Mississippi Delta Community College - Retrospect Yearbook (Moorhead, MS)

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M.D.J.C. was first known as Sunflower Agricultural High School, established in 1911. In the minutes of the Board meeting on April 21, 1925, we find that the trustees planned to convert the high school into a junior college. Superinten- dent J.S. Vandiver said that the only major change that had to be made in or- der to make the conversion was the building of an adequate Administration Building in or before 1927. Professor Claude Bennett of the State Department of Education cited sev- f eral reasons for establishing the junior college: the people of Mississippi are in favor of the idea of junior colleges; the rapid growth of consolidated schools; and the need for more colleges in the state. He said, I am convinced that Sun- flower County could make no finer investment than to establish a first class Junior College at Moorhead. In 1926 Sunflower Junior College was established. Sunflower County was the only supporting county at first. In 1928 Humphreys County became a support- ing county. In 1929 Leflore County became a supporting county. Even though the district, then known as Sunflower Junior College District, was composed of eight counties, not until 1961 did Washington and Sharkey Counties become supporting counties. In 1962 Bolivar, Issaquena, and Coahoma Counties joined the group of supporting counties. Mississippi Delta Junior College is now sup- ported by eight Delta Counties. In order for the name of the college more accurately to reflect the geo- graphic area that it serves, the Board of Trustees changed the name of the col- lege from Sunflower Junior College to Mississippi Delta Junior College in 1961. On July 1, 1964, Mississippi Delta Junior College District was legally defined as a separate juristic entity to be comprised of the counties of Bolivar, Coah- oma, Humphreys, Issaquena, Leflore, Sharkey, Sunflower, and Washington, therefore, allowing the Board of Trustees the authority to request the levy of taxes for the support of capital outley. It is interesting to reflect on the early rapid growth in enrollme nt. The first class in 1926 had an enrollment of 31. The 1927-28 class had 52, and the 1930 class shot up to 133. Students came from all over North Mississippi to attend the college. This year M.D.J.C. enters its fiftieth year of existence. Coinciding with our anniversary celebration is America ' s celebration of its bicentennial year. At the time of the Battle of Bunker Hill, Mississippi was still a part of the Louisiana Territory and a virtual jungle. The yearbook staff has tried to show the history of both our country and our school in the pages that follow. While we have emphasized coverage of our own school, we have paid tribute to our country with the use of patriotic symbols and spot color of red, white, and blue. STATE OF THE WORLD IN 1926 It is interesting to note the state of the world in 1926. Several of the domes- tic issues that were on the scene at that time were as follows: 1. A break in the price of cotton, which brought distress all over the lower South. 2. Rising prices for pork and beef. - . . .i 3. More and more people were moving off the farms. 4. The Ku Klux Klan was flourishing with approximately five million members. -• - , ,| 5. Because of the advancements in medicine, there had been a notable fall in the death rate and a notable increase in the birth rate. 6. Divorces-in the 1920 ' s-there were as many as one divorce for every five marriages. The family was on its way toward a breakdown. 7. Disturbing rise in crime; gangs; Al Capone, Dutch Schultz, and Legs Dia- mond led the followers. 8. Scandals-oil magnates bribed public officials. As you can see, the state of the world today is much the same as it was in 1926.

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Table of Contents Opening section 1 Dedication 17 Student individuals 33 In and out of class 105 Sports 129 Group learning 140 Special events and special people 152 Honors 168 Theme: MDJC and America Celebrate Editorial Board Debbie Keith Ann Shelton Dale Stokes Illustrator: Jim Ellis Photographers: Donald Browning, Kerry Hamilton, Tom Hyer, Dale Stokes

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Dormitories have seen many changes in the past 50 years (Top) Old girls ' dorm, (bottom) Stennis-Penrod Dormitory (Top) Old boys ' dorm, (bottom) Stonestreet Hail Fifty years ago here at M.D.J.C., tuition was free to all students liv- ing in Sunflower County. Students living outside Sunflower County paid a tuition fee of $25.00. Board, heat, and light fees amounted to $123.00. Some unusual fees that students had to pay back then were a doctor ' s fee of $5.00; li- brary fee of $3.00; medicine fee of $1.00; athletic fee of $5.00; lyceum fee of $4.00; literary fee of $5.00. Today most athletic activities, fine arts programs, and student publica- tions are free. The main exception to this is the $6.00 charge for the Retrospect. In 1939 one month ' s board was only $14.50. A semester ' s board was $58.00. Today we are paying $78.00 every six weeks for meal tickets. A boarding student pays $824.00, and a commuting student pays $206.00 for the entire year, not in- cluding books. Students also bought books back in 1926, but hopefully not at the prices we pay today! In its opening days the school had its own farm and raised its own beef, vegetables and dairy products. Because costs of operating college farms had become prohibitive, the Board ceased farm operation in the mid-sixties. Movin} in the girls