in to oversee financing and construction of what would become Hardeman Hall, now the home of Pillow’s middle and high school classes as well as administrative offices. “When we found out we needed a second building, it was a rush job, and we had no money to do it with,” Hardeman said. He immediately set to the task, asking people in the community to donate to a

building fund — from a minimum $500 donation to some as high as $5,000 — and then leveraging that money by asking local Greenwood banks to issue a joint loan to the school. Hardeman, a graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy with a bachelor’s degree in engineering, did site preparation for the new building and rounded up some 200 volunteers to do the construction. “It was really just a matter of coordinating all the people involved,” he said. “I think we started in May of ’69 and had it up and running by the next September.” During the 1970s and ‘80s, Pillow established itself as a strong academic institution and functioned largely in those two buildings, along with a cafeteria and a gym built in the ’70s. But by the early 1990s, the school once again found itself in dire need of new space and entered a period of intense fundraising and building. In 1994, the school received a large gift

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from Mary Norman Brown of Schlater, a Craig before marriage, whose dream was to see a performing arts building at Pillow. Brown, a Cottonlandia Museum board member who had attended the Art Students League in New York City, was a graduate of Stanford and a champion of the arts in Greenwood for many years. She died in 2009, but she saw her dream become a reality first. In 1996, inspired by Brown’s initial gift, Bob Hardeman kicked off the Project 2000 Building Fund. A sluggish economy made it tough. “We called it Project 2000, but it took almost to 2003 to see it through,” Hardeman told the Commonwealth in 2003. Enough money was raised to turn a faded building that had previously been the school cafeteria, then a kindergarten classroom, an art room and ultimately a dance practice space into a shiny new 600-

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PageNO Greenwood Commonwealth / Thursday, October 20, 2016 mfiilt=RMqe=^kkfsbop^ov =======================================================================================================================================================================

PageNP Greenwood Commonwealth / Thursday, October 20, 2016 mfiilt=RMqe=^kkfsbop^ov =======================================================================================================================================================================

seat auditorium with a freestanding art studio at a cost of $1.45 million. In 1998, the J. Talbot Thomas III library at Pillow — also funded with Project 2000 funds and named for the brother of Hardeman’s wife, Steele Hardeman — was completed. “We raised the library money first and continued to raise money until we had enough to put up the performing arts building,” Hardeman said. “In an attempt to get the building up, the design group compromised and were going to put up about half the building and attach it to the existing building,” he said. “It looked terrible on paper, and Mary Norman said, ‘If y’all build that building, you’re not going to put my name on it!’” Ground was broken for the Craig Performing Arts Center, to be built in full, in 2002. Construction began in the spring of 2003 and was completed in 2004, when the building was formally dedicated. Meanwhile, the school’s need for an improved athletic facility spurred the Pillow Booster Club into action. The boosters had been active since 2002 and felt it was no longer appropriate for their increasingly competitive sports teams to host other schools who had to dress in an outdated weight room with no bathroom facilities. In 2005, the boosters came up with a plan to raise $600,000 to turn the existing band hall into a facility to house dressing rooms for the boys’ and girls’ basketball teams and to build an entire new field house. The boosters sold $100 raffle tickets for a $10,000 jackpot and a Yamaha Rhino ATV, had a silent auction and, according to Ricky Belk, former Booster Club president, “raised a good bit of money at our annual fundraiser. Then we borrowed the rest of the money to build it.” The new field house became a home for Pillow’s junior high and high school football teams with showers, dressing rooms, coaches’ offices, a trainer’s room and ade-

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quate dressing rooms for visiting and home teams alike. “It’s really nice,” Belk said. “I’d say it’s as nice a facility as you’ll find at most any private school.” The Booster Club continued to hold fundraisers each year to support all the school’s athletic programs with an amount of money set aside to pay off the debt on the field house. “I think we finished paying it off last year,” Belk said. With a new performing arts building and an improved athletic building in place, attention turned to the need for renovations on the two buildings that had housed the school from the beginning. In 2009, Harper Johnson Jr. of Greenwood, a well-known engineer and champion of mathematics and engineering education for Mississippi youth, gave a single gift of $812,000 to the school. In turn, Pillow named its first building,

home of the elementary school grades, Johnson Hall. Johnson’s gift inspired the Hardemans to offer a matching gift that catapulted the 2011 Strong Foundation Future Leaders capital campaign, the largest fundraiser in the school’s history. “I always felt like you shouldn’t ask other people to do something if you weren’t willing to do it yourself,” Hardeman said. “So I told them how much I was going to pledge.” The campaign, co-chaired by Dr. John Fair Lucas III and Richard Kimmel, set a goal of $3.8 million and raised $3.4 million by April 2012. Kimmel, in 2012, credited former Pillow headmaster Termie Land for “vision and untiring effort” in the success of the campaign and acknowledged the efforts of Anthony Ola, then Pillow board president, as well. Johnson’s check was donated in memory of his wife Elsie to the John Lucas IV

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Teacher Excellence Fund and dedicated to math education. The rest went to renovating both Johnson Hall and Hardeman Hall. Improvements to Johnson Hall included four new classrooms and a foyer, new lighting and wiring, remodeled restrooms and a teachers’ lounge. SMART boards were added to several classrooms, kicking off the school’s efforts to make all classrooms at Pillow wired and equipped with the latest technology. A new science lab in Johnson Hall was dedicated and named for Dr. V.K. Chawla of Greenwood and his wife, Chander, benefactors and longtime supporters of the school. In September 2011, Hardeman Hall was rededicated and $1.1 million raised by the Strong Foundation Future Leaders Campaign went to renovating the building. “I’ll admit to a touch of ego in there,” Bob Hardeman said. Now 90, he said that he was still going to the school once or twice a week at that time and always drove up to the back entrance. “I never came in the front because it looked so terrible,” he said. Hardeman said he realized that was the first impression of anybody considering putting their kids in Pillow, and he was motivated to raise more money for the renovation. The building got a facelift with a new brick overlay for the exterior walls, new windows and many other improvements, including a science lab for students from sixth through 12th grades, completed in July 2015 with state of the art amenities, entirely compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act. Now 50 years old, Pillow Academy’s physical presence continues to grow and improve steadily as its student population has expanded, constantly demanding more room. It’s a record of growth by demand and innovative fund-raising that bodes well for the school’s future development. n

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Endowment

Funds provide financial security

ver the last two decades of its 50-year history, Pillow Academy has achieved financial stability by establishing an endowment that continues to support the needs of students and teachers, as well as the needs of a continually growing campus. “Our endowment fund, including the insurance program, is currently worth about $6.8 million,” said Shawna Young, Pillow’s director of development. Those funds are managed by a 12-person board, currently headed by Dr. Rob White. Young, who is beginning her 12th year in development at the school, said, “I haven’t done anything. The force behind fundraising at Pillow has been

people like Bob Hardeman.” When Young first arrived, Hardeman was introducing an idea to the board of starting what’s now called Legacy Circle. Project 2000, the fundraising campaign that had funded the building of the library and the performing arts center on campus, was finished. The Booster Club was still in place as well as an Annual Fund, now called PA+, that raises money every year for immediate needs that can’t be covered by student tuition. “Bob Hardeman had been to a church conference and came back to us with an idea,” Young said. “There are no words for how he shared his knowledge with us.” Hardeman created the Legacy

