Collins, McCoy First NEMCC Hall of Fame Inductees

McCoy

Collins

BOONEVILLE, Miss. — A full slate of activities is scheduled for students, alumni and friends planning to attend the 2012 Northeast Mississippi Community College Homecoming celebration, including the induction of the inaugural class of the Alumni Hall of Fame. 

Set for Saturday, October 20, college officials will induct the Sports Hall of Fame class of 2012 at 11 a.m. in the Claude Wright Room of the Haney Union prior to serving the meal. The Alumni Hall of Fame honorees will be recognized immediately after the luncheon to close the ceremony.     

According to Patrick Eaton, executive director of the Northeast Development Foundation, the Alumni Hall of Fame is simply another way to pay tribute to some of the college’s many successful former students. 

“With the creation of the new Alumni Hall of Fame, Dr. Allen wanted to recognize the achievement of outstanding Northeast alumni who have excelled personally and professionally by making a continued and significant difference in their community on a local, state, national or international level,” Eaton explained. 

An Alumni Hall of Fame award is presented to the alumnus who has demonstrated outstanding traits of leadership and character to such an extent that it has brought great credit to the recipient and to the alma mater. 

Major General Augustus L. “Leon” Collins and former Speaker of the Mississippi House of Representatives, the honorable William J. “Billy Joe” McCoy make up the first class of Alumni Hall of Fame inductees. 

General Collins attended Northeast from 1975 through 1977. During his enrollment Collins enlisted in the Mississippi Army National Guard. He later attended the University of Mississippi where he earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration. He completed the Master of Business Administration at Jackson State University in 1993. 

General Collins has a distinguished history of service to our State and Nation. He progressed from Platoon Leader of the lst Battalion, 198^th Armored, Iuka up through the ranks to command combat troops in Afghanistan as a Brigadier General. He was recently named as Adjutant General of the Mississippi National Guard achieving the rank of Major General. 

Speaker McCoy attended Northeast as an agricultural education student from 1960-1962 and later attended Mississippi State University where he earned the bachelor’s and master’s degree. He served as a high school agriculture teacher, a county extension agent, and an enrollment auditor for the Mississippi Department of Education. In 1980, McCoy was elected to the Mississippi House of Representatives. During his 32-year tenure in the House, he served as Chairman of the Education and Ways and Means Committees. In 2004, he was elected Speaker of the House, a position which he held until 2011. 

McCoy has been supportive of the college in many ways, including a term as a member of the Board of Trustees. As a student, he was elected to the Student Hall of Fame. He guided both of his children to degrees earned at Northeast and currently has a grandson attending, making three generations of McCoy’s engagement with the college. 

The class of 2012 Sports Hall of Fame inductions will take place following the meal.  Tickets are $15 per person and must be pre-ordered. 

Other pre-game festivities will include recognition of baseball and cheer alumni, the 2003 Softball Team, which won the Region 23 title and participated in the National Tournament, the 1986 and 1987 football teams and the United States Military. 

The Tiger Marching Band will begin its pre-game performance at approximately 2:30 p.m.  Kickoff for the Tigers battle against arch rival Itawamba is set for 3 p.m.  

The 2012 Homecoming Queen and her court will be presented during a halftime ceremony. 

Northeast’s country music performing group Campus Country will be in concert later in the evening when it opens for the Kentucky Headhunters at the Prentiss County Agricultural Center.  The show starts at 6:30 p.m. and tickets are $25 for VIP seating, $15 for general admission and $10 for children 12 and under (general admission only). 

An Alumni Golf Tournament (4-person scramble) is set for Friday, Oct. 19 at the Booneville Golf and Country Club and on Sunday, October 21, a softball reunion and alumni game will be held at 1:30 p.m. at the Booneville City Park. 

For tickets or more information about any of these events contact the Development Foundation/Alumni Office at 1-800-555-2154, ext. 7185 or by e-mail at tsjohnson@nemcc.edu.