Wayne Burkes Receives Mississippi College Order of the Golden Arrow Award

A 1955 Mississippi College alumnus Wayne Burkes is the co-recipient of MC's 2014 Order of the Golden Arrow Award. He's joined by his wife, Ann, in front of Nelson Hall on the Clinton campus. The Burkes are Rankin County residents.

A well-respected leader for decades, Wayne Burkes is the recipient of Mississippi College’s Order of the Golden Arrow Award.

A 1955 MC graduate, Burkes will be recognized for his splendid service as Mississippi’s Central District transportation commissioner, his work as state senator and as a leader with the Mississippi Air National Guard. He’s got many admirers all over the Magnolia State and around the nation.

The Rankin County resident shares the prestigious honor with 1952 Mississippi College alumnus Philip “Fred” Hahn, a member of the university’s board of trustees and successful Alabama businessman.

The Order of the Golden Arrow Award salutes MC alumni or friends of the college making outstanding achievements in their professions. It recognizes exceptional performance or leadership beyond the ordinary.

Burkes and Hahn will be among the distinguished recipients spotlighted at the Baptist-affiliated university’s Homecoming Alumni Awards dinner on October 17. The event begins at 6 p.m. that Friday evening at Anderson Hall. Tickets are $20.

Mississippi College leaders can’t say enough good things about Wayne Burkes.

“Senator Burkes has dedicated his life to God and service to his fellow citizens,” says Vice President for Academic Affairs Ron Howard. “He in so many ways personifies the values that Mississippi College stands for.”

A member of MC’s Class of 1964 and winner of the 2013 Order of the Golden Arrow Award, Jimmy Morrison is a huge fan of Wayne Burkes and all that he’s done for fellow Mississippians.

“He brings honor to Mississippi College and to the Order of the Golden Arrow,” says Morrison, a certified financial planner. “I’m amazed when I look at his many accomplishments in diverse fields.” That includes education, military and government service along with the pastoral ministry.

Burkes holds three degrees from Mississippi College. “Wayne Burkes is a man of character,” Morrison added.

Burkes retired in 1989 as a major general with the Mississippi Air National Guard after more than 38 years of service. The Neshoba County native served as pastor of the Bolton Baptist Church for 24 years. He was a member of the faculty and staff at Hinds Community College.

In addition, Burkes served in the Mississippi House from 1976 until 1980 and in the state Senate from 1980 until 1989. Among other duties, he was a member of the U.S. Surface Transportation Board from 1999 until 2003. He and his wife, Ann, also stay busy as owners of a farm in Scott County.

Mississippi College trustee Andy Taggart says whenever he sees his good friend Wayne Burkes, he’s never quite sure how to address him. Should he say General Burkes? What about Senator Burkes or Commissioner Burkes? “All would be accurate and appropriate, given Wayne’s lifetime of public service,” says Taggart, a Ridgeland attorney. “I’m proud that he’s my friend, and proud that he’s being honored in this way.”

The awards dinner is one of many events during MC’s 2014 Homecoming October 16-19. Mississippi College’s Class of 1964 will return for its 50-Year Club Reunion at Anderson Hall on October 16 beginning at 6:30 p.m.

“After 50 years of wandering the globe, the Class of 1964 is returning to the site that launched us into a life centered around family, service to God and country,” Morrison said. “Our classmates have had phenomenal success, too numerous to specify.”

For more information on Mississippi College’s 2014 Homecoming, including the alumni awards dinner, contact Lori Bobo of the Alumni Affairs Office at 601-925-3252 or lbobo@mc.edu.