Circle, a once-a-year breakfast in which people were asked for large gifts to be paid out over a five-year period. “We got everything from $5,000 pledges to $125,000,” Young said. “The first breakfast raised about $700,000 over a five-year period.” The money was used to upgrade classrooms, especially with new technology. “The floors hadn’t been replaced in the elementary school since 1966, so we replaced all the tile floors,” Young said. Legacy Circle continued for three years, leading up to the Strong Foundation Future Leaders capital campaign in 2011-12. “It laid the groundwork for the

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capital campaign,” Young said. The Strong Foundation Future Leaders campaign added nearly $1 million to the endowment, which had begun in 1993 under the leadership of board member Sally Howard. Dr. John Fair Lucas Jr. sat on that board from its inception as well, and he and his wife, Sethelle, gave the first $100,000. The Hardemans followed with a pledge of $1 million. By 2012 the endowment was funded to the tune of $2.1 million, enough to begin drawing from one of its fund, the John Fair Lucas IV Teaching Excellence fund, to supplement teachers’ salaries and benefits. The endowment also includes a fund to aid students in need with

financial aid and a general fund for the school’s maintenance and upkeep. PA+ continues as the school’s Annual Fund. In recent years, PA+ funds have gone to: n Four computer labs with 24 computers in each; n 32 SMART boards in classrooms; n 29 projectors in classrooms; n 34 computers in the elementary school for Accelerated Reader; n Three iPad carts in the elementary school with 30 iPads each; n Three Chromebook carts with 30 Chromebooks each in the middle and high school; and n Internet speed and access points throughout the school. n

PageNQ Greenwood Commonwealth / Thursday, October 20, 2016 mfiilt=RMqe=^kkfsbop^ov =======================================================================================================================================================================

PageNR Greenwood Commonwealth / Thursday, October 20, 2016 mfiilt=RMqe=^kkfsbop^ov =======================================================================================================================================================================

The Lucas Family

Dr. John Fair Lucas Jr., a retired surgeon, served as one of the first members of Pillow Dr. John Fair Lucas III, right, is pictured with Nell Parker Watts in 1973. The two were Academy Board of Directors. Here he is seen with his fellow Pillow board members in voted as Most Intellectual of their senior class. Lucas III was also voted Most Versatile 1973. Those pictured are, front row, from left, Ellett Lawrence, Bob Hardeman and M.C. Tillman; back row, Lucas Jr. and Dr. Tracey Moser. of his senior class and was Pillow’s 1973 valedictorian.

Involved from beginning

he Lucas family has a long legacy at Pillow Academy. It all dates back to the school’s earliest days, when Dr. John Fair Lucas Jr. and his wife, Sethelle Bell Lucas, were avid supporters. “I’ve been involved in a lot of different ways over the years,” John Lucas said. The now-retired Greenwood surgeon served as one of the first members of Pillow’s Board of Directors. He was a board member for a couple of terms, with one of those terms as president. He also served on the school’s Endowment Board. He’s donated not only his money to the school but also a lot of his time. He said it means a lot to him for Pillow to be celebrating its 50th anniversary. “That was a lot of hard work getting the school started,” he said. “It took a lot of money, and times were hard around here. It was hard to raise it, but we did. Pillow has been a wonderful thing, and it’s really been supported.” He can vividly remembers his time as the football team doctor, a role he had for about 20 years from the late 1960s until the 1980s. “I traveled with them. I went to anything they were involved in,” he said. Lucas, who is a big football fan, admits that occasionally on the sideline he not only gave his medical opinion but also gave some thoughts about play calling. “I used to tell the coach what to do,” he said, laughing. Lucas’ late wife, Sethelle, was also very involved at the school, and the couple’s five children — John, Sethelle, Beth, Aubrey and Robert — all attended Pillow. Sethelle Lucas also served on the Pillow Board of Directors and was the first woman to ever hold that position. “She was very outspoken, and she was just interested in Pillow,” Lucas said. “She had five children going out there, and she was interested in them getting a good education.” The Lucas children were all competitive academically at Pillow and involved in athletics and other school-related activi-

ties. The oldest child, Dr. John Fair Lucas III, who resides in Greenwood, began attending Pillow in the seventh grade and was the valedictorian of the Class of 1973. Aubrey Lucas also earned the honor of valedictorian of his graduating class in 1978. The youngest Lucas, Robert, was probably on track to being valedictorian of his class, too. “I had one son who was kicked out,” Lucas Jr. said with a chuckle. During the end of Robert’s junior year, the young prankster and a couple of friends put a few harmless snakes in a teacher’s desk as a practical joke. “Two of them confessed, and they got thrown out of school,” said Lucas III. With a laugh, Lucas III recalled his brother’s teenage transgression, “My uncle, Billy Lacy Lowe, sent Robert a dozen black roses in commemoration of him getting kicked out of Pillow.” Robert was the only Lucas sibling who did not graduate from Pillow. He took a College Level Examination Program test and began attending the University of Mississippi as a freshman. He now has a doctorate in theology and resides in Jackson, where he teaches religion at Hinds Community College. Lucas III, who is the only Lucas sibling now residing in Greenwood, has very fond memories of his time at Pillow. He was a member of the tennis and golf teams and was the statistician for the boys and girls basketball teams and the football team. He also wrote stories about the football and basketball teams for The Greenwood Commonwealth. “I had to get up early Saturday morning when the AP or The Clarion-Ledger would call in for the stats and stories from the high school football games,” said Lucas III. “I would have the Pillow Academy wrap-up.” Because Pillow was new, the students were hands-on involved with their school. “I think everybody really pitched in, because it was a school still under con-

struction a lot of times,” Lucas III said. As a member of the Pillow tennis team, Lucas III said he and the players and Coach Al Yearwood painted the two tennis courts at the school then. “We were out there with rollers and paint brushes to get it ready for the season,” he said. “We painted the lines in addition to practicing out there. Everybody pitched in to make it a little more finished and a little nicer.” Lucas III said when the school expanded in 1969, he remembers going to Pillow, where he and other students helped Headmaster Bill Davis unpack and install lockers and desks for the new addition. “Prior to the first football game, our bonfire was made from all of the crates from the Medart lockers and desks, and it was quite a huge bonfire because of all the cardboard and the crates,” he said. While at Pillow, Lucas III enjoyed playing table tennis so much that he organized a statewide table tennis tournament, which was held at Pillow. “We used to come out at halftime of the basketball games and roll a pingpong table onto the court and played a demonstration match,” he said. The state tournament, however, did not turn out the way Lucas III thought it would. “I think I was third in the academies,” he said. “I was disappointed in the outcome because I thought I was going to win it, having organized it and everything. There were a couple of students from Jackson Prep who beat me out.” After Lucas III graduated, he began attending Ole Miss. There, he was selected as a Carrier Scholar, which is the highest academic scholarship the university awards. He attended Duke University School of Medicine and graduated summa cum laude from medical school. He did his residency in the surgery department at Duke University Medical Center from 1981 until 1988. “Students who do well at Pillow have an Sethelle “Tell” Lucas, far left, is pictured in 1973. She was the vice president of her junior class that year. Also pictured are her classmates Ann Rutledge, Margaret Moor and Connie Baria.

