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The Mississippi State Chapter of Future Business Leaders of America and Phi Beta Lambda was organized under the direction of A. J. Lawrence, Chairman of the Department of Business Education and Office Administration at the University of Mississippi, who was appointed by the National Office of FBLA-PBL to be Mississippi's first State Supervisor. Dr. Lawrence held the position of State Director until his death in 1965.
In addition to Dr. Lawrence and his graduate assistant, Melvin Sims, twenty-one chapter representatives and six sponsors met at the University of Mississippi cafeteria on April 24, 1954, for the historical organizational event. A constitution was adopted, state officers elected, and a list of competitive events were established. The following state officers were elected: President, Nannie Lee Epting, Macon High School; Secretary, Pearl Williams, Yazoo City High School; Treasurer, Shirley Kelley, Tupelo High School; and Reporter, Sara Alston, Macon High School.
In 1959, when the State Chapter was five years old, 150 FBLA-PBL participants representing 10 high schools and 5 colleges met at the University of Mississippi for the Fifth Annual State Convention. At the 1960 State FBLA-PBL Convention, the National Founder, Hamden L. Forkner, was a special guest. This was a particular honor for Dr. Lawrence, a former student of Dr. Forkner at Teacher's College, Columbia University, New York, New York. Dr. Lawrence had been active in national organization efforts under Dr. Forkner's leadership. There were approximately 350 members and-sponsors representing 22 chapters in attendance at the 1960 State Convention.
In 1963, for the first time in the history of FBLA-PBL,
the college chapters held a divisional meeting with Anne Bartlett presiding.
The college division delegates voted a recommendation to the general assembly
to elect a college division vice president and a college division secretary
each year and to hold a special session annually during the State Convention
for the college chapters. At the 1964 State Convention, it was decided
in an Executive Board Meeting to select a separate slate of officers for
PBL and FBLA. The following State PBL officers were elected: President,
Jim Doss, Northwest Junior College; Vice President, Sam Cameron, Pearl
River Junior College; Secretary, Pat Cole, University of Mississippi;
Treasurer, Cary Heard, Perkinston Junior College; and Reporter, Clara
Spraberry, Blue Mountain College.
In 1965, a total of 650 FBLA and PBL representatives attended the State
Convention at the University of Mississippi. Emphasis was placed on a
continuous effort for all local chapters to recruit new members and new
chapters.
At the 1965 convention, Roger Nunley of Hinds Junior College was designated
to run for the National PBL Presidency. It was a glorious day in the history
of the Mississippi FBLA and PBL chapters when Roger was successful in
his campaign for the office of National President.
During the 1967 State Convention, it was announced that Roger Nunley had
been appointed to the national office staff in Washington, D.C. to serve
as Director of PBL and FBLA. Thus, another honor was achieved for the
Mississippi FBLA-PBL organization.
After the death of Dr. Lawrence, Lytle Fowler became FBLA-PBL State Director.
Under the successful leadership of Dr. Fowler, attendance at the State
Conferences increased from 685 in 1967 to 934 in 1972.
At the Seventeenth Annual National Convention in 1968, FBLA and PBL held
separate meetings for the first time. At the Phi Beta Lambda Convention,
Robert Frederick, University of Mississippi, was elected Southern Regional
Vice President and served as a National Phi Beta Lambda Officer for 1968-1969.
At the Nineteenth Annual National FBLA and PBL Leadership Conferences
held in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in 1970, Jimmy Walden, Mississippi
State University, was elected Southern Regional Vice President.
Upon the retirement of Dr. Fowler in 1972, Rufus T. Jones, University
of Mississippi, accepted the responsibilities of State Chairman. Mr. Jones
served in that position through 1981.
Carol McMullan Lehman of the University of Southern Mississippi was elected
PBL National Secretary at the 1976 National Leadership Conference.
In 1976, Mississippi FBLA was divided into three separate districts--Southern,
Central, and Northern--with conferences to be held yearly in each district.
