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Randall Pinkston
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May 9, 2009
(JACKSON, Miss.) - A national news correspondent and the mayor of Hattiesburg, Miss. offered words of encouragement to Jackson State University's approximate 1,200 graduates during spring commencement ceremonies on May 8 and 9.
CBS national correspondent Randall Pinkston spoke to undergraduates during the 8 a.m. commencement May 9 at the Mississippi Veterans Memorial Stadium in Jackson.
"Make every moment of your life matter," said Pinkston, a Yazoo County, Miss., native who began his career in Jackson, Miss., as an anchor/reporter at WLBT-TV and as an announcer at WJDX FM Radio in the late 1960s and early 1970s.
"You are the first class to graduate after the election of America's first African-American president," he said, also noting that the class is graduating during a serious economic crisis. "This is your watershed moment."
In his speech, Pinkston challenged the approximate 900 undergraduates to maintain and enhance the Jackson State heritage of community outreach. "Spend some time with those in need" he said at one point in his speech. "If you don't have a job, volunteer."
Pinkston is the recipient of five Emmy Awards, including two for local news coverage. In 1996, he received an Emmy for Outstanding Investigative Journalism and the Edward R. Murrow Award from the RTNDA for the documentary, "CBS REPORTS: Legacy of Shame."
Pinkston also won Emmy Awards for coverage of the death of Princess Diana in 1998 and for coverage of the TWA Flight 800 disaster in 1997.
Pinkston graduated from Millsaps College in Jackson, Miss., in 1973 with a bachelor's degree in history and from the University of Connecticut Law School in 1980 with a J.D. degree. Pinkston and his wife, Patricia McLain, live in Bergen County, N.J.
Jackson State Vice President for Academic Affairs and Student Life Velvelyn Foster and President Ronald Mason Jr. presided over the May 9 commencement exercises of the university, which now celebrates 132 years of academic excellence.
The spring 2009 class included Chioma Anosike, an economics student who chose to complete her bachelor's degree rather than pursue a career in professional soccer. In the last year, Anosike turned down tryout offers from three professional teams.
"I said, 'You know what, it's not all about the money and fame. I have to get my education,'" explained the 22-year-old. "If I don't get my education now, it's going to be hard for me to come back to school."
Hattiesburg, Miss., Mayor Johnny DuPree, who earned his doctorate in urban studies from Jackson State University, spoke to graduate students at the Lee E. Williams Athletics and Assembly Center on JSU's campus on Friday, May 8.
DuPree urged graduates to give back to their communities.
"If you invest in your community, it will invest in you," he said.
DuPree became the first African-American mayor for Hattiesburg in July 2001. Before mayor, he was elected three times to the Forrest County Board of Supervisors, District Four, serving from 1992 to 2001.
During his time as mayor, DuPree received statewide and national recognition for two programs initiated during his administration, including the Early Warning Weather Alert Program, which places weather radios into the homes of low-income, elderly and disabled citizens; and the Mayor's Financial Education Initiative, whose partners provide free tax preparations and financial education to people in the Hattiesburg area.
DuPree holds a bachelor's and master's degree in political science from the University of Southern Mississippi.
The Division of Graduate Studies class of 2009 included 78-year-old George Frank, who received his master's in mathematics, and Patricia Trunnell, who returned to school after putting her children through college and earned a master's in social work.
"It's freedom, really," said Trunnell, 56, about the value of her education. "You get to do whatever you want to do."
TO VIEW ONLINE SLIDE SHOW LINK, visithttp://www.youtube.com/JSUTigers1877
To view a special video highlighting golden diploma recipients from the class of 1959, visit Golden diplomas
Photos:
Johnny DuPree: http://www.jsums.edu/announcements/j.dupree.jpg
Randall Pinkston: http://www.jsums.edu/announcements/r.pinkston.jpg
