All results / Stories / Jackson Free Press
Lottie W. Thornton
Poised and graceful, Lottie W. Thornton settles into a white oak rocking chair her father made. The walls of her home are lined with awards from Jackson State University's Alumni …
Kristi Hendrix
Upon arriving at Kristi Hendrix's office, it's hard to remember I'm not visiting her home. Inside the house, a collection of trophies from Good Samaritan's "Some Like It Hot" Chili …
Neil Polen
Neil Polen vowed that once he graduated from Mississippi State University, he would move away from the state and never return. But during his last year at MSU's School of …
Ruben Rodriguez-Santos
Ruben Rodriguez-Santos, 31, lives for family. He beams when talking about his 3-year-old son, Ruben Alexander. Hopping up from the booth near the front door, which allows a constant stream …
Dan Joyner
I met with Dan Joyner recently at Cups, in the heart of the Fondren district where, as Joyner puts it, people interested in the arts can hang out together. Joyner, …
John Hardy
The University Club is a hive of hospitality and networking. Jackson native John Hardy, 50, manages the 32-year-old establishment, which fills the entire 22nd floor of the posh AmSouth Building. …
Mike Padilla
Mike Padilla, 20, a Millsaps College student—an actor, a director, a techie and an award-winning playwright—is involved in the theater at Millsaps on every possible level. Right now he's working …
Margie Thompson
Margie Thompson's second-grade classroom blooms. Dancing bears proclaim the longness and shortness of vowels. Colors swirl, and pep-talk art tells children that they can excel in math, in literature, in …
Larry And Dee Nixon
Shortly after relocating to Jackson from South Carolina, Larry and Dee Nixon established the Cure Sickle Cell Foundation to raise awareness of SCD and support families affected by the disease.
Dr. Kimberly Hilliard
Dr. Kimberly Hilliard isn't one to make small plans. As the director of Jackson State University's Center for University-Based Development, Hilliard is on a mission to make west Jackson a …
Jacksonian
Gretchen Cook
Gretchen Cook was something of a child prodigy, spending her days reading instead of going to the beach near her home in Pensacola, Fla.
Carlos Smith
The strength and tone of his voice reminds you of the late and great Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Knowing Carlos Smith's passion and dedication to helping others succeed, you …
Kim Wade
Kim Wade, a boisterous conservative, reclines in the cramped studio of WJNT. The witty and outspoken Wade is probably best known in the Jackson area for his weekday talk show, …
Jacksonian
Karen Hearn
Surrounded by stacks of CDs in her office at Mississippi Public Broadcasting, Classical Music Director Karen Hearn looks for the perfect music to play on her radio show tonight. Yesterday …
Angela Graves
It's obvious—Angela Graves is 6 feet tall with a megawatt smile book-ended by deep dimples. It's not obvious, unless you're standing outside her classroom listening, that she's one of the …
Knol Aust
Although Knol Aust, 27, has never met Lenny Kravitz, Queen Latifah, or Sting, he works side-by-side with them each day as each helps motivate young American voters. Aust, a Web …
Anna Lee Dillon
Anna Lee Dillon, 25, knows that perseverance is key to making a change. When her father, Sherman Lee Dillon, founded Jackson's Earth Day festival 15 years ago, it was a …
Bernice Rayford
"I made up plays, poems, anything I could recite on the front porch. It was my stage, and the audience were my parents, brothers and sisters," Bernice Rayford, 44, told …
Jacksonian
Paul Lacoste
When he showed up at training camp for the British Columbia Lions of the Canadian Football League in 1999, Paul Lacoste was considered a mere "camp body," not a serious …