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easy time in college. It’s not a struggle,” Lucas III said. “I think their academics are high.” Lucas III moved back to Greenwood with his wife, Marsha. Their three children — the late John IV, Michael and Kathryn — also attended Pillow Academy. “It was neat seeing my kids playing football, playing tennis or golf at Pillow,” Lucas III said. “I enjoyed going out there and sort of reliving some of the things that I did and getting to point out my graduating picture and seeing how much different I looked back then in ’73 compared to now.” Lucas III has continued the Lucas family legacy of supporting Pillow. He has served on the Board of Directors and on the Endowment Board. “I want Pillow to continue to be a strong institution, and if I can assist in that, I am more than willing to give my time and effort in order to do that,” he said. He even taught sex education to the eighth- and ninth-graders for eight years. “I’d bring my PowerPoint and pamphlets about STDs and tell them how much trouble they could get into if they don’t behave,” he said. Commenting on how much the school has grown since Lucas III began attending, he said, “I just think it’s amazing looking back on how small the school was when I first went there. Being a seventhgrader, it looked bigger than it looks now. “I’m very proud of what Pillow’s done,” he said. “They have one of the largest endowments in the state, and the school is located on a beautiful piece of property there. I think Pillow’s got a bright future.” Another generation of the family may soon attend Pillow. Lucas Jr.’s grandson, Michael Naaman, the son of his daughter Beth Lucas Naaman of Greenville, currently resides in Greenwood. He and his wife, Meg Naaman, have a daughter. “I’d assume she would go to Pillow, but she’s only a few months old,” the greatgrandfather said with a grin. n

Aubrey Lucas delivers his valedictory address to the Pillow Academy Class of 1978.

PageNS Greenwood Commonwealth / Thursday, October 20, 2016 mfiilt=RMqe=^kkfsbop^ov =======================================================================================================================================================================

We salute Pillow Academy for 50 years of excellence.

PageNT Greenwood Commonwealth / Thursday, October 20, 2016 mfiilt=RMqe=^kkfsbop^ov =======================================================================================================================================================================

Sports

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Mustangs have produced great players, teams

he first high school sporting event in Pillow Academy came in the fall of 1969 — a 31-0 victory over McCluer on the gridiron. Greenwood’s Jeff Jones, a former Mustang coach who still works at his alma mater, scored the first touchdown in the first game of that first season. The private school opened in 1966, but it wasn’t until three years later that Pillow had a student body old enough to compete at the high school level. The first game of football, however, was played at the junior high level in 1966. That team went winless and didn’t score a touchdown until the final game of the season. That score came from Clark Patterson. Patterson, who now lives in Kosciusko, remembers how much hard work so many people put into building sporting facilities at Pillow and marvels at how far things have some since the modest beginnings. “Things began to explode athletically pretty quickly at the school. So many people put a lot of blood, sweat and tears into all the work it took to build fields and a gym and everything we needed,” Patterson said. The Mustangs played their first five seasons of football on a field that was where the current softball field sits. The first season in the current football stadium, now named for Bill Davis, came in 1971. Before that, all of the home football

Bill Burrus

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“Things began to explode athletically pretty quickly at the school. So many people put a lot of blood, sweat and tears into all the work it took to build fields and a gym and everything we needed.” `ä~êâ=m~ííÉêëçå

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PageNU Greenwood Commonwealth / Thursday, October 20, 2016 mfiilt=RMqe=^kkfsbop^ov =======================================================================================================================================================================

PageNV Greenwood Commonwealth / Thursday, October 20, 2016 mfiilt=RMqe=^kkfsbop^ov =======================================================================================================================================================================

jÉãÄÉêë=çÑ=íÜÉ=máääçï=^Å~ÇÉãó=Öáêäë=Ä~ëâÉíÄ~ää=íÉ~ã=ÅÉäÉÄê~íÉ=ïáååáåÖ=íÜÉ=jmp^=lîÉê~ää=ÅÜ~ãéáçåëÜáé=áå=OMMRK=fí=ï~ë=íÜÉ=m^=ÖáêäëÛ=ëáñíÜ=lîÉê~ää=íáíäÉ=~åÇ=íÜÉáê=íÜáêÇ=ìåÇÉê `ç~ÅÜ=aìêïáå=`~êéÉåíÉêI=ïÜç=ëíáää=Åç~ÅÜÉë=íÜÉ=íÉ~ãK=máÅíìêÉÇ=~êÉI=Ñêçã=äÉÑíI=_Éíëó=kÉäëçåI=h~íáÉ=_ìÑçêÇI=bäáò~ÄÉíÜ=máääçïI=j~êáÅä~áêÉ=c~åÅÜÉêI=`ä~åëÉó=cä~ìíí=~åÇ=jÉ~Ö~å=tÉÄÄK cçê=êÉä~íÉÇ=ëíçêóI=ëÉÉ=m~ÖÉ=ORK games were played during the day because the field had no lights. Patterson remembers Pillow’s first night football game being played in 1970 vs. Bayou Academy in Cleveland at Delta State University. The first year for high basketball was the 1969-1970 season. Bobby Blackley served as the first head coach for the boys and girls. For most of that first season, the hoops teams played their home games in Moorhead at what is now Mississippi Delta Community College until construction on the Pillow gym was completed in January 1970. In the first game in the new gym, Pat Kyle Gulledge scored the first goal for the girls, and Riley Kelly knocked down the first bucket in the facility on the boys side. The PA athletic program started with football, basketball and baseball and quickly added track. Tennis and golf soon followed. Boys soccer was added in the mid-1980s, and then the program was put on hold for a couple of years due to internal coaching strife. Jeff Jones started it back up in 1993. Girls soccer began that same year. PA’s first high school football team was coached by Tommy Crenshaw and went 7-1-1. Several senior members of that first team still live in Leflore County — Jones

and Martin Tribble of Greenwood and Mike Turner of Money. Crenshaw won seven games in each of his three seasons as the Pillow head football coach. Sammy Dantone also had some successful teams during a seven-year stint that followed. Pillow then went through four more head coaches before Termie Land arrived in 1988, taking over a program that had fallen on hard times. The Mustangs went 3-18 in the Land two years before Land’s arrival. The team went 3-8 in Land’s first season, but that was the only losing season in his nine years at the helm of the program. The Mustangs went to the playoffs the next year and then won a playoff game three years later when PA’s undefeated run ended in a AAA state championship loss to Parklane. That was the first team to ever win a North AAA title and go undefeated in the regular season. “We had such a great group of seniors. We had great team chemistry with mentally and physically tough kids,” said Land, who was 66-28 while at Pillow. The success of his teams paved

