Terry Headlight News

The date of Thursday, June 30, 2024 may now be added as another day which will be remembered by future American history students. On this day President Trump was convicted of the thirty-four crimes of which he had been charged. All of this could have been avoided had President Trump kept the right company and not mingled with those other people who were not following the laws of this country or the Ten Commandments that have been given to us all. Although he will probably be on our ballots in November for re-election, I cannot see too many redeeming values of his for anyone to cast a vote for him. That a nation could be led by a convicted felon when felons are not allowed to serve in military service is contrary to what most of us grew up thinking about the leader of our great country. If a felon could possibly be elected to the nation’s highest political office, the words “Have you ever been convicted of a felony?” should be removed for every job application in this land! Prayer is in order for the Trump family and for the nation as the upcoming two national political conventions and the November election approach.

Of course. there is a possible that President Trump could be pardoned by an future governor of New York, but that does seem unlikely. Anyway, he was found guilty in a New York state court, and one thing that President Trump advocates are state rights.

It does seem, though that every time this President is in court, he loses.

The summer reading program has begun at Terry’s Ella Bess Memorial Library on Cunningham Avenue. The library was the host to a CHAN meeting on May 15th. The guest was my friend, Mr. Charles Smith from Jackson, the author of Seven Steps in Raising Amazing Children. After his talk on healthy eating, those in attendance were served delicious smoothies made of kale, grapes and bananas. Earlier in the month, the library hosted a delegate from the Mississippi Department of Transportation with mascot Myrtil the Turtle to discuss littering. The Terry Library also attended the graduation at the Terry Head Start Center on May 15th and was able to share the upcoming summer reading program with these pre-school pupils.

Bingo games for senior citizens will be coming this summer to the Terry Community Center on Raymond Street. This Wednesday (June 5th) may be the first date. If it is not, then the first set of Bingo games will be later in the month.

The Town of Terry has partnered with Mississipi State Department of Health and Jackson Heart Study CEC (Community Engagement Center), to bring awareness to our city by networking with Mayor Joseph O. Kendrick, Jr., to bring awareness towards helping to create healthy environments through policy, system and environmental changes. The Town of Terry Mayoral Health Council goal is to bring awareness to health disparties by supporting increased access to physical activity, healthy foods and reduced exposure to tobacco smoke. The Mayor and Board of Alderman adopted Alderwoman Jacqueline Davenport Mitchell to serve as the town’s Coordinator. The Mayoral Health Council consist of several constituents from the town, that have volunteered to be instrumental in helping to bring this awareness to the community. The town’s webpage, media and local newspapers will feature monthly activities.

These names should be added to your prayer lists: Mr. Jimmy Garner, Jeanette Jones, Freddie and Lillie Rene (Hales) Jones, Jim Stillwell, Phil Taylor and the Wilkinson/ Patterson/ Campbell families.

When I was a patient in the University Hospital a few weeks, ago, the death of a former Terry resident occured. I am publishing the obituary of Malcolm Wilkinson. Malcolm Grover Wilkinson (March 31, 1936 — May 14, 2024)

Malcolm G. “Joe” Wilkinson, age 88, a resident of Rankin County, passed away on May 14th, surrounded by loved ones.

Joe was born at his grandparent’s home in Terry. He graduated from Florence High School where he met the love of his life, Nellie Zane Wynne. Joe and Nellie would have celebrated their 69th wedding anniversary in just two months. Joe spent most of his life driving across the country, whether at work as a truck driver or traveling with his family. He loved spending time with his family, at home and on the road. Joe visited 49 states, Canada, and Mexico; on many of those trips he had family and friends in tow. He was always joking around and loved teasing everyone.

Joe was preceded in death by his father Malcolm Arnold Wilkinson, mother Vera Edna Campbell Richburg, sister Norma Dell Wilkinson, brothers Don Wilkinson, Norman Wilkinson, and Lloyd Richburg. He is survived by his wife Nellie Zane Wynne Wilkinson, daughter Pam Malley, son Eddie Wilkinson, daughter Lisa Smith. Grandchildren: Joseph Heflin, Eddie Lee Wilkinson, Jacob Wilkinson, Sarah Malley Hayes, Sally Smith, and Molly Smith Shook. Great-grandchildren: Jessie Heflin, Josh Heflin, Jeremy Heflin, and Ellyanna Wilkinson. Brothers and sisters: Bobby Wilkinson, Rex Wilkinson, Deloris Foshee, Linda Barnett, and in-laws, Jack and Cathy Wynne, Randy and Sandra Wynne Ashley, Robert and Grace Wynne. And many nieces, nephews, and cousins.

Per his wishes, there will be no funeral. However, he always wanted to take those he knew and loved out to eat together. With that in mind, the family planned a Celebration of Life on Saturday, May 18, at El Cabrito in Florence from 1:00 to 3:00.

In lieu of flowers, please make donations to Batson Children’s Hospital.

The grandfather’s house that is mentioned above is the white house across the street from the former location of Terry High School. I remember that Mr. Charlie Statham lived in it before his death. It was later occupied by the Hilton family and, later, the Webb family. It burned in the 1960s shortly before Christmas.

These names should be added to your prayer lists: Mr. Jimmy Garner, Jeanette Jones, Freddie and Lillie Rene (Hales) Jones, Dr. Timothy Quinn, Jim Stillwell, Phil Taylor and the Wilkinson/ Patterson/ Campbell families.

