Family Welcomes Donations to Gloria Joy Waller Scholarship Fund

After the death of former Gov. Bill Waller at a Jackson hospital last week, family members welcomed donations to the Gloria Joy Waller Scholarship Fund at Mississippi College.

Waller, a prominent Mississippi attorney, died of heart failure. He was 85. The Oxford native began his public service career in 1960 as District Attorney for the Seventh Judicial District which then included Hinds, Madison and Yazoo counties.

As District Attorney, Waller is best remembered for his prosecution of Byron de la Beckwith for the June 12, 1963 murder of Mississippi NAACP leader Medgar Evers. Waller served as governor from 1972 to 1976 with Mississippi higher education and transportation making significant advances during his administration.

Gloria Joy Waller, who died in 1981, was a former Mississippi College student. Her mother, Gov. Waller’s wife of 61 years, Carroll Overton Waller, is a Mississippi College graduate. The Wallers also had four sons, including Mississippi Supreme Court Chief Justice William L. Waller, Jr.

In lieu of flowers, the family welcomes donations to the Gloria Joy Waller Scholarship Fund at Mississippi College, P.O. Box 4005, Clinton, MS 39058 or go to the web address www.alumni.mc.edu/waller_memorial.