James Meredith and Thad Cochran were inducted into the Alumni Hall of Fame and received the Distinguished Alumni Award at the Inn at Ole Miss on Friday.
“These alumni have made such a notable contribution across the country and they represent the very best of Ole Miss,” Chancellor Jeffrey Vitter said. “They’re role models for our students, and they’ve set a standard for students to aspire to that are very inspiring and uplifting.”
Alumni Howard Gerlach, Mac Haik and Vernon Kelley III were also inducted into the Hall of Fame. Shaquita Morgan received the Outstanding Young Alumni Award, and Warner Alford received the Alumni Service Award.
Meredith, a native of Kosciusko, stepped onto the university campus in 1962 as the first black student and integrated the then all-white campus.
After graduating from the university, Meredith organized the “Meredith March Against Fear” in 1966 to continue to advocate for civil rights. Since then, he has authored numerous books.“It’s the most important event of my lifetime and I wanted to make sure to recognize the five people responsible for me being here,” Meredith said.
Meredith eagerly pulled out a sheet of paper with five names written on it after Friday’s ceremony. He emphasized these peoples’ contributions in his life and acknowledged them when speaking on what he was able to accomplish over the past 50 years.
Meredith thanked former Ole Miss professor David Sansing, former Ole Miss chancellor Robert Khayat, former Ole Miss chancellor Dan Jones, Oxford-based attorney Hiram Eastland and the Vitter family for contributing the most in his life.
Lena Chewe, an attendee at the ceremony, said she felt that Meredith could’ve been commemorated sooner for his contributions to this campus, but she’s honored to have taken part in the event.
“I don’t know why it’s so delayed,” Chewe said. “It should’ve been done long ago, but it’s better late than never. He opened up the gates for (black students) to come to Ole Miss and have no problems whatsoever. His life was threatened, and he was guarded here. And, it’s an honor for us to be here and see history, even though it’s been many years, but history is taking place tonight at Ole Miss.”
Morgan was awarded Outstanding Young Alumni during the ceremony. She thanked Meredith because without him, she said she doesn’t believe she would be standing on the stage being recognized by the Ole Miss Alumni Association.
“A man who paved the way for me to stand where I was today even before I was born,” Morgan said.
Alongside Meredith, former U.S. Senator, Thad Cochran, was also honored by the Ole Miss Alumni Association as a Distinguished Alumni.
Cochran, a native of Pontotoc, was a six-term U.S. Senator and was chairman of the Senate Committee on Appropriations. He enrolled in the university in 1955 and was student body Vice President and a member of Omicron Delta Kappa. Cochran served in the U.S. House of Representatives for five years before joining the Senate in 1978. He resigned from the U.S. Senate in April 2018, citing health concerns.
Kay Webber Cochran, Cochran’s wife, took the stand to speak on behalf of Cochran.
“Thad’s been honored,” Kay Cochran said. “He’s thrilled. In the 45 years that Thad was in Congress he received many, many awards, but I can tell you that tonight, being inducted into the Ole Miss Hall of Fame by the Ole Miss Alumni Association — this is the greatest honor he’s ever received.”
