The Pike County Chamber of Commerce presented awards to a local mission, a major developer and a longtime attorney during its annual fish fry Thursday at Fernwood County Club.
St. Andrew’s Mission received the Business of the Year Award, Craig Haskins received the Businessperson of the Year Award and Norman B. Gillis Jr. received the Continuing Service Award.
St. Andrew’s Mission executive director Ed Codding accepted the Business of the Year award on behalf of the mission.
The mission began in 1997 as a daycare center and a food pantry for the needy and has expanded its services to include a soup kitchen, thrift stores, free medical clinic, shelter for homeless men and a small business incubator.
Haskins went into business with his father, Carl Haskins, in 1980 after he graduated from the University of Mississippi. His business, Commercial Developers Inc., has been instrumental in developing businesses in the area, but none more notable than the Edgewood Mall.
Haskins became visibly choked up as he received his award.
“My father would be proud of me. I wish he was here to see it,” he said.
Charles, Alan and Norman B. Gillis III accepted the Continuing Service Award on behalf of their father.
Gillis has also been instrumental in bringing businesses to Pike County and is the owner of Pike Center Mart on LaSalle Street, which was the first shopping center built in McComb.
A packed house listened as guest speaker Barbie Bassett spoke.
Bassett, who is chief meteorologist for WLBT-TV3, an author, adjunct professor at Mississippi College and a mother of three, recalled how she had to chase storms for a class project when she was as a graduate student at Mississippi State University.
She talked about how she had to not only document the storms but use meteorological instruments.
Bassett’s books are centered on the theme of weathering life’s storms.
She recalled receiving an e-mail from a group of unhappy viewers in Scott County who said she’d be better off in the fast food industry.
Other e-mails criticized the blouse she wore, the fact she still had a little “baby fat” after having her third child, wearing her glasses on-air and questioning if longtime TV newsman the late Bert Case was the father of her three children.
Another e-mail chastised Bassett for being on air too long, just for alerting viewers about a tornado warning.
“We want to watch television, it’s just raining,” they wrote.
Bassett said that when storms arise, chase them.
“My mother used to say, ‘G-I-G-O — garbage in, garbage out. When you read drama, watch drama and hear drama, you begin to live drama,” she said.