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1995-96..................................................Stephanie Coker 1996-97 ...........................................................John Kosko 1997-98 .........................................................West Cordell 1998-99..........................................................Alinda Allen 1999-2000................................Ronnie Wade Robertson 2000-01 ........................................................Jocelyn Gong 2001-02.......................Mark Kosko and Erin Sutphen 2002-03........................................................Ashley White 2003-04.....................................Mary Kathryn Fondren 2004-05..................................................Hillary Freeman 2005-06.........................................................Casey Carter 2006-07...................................................Karen Lambdin 2007-08...........................................................Baker Boler 2008-009......................................................Amanda Hall 2009-10......................................................Anish Sharma 2010-11...........................................................Drew Miller 2011-12.................................................Kristen Stephens 2012-13 ..........................................................Jay Jackson 2013-14...............................................................Kaity Box 2014-15.......................................................Katie Gregory 2015-16 ................................................Bethany Tillman

the way for the school’s first state title in football in 1997. Land gave up the head coaching duties before that season to focus on his work as headmaster. Herbert Davis, who had been an assistant under Land, guided the Mustangs to a 38-16 win over Madison-Ridgeland Academy in the title game. That team featured a pair of running backs — Reid Warren and Patrick Horne — who rushed for 1,200-plus yards. The Mustangs were also aided by a strong group of sophomores that included Josh Whelan, Brent Hardin, Scott Goldberg and Michael Mims. That class became the cornerstone for the 1999 state championship squad coached by Riley Myers that is arguably the best team Pillow has ever fielded. “The 1997 team was darn good, but the 1999 team had something else. They had it all,” said Land. “They lost the first game of the year to Jackson Prep in the heat and then walked the dog from there.” The Mustangs avenged their only loss that season with a 34-13 rout in the championship game to finish 11-1. Prep, the program by which all other MAIS schools are judged, has been beaten by more points by a member school only once in the last 20 years. “The score of that game tells the whole story. Well, maybe not because we were more dominant

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1996-97.....................Jamie Howard and Michael Nix 1997-98................Shelly Gary and Randall Roberson 1998-99....................Dana Carpenter and Chip Tubbs 1999-2000Mary Fisher Patterson and Brent Hardin 2000-01...............Lauren Moses and Norwood Taylor 2001-02 ..................Kate Flanagan and Mark Hardin 2002-03........................Cat Sanford and Chris Walker 2003-04 ......................Amy Beckwith and Sam Fonda 2004-05...................Clansey Flautt and Matt Hargett 2005-06......Mary Elizabeth Harper and Joe Rustom 2006-07...............Lauren Coleman and Lewis Buford 2007-08............Morgan Woods and Pate Shackelford 2008-09.......................Stella Malouf and Daniel Allen 2009-10.................August Malouf and Tyler Fondren 2010-11............Kaitlin McDaniel and Charles Nause 2011-12..................Sage Greenlee and Landon Taylor 2012-13...Christian Robertson and Jackson Pannell 2013-14Mary Nannette Colquett and Conner Sewell 2014,-15.............Airrin Woolfolk and Brantley O’Dell 2015-16 .......................Abby Bailey and Will Jennings

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1990-91..............Cathy Henderson and Lee Coleman 1991-92............................................................Kelly Clark 1992-93.........................................................Moss Melton 1995-96.................................................Kathryn Pittman 1996-97......................................................David Harville 1997-98 ....................................................Blewett Melton 1998-99.................................................... Melissa Tribble 1999-2000.................Carly Jo Lott and Brent Hardin 2000-01..........................................................Laura Mims 2001-02...................Rae Tribble and Chris Champion 2002-03........................................................Amanda Lott 2003-04.........Mary Clair Taylor and Walker Roberts 2004-05........................................................Allan Bledsoe 2005-06 .............Lauren Coleman and Martin Fisher 2006-07 ........... Lauren Coleman and Martin Fisher 2007-08 ....................................................Michael Turner 2008-09....................Amanda Hall and Murry Adams 2009-10........................................................ Jenni Brown 2010-11........................Blaire Perkins and Will Brown 2011-12......................................................William Fisher 2012-13 ........Reed McNeer and Christian Robertson 2013-14...............................................Anne Claire Dunn 2014-15.............................................Emilee Ann Boldon 2015-16 ............Allison Hardin and Ethan Oltremari

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2016.............................Coach Jeff Jones, Class of 1970 Lauri Ann Harper Hoyt, Class of 1976 2015............................Key Crump Britt, Class of 1975 Russell Griggs Roberts, Class of 1983 2014..............................Wilson Santucci, Class of 1984 Coach Bobo Champion 2013........................................Ricky Belk, Class of 1979 Cissye Meeks Gallagher, Class of 1984 Mark Givens, Class of 1983 Coach Chriss Hooper Howard, Class of 1971 2012 ...................Cindy Nix Sturdivant, Class of 1980 Jerome Goldberg, Class of 1976 Mark Tyler, Class of 1979 Virginia Shackelford Walcott, Class of 1975 2011..................................Bubba Buford, Class of 1976 Nell Parker Watts Maddux, Class of 1973 Melanie Moore, Class of 1974 Martin Tribble, Class of 1970 Coach Sherard Shaw 2010...............Annette Tribble Morgan, Class of 1973 Bob Pillow, Class of 1975 Beth Crawford, Class of 1973 Mitch Mitchell, Class of 1979 Coach John McInnis 2009 ..................Susan Lennard Smith, Class of 1973 David Lowe, Class of 1978 Coach Sammy Dantone, 2008...............Melissa Wasson Barrett, Class of 1972 Pate Shackelford, Class of 1972 Coach Charlie Wright

PageOM Greenwood Commonwealth / Thursday, October 20, 2016 mfiilt=RMqe=^kkfsbop^ov =======================================================================================================================================================================

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PageON Greenwood Commonwealth / Thursday-October 20-2016 mfiilt=RMqe=^kkfsbop^ov =======================================================================================================================================================================

máääçï=^Å~ÇÉãóÛë=Ñáêëí=ÑççíÄ~ää=íÉ~ã=ï~ë=~=àìåáçê=ÜáÖÜ=ëèì~Ç=áå=NVSSK=qÜÉ=ãÉãÄÉêë=çÑ=íÜÉ=íÉ~ã=~êÉI=Ñêçåí=êçïI=Ñêçã=äÉÑíI=açÅ=d~êóI=_ìíÅÜ=jÅkìííI=aìåÅ~å=cê~áòÉêI=d~áåÉë `äÉãÉåíëI=oçÄÉêí=e~êÇÉã~åI=j~êâ=páãéëçåI=gçÉ=açïåáåÖI=pçååó=qìÅâÉêI=oáÅâó=içåÖ=~åÇ=e~ä=cäçïÉêëX=ëÉÅçåÇ=êçïI=a~îáÇ=qáåÇ~ääI=g~Åâ=píÉéÜÉåI=e~ä=^áâÉåI=_áää=_ìÅÜ~å~åI=_êççâë `Ü~íÜ~ãI=dìó=g~êã~åI=`Ü~êäÉë=ríêçëâ~I=j~Åâ=háãÄêçìÖÜ=~åÇ=gÉêêó=j~êíáåX=Ä~Åâ=êçïI=j~êâ=pí~åíçåI=gçÜååó=táääá~ãëI=gçÜå=ríêçëâ~I=cêÉÇ=dìÉåíÜÉêI=d~êó=háãëI=`~ãÉêçå=pÜ~ïI dÉåÉ=eçï~êÇI=`ä~êâ=m~ííÉêëçåI=gçÜå=jçêÖ~å=~åÇ=`ç~ÅÜ=_áää=a~îáëK than the final score indicated,” Land said. The Mustangs won their third football state crown in 2010 — a AAAADivision II title with a 2814 victory over Oak Forest. The Mustangs finished 102 that year. Pillow’s most state titles in a single sport have come in girls basketball. It all started in the early 1970s when the Lady Mustangs won three straight crowns and Overalls under head coach Charles Wright. PA had national-news making 100-game win streak during that stretch. Current PA head girls coach Durwin Carpenter has won the most state crowns. There have been three Overall Tournament championships (19961997, 1997-1998, 20042005) and five second-

