POPLARVILLE – A Hancock County businessman and an association headquartered in Columbia will be honored during homecoming activities at Pearl River Community College.
State Sen. Philip Moran of Kiln will receive the Alumnus of the Year Award and the Distinguished Service Award will be presented to Pearl River Valley Electric Power Association. Both awards will be given during the annual Alumni Luncheon at 11:30 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 17, and the honorees will be recognized on the field before the 2 p.m. game against Northeast Mississippi Community College.
Moran stuck to family tradition when he followed his parents and seven older siblings to PRCC in 1979. He graduated with an associate’s degree in 1981 and transferred to Mississippi State University where he earned a bachelor’s degree in agricultural science and education in 1983.
He returned home to Kiln and started Philip’s Pest Control with a hand-me-down truck and loans from his family. Today, the company serves customers from the Gulf Coast to Jackson.
Moran was elected to the Hancock County Board of Supervisors in 1995 and to the state Senate in 2010. He represents all of Hancock County and part of Harrison County and is unopposed for re-election in November. He serves as chairman of the Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks Committee, vice chair of the Veterans and Military Affairs Committee and on the Economic Development, Enrolled Bills, Finance, Highways and Transportation and Labor committees.
He is active in civic and professional organizations and the Hancock County chapter of the PRCC Alumni Association.
Moran and his wife, the former Sheila Morris of Sumrall, met while students at PRCC. They are the parents of a daughter, Lori, and a son, Alan, both of whom are also PRCC alumni.
Pearl River Valley Electric Power Association was established in 1938 as a not-for-profit, member-owned electric distribution cooperative. PRVEPA today serves more than 48,000 members located throughout parts of 12 southeast Mississippi counties.
In November 2012, the PRVEPA board of directors approved the Round Up for Education scholarship program to expand access to higher education and help raise economic opportunities in the area. The goal was to provide one-time scholarships for any member or their spouse and children attending a state community college. In the best tradition of a cooperative organization, the program is funded by members who voluntarily round their bills up to the nearest dollar each month.
In the program’s first three years, 553 students have received awards totaling more than $540,000. Those totals include 250 students attending Pearl River Community College. In addition to the funds awarded for scholarships each year, 10 percent of the total collected is set aside in an endowment designated for future use.
Tickets for the Alumni Luncheon are $20 and are available through the Alumni Association at tspence@prcc.edu or 601 403-1193. Purchase deadline is Tuesday, Oct. 13.
Sen. Philip Moran
Homecoming Day Schedule
• 8:45 a.m. – Sports Hall of Fame induction at Technology Center
• 9 a.m. – Lil Wildcat Cheer Clinic for children at Shivers Gym
• 10:45 a.m. – The Voices ensemble sings at gazebo near Alumni House
• 11 a.m. – Homecoming Carnival opens at football practice field; reunions, free games and activities for children, food and beverages for sale
• 11:30 a.m. – Alumni Luncheon, Bender Cafeteria
• 12 p.m. – Lil Princesses Tea Party for children, public to meet Homecoming Court at Brownstone Center
• 1:45 p.m. – Honorees recognized on field, Dobie Holden Stadium
• 2 p.m. – PRCC vs Northeast Mississippi; Homecoming Court presentation at halftime
