Outgoing Mississippi College trustees honored for years of service

MC President Blake Thompson, second from left, and Mississippi Colleges Board of Trustees Chair Ronnie Falvey, second from right, visit with outgoing trustees Paul G. Moak Jr., left, Jane Mangum Hederman and Judge Tom Lee. Outgoing trustee Ronnie Smith is not pictured.

Four outgoing members of the Mississippi College Board of Trustees were recognized for their indispensable contributions to the Christian University at the Board of Trustee meeting in December.

Jane Mangum Hederman ’67, secretary of the Board of Trustees and 2022 MC Alumna of the Year; Judge Tom Lee ’63, ‘65, a federal justice with the United States District Court for the Southern District of Mississippi and a member of the MC Athletics Hall of Fame; Paul G. Moak Jr., president of Paul Moak Automotive in Jackson; and Ronnie Smith ‘80, head of corporate banking for Regions Financial Corporation and 2013 MC School of Business Alumnus of the Year, each rotated off of the board after decades of service.

The Board of Trustees is MC’s governing body, elected by the Mississippi Baptist Convention and responsible for guiding the fulfillment of the University’s mission.

As a token of thanks for their service to the Christian University, MC President Blake Thompson presented each trustee with a gift – a wooden bowl resourced from felled trees on MC’s historic Quad, handcrafted and turned by Dr. Mike Walters, MC Foundation Board chair.

“They have served God by serving MC and its students; we should all seek to follow their examples of faithfulness and devotion,” Thompson said. “They epitomize the values of MC, and I know they will continue to serve in various ways for years to come.”

Hederman said her service on the Board was blessed with faculty and friends who were willing to respond whenever there was a need.

“Universities go through many seasons of growth and development, and it is rewarding to see the progress Mississippi College has made as we continue to embrace our mission while progressing to meet the needs of the marketplace,” she said. “We are willing to evaluate and make changes to keep our academics strong while seeking the direction the Lord would have us go.

“We pray for our future to be worthy of the responsibilities given to all of us. Like the fallen tree was given a new life in the incredible art piece we received from Dr. Thompson, the changes that come can revitalize and empower us with new visions for our future.”

Lee called serving on the Board a “singular honor and genuine pleasure.”

“Dr. Blake Thompson has assembled a stellar team of executives and he is providing superb leadership for the University,” Lee said. “It is especially meaningful to me to be gifted with the exquisite bowl that is so beautifully crafted. It will serve as a treasured reminder of my lifelong association with the University.”

Moak said he considers serving on the Board of Trustees at Mississippi College a blessing.

“The reward to me from serving on the Board has been the many relationships with the MC family that I have formed over the years and the high value I place on those relationships,” he said. “One of the things I have observed is the strong, consistent commitment to MC and the cause of Christ from all levels of MC, while striving to maintain high academic standards.”