oped a rich athletic tradition. It has won state crowns in both boys and girls basketball, baseball, fastpitch softball, girls soccer, track, cross country, tennis and golf through the years. “Pillow has a proud tradition of fielding great athletic teams over the years. There have been so many great players and coaches come through here in the last 50 years

qÜÉ=máääçï=^Å~ÇÉãó=Äçóë=íÉååáë=íÉ~ã=áë=íÜÉ=ãçëí=êÉÅÉåí=ëí~íÉ=ÅÜ~ãéáçå=áå=íÜÉ=ëÅÜççäÛë ÜáëíçêóK=pìåà~ó=`Ü~ïä~I=äÉÑíI=~åÇ=_ê~Çó=jÅa~åáÉäI=êáÖÜíI=~êÉ=éáÅíìêÉÇ=ÜÉêÉ=ïáíÜ=ÑçêãÉê=m^ íÉååáë=Åç~ÅÜ=jáâÉ=táääá~ãë=áå=OMNRK= place finishes during his 23-year tenure. The Lady Mustangs

have won eight state AAA Division I titles and one state AAA Division II

championship during his time at PA. The school has devel-

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1968-69.Mike Goldberg (escort) and Chriss Hooper 1969-70.....Frank Miller (escort) and Vicki Kealhofer 1970-71....James Stanton (escort) and Sally Morgan 1971-72..................Pate Shackelford and Inda Mize 1972-73.......Buddy Morgan and Debbie Carpenter 1973-74 ........................Rob White and Jane Emrich 1974-75 ....................Mike Clement and Sally Shaw 1975-76...................Tony Martin and Ellen Stanton 1976-77.............Alan Williams and Chriss Kathy Holliday Hooper 1977-78..............Stuart Fincher and 1968 Susie Waterer 1978-79......Quinton Perry and Elizabeth Meadors 1979-80 ..............Bill Sheppard and Mildred Harris 1980-81.........Wally Montgomery and Darla Lubas 1981-82...................Nathan Dunn and Scottie Bass 1982-83.....Russell Robertson and Laura Ann Smith 1983-84.......................Hollis Peel and Cissye Meeks 1984-85 ...........................Tim Tyler and Beth Meeks 1985-86................Dexter Walcott and Ashley Brock 1986-87.......................Steven Weir and Edi Stuckey 1987-88................................Jay Nix and Kristy Aust 1988-89........................Steve Wyatt and Amy Nored 1989-90.......John Burnham and Sara Beth Bunch 1990-91 ..................Lee Pruett and Lynn McAdams 1991-92 .....................Matt Smith and Nancy Nored 1992-93 ...Ward Stuckey and Amanda Makamson

1993-94......Fisher Southworth and Amy Clolinger 1994-95...........Andrew Lamb and Rosanne Archer 1995-96 ..................Tyler Hodges and Lindsay Doty 1996-97................Barrott Lambdin and Helen Hite 1997-98........................Ben Brewer and Shelly Gary 1998-99...Sam Pigott and Mary Howard Freeman 1999-2000 ............Stacy Burton and Connie Harris 2000-01 ....Patrick Johnson and Mary Hayes Brown 2001-02 ..Michael Boler and Jane Mary Oliver Eastland Hayden 2002-03 ........Robert Toomey and Rogers Allison Beckham 2016 2003-04 ......Garner Williams and Stribling Whites 2004-05.........Crump Britt and Mariclaire Fancher 2005-06 ...Evan McPherson and Aubrey Beckham 2006-07.......................Will Brunson and Laura Hall 2007-08..........Ross Homolik and Caroline Sanders 2008-09.......Jonathan Phillips and Hillary Harper 2009-10...............Kelton Cochran and Jenni Brown 2010-11..................Sam Shipley and Blaire Perkins 2011-12.......Thomas Gallagher and Clayton Dunn 2012-13 ...............Jackson Pannell and Chloé Bush 2013-14..............Mason Standrod and Merritt Belk 2014-15......Brett Farmer and Kathleen Gallagher 2015-16 ..............Taylor Fincher and Erin Goldberg 2016-17....Leland Simcox and Mary Hayden Rogers

to make it all possible. We thank everyone who has contributed to making Pillow Academy athletics what it is today,” said Jay Watts, the school’s headmaster. PA has won state titles in three different sports during a school year once — girls basketball, fastpitch softball and tennis in 1998. From 19891999, Pillow won at least one state title a year. n

PageOO Greenwood Commonwealth / Thursday, October 20, 2016 mfiilt=RMqe=^kkfsbop^ov =======================================================================================================================================================================

Congratulations, Pillow Academy!

P. O Box 1177 â&#x20AC;˘ Greenwood, MS 38935-1177 662-455-6111

Robinson Electric salutes Pillow Academy on 50 years of educational excellence. Education is the fundamental building block for every American. The great personal success stories of our region and nation depend on teachers and quality institutions like Pillow Academy. PA grads have had a major impact both locally and across America. Keep up the good work! P.O. Box 236 / Cleveland, MS / 662-843-3978 / www.robinsonelectric.biz

PageOP Greenwood Commonwealth / Thursday, October 20, 2016 mfiilt=RMqe=^kkfsbop^ov =======================================================================================================================================================================

Bill Davis

‘Spirit of Pillow’

he late Bill Davis left an indelible mark on Pillow Academy. “Daddy was Pillow,” said Marion Johnston, Davis’ daughter and a 1972 graduate of the school. “He is remembered so well and loved by everyone. If you met him, you never forgot him. He was the spirit of Pillow.” During halftime of Friday’s football game, the Bill Davis Football Field will be rededicated to Davis, who served as the school’s first headmaster from 1967 to 1969. In the following years, he also served as associate headmaster, coach and history teacher. Davis, who died in 2005 at the age of 79, was a decorated veteran of the U.S. Army, serving in World War II and Korea. He was a native of Morgan City and the son of Dr. and Mrs. Cleveland Davis. After graduating from Humphreys High School in 1943, he enrolled at Mississippi State University. Within a few months, he enlisted in the Army. Davis served in the European Theater with the Army’s 1st Special Service Force. At the end of the war, he resumed his studies at the University of Mississippi and Delta State University. He received his bachelor’s degree in physical education in 1949. In 1950, he married the former Bessie Will Vance. Davis was called back into active duty during the Korean War, serving as a lieutenant with the 1st Cavalry Division. In 1951, he was wounded in battle, lost a leg and came home to recuperate. In spite of his disability, Davis returned to Korea a year later, Johnston said. Davis received a Bronze Star with clusters, a Purple Heart with clusters, a Presidential Unit Citation and a Combat Infantry Badge for his service in both World War II and Korea. In 1965, Davis received a Silver Star for his actions in Korea. According to

