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Politicians to Speak During MC's "I Love America Day"


A patriotic salute to veterans, a movie about the tragic 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor, speeches and music on the Quad will highlight Mississippi College's "I Love America Day" salute.

MC will host the event on Oct. 25 starting with lunch at 10:45 a.m. on the Clinton campus. It's going to feature a tribute to America's military veterans, especially those here in Mississippi.

Clinton Ward 4 Alderman Phil Fisher, who served a tour of military duty in Iraq, is scheduled to speak to the crowd at the annual program sponsored by MC's Student Government Association. Fisher, who grew up in Jackson, is a colonel with the Army National Guard.

Clinton Mayor Rosemary Aultman said Fisher, a retired businessman and Clinton civic leader, is a good choice to speak at the patriotic event.

"Phil certainly has a broad grasp of the current conflict we are engaged in," Aultman said. "He has a first-hand working knowledge of it. He's come up the ranks."

Fisher, 53, who has served more than a decade as alderman, retired from Proctor& Gamble in July. He will lead off the trio of speakers at 12:10 p.m. He is a former Marine. The other speakers are: Democratic gubernatorial candidate John Arthur Eaves and state Auditor Phil Bryant, the Republican candidate for lieutenant governor.

Eaves is a Jackson lawyer who grew up in Clinton. Eaves will speak at 12:30 p.m. Bryant, who holds degrees from the University of Southern Mississippi and Mississippi College, is scheduled to speak at 12:45 p.m. Bryant, a native of Moorhead, is a former state lawmaker from Rankin County.

The day will include music from a Jackson area band, the Pates, a softball game at 4 p.m. and the showing of the movie "Pearl Harbor" at 8:30 p.m. The day's events are free and open to the public.

"This is a day we can be unified as Americans, and not be Democrats or Republicans," said MC senior Susan Boyd, 21, of Pontotoc. A future teacher, Boyd chairs the "I Love America Day" committee. It's a project she's been working on with MC student Jenny Baker, who chairs the activities board, and others on the campus of the Christian university. "This is a day MC can celebrate. It's a way to show patriotism and wear red, white and blue," Boyd said.

For additional details, contact Boyd at sboyd@mc.edu or baker at baker00@mc.edu

PHOTO: Clinton Ward 4 Alderman Phil Fisher