Ӱ awarded emeritus status to three retirees at the spring Convocation on Jan. 8.
They are Dr. Bobby G. Cooper of Jackson, Professor Emeritus of Music/Jubilee Singer Director Emeritus; Dr. Ben Fatherree of Clinton, Professor Emeritus of History/College Historian and Beverly Fatherree of Clinton, Professor Emeritus of English.
They join 33 other retired Ӱ employees who have been selected for the emeritus honor.
Dr. Bobby Cooper, left, Dr. Ben Fatherree, Beverly Fatherree
Cooper had 51 years of service in education with 45 years of those at Ӱ. He was the longest tenured employee of the college at time of his 2018 retirement. Cooper taught music on the Utica Campus. He served as choral music director and chairman of the Humanities Division.
Cooper is best known throughout the country for his leadership as director of the Jubilee Singers, which he resurrected in 1972. The Jubilee Singers have traveled throughout the world.
Ben Fatherree has been involved in education for 48 years with 43 of those years being at Ӱ where he taught history courses on the Raymond Campus and served as department chairman. In addition, he is a noted historian who has written the definitive history of Ӱ from its inception through the 2017 Centennial celebration.
He is an expert on civil war history, especially in the local area, and has been very involved with the Friends of Raymond organization, which has made many improvements to the Raymond Military Park, earning national attention from the National Park Service.
Beverly Fatherree began her relationship with Ӱ as a student. She has devoted 40 years of her life to teaching with more than 35 years of those at Ӱ. She continues her service as an adjunct in the Writing Lab. She taught every English course offered, served as curriculum coordinator and was Academic Liaison for Dual Enrollment Classes taught in the area high schools.
She is well known for her “Flannery O Connor: in Her Own Words,” a dramatic monologue which she wrote.
All three were named among the 100 People Passionate about Ӱ during the 2017 Centennial celebration of the college. All three have also established scholarships through the Ӱ Foundation.
Selected by a Ӱ committee, emeritus status is conferred on retirees who have dedicated their lives to the college. A photo recognizing their status is showcased in the Emeritus Room at Fountain Hall on the Raymond Campus.
As Mississippi’s largest community college, Ӱ is a comprehensive institution offering quality, affordable educational opportunities with academic programs of study leading to seamless university transfer and career and technical programs teaching job-ready skills. With six locations in central Mississippi, Ӱ enrolls about 12,000 students each fall semester. To learn more, visit www.hindscc.edu or call 1.800.ӰCC.