Former Coca-Cola Enterprises CEO, WNBA Atlanta Dream Owner to Receive Award of Excellence at Homecoming

John and Mary Brock, recipients of the Award of Excellence, have contributed to Mississippi College in myriad ways, including sharing personal advice and wisdom with School of Business students.

One of the business world’s most accomplished “power couples” who have invested a generation of support in Mississippi College will receive the Award of Excellence during MC’s annual Homecoming Brunch.

John F. Brock III, the former chair and chief executive officer of Coca-Cola Enterprises, Inc., and his wife, Mary, a former co-owner of the WNBA’s Atlanta Dream franchise, enjoy an association with MC that reaches back to their respective childhoods.

John Brock’s maternal grandparents, Mr. and Mrs. M.C. McDaniel – better known to the community as “Daddy Mac” and “Mother Mac” – lived one block away from the MC campus.

“While I was growing up in Moss Point, we visited Clinton multiple times every year to see Mother and Daddy Mac,” John Brock said.

The McDaniels were tireless advocates of Mississippi College. Late in her life, Mother Mac served as chair of MC’s fund-raising campaign and, at age 100, received an honorary doctorate at MC’s Commencement. She and Daddy Mac had six children, all of whom graduated from MC; four of their spouses were also Choctaws.

That included John’s parents, John F. Brock, Jr. and Anise McDaniel Brock, who met at MC and married toward the end of their senior year. John, Jr. directed a Glenn Miller-style jazz band during his undergraduate days and later worked at International Paper Company, while Anise taught public school music and third grade in Moss Point for 42 years, while playing the organ at the First Baptist Church in Moss Point for more than four decades. A classroom in the School of Business is named after the couple.

John attended elementary school and FBC Moss Point with Mary, who also became well acquainted with Clinton – the location of a number of statewide piano contests in which she and John participated. After the classmates became a couple, Mary would visit Clinton and MC with the Brocks.

Because of that strong association, for a time, it appeared that John and Mary might attend MC. But their interests led in different directions.

“The connection with MC is super deep within my family,” John said. “I seriously considered going to Mississippi College, but I wanted to major in engineering, and I managed to get a scholarship to Georgia Tech.

“Although Mary and I didn’t go to MC, we had a lot of friends and family members who did. It has always been a part of who we are.”

John earned both his Bachelor’s and Master of Science degrees in chemical engineering at Georgia Tech and began his career at Procter & Gamble. He then joined Cadbury Schweppes, where he was named president of the company’s international beverage division and led the formation of the Dr Pepper/Seven Up Bottling Group, Inc. In 2000, John was named the Beverage Industry’s Executive of the Year.

In 2003, John was named CEO of Interbrew, and he led the integration of Interbrew and AmBev to form InBev, the largest brewer in the world. In April 2006, he joined Coca-Cola Enterprises, where he was chair and CEO. John retired in December 2016 as CEO of Coca-Cola European Partners, PLC, the world’s largest marketer, distributor, and producer of Coca-Cola products.

John is on the Board of Directors of Royal Caribbean Group and is a former director of Dow Jones & Company, the Campbell Soup Company, and Reed Elsevier, PLC. He is also a former chair of the Georgia Tech Foundation Board.

Mary earned both her undergraduate and graduate degrees in science education at Miami University of Ohio. A philanthropist and community leader in her own right, she acquired the Atlanta Dream along with former U.S. Sen. Kelly Loeffler. During their decade of ownership, the Dream made the playoffs five times and advanced to the WNBA Finals in 2013. The pair sold the team to an investor group in 2021.

Mary is a former Board member of Spelman College in Atlanta, the Emory Winship Cancer Center Board of Visitors, and Horizons National, an organization that enhances education for underserved students, with 65 affiliates across the U.S.

Through the years, the Brocks have contributed to Mississippi College in myriad ways. They played a significant role in renovating a portion of Self Hall, which houses the School of Business. They endowed a music scholarship in honor of John’s mother, a music major at MC. They visited the School of Business on numerous occasions to share personal advice and wisdom with students. And when his grandmother received her honorary Ph.D., John served as the featured speaker at MC’s undergraduate Commencement.

More recently, they have lent their support to MC’s Foundation Board, serving in an advisory capacity to pass on the lessons they learned as co-chairs of Campaign Georgia Tech, which raised $1.8 billion for John’s alma mater, to one day benefit Mississippi College.

“We learned a lot about how to encourage companies, foundations, and individuals to support Georgia Tech, and this can translate to Mississippi College,” Mary said. “We want MC to succeed and have the funding to do all of the things that are important to the University.”

The Award of Excellence is unique in that it honors non-alumni who have made a significant impact on Mississippi College and the community. Presented by the National Alumni Association, it is awarded to men and women who have rendered distinguished service to MC and is limited to those who, through a long period of years, have worked with marked intelligence and success to promote the highest interests of the University.

“The award means a lot to us because the institution is so connected with our family, and we have valued our involvement for many years”, John said.

“To receive this award is quite an honor,” Mary said. “I love to think of John’s parents and grandparents and how absolutely thrilled they would be about our continued involvement in a place so dear to them.”

According to Dr. Marcelo Eduardo, dean of the School of Business at MC, the Brocks’ efforts on behalf of Christian education continue to have a profound positive influence on students.

“Both John and Mary Brock have been an absolute blessing to the School of Business and to our students,” Eduardo said. “They have been two of our most significant supporters, allowing us to enhance our students’ education through capital improvements, technology, and unparalleled support of our faculty. Moreover, it is the giving of their time and their genuine interest in our business majors that have made an indelible mark over time.

“Their advice, insights, and perspective have given our students an experience few business schools can provide. We are very grateful to them.”

The Brocks’ familial relationship with Mississippi College remains alive and well: Mary’s nephew, Lunden Lizenby, is a freshman at MC.

“John and I wanted Lunden to come to Mississippi College, and we are thrilled he is here,” Mary said. “He had the option to go to a local university, but we hoped he would decide to experience being away from home. We feel that the environment, as far as academics, is very sound, but equally as important to Lunden and his parents is the institution’s commitment to the cause of Christ. It’s a Christian college, and that’s what makes it special.

“Mississippi College did an amazing job of welcoming Lunden, and his parents are pleased at what a great place it is for him to thrive. John and I are thrilled he is carrying on the family tradition.”

While decades have passed since the Brocks last attended Homecoming at MC, they both believe the occasion will bring back a host of memories.

“Being back on campus with a lot of the alums, soaking in the atmosphere of a fall afternoon with the anticipation of a parade and a football game, is the kind of experience that makes being around a college fun,” John said. “We’ll enjoy meeting the other award recipients and hearing the stories about all the good things they have done.“

“I’m looking forward to being on campus and seeing all of the students,” Mary said. “Education is so important to us, but we love experiencing the energy of the students. It’s so much fun to interact with them. When we spoke to MC students in the business school, the questions they asked were always amazing - so insightful."

The Brocks will receive the Award of Excellence during the Homecoming Brunch, scheduled from 11 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 29, in Anderson Hall on the second floor of the B.C. Rogers Student Center. Tickets to the brunch cost $25 apiece, and RSVP is required. For more information, visit mc.edu/homecoming/.