Raymond News

It's hard to believe we are reaching the end of April and summer will be here before we know it. I remember being so excited for summer break as a kid. I certainly enjoyed school but I loved playing past dark until the street lights turned on - my signal that it was time to come home and take a bath. One summer all my swim classes were canceled after that stray dog bit off my chin (remember that story from a few weeks ago?!) and I could not submerge my face in water as my face healed. I was quite disappointed but, fortunately, for 6-year-old Kara my dad signed me up for T-ball and even volunteered to coach the team. It was great, great fun.

It was not until this past Friday afternoon in front of White Horse Creamery as the kids enjoyed their ice cream cones that I learned from Kim Williams that the very man who invented T-ball, the game the saved little Kara Vanni's summer of 1990, was the one… the only… Dr. Clyde Muse.

It made me giggle at first when Kim said Dr. Muse invented T-ball. Certainly, that couldn't be true. There'd be a historical marker for that somewhere around Raymond right? I was skeptical. But Brenda Hubbard said there was a proclamation by the Mississippi Senate in 2015 where they honored Muse for this great his gift to children all over Mississippi.

Apparently, Muse helped bring about the game when he was the parks director in Starkville way back in 1961. He was looking for a way young boys without developed eye-hand coordination could participate in baseball. Now the game is played by preschoolers worldwide.

"I've had one original idea in my life," Muse told senators, laughing. "The first game we played I knew it was going to be a tremendous success. I saw how much fun the little children have."

Muse brought many of his family members to the floor of the Senate, including some of his eight great-grandchildren. "My great-grandchildren have benefited from playing T-ball. I enjoyed watching them play."

Muse said the game was never patented. "I didn't have enough sense to do that," he said.

Dr. Muse did, however, have sense when he first interviewed for his position at Hinds. Nearly 10 years ago, when Robert and I dined at Gibbes weekly (before we had children, of course), we sat next to Mr. Ted Kendall. He told us a great story about Dr. Muse. Ted sat on the board who interviewed potential candidates for Hinds President and he recalled Dr. Muse pulling up to the interview in a Volkswagen Beetle with flames painted on the hood of the car. The board was clearly impressed with Dr. Muse and wanted to hire him. But Mr. Kendall took Muse aside and told him that the paint job on his little car would not go over well with the great folks of Raymond, Mississippi.

Dr. Muse extinguished those flames, got the job, and honorably carried the torch as Hinds Community College President for a remarkable 42 years.

I'm sure many readers have their own lovely stories about Dr. Muse and how he impacted their lives. There are probably so many stories one could write a book! Dr. Muse was truly a pillar of not just our local Raymond community, but our entire state, and even our country! He will be greatly missed.

Another man with a great impact on Raymond passed away recently. On Monday, April 6th, 2026, James Noel Harvey passed away suddenly from a heart attack in the log home that he built for his family.

Since becoming an Alderman for the City of Raymond, I came to know Jim through his work as Regional Technical Adviser for Inframark, where he worked with his son, Ty Harvey, for the past 7 years. Ty and Jim were present at every Alderman meeting together and Jim always gave us a great, detailed report of our Raymond water.

Jim was born on December 21, 1957 in Shreveport, Louisiana, and his family moved often before settling in the Chicago area. When he was eighteen, he returned to Jackson and made a home with his brother, Bob. He worked for several years at HealthCare Suppliers mixing solutions and working on medical equipment, eventually rising to become the Shop Manager.

Sensing potential, his boss suggested Jim return to school for an engineering degree. He put himself through school and graduated as an Industrial Engineer from Mississippi State University (MSU) on August 2, 1996. Ever striving for efficiency, Jim married Christine in the Chapel of Memories on campus the night before graduation.

Jim established roots in Clinton as a Plant Engineer at Bunge Corp in Vicksburg. In 1999, he accepted the role of Wastewater Compliance Enforcement Officer with the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality (MDEQ), a position which allowed him more time to spend with his family.

He loved the opportunity to share his experiences, knowledge, and expertise through teaching MS Wastewater Operators. Jim's approach to his profession was much like his approach to life following the motto "victory loves preparation." A mechanically minded man, he was also dedicated to many personal pursuits including working on classic cars and riding motorcycles with his family. His goal driven nature and irreverent humor made him beloved to those who knew him. Whatever he touched, he built to last and for which his legacy will always be remembered.

James Harvey is survived by his wife Christine Meadows Harvey, his sons James Alexander Ponder and Robert Tyler Harvey, his cousin and best friend Gary Dale Rice, and his siblings Robert Brian Harvey and Vivian Louise Harvey. He was preceded in death by his parents John Harvey and Lois Green, brother John Alan Harvey, and his son, Tristan Alan Harvey, who died at birth.

A celebration of life was held on Saturday, April 18 at Raymond City Hall. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Adult and Teen Challenge: Christian Recovery at Mercy House.

I'd like to give a special mention to Tasha Bass and the staff at the Raymond Library for all the hard work they put into our town. April 19-25, 2026 is "Celebrate National Library Week" with the theme "Find Your Joy" - and Tasha and the Friends of the Raymond Library most certainly help kids and adult alike to find their joy every day at the library. There are events almost daily at the library - from story time, mahjong lessons, reading contests, chess games and more!

Thank you to all the individuals and institutions, past and present, who have made life in Raymond simply wonderful.

Be kind and suffer well.