_áää=a~îáë=ï~ë=~å=çêáÖáå~ä=ãÉãÄÉê=çÑ=íÜÉ=Ñ~Åìäíó=~í=máääçï=^Å~ÇÉãó=~åÇ=ëéÉåí=åÉ~êäó íÜêÉÉ=ÇÉÅ~ÇÉë=~í=íÜÉ=ëÅÜççä=~ë=~=íÉ~ÅÜÉêI=Åç~ÅÜ=~åÇ=~Çãáåáëíê~íçêK Johnston, Davis charged an enemy position while wounded by a grenade and saved his men from being captured or killed. In 1954, Davis returned to Humphreys High School, where he served as a teacher and coach. Later, Davis served in the Leflore County School District as a teacher and coach. Dr. John Fair Lucas III, a 1973 graduate of Pillow, remembers the time when Davis, whom he described as the “bedrock” of the school, used his disability to make a point to unruly students. “He had an artificial leg. Those of us who had been at Pillow when it was little knew that,” Lucas said. “When it expanded, there were a lot of kids who didn’t know that. And one day he was trying to get control of the classroom, and he told people that he was going to break them like this stick over his leg. He took this big piece of wood and went ‘whomp’ (over his leg), and it made this big, loud sound, and it didn’t break and he went, ‘Ouch,

ouch, ouch,’ and he went to the side of the room (as if in pain). “I’m sure he was about to break into tears from laughing so hard,” Lucas said. “Half of the class was laughing, and the rest of the class was panicked, going, ‘Oh, no, Mr. Davis. What did you do?’ We knew he had hit that piece of wood on that wooden leg and it didn’t hurt him at all.” Although Davis had a bit of a limp, Lucas said, it didn’t stop him from coaching baseball and football. Bob Hardeman, a longtime supporter of Pillow, said Davis was a dedicated man, a fine person and a good friend. “He knew more people at Pillow Academy than anyone before or since, especially the kids,” Hardeman said. Davis often had a soft heart, he said. As head of the Financial Aid Committee, “he might have aided some kids who probably didn’t need it,” Hardeman said. “He hated to say no to anybody.” Johnston said the

máääçï=^Å~ÇÉãó=ïáää=êÉÇÉÇáÅ~íÉ=_áää=a~îáë=cáÉäÇ=ÇìêáåÖ=cêáÇ~ó=åáÖÜíÛë=Ö~ãÉK= pqlov=_v=_l_=a^oabk

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school’s plan to honor her father is a touching tribute to him and his many years of service. “I’m just so honored and proud,” she said. n

PageOQ Greenwood Commonwealth / Thursday, October 20, 2016 mfiilt=RMqe=^kkfsbop^ov =======================================================================================================================================================================

PageOR Greenwood Commonwealth / Thursday, October 20, 2016 mfiilt=RMqe=^kkfsbop^ov =======================================================================================================================================================================

Girls Basketball

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máääçï=^Å~ÇÉãó=Ü~ë=Ü~Ç=ãìÅÜ=ëìÅÅÉëë=áå=Öáêäë=Ä~ëâÉíÄ~ää=íÜêçìÖÜ=íÜÉ=óÉ~êëK=aìêïáå=`~êéÉåíÉêI=äÉÑíI=~åÇ=`Ü~êäáÉ=têáÖÜí=Ü~îÉ=ÄÉÉå=íïç=çÑ=íÜÉ=ãçëí=ëìÅÅÉëëÑìä=Åç~ÅÜÉë=áå=íÜÉ=RMJ óÉ~ê=Üáëíçêó=çÑ=máääçïK=qÜÉ=íïç=e~ää=çÑ=c~ãÉ=Åç~ÅÜÉë=ëÜçï=çÑÑ=ëçãÉ=çÑ=íÜÉ=Ü~êÇï~êÉ=Öáêäë=Ä~ëâÉíÄ~ää=Ü~ë=Åä~áãÉÇK

Success built on family formula

amily. In one word, that pretty much describes the Pillow Academy girls basketball program through its 50year history. Family loves each other, protects each other, fights for one another and battles each other at times. But in the end, family sticks together. That’s one of many reasons the Pillow Lady Mustangs have been successful through the years. There have been hundreds and hundreds of players to don the green and gold jerseys. Some have gone on to play college basketball, and others have returned to their alma mater to either coach or teach. Many returned or stayed in the Greenwood area so they could send their children to Pillow. Current Pillow coach Durwin Carpenter, who is in his 23rd season at PA, said it’s hard not to see the girls who have come through the program as family. “A lot of the girls have become almost like daughters. We’ve tried to instill in them what to do on and off the court and how to be great people and be successful in life. I just hope I’ve had a little to do with that,” said Carpenter. “I was very fortunate to be a part of this program,” said Chriss Howard, a former player and assistant coach at PA. “We had good athletes, and the girls worked so well together. They all got along so well. They were friends on and off the court.”

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was made to an established coach by the name of Charlie Wright. He spent the next 10 seasons molding and shaping teenage girls into consistent winners on and off the court. “I was at Indianola Academy for a year and a half, and I received a phone call from Mr. Bill Davis about coming to Pillow to coach girls basketball,” said Wright, who qÜÉ=ëíêÉ~â There have only been eight head coach- is now retired and living in Olive Branch. es overseeing the girls basketball program, “Pillow had tremendous athletes. They had size and speed, just everything we which didn’t get started until the 19691970 season. The first two coaches stayed needed that year. We played rover basketfor one season each, and then a phone call ball back then with six girls on the court,

but we had three 6-footers my first year. We had at least two of them on one end of the court at all times. “When I took on the team, girls basketball wasn’t very important to a lot of people. It was getting started around here, and a lot of schools used assistant football coaches to serve as head coaches. The girls got into the program and gave 100 percent. Three of my starting six the first year received scholarships to play college basketball. Melissa Wasson went to MUW and played in the World Games in Russia. I had two girls (Annette Tribble and Susan

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“A lot of the girls have become almost like daughters. We’ve tried to instill in them what to do on and off the court and how to be great people and be successful in life. I just hope I’ve had a little to do with that.” aìêïáå=`~êéÉåíÉê

PageOS Greenwood Commonwealth / Thursday, October 20, 2016 mfiilt=RMqe=^kkfsbop^ov =======================================================================================================================================================================

PageOT Greenwood Commonwealth / Thursday, October 20, 2016 mfiilt=RMqe=^kkfsbop^ov =======================================================================================================================================================================

