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Business Leader J.L. Holloway Receives Honorary Doctorate at Mississippi College


J.L. Holloway

A distinguished business leader and philanthropist for decades, J.L. Holloway will receive an honorary doctorate at Mississippi College’s summer commencement.

A generous supporter of MC, especially its School of Business, Holloway will be awarded the Doctor of Business degree at ceremonies at A.E. Wood Coliseum on August 6. President Lee Royce will present the award to Holloway that morning. Ceremonies that Saturday begins at 10 a.m. for 215 degree candidates.

“J.L. Holloway has had a transformative impact on the School of Business,” says Marcelo Eduardo, who serves as its dean. “His continuous support and commitment to Christian business education has strengthened our business program.”

Contributions from Holloway enabled the MC School of Business to recruit outstanding students, attract top-notch faculty and be a resource to the state’s business community, Eduardo noted.

The J.L. Holloway Business and Technology Center at Self Hall, the school’s headquarters, was named in his honor in 2007. Located along College Street, the facility in the building’s lobby provides up-to-the minute news about business markets worldwide to students. Extensive renovations to modernize Self Hall a few years ago were a result of significant contributions from Holloway and others.

Thanks to his support, J.L. Holloway MBA Scholarships help students further their education at the Baptist-affiliated university. He also created a fund to enhance MC faculty training and professional development.

Built in the mid-1990s, the J.L. Holloway Rotunda anchors the men’s residence hall on the Clinton campus. It represents another tribute to his solid support of the 5,200-student university.

Mississippians know Holloway as a self-made industrialist who began HAM Marine more than 40 years ago. It became the foundation of Friede Goldman International with Holloway serving as its CEO. The company was a leading international provider of offshore drilling services.

In 2003, Holloway founded Tenax, LLC, a capital investments firm that is now TenaxAerospace, LLC, an aviation leasing firm.

Among many honors coming to Mr. Holloway, he was named to the Mississippi Business Hall of Fame in 1999. He received the Mississippi Governor’s Citizen of the Year award in 2009. In April 2006, the MC School of Business selected Holloway for its Executive Excellence Award.

J.L. Holloway and his wife, Diane, are Ridgeland residents. The Mississippi couple have two children and two grandchildren.