Jimmy Morrison Receives Order of the Golden Arrow Award at Mississippi College
A certified financial planner, former Jackson teacher and longtime Mississippi College supporter, Jimmy Morrison enjoys collecting memorabilia showcasing his alma mater in Clinton.
The artifacts may be old “Collegian” newspapers, copies of the “Tribesman” yearbook, Student Government Association election flyers or freshman beanies. The Madison County resident practically has it all.
During the Christian university’s 2013 Homecoming festivities in late October, Morrison will add to his collection as co-recipient of the prestigious Order of the Golden Arrow Award.
“I have a great love for Mississippi College,” the 1964 MC graduate said during an early September visit to the Clinton campus. “Going to school there was one of the pivotal decisions of my life.”
For the Order of the Golden Arrow Award, the Mississippi College National Alumni Association selects an alumnus or friend of the institution making outstanding personal or professional achievements during their careers. The winners are exceptional people who have shown extraordinary leadership skills over the years. Morrison is in pretty good company this fall.
He shares the award with 1967 Mississippi College graduate Dr. John R. Weisz, a Newton, Mississippi native and psychology professor at Harvard Medical School.
A former director of admissions and financial aid at Belhaven University, Morrison got his start in the academic world as an admissions counselor at Mississippi College. Retired MC administrator Doc Quick served as his mentor on the Clinton campus. He continues to beat the drums for the Doc Quick Scholarship and promote the benefits of joining the MC National Alumni Association. In essence, he’s been a cheerleader for all things Blue & Gold since the former Pascagoula resident arrived on campus as an energetic teenager in 1960.
Former classmates like Mississippi College School of Education Dean Don Locke say Morrison is a terrific choice to be showered with Order of the Golden Arrow honors.
“For over 50 years, Jimmy Morrison has been the consummate Mississippi College Choctaw,” Locke said.
He was extremely active as an undergraduate – from senior and sophomore class president to president of the Circle K. Morrison served as the Choctaws baseball team manager, the Omicron Delta Kappa treasurer, an SGA senator and Youth Congress delegate. He also hit the books and graduated with distinction as a history major. A native of Opp, Alabama, Jimmy and his wife, Sally, are the proud parents of three children and enjoy being grandparents, too.
Morrison has been a familiar face in Mississippi College alumni leadership circles for decades. He’s the former president of the university’s National Alumni Association.
“Life has centered around family and church and being married to a wonderful wife and mother of my three girls,” Morrison said. “Life has been good.”
A former classroom teacher in the Jackson Public Schools, Morrison has achieved success in the insurance and investment business since 1982. He joined several Pascagoula High classmates enrolling at MC in the early 1960s, and will always cherish the education and friendships at the Baptist-affiliated institution.
Morrison can’t wait to return in Fall 2014 as a member of the university’s 50-Year Club.
“Jimmy is the type of alumnus that every college or university hopes their graduates will become,” Locke said.
Morrison, Weisz and other alumni award winners will be honored at a Homecoming dinner at MC’s Anderson Hall on Friday October 25 beginning at 6 p.m. Tickets are $20. For more information, contact Lori Bobo of the Alumni Affairs Office at 601.925.3252.
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