Winnie Len Howell attended the McComb Rotary Club meeting Wednesday to talk about events related to the Smithsonian Museum’s traveling exhibit, Journey Stories, to open here Oct. 25.
That she did, discussing events already held at Felder’s Campground and Osyka, and promoting a tour of Holmesville scheduled for 1 to 4 p.m. Saturday.
Rotarian Benton Gibson is hosting the Holmesville event, and he also spoke about the history of what was once the Pike County seat.
What Howell didn’t expect was that a presentation would be made to her in recognition of her guidance in bringing the Journey Stories to McComb. Larry Carruth presented a Rotary Community Service Award to Howell on behalf of the club.
A principal founder of McComb’s Railroad Museum, Howell led the effort to bring the Smithsonian exhibit to the local museum.
Recounting the details and work that went into McComb becoming one of six towns in the state selected for the exhibit, Carruth said of Howell, “It’s hard to tell her no. You can tell her no, but she won’t listen to you.”
In accepting the award, Howell quickly asserted that she didn’t write the complicated grant application for the exhibit, which is funded through the Mississippi Humanities Council. That was done by Bob Bellipanni, and Howell said he deserves the credit for it.
