MISSISSIPPI LEGISLATURE
2010 Regular Session
To: Rules
By: Senator(s) Hudson, Lee (47th), Butler, Fillingane, Montgomery, Jackson (32nd)
A CONCURRENT RESOLUTION RECOGNIZING THE LIFELONG CONTRIBUTIONS OF KATHRYN BASS MOODY TO THE LEGACY AND SUCCESS OF PEARL RIVER COMMUNITY COLLEGE ON THE OCCASION OF THE STUDENT RESIDENCE HALL NAMED IN HER HONOR.
WHEREAS, Pearl River Community College has honored two ladies who contributed greatly to the success of the institution. Kathryn Moody and Earlora Holden are two of the matriarchs of the college family. Their devotion and allegiance to the growth and success of this institution have stood the test of time. Their unselfish contributions to the success of this historic institution have made a positive difference in the development of the institution; and
WHEREAS, Moody had a 75-year relationship with the school that started when she was a student in 1933. She eventually worked as a secretary and in the library. "This place was her home from the time she was 17 years old. Pearl River Community College caught her imagination and loyalty from the time she came on the campus," said her daughter, Miriam Perry of Middlebury, Vermont; and
WHEREAS, she was the school's first female trustee, serving on the board of trustees from 1980-1990. She was also the first person to Chair the Pearl River Community College Museum Advisory Board; and
WHEREAS, Moody died in 2008 at the age of 92, without knowing a building would be named in her honor. She would have accepted the honor with trademark humility; and
WHEREAS, when Mrs. Moody came to Pearl River, the country was in the throes of the Depression and, in a 2001 interview for Pearl River Community College Museum's Alumni Interview Series, she said all of the students worked to pay for tuition, room and board. Mrs. Moody worked for one of the instructors and lived in White Hall and remembered the electricity to the entire campus went off every night at 10:00 p.m. The students sometimes walked to town accompanied by chaperones. There were frequent socials and cake walks and Friday night dances attended by townspeople as well as students; and
WHEREAS, her contributions followed a family tradition. Her father-in-law, J.S. Moody, Sr., donated land to the college. He also has a campus building named after him, which houses the school's fine arts and communications departments; and
WHEREAS, she married John Solomon Moody, Jr., in May 1937 and moved to his family home a few miles north of Poplarville. Mrs. Moody helped found the PRCC Development Foundation to raise money for scholarships and endowments and established the J.S. and Kathryn Moody Nursing Scholarship. She was honored as Alumnus of the Year in 1982 and received the Alumni Association's Distinguished Service Award in 2004. She also served as the first Chairperson of the PRCC Museum Advisory Board and donated numerous items to the museum; and
WHEREAS, in the Fall of 2008, Pearl River Community College opened its doors for the 100th year of service to the citizens of Mississippi. As Mississippi's first two-year institution of higher learning, Pearl River has been a leader in providing quality and innovative educational opportunities. A century of service and providing opportunities for those who desired to seek higher education has given the institution a special place in the history of our state; and it is with great pride that we salute the legacy of this pioneer educator who has brought honor to her college, her community and to the State of Mississippi:
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE SENATE OF THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI, THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES CONCURRING THEREIN, That we do hereby recognize the contributions of Mrs. Kathryn Bass Moody to the legacy and success of Pearl River Community College on the occasion of the Student Residence Hall named in her honor, and extend our best wishes to the family of Mrs. Moody on this auspicious event.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That this resolution be presented to the family of Mrs. Moody, to Pearl River Community College President William Lewis and the Board of Trustees of Pearl River Community College and be made available to the Capitol Press Corps.