We have now reached the month of June. It is a month filled with many weddings and wedding anniversaries. June 1st maked the first day of the 2024 hurricane season. Mississippi singer/ songwriter Bobbie Gentry immortalized the Mississippi summer (and June 3rd) in her hit song “Ode to Billie Joe.”

Some of the holidays during this month include Flag Day on June 14th (We should all display our American flags - with the right-side up!), and Father’s Day will be two days later on Sunday, June 16th. The celebration of Juneteenth will then be upon us. The approaching summer is predicted to be a hot summer. One may save electricity by using a clothes line to dry clothing rather than the electric clothes dryer.

Back in 1777, the Second Continental Congress resolved, “the flag of the United States be 13 stripes, alternate red and white; that the union be thirteen stars, white in a blue field representing a new constellation.”

Five years later, Founding Father Charles Thomson presented the Great Seal to Congress. That Seal was created to represent the values and beliefs as well as sovereignty of the new nation.

“The white signifies purity and innocence. Red, hardiness and valor and blue signifies vigilance, perseverance and justice,” Thomson said.

This June will mark the eightieth anniversary of D-Day. The D-Day operation of June 6, 1944, took place in Normandy, France with more than 150,000 troops from the United States, Britain and the Soviet Union. This battle against the Axis powers marked the start of the costly, prolonged and ultimately successful effort to liberate Northwest Europe from Nazi forces.

Monday, June 3rd was National Egg Day. Some ways to enjoy eggs are to prepare deviled eggs, use them in salads, make a fried-egg sandwich or an egg salad sandwich, put eggs into potato salad or make a delicious egg custard pie. Eggs play a symbolic role in many cultures and religions. Their oval shape symbolizes fertility, eternity, and the circle of life with neither beginning nor end. In the Egyptian myth of Creation, eggs were linked to the creation of the universe, suggesting that the Earth itself may have been born out of an egg. The new life that lies dormant in the egg came to be associated with life energy.

As mentioned above, Monday was National Egg Day. Here is a recipe for “Grandma’s Egg Custard Pie” which won the American Pie Council’s Pie Championship in the custard pie category.

INGREDIENTS 1 (9-inch) unbaked pie shell - deep dish 3/4 cup white sugar (Artificial sweeting may be substituted.) 1/4 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 1 egg white 2 1/2 cups scalded whole milk 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg 3 drops yellow food coloring (optional)

DIRECTIONS 1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. 2. Mix together eggs, sugar, salt and vanilla. Stir well. Blend in the scalded milk. For more yellow color, add a few drops of yellow food coloring. 3. Brush inside bottom and sides of pie crust with egg white to help prevent a soggy crust. Pour custard mixture into piecrust. Sprinkle with nutmeg. 4. Bake for forty or fifty minutes or until a knife inserted near center comes out clean. (Please adjust according to your oven. Cool on rack.

Here are some birthdays of Terry folk or those with connections to Terry which have recently been celebrated: May 28: Elsie Moss Berryhill, Tia Mitchell McCraw; May 29: Sylvia Hickman; June 1: Connie Broadwater; June 3: Jimmie Gates; June 6: Detective Brandon Caston, Teri Sue Hodges Starkey; June 8: Cindye Fava; June 9: Todd Parkman; June 11: Andrew Gasser, Allen Yarbrough.

I enjoyed a short visit with Butch and Rachel Patterson one afternoon last week. He showed me many pictures of his family, and I especially enjoyed seeing the one of his father, Buck Patterson.

This Sunday (June 9th) is the third Sunday after Pentecost. Some of the suggested scriptures for this weekend are Genesis 3:8-15 (Adam and Eve eat the fruit of the forbidden tree). Psalm 130:1-8 (Out of the depths I cry to you, O Lord), Second Corinthians 4:13-5:1 (We believe and so we speak) and Mark 3:20-35 (Whoever does the will of God is a brother or sister to me.). Jesus performs his first exorcism. It is told within the context of conflict with his family.

A crowd so large has gathered that Jesus and his disciples are not even able to eat their bread. His family comes to take him away because they think he is beside himself. And the scribes think he is possessed by the devil. Jesus points out to them the absurdity of their thinking that he uses the devil to cast out demons. In fact, it is Jesus who ties up the strong man, Beelzebub, and overcomes him.

He concludes with a brief saying about the forgiveness of sins. All sin can be forgiven except for blasphemy against the Holy Spirit. It’s not known exactly what he means by this. It could be that the only sin that can’t be forgiven is the one that cuts you off from the source of forgiveness, the Holy Spirit.

This Pentecost season brings to mind this hymn to the Holy Spirit. I think that it is a good affirmation of faith as well as an invitation. The words were written in 1829 by the American missionary Adoniram Judson (1788-1850).

“Come, Holy Spirit, Dove divine, On these baptismal waters shine, And teach our hearts, in highest strain, To praise the Lamb for sinners slain. “We love Your name, we love Your laws, And joyfully embrace Your cause; We love Your cross, the shame, the pain, O Lamb of God, for sinners slain. We sink beneath the water’s face, And thank You for Your saving grace; We die to sin and seek a grave With You, beneath the yielding wave. “And as we rise with You to live, O let the Holy Spirit give The sealing unction from above, The joy of life, the fire of love.”

You have been reading the best newspaper in Hinds County, the Gazette. Your readership each week is greatly appreciated! The writers of this newspaper all welcome comments, corrections, or submitted news. This writer may be reached by electronic mail (terryj1@bellsouth). (Pray for PEACE, people everywhere.)