Winners at the district level are eligible to participate at the State
Leadership Conference.
In 1977, the Mississippi FBLA-PBL Alumni Association was formed and officers
were elected. They were President, Connie McMullan Forde; President-Elect,
Carol McMullan Lehman; Secretary, Robin Robinson Montgomery; and Treasurer,
Craig Whiteside.
Also in 1977, Doris Phillips, University of Mississippi, was named State
FBLA-PBL Coordinator. She joined Alton Finch, Betty Watson Pierce, and
E. Conway McCracken, State Chapter Advisers, in working with FBLA-PBL
statewide.
During the 1977 National Leadership Conference in Denver,
Colorado, Ronnie Musgrove, Mississippi PBL President, was elected National
PBL President.
In 1978, National President, Ronnie Musgrove, appointed Connie McMullan
Forde of the University of Southern Mississippi as PBL National Parliamentarian.
Tim Wilson of the University of Southern Mississippi was elected PBL Southern
Regional Vice President at the 1979 National Leadership Conference held
in New Orleans.
In 1980, Rufus T. Jones and Betty Watson Pierce, State Supervisor for
Business Education, shared jointly the FBLA-PBL responsibilities.
The State Department of Education assumed full responsibilities for the
administration of FBLA-PBL activities in 1981. At that time, Betty Watson
Pierce was the State Supervisor.
During that same year the FBLA-PBL Alumni Division established the Rufus
T. Jones Scholarship to recognize Rufus Jones' years of outstanding service
and dedication to Mississippi Future Business Leaders of America-Phi Beta
Lambda. The scholarship is given yearly to one FBLA member and one PBL
member who have shown dedication to FBLA-PBL through outstanding service
and leadership.
At the 1982 National Leadership Conference held in Indianapolis,Indiana,
Tammy Luther of Biggersville High School was elected National FBLA Secretary
and Ronnie Musgrove was appointed Secretary/Treasurer of the National
Alumni Association.
During the 1982-83 school year, the state staff consisted of Mildred Lester,
State Chairman; Angela Kaye Griffin, State Adviser; and Debra Body, Executive
Secretary. Under the direction of Angela Griffin, leadership training
workshops were initiated yearly for state officers of FBLA and PBL.
Dee Cadden of Mississippi University for Women was elected PBL Southern
Region Vice President; Ken Priest of the University of Mississippi was
appointed PBL National Parliamentarian; and Ronnie Musgrove was appointed
President-Elect of the National Alumni Association during the 1983 National
PBL Leadership Conference in San Francisco, California.
In the fall of 1983, Mississippi hosted the Southern Regional Leadership
Conference in Biloxi, Mississippi, at the Gulf Coast Coliseum. There were
approximately 1,800 in attendance from throughout the Southern Region.
Jackson, Mississippi, has been the home for the State Leadership Conference
since 1983.
Jackie Waite joined the State Staff in 1984 as Executive Secretary for
FBLA-PBL, replacing Debra Body.
A Mississippi FBLA Hall of Fame was established in April, 1984. Criteria
for being inducted into the Hall of Fame are winning first place in an
individual event, a team event, or a chapter event at the National Leadership
Conference, or being elected to a national FBLA office. At the state leadership
conference, winners from the previous national leadership conference are
inducted into the hall of fame. A scholarship accompanies induction.
Charter members are Stacy Thomas, Byram Attendance Center; Donna Stepp,
Lori Hooker, Nancy Joslin, Pontotoc Ridge Vocational Center; Steven Morris,
Amory High School; Mike Scribner, Tupelo High School; Tammy Luther, Biggersville
High School. A complete list of the Hall of Fame members is printed in
the state leadership conference program each year.
Anthony T. Dyess, Forest Hill High School, was elected FBLA Southern Region
Vice President at the 1984 NLC in Atlanta.
