THE
Daily
MISSISSIPPIAN theDMonline.com
Thursday, March 2, 2023
WILL JONES
Volume 111, No. 20
20 years of the Gertrude C. Ford Center: Stories of the Past
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In 2021, when COVID-19 threatened to take community away, the Gertrude Castellow Ford Center for the Performing Arts re-opened its doors following an 18-month hiatus. Audiences comprised of University of Mississippi students, local families, supporters and beyond packed the 1,250-seat auditorium for celebrated events such as the multimedia experience “Voices of Mississippi” and a rapturous concert by Grammy winner Reneé Fleming. While serving as a systematic return, the 2021-22 performance season ignited a newfound energy that the Ford Center staff has sought to both match and expound upon in its now-20th season. “It presented a silver lining, because during our downtime … we did some real work to keep the facilities pristine and keep toward our strategic
plan and goals moving forward,” Julia Aubrey, director of the Ford Center, said. These plans will culminate in the organization’s “20th Anniversary Gala,” taking place March 25, 2023, and featuring Morgan Freeman, Christine Baranski and Bruce Levingston, among many others. The event will be headlined by eight-time Grammy Award winners Marilyn McCoo and Billy Davis Jr. of the 5th Dimension, celebrating all the Ford Center has offered over the past two decades and will continue to offer for many more years. Since its ceremonious inception in 2003, the Ford Center has become one of Oxford’s most invaluable artistic institutions. “It is the centerpiece of the university’s cultural and scholarly mission to present the finest in the performing arts
JENSEN WARE / THE DAILY MISSISSIPPIAN
The Gertrude C. Ford Center for the Performing Arts operates year-round. Information and tickets for upcoming events, including the “20th Anniversary Gala” can be found on their website.
SEE FORD CENTER PAGE 4
Thomas Hayes Mayo Lab launches mental health podcast JANE ROB PANNELL
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The Thomas Hayes Mayo Lab released the first episode of “The Mayo Podcast” on Tuesday, Feb. 28 as part of its initiatives to provide mental health and substance abuse resources on campus. The initiatives use methods such as contemporary media, compelling storytelling and peer-to-peer discussions to increase education. The podcast can be found on Spotify and Apple Podcasts. The foundation’s namesake is Thomas Mayo, an Oxford native and University of Mississippi student who died on April 14, 2022, from fentanyl poisoning. The Thomas Hayes Mayo Lab, an addition to the William Magee Institute for Student Wellbeing at UM, was created to honor the late 21-year-old’s
FILE PHOTO: REED JONES / THE DAILY MISSISSIPPIAN
David Magee stands in front of the William Magee Center for Wellness Education.
life and assist those struggling with substance abuse and mental health issues. David Magee, author of “Dear William,” and his wife, Kent Magee, founded the Magee Center in memory of their son, William, a standout student-athlete at the University who died of an accidental drug overdose following his graduation in 2012. While the Magee Center has served students since 2019, the Mayo Lab and its use of contemporary media will attempt to reach those in the campus community that might be reluctant to walk through the physical office doors but are much more inclined to press play on a podcast. “The primary goal of the Mayo Lab is to educate students, parents and educa-
SEE MAYO LAB PAGE 2