^åÇó=iç

máääçï=Ü~ë=Ü~Ç=åìãÉêçìë=éä~óÉêë=ÅçãÉ=íÜêçìÖÜ=íÜÉ=éêçÖê~ã=~åÇ=ÄÉ=~=é~êí=çÑ=áíë=ëìÅÅÉëë=çîÉê=íÜÉ=óÉ~êëK=_Éíëó=kÉäëçå=_ÉäâI=äÉÑíI=~åÇ=h~íáÉ=_ìÑçêÇ=a~äÉ=ïÉêÉ=àìëí=íïç=çÑ=íÜÉ=ã~åó ïÜç=Ü~îÉ=ïçêå=íÜÉ=ÖêÉÉå=~åÇ=ÖçäÇ=àÉêëÉóë=~åÇ=ÜÉäéÉÇ=máääçï=ïáå=ëáñ=^Å~ÇÉãó=lîÉê~ää=ÅÜ~ãéáçåëÜáéëK Lennard) go on to play at Mississippi State.” Wright served as head coach at Pillow from 1971 to 1981. He replaced Charles Jourdan, whose 1970-1971 team was only 7-12. Wright’s Mustangettes, as the girls team was called in the early days of the program, started the 1971-1972 season 2-0. Pillow lost to Fayette (Tenn.) Academy in its third game but then reeled off 28 straight wins, which included conference, state AAA and Overall championships. What happened over the next two years was simply amazing. Behind the guidance of Wright, the Mustangettes dominated girls basketball in the Mississippi Private School Association. Pillow went an astonishing 35-0 during the 1972-1973 season to extend its winning streak to 63 games. With the perfect record came back-to-back conference, state AAA and Overall titles. Pillow started the 1973-1974 season with a target on its back, but the Mustangettes responded in front of huge crowds and went 35-0, claiming their third straight conference, state AAA and Overall crowns. With national attention coming from such personalities as Paul Harvey, Pillow’s win streak was at 98 as the 19741975 season got started. The Mustangettes won their first two games to hit No. 100; however, the run ended on Nov. 16, 1974, with a 30-28 loss to Rosemark (Tenn.) Academy. Wright left Pillow following the 1981 school year and accepted a position at Washington School, where he stayed for 13 years. Wright, who was selected to the MAIS Hall of Fame in 2002, then coached at Cruger-Tchula Academy for one year and later at Greenville Christian School. qÜÉ=Åç~ÅÜÉë Bobby Blackley served as the first head coach of the Pillow girls from 1969-1970. Jourdan followed him for one season, and Wright stayed for 10 years. Lavon Driskell held the head coach position from 1981 to 1985 in his first stint at PA. Jack Moser stepped in and coached the girls from 1985-1988, and Debbie Swindoll coached the Lady Mustangs from 1988-1991. Mack Norwood served as

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Bobby Blackley Charles Jourdan Charlie Wright Lavon Driskell Jack Moser Debbie Swindoll Mack Norwood Lavon Driskell Durwin Carpenter

1969-1970 1970-1971 1971-1981 1981-1985 1985-1988 1988-1991 1991-1992 1992-1994 1994-2016

head coach from 1991-1992, and Driskell returned to lead the way from 1992-1994. Carpenter was brought in from Central Holmes Academy to take over the program in 1994. He still holds the position today. “It’s been a great place to work. I was at Grenada Lake Academy for one year and Central Holmes for 20. This is only my third job in 44 years of coaching,” said Carpenter, who has won 613 games at Pillow and only lost 161. His overall record is 970-346 as he enters the upcoming season. “I wasn’t looking for a job, but I knew I was kind of burned out at Central Holmes. One Sunday afternoon, I got a phone call from Termie Land, who was the headmaster at Pillow at the time. I came over for a couple of interviews, accepted the job and have been here ever since.” Moving from Central Holmes to Pillow meant his two daughters — Angie and Dana — were about to switch schools. Angie, the oldest of the two, was entering her senior year. “We won the state A championship in Angie’s junior year, and we had only lost two players off that team. It was a hard decision, and it probably was the toughest on Angie. The first couple of weeks were rough around the house for everybody. It was Angie’s senior year, but the support she got from her teammates, coaches and teachers really helped her get through the transition,” Carpenter said. Carpenter also said the support he has received from his wife, Judy, has got him through the rough times.

“She has been my No. 1 supporter through the years. She has missed very few games through the years. At one time, I thought about getting out of coaching and doing something else, but she supported me and was positive about everything. She kept telling me the things I needed to hear.” Carpenter coached both of his daughters while at Pillow. Pillow went 31-6 in Angie’s senior year. They won the North AAA title and placed third at the Overall Tournament. Angie and her husband, Andrew Nelson, live in San Destin, Florida, with their two girls. Dana not only played for her father but also served as an assistant coach for the 2012-13 season. “That was such an amazing experience to be on that side of the game with my dad,” said Dana, who is married to Lawson Gary. They have two children. Howard, Robin Chastain, Sherard Shaw and Mignon Hodges have been some of the other assistant coaches during the past 50 years. Howard served as assistant from 1994-2002. Hodges, the current assistant, has been on staff twice, the first from 2000-2007. She rejoined Carpenter on the sideline in 2013. Hodges also played for Wright during his one year at CTA. m~ëí=ëìÅÅÉëë Pillow has had its share of success during the past 50 years. Of course, what the girls’ teams accomplished during Wright’s tenure still stands in history. But, Carpenter has led the Lady Mustangs to numerous titles. There have been three Overall Tournament championships (1996-1997, 1997-1998, 20042005) and five second-place finishes during his tenure. They have won eight state AAA Division I titles and one state AAA Division II championship during his time at PA. The first Overall title in 1996-1997 saw Pillow go 37-0, which of course started conversations about the 100-game win streak. The Lady Mustangs started the next year by winning five straight. “The first year we won state and Overall and went undefeated, the entire season was surreal,” said Shelly Gary, who now lives in Nashville. “Throughout

the offseason, the pressure to keep the streak alive into the following season kept building. When we lost our first game, it was actually a relief. Our team felt mortal again. We could get on the court and simply play without the added burden of feeling like we had to win every game. “The loss taught us that new leaders needed to step up and fill the shoes of some of the great players who had graduated the year before. Looking back, I am more proud of the senior-year championship because of the extra challenges we had to overcome in order to get there.” The Lady Mustangs responded by going 29-6 and winning the state AAAA and Overall Tournament championships. “We always set goals, and that group was so focused. It’s very rare to be on the same page with a group. It was so much fun,” said Dana Gary. Seven years later in the 2004-05 season, Pillow would return to the top in the MPSA ranks with its third Overall title under Carpenter and sixth all-time. The Lady Mustangs went 40-2, beating nemesis Jackson Prep 41-28 in the Overall title game. Pillow won the AAA Division I tournament with a 50-45 victory over Prep, but the Lady Patriots knocked off PA 49-42 in the state AAA tournament finals. One of the players on that team was Megan (Webb) Williams. “We were such a close team. We trusted each other, and we hung out all the time. We were all such close friends,” said Williams. “We were so determined to win Overall as seniors. There were lots of nights it was very hard, but we had a goal and we were able to reach it.” Carpenter feels the success Pillow has had through the years has been emulated by other programs. “A lot of schools try to pattern their programs after us. It all goes back to the administration allowing all our sports to be the very best they can be,” said Carpenter. “Every coach has a dream job, and this has been mine. I go back to all the athletes and players I’ve been fortunate enough to coach. I’ve had great assistant coaches to work with, and I count it a privilege to be able to work with them and be a part of this program for so many years.” n

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Happy anniversary, Pillow Academy!

