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Amory native Sam Haskell, former worldwide head of entertainment for the William Morris Agency, will be honored as Trailblazer of the Year at the Annual Mississippi Trailblazer Awards Ceremony and Black Tie Gala at the BancorpSouth Conference Center.
Other honorees include Brig. Gen. Augustus L. Collins, Booneville native and Mississippi adjutant general; Chief Phyllis Anderson, Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians; Aubrey Patterson of Tupelo, chairman and CEO of Bancorp-
South; Doyce Hancock Deas, Tupelo civic leader and philanthropist; Ora Reed, international entertainer and Lexington native; Oleta Fitzgerald of Jackson, executive director of the Children’s Defense Fund, Southern Region; and Nancy Loome of Clinton, executive director of the Parents’ Campaign, a public aducation advocacy group. The awards, founded in 2003, recognize Mississippians for “significant contributions to diversity and multi-cultural awareness through their professional and public service endeavors.”
The evening begins with a reception at 6 p.m., followed by a banquet and awards ceremony at 7:15, a Haskell book signing at 9 p.m. and Jazz Gala at 9:30 p.m. Tickets are $50 per person. For more information, email TrailblazersGala@aol.com or call (662) 213-3027.