A Legacy of Giving

We can give today and influence many generations.

I graduated from Calhoun City High School and a personal highlight of going to school was participating in the band. Mr. Plunkett, the band director, took special interest in me and helped me learn to play the Tuba.

While our school was small, we accomplished great things in our band program. We consistently scored "Superiors" at the State Band Competition, In 1981, we marched in Washington, DC for the National Cherry Blossom Festival. In Summer 1982, we were invited to the International Youth and Music Festival in Vienna, Austria. I was the only Tuba player in the band that Summer. Mrs. Pryor, an older lady in town, paid my way, since my family couldn’t afford it. Traveling to Europe was a thrill for this boy from rural Mississippi. I owe a great debt to the Pryors.

In 1994, I was called to serve on staff at Wade Baptist Church. There, I met Andrew Dunn. He was a car dealer in Moss Point for several years—actually, his dealership was in Creole, near the paper plant. As a child he lived around Houston, MS, a short distance from Calhoun City. A tornado hit his family’s home and his father and mother were killed. His sister’s leg was permanently injured. Andrew’s sister spent several weeks in a hospital in Houston, MS. Guess who took care of her expenses? Someone from the same family who donated funds in order for me to go with the band to Austria--The Pryor family. The Pryors were benevolent in 1930s and they were benevolent in the 1980s. Remember, our giving has eternal consequences.

Are you leaving a legacy of giving?

Do your giving while you're living so you're knowing where it's going.--Unknown.