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PageOV Greenwood Commonwealth / Thursday, October 20, 2016 mfiilt=RMqe=^kkfsbop^ov =======================================================================================================================================================================

1960-1970s

Fifth-graders Karen Winters, Don Aldridge, Melissa Chatham and Johnny Standifer read in the library.

Left: Helen Duke teaches a sixthgrade Spanish class. From left are Wendy McNutt, Diane Cothran, Deborah Nason, Duke, Forrest Williams and Percy Randle. Right: Laura Moore narrates â&#x20AC;&#x153;Little Red Riding Hood and the Big Bad Wolfâ&#x20AC;? during a senior play.

Above: Second-graders, shown reciting the Pledge of Allegiance, are Wayne Winters, Emily Sproles, Jody Moor, Gregg Johnson, David Bush, Jan Black, Leslie Branham, Jimmie Sanford and Mike Gillon. Left: Mildred Utroska and Deborah Mosley study home economics.

Left: Loretta Shaw, Sheila Russell, Linda Little, Robbie Taylor, Lisa Whittington, Jody Jackson, Sheri Harris and Lee Cade enjoy art class. Above: The 1975 annual staff included, front row from left, Etta McNeer, Magdalene Abraham, Page Browning, Teresa McNeer, Deborah Stewart, Nancy Kealhofer and Melissa Strider; and, in second row, Dot Strain, Katheryn King, Sarah Hall, Connie Millican, Lisa Redditt, Susan Evans and Mrs. Johnny Aldridge.

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Greenwood Commonwealth / Thursday, October 20, 2016

1980s Martha Scott Poindexter, Beth Warren, Frances Flautt, Beth Roberson and Beth Meek take part in the 1985 Spirit Week, in which grades competed to see who showed the most school spirit.

Tim Tyler and Brenda Hawkins were Mr. and Miss Pillow Academy Junior High for 1980-1981.

Mary Jo Carnaggio, Laura Peel and Ellen Dale enjoy the JuniorSenior Banquet.

Band members Sammy Bass, Michele Murphree and James Stainback take part in a band trip.

The Rifle Corps in the “Pride of the Delta” Band included, seated, Donna Cheek and captain Amanda Lord; and, standing, Lea Christian, Angie Tingle, Conchetta Daves and Vicki Crawford.

District spelling bee representatives for 1980-1981 included, from left, fifth-grader Jim Schissel, fourth-grader Casey Randle and sixth-grader Jana Rose.

The Pillow yearbook includes many annual honors. Those named the “Cutest” in the 1981 junior high Who’s Who are sixth-graders David Cummings and Kathleen Poindexter; eighth-graders Fred Sandifer and Beth Meeks; and eighth-graders Kathy Taylor and Mark Crick.

Fifth-graders John Bariola and Andrea Braswell sell “Friday cupcakes.”

May Lowe shows how she feels after a Powder Puff practice.

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Greenwood Commonwealth / Thursday, October 20, 2016

1990s Participants in the 1990 May Day festivities include, front row from left, Racheal White, Cameron Knight, Jamie Howard, Anna Joyce Lott, Maggie Malouf, Bryn Jackson, Kathryn Kamp Clark, Tara Walker and Mary Taylor Webb; and, in back row, Micajah Sturdivant, Stephen Makamson, Clay Goss, Charles Powers, Burrell Gee and Barrott Lambdin.

Left: Ryan Robertson and Hayne Barnwell were named “Most Intellectual” at Pillow Junior High in the 1994 “Who’s Who.” Above: Seniors Penny Crow and Ken DuBard were named “Friendliest” that year. Right: Lee Sturdivant and Charlie Swayze were named “Spirited SeventhGraders.”

Seventh-graders posing for this photo in the 1996 yearbook are, from left, Rachael The 1990 senior class included, from left, Brian Neely, David Cupples, Byron Patrick White, Elise Russell, Ann Ross Williams, Mary Taylor Webb, Tara Walker and Whitney Seward, Floyd Melton III and Chris Bush. Kearney.

These photos from the 1995-1996 school year show, left, sophomore Margaret Coleman, junior Lindsay Greco and sophomore Kristen Makamson; and, right, seniors Brooke Hutchinson and Melanie Southworth.

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2000s

Ready for the 2003 homecoming are, front row, from left, Ashley White, Allison Beckham, Callie Calhoun, Mary Margaret Kimmel and Mary Beth Boler; and, back row, Charles Allen, Doss Earnest, Noland Howard, Andrew Stainback and Robert Toomey.

Mary Beth Boler, Mary Kathryn Mallette and Mary Katherine Fondren display cans collected for a food drive.

Olivia Pyron, Stacy Ratliff, Meagan Miles and Carolyn Wellborn are dressed for a 2009 performance of “Hankerin’ Hillbillies.”

Amanda Hall and Matthew Waldrop were the editors of the Pillow newspaper in 2009. Katherine Flautt, Kakky Brown, Morgan Cannon, Devin Mitchell, Molly Henderson, Holly Ann Pannell, KC Kellum, Stella Malouf and Georgia Smith smile for the camera.

Callie Pittman, Meagan Rae Mitchell, Sterling Kidd, Amanda Thompson, Mallory Jackson and Ruth Pitts spread their message of peace and love.

Dane Bowden and Charles Freeman pose with a friend.

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Greenwood Commonwealth / Thursday, October 20, 2016

2010s

Taylor Fincher and Morgan Clark were the King and Queen of the 2016 Prom. Matt Miller, Sam Henry Farmer, Bailey Mangrum, Carter Kimes, Hunter Jones and Gabe Reifers are dressed up for the 2016 prom.

Kathleen Gallagher, Kayla Goss, Katie Gregory, Mimi Sheppard, Kate Deerman and Sara Butler take part in Dress Up Day.

Above: Patrick McDaniel, Katie Anderton and Alison Fleming perform in the 2014 senior play, â&#x20AC;&#x153;CSI: Neverland.â&#x20AC;? Left: The 2013-2014 Student Council was led by Mary Nannette Colquett, president; Sarah Beth Toole, vice president; Kaity Box, secretary; and Merritt Belk, treasurer.

Matt Miller, Bay Bennett, William Dent Brock, Will Jennings and Leland Simcox show their fashion sense during the 2014 Powder Puff. Mary Helen Brown, Virginia Harris, Hampton Young and Lola Ricketts attend the 2016 bonfire. Jon Hartley Slater, Mallory Davis, Ansley Hammons, Taylor Bush, Abby Cannon, Regina Martinez and Harley Collett take part in Spring Fling 2016.

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