MISSISSIPPI LEGISLATURE
2018 1st Extraordinary Session
To: Rules
By: Senator(s) Gollott, Carmichael, Chassaniol, Clarke, Dearing, Frazier, Jackson (32nd), Kirby, Parker, Seymour, Jackson (11th)
A CONCURRENT RESOLUTION MOURNING THE PASSING OF MISSISSIPPI GULF COAST CIVIC AND BUSINESS LEADER ANTHONY JOSEPH TOPAZI AND COMMENDING HIS LIFE AND PUBLIC SERVICE.
WHEREAS, it is with sadness that we note the passing of former Mississippi Power Company President and Mississippi Gulf Coast Civic Leader Anthony Topazi on July 6, 2018; and
WHEREAS, Anthony graduated from Auburn University with a degree in Electrical Engineering. He began working for Alabama Power Company in 1969 as a co-op student. This was the beginning of a successful 43 years with Southern Company. He served as President of Mississippi Power Company from 2004-2010, where he oversaw the repair of the extensive damage from Hurricane Katrina. In 2010, he was promoted to C.O.O. of Southern Company until his retirement in 2012; and
WHEREAS, Anthony Topazi was widely lauded for helping to restore power to South Mississippi residents in less than two weeks after Hurricane Katrina. "Every meeting, every tough decision, every priority, Anthony was in the middle of it," said John Hairston, President of Hancock Whitney Bank and the Chairman of the Gulf Coast Business Council, for which Topazi was founding Chairman. "He was an inspiration to work with in the years we served together, whether business or social. His energy was boundless"; and
WHEREAS, Anthony was tapped in 2004 to lead Mississippi Power after working years at Alabama Power. He had experience responding to disasters such as hurricanes, tornados and ice storms, which proved invaluable when Hurricane Katrina hit on August 29, 2005. Temporary headquarters were set up at Mississippi Power's Service Center on 28th Street in Gulfport. Topazi went on television to say power would be restored in two weeks to all customers. In the months after the storm, Topazi was appointed Vice Chairman of the Governor's Commission on Recovery, Rebuilding and Renewal to help lead the Coast back to economic stability; and
WHEREAS, Topazi founded the Gulf Coast Business Council in the summer of 2006 to continue the long-term planning for rebuilding the Gulf Coast communities, according to Brian Sanderson, who served as the first full-time President of the Council. "He inspired many people on the Gulf Coast to work toward that vision, and what we have today is a direct result of that vision," Sanderson said. "He was able to capture the attention of business and political leaders on the Gulf Coast and in the state to get behind a unified effort for long-term rebuilding and renewal. He believed it was his mission to make the Gulf Coast a better place to live. It was very personal to him because he cared very deeply about the Coast"; and
WHEREAS, Topazi left the area in 2010 for a job with the utility's parent company, Southern Company, in Birmingham, Alabama. Anthony Topazi left South Mississippi a different place than when he arrived. He raised millions after Hurricane Katrina, which helped build a new center that houses Gulf Coast nonprofit agencies that otherwise might not have survived the storm's devastation; and
WHEREAS, Anthony is survived by his wife of 45 years, Patsy; two sons, Michael Topazi and Chris Topazi (Debbie); four grandchildren: Evelyn, Anthony, Mary, and Thomas; his sister, Joyce McBee (Tom); and brother, Gerald Topazi (Shelby); and
WHEREAS, we pay tribute and cherish fondly the memory of this most public-spirited citizen of Mississippi whose legacy is his enormous civic energy:
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE SENATE OF THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI, THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES CONCURRING THEREIN, That we do hereby mourn the passing of Mississippi Gulf Coast Civic and Business Leader Anthony Joseph Topazi, and commend his life and public service.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That this resolution be presented to the surviving family of Anthony Topazi, forwarded to the Board of Directors of Mississippi Power Company, and made available to the Capitol Press Corps.