Harold Harris became State FBLA Adviser in 1984. He replaced the previous
adviser, Angela Griffin. At that time Jane Hogins, adviser at Pontotoc
Ridge Vocational Center, was appointed as FBLA State Consultant and Jean
Ricks of Copiah-Lincoln Junior College was appointed as PBL State Consultant.
Mississippi sent its first delegates, FBLA State President, Sam Westmoreland,
and FBLA State Adviser, Harold Harris, to the Management Series in Washington,
D.C. in 1986. Since that time, Mississippi has sent both FBLA and PBL
state presidents to that worthwhile conference.
In 1986, Mike Mills of the University of Mississippi was elected National
President of PBL.
The Mississippi FBLA-PBL Foundation became a reality in 1987. The foundation
is a non-profit, charitable association and civic improvement society
whose main goal is to promote the education of the members of the foundation.
The Mississippi Foundation is governed by a 27-member Board of Directors
consisting of 3 FBIA/PBL professional division members, 16 representatives
of the business community, 3 FBLA local chapter advisers, 3 PBL local
chapter advisers, the State FBLA Consultant, and State PBL Consultant.
Reeve G. Jacobus served as the Foundation's first chairman.
The four classes of membership are Bronze, Silver, Gold, and Honorary
Life. All Chapters are encouraged to join the foundation each year and
to recruit at least one business to become a member. Chapters that are
members are recognized at the state leadership conference. In 1990, the
state bylaws were amended to designate one dollar of each member's dues
to the foundation.
All funds received through this foundation are immediately placed in an
endowment fund to draw interest. The foundation distributes the interest
earned each year to FBLA-PBL state officers and state winners who compete
at the national conference representing Mississippi. Only chapters who
are members of the foundation receive such compensation.
Tom Welch, president of Mississippi's Professional Division, was elected
National President of the Professional Division in 1988.
Peggy Smith became the Executive Secretary for FBLA-PBL in 1988, replacing
Jackie Waite.
After the resignation of Millie Lester in 1989, Georgiann Adams became
the State Supervisor. At the beginning of 1990, Kathy Fortenberry joined
the state staff as the FBLA-PBL Executive Secretary.
Joel Hammond from Copiah-Lincoln Community College and the University
of Southern Mississippi was elected as the National Treasurer of PBL in
1990.
In order to utilize the talents of local advisers across the state, the
terms for the FBLA and PBL state consultant positions were limited to
a period of five years. Therefore, during the fall of 1990, new consultants
were appointed for a five-year term. Dot Parrish, an adviser at R. H.
Watkins Vocational Center, was appointed FBLA State Consultant, and Carolyn
Monaghan of Itawamba Community College, Tupelo Campus, was appointed State
PBL Consultant.
In 1991, following the resignation of Georgiann Adams, Harold Harris began
serving as State Chairman for FBLA and PBL. In addition to those responsibilities,
he became the State Supervisor for Business Technology. To assist him,
Palmyre Duprd was added to the state staff in the fall of 1992 as Assistant
State Supervisor and FBLA-PBL State Adviser.
Representing Mississippi at the opening of the National FBLA-PBL Center
in Reston, Virginia, in 1991 were FBLA President Ryan Robison, PBL President
Andrea Goolsby, Foundation Board Chairman Tom Welch, and FBLA State Consultant
Dot Parrish. Mississippi FBLA-PBL donated over $9,545 toward the construction
of the national center.
Jean Ricks of Copiah-Lincoln Community College was elected to serve on
the National FBLA-PBL Board of Directors in 1990. After completing one
term on the board, she was chosen as chairman of that prestigious group
in 1992.
During the existence of the Mississippi FBLA-PBL organization, growth
has been continuous. Today FBLA-PBL chapters serve a large number of people
in Mississippi and are valuable to the future of Mississippi as well as
to the future of individual members.
Jan Guyse
FBLA State Advisor
jguyse@mde.k12.ms.us
500 Greymont Building Suite H
P.O. Box 770
Jackson, MS 39205-0771
Fax:(601) 354-7788
Phone:(601) 354-7792
