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132nd YEAR ISSUE 16
TUESDAY OCTOBER 24, 2017
THE STUDENT NEWSPAPER OF MISSISSIPPI STATE UNIVERSITY SINCE 1884
MSU gains $3 million Lincoln collection DYLAN BUFKIN STAFF WRITER
Students would be hard pressed to miss the Mitchell Memorial Library’s fourthfloor construction. The construction, which started in June, adds to the fourth floor of the library which houses The Frank and Virginia Williams Collection of Lincolniana and The Ulysses S. Grant library. The Lincoln collection consists of over 17,000 Lincolnian artifacts, ranging from letters and documents to a portrait of Lincoln painted by James Montgomery Flagg, the artist behind the “I Want You” WWI propaganda posters. Collected by former Rhode Island Chief Justice Frank Williams across a 50-year period, the collection spans 150 years of American history and is estimated at over $3 million dollars in worth. “I was already into American history, and by the time I got into sixth grade, I was really into it,” Williams said. “I sat under a portrait of Lincoln and was fascinated by his face, and my sixth-grade teacher help mentor me and directed me towards the study of him[Lincoln] and the Civil War.”
Frank J. Williams | Courtesy Photo
Frank J. Williams and his wife, Virginia Williams, donated a private Lincoln and Civil War collection to the Mitchell Memorial Library. The collection is estimated to be worth nearly $3 million. The collection, along with the Ulysses S. Grant presidential library will open Nov. 30.
He continued to use his lunch money, all 25 cents a day, to buy used Lincoln books. Even his career as a lawyer, Williams added, was influenced by his love of Lincoln and the 16th president’s time as a lawyer. Williams, as acting president of the Ulysses S. Grant Association, is
also the reason the Grant collection is at Mississippi State University, which was moved from its original home at Southern Illinois University in 2009. Williams said his main hope for the collection is that it is, simply put, “used.” “Not just by MSU faculty and students, now
and in the future, but that it is used online,” Williams said. “It’ll be a resource, we hope, for the legacy.” However, Williams is not finished with his passion for Lincolnian history. While his shelves, which at one point lined the walls of his office with Lincoln memorabilia, are
now empty, he said he and his wife still have “the bug.” Unable to name a specific favorite in his collection, Williams said some pieces like the miniaturized Emancipation Proclamations and a clerk desk that Lincoln used in his lawyer days, are particularly interesting. Additionally, The Williams have pledged $500,000 for a research fund to help curate the collection into the future and have pledged to fund an annual lecture series on Lincoln and his era. MSU President Mark Keenum, in a statement at the announcement of the Lincoln addition, said, “Mississippi State University is immensely proud to receive the Frank and Virginia Williams Collection of Lincolniana, a truly unique and comprehensive collection that provides unprecedented insight into the life and times of our 16th president and the Civil War era. With this incredibly generous donation and their guiding hand in bringing what has become the U.S. Grant Presidential Library to our campus, the Williams’ have made MSU one of the nation’s foremost repositories for research into this pivotal period in our nation’s history.” LIBRARY, 2
Carnival, concert highlight weekend JORDAN DARENSBOURG STAFF WRITER
The Mississippi State University campus was brought to life Thursday night with a carnival and live music to kickoff homecoming weekend. The Student Association held its first Homecoming Carnival in the parking lot of the Newell-Grissom Volleyball Arena. The event featured food trucks, face painting and other traditional carnival festivities. Many of the carnival goers waited patiently to ride the Ferris wheel which promised a spectacular view of the MSU campus. However, not all riders were giddy about the heights. Meredith Brock, a senior biological engineering major from Madison, said she was initially apprehensive about the ride due to its height. “We just kept on going higher and higher and higher, and so we were getting a little scared at first,” Brock said. “Once we started going, we got more lax and it was very nice and relaxing to watch everything.” HOMECOMING, 2
District 38 House candidates talk infrastructure, education Three candidates, Lisa Wynn, Cheikh Taylor and Narissa Bradford, participated in a forum hosted by the Stennis Montgomery Foundation
KATIE POE
STAFF WRITER
Mississippi State University’s Stennis Montgomery Association hosted a forum for three candidates vying to represent District 38 in the House of Representatives on Thursday. The District 38 seat, which covers parts of Clay, Lowndes and Oktibbeha counties, is currently vacant due to the resignation of Tyrone Ellis (D). The Stennis Montgomery Association is a student-run organization which focuses on government and policy. One of the group’s goals is to enhance civic education. Candidates Narissa Bradford, Cheikh Taylor and Lisa Wynn spoke about infrastructure, education and their individual platforms. Bradford is a former fashion model and entrepreneur. In Italy, she launched a magazine and media company, which partnered with the United Nations, Italy’s Capital and a subsidiary of Exxon Mobil. In regards to
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infrastructure, Bradford said in today’s media-centric environment everyone needs internet access. “I think one of our urgent infrastructure needs in District 38 is to bridge the digital divide between the rural and the urban areas,” Bradford said. “We need internet in all the areas.” Bradford said she believes telecommunication companies can help bridge the gap and bring internet to students everywhere. “If the kids that live in these rural areas do not have the technology, it is hard for them to explore topics and ideas that interest them personally, and these kids are not able to dream,” Bradford said. “As we know, without dreams and vision, we perish.” To Bradford, internet access is not a luxury, but a basic need, like water and electricity. Wynn, a former Starkville alderman, said the state does not have enough personnel to fix the current infrastructure needs. She said she would come up with a comprehensive plan to solve this problem and hire a firm to help.
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Jennifer McFadden, The Reflector
The plan, she said, would include seeking grants to fund the projects. Also, she said legislation should be passed mandating the taxation of online purchases. Taylor, the executive director of the nonprofit Brickfire Project, said there are several areas of concern within the state’s infrastructure. He said, according to the American Society of Civil Engineer’s 2017 report, 12.3 percent of Mississippi bridges are rated as failing.
Improvement to the drinking and wastewater infrastructure would cost $10.5 billion. Taylor said delaying investments to the aging infrastructure will further increase the costs and risks. “It’s an obstacle that this country, Mississippi and our families can no longer afford,” Taylor said. Taylor said these problems are significant but solvable through leadership and preparation. Taylor also spoke about education. He said one
FORECAST: Chilly start on Tuesday with lows in the mid 40’s, warming up to the low 70’s. A cold front will push through Tuesday night into Wednesday with lows in the upper 30’s and highs in the low 60’s. Chilly morning Thursday with lows in the upper 30’s and warming to the low 70’s. -Beth Finello, Campus Connect Forecaster
of his goals is supporting public education and making sure “public dollars” are being put into public schools. Taylor said one problem that arises with education, however, is finding highly qualified teachers to employ. He said the current policies in place push teachers away. If elected, he added, he would push for resources to recruit and keep teachers. Wynn said education is one of her top priorities. She said teachers should be paid fair amounts and more
money should be put into the schools. “It is sad that prisoners in the state of Mississippi receive more money than the people in our schools,” Wynn said. Bradford agreed, not having enough funding for schools is counterproductive. “For years, our state leaders have chosen not to fully fund our schools and the lack of adequate funding almost certainly sets them up for failure,” Bradford said. FORUM, 2
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