Four longtime supporters of the Museum of the Mississippi Delta were honored Thursday for their commitment toward preserving the Delta’s culture and artifacts.
The museum’s first awards banquet, held at the historic Elks Lodge downtown, honored Hugh Warren III, Jess Pinkston and Drs. Marsha and John Lucas III for their years of service to the museum.
The banquet also served as a fundraiser for the museum.
“We were very successful with our fundraising,” said Cheryl Taylor, the museum’s executive director. “I think we raised close to $9,000.”
She said recognizing the honorees was even more important, however — and because they work largely behind the scenes, she wasn’t even sure they would let her honor them.
Warren, honored for his leadership, and Pinkston, honored for his contributions to the arts, have been with the museum, formerly known as Cottonlandia, since it opened in 1969.
Drs. Marsha and John Lucas were honored for their community philanthropy. Dr. John Lucas was elected to the museum’s board in 2009. Since then, he and his wife have funded numerous projects at the museum, Taylor said.
Warren’s father, Hugh Warren II, helped found the museum and contributed greatly to its agricultural room and exhibits.
Taylor said Warren’s son carries on that same dedication. She said Warren, with his outgoing personality, is always willing to help visitors who come to the museum — even if it makes him a little late to a board meeting.
“We’ll ask, ‘Where’s Hugh?’ and someone will say, ‘Oh, he’s taking some people through the museum,’” Taylor said.
Pinkston’s love of art went well with the museum’s mission, and his contributions to the museum’s collection from artists such as Jamie Tate and Streater Odom Spencer have boosted the museum’s status.
Dr. John Lucas was credited with helping with the museum’s computerized cataloging system.
“If it weren’t for Dr. Lucas, we wouldn’t have the technology we do have. We were really in the Stone Age when I came here five years ago,” she told the crowd.
John Beard, the museum board’s president, reported that the museum’s capital campaign, led by John Pittman and John Doty Porter, has been a success.
Thanks in part to a grant from the Mississippi Arts Commission, the first phase of the renovations is already under way. The second phase will be launched soon, Beard said.
Taylor said the awards banquet will become an annual event. Honoring Warren, Pinkston and the Lucases in the first banquet was only fitting, she said.
“All of them helped to mold the museum — to get it on the road that it is on now,” Taylor said.
• Contact Bob Darden at 581-7239 or bdarden@gwcommonwealth.com.
