A fond farewell
For the past three and a half years, I have been blessed to call Starkville home as I attended school at Mississippi State University.
There is no doubt that MSU and Starkville was a great place for a lad like me to transform into the young man I am today.
I am thankful for so many people and so many institutions that have played a hand in my development. God called me to walk the maroon brick road that runs between the Perry and the Union in the spring of 2017 and so I went.
MSU gave me a new way to look at life, a new experience and a future that no other place could. I remember my first semester living in Griffis Hall. I made so many friends and connections. Four of my best friends came from the third floor lobby. Colton, Brady, Jeff and Paul know who they are.
College is all about growing, meeting challenges, always improving and experiencing. There was no better feeling than going with my friends to Mattey’s to dance and enjoy music. By our sophomore year, they had stopped going, and I had found balancing a job with The Reflector as sports editor and Oby’s time consuming.
Oby’s gave me much great food, great experience and more than anything, a family who cared about me. I can not be thankful enough for them and everything they have done for me. If you have never had their gumbo and alligator po boy, then you are missing out.
The Reflector gave me a career, amazing friends and a girlfriend. Support local journalism like the Starkville Daily News, but also support student journalism because they are the future and it means so much to kids to be able to cover bowl games, College World Series and other big events.
I’m thankful to my family for their love
and support through the years which really just means they gave me money and food so I didn’t starve to death. To Danny P. Smith, who invested his energy and time into a wide eyed freshman, I am forever grateful. Words can not express how much he believes in me and has invested in my career. I would not be where I am today without him.
To the city of Starkville, Mayor Lynn Spruill and the Rotary Club, not to mention a wide collection of sources, thank you for helping and giving me something to write about. Community journalism is what I enjoy doing, and there is no better place to start than Starkville.
From trials and triumphs, tears and laughter, rainy days and warm summer nights. All of these have been a part of this journey, which is a journey I am forever grateful to have begun. Last week I crossed the graduation stage and embarked on my next adventure with all the youthful hope like Huckleberry Finn on his raft.
Here comes the difficult thing about stories. Chapters have an ending at some point in time. It’s not because you want to end the chapter, and not because where you are is a great place, but because there is a future ahead, and a new chapter waiting to begin.
While I’m originally from Arkansas, my dad’s family is from southwest Mississippi. I will never forget the morning in 2018 after MSU had lost to LSU at Death Valley. I told my great aunt that this felt like home.
My uncle Tim would have been so excited to be able to read my articles more. Truth be told, every article I write is written for him. He believed in me and his generosity helped me so much. God called him home this fall and I’m gutted because I would have liked to have been able to spend more time with him.
His kids, and my cousins Adam and Morgan are practically my Mississippi siblings. I was an adopted member of their family at family reunions and I’ll be closer to them in Natchez, where is my next destination, and I’m very excited about it.
Under the hill in Natchez, overlooking the river and admiring the green natural splendor of the city I felt a similar calling to what first brought me to MSU. This felt like home, and while Starkville will forever hold a special place in my heart, I can not ignore the call to home.
As of today, this will be my last article in the Starkville Daily News, I have enjoyed working with the community here the past few years and I look forward to seeing you grow as I have grown.
Until next time, Hail State and God bless.