Hattiesburg Public School District Foundation

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Hattiesburg Public School District Foundation

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The Foundation’s mission is to provide the resources for today’s learners and tomorrow’s leade

10/19/2026

Official Class Photo of Hattiesburg Hall of Fame, Class of 2026!

10/16/2026

Matt Bush's Hall of Fame photos:

10/15/2026

The Hattiesburg Hall of Fame is proud to announce that once again, our scholarship gala will be livestreamed from Historic Eureka School. This online effort is powered by our partners at Mississippi Power. To view the induction ceremony at 7 pm on Thursday, October 15, go to HPSDFoundation.org

10/11/2026

CONGRATULATIONS to C. Jermaine Brown! This is the last in a series of eight bio features on the Hattiesburg Hall of Fame, Class of 2026. The class will be inducted on Thursday, October 15 at Historic Eureka School Museum. For more information on our scholarship gala, watch this space!

C. J. Brown is an award-Winning School Administrator and First Hattiesburg High Graduate to Serve as Principal. Christopher Jermaine Brown, a 1991 graduate of Hattiesburg High School, is an award-winning educator and administrator. He was born one of twin sons to the late Charles J. Brown and Christine Brown Cooley, Brown earned a Bachelor’s from Jackson State, a Master’s in Sport Administration and an Education Specialist degree in Educational Leadership both from the University of Southern Mississippi.

Brown currently serves as a Central Office Administrator and primarily serves as Director of Student Activities for Hattiesburg Public Schools. He was named Hattiesburg Schools Administrator of the Year in 2021, Mississippi Association of Secondary Career and Technical Administrators State Administrator of the Year in 2022, and Mississippi Association of Coaches Athletic Director of the Year in 2026.

His career began with Hattiesburg Public Schools in 1997 as an assistant teacher and he has also served in Meridian, Biloxi, and Forrest County school districts. Brown holds the distinction as the first Hattiesburg High graduate to serve as its principal as well as the first graduate to serve as the district’s athletics director. Brown is a dedicated community servant and served on numerous organizations locally and statewide.

Locally, he served as the Chairman of the United Way of Southeast Mississippi' Fand served as the local president of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc. He was presented the ADP’s Young Professionals’ Stewardship Award in 2019 for his community service. He has also served as president of two statewide associations, the Mississippi Athletic Administrators Association and Mississippi Association of Secondary Career & Technical Administrators. Brown is married to Kim Stewart Brown. They have two daughters, Dr. Carrington Eades Brown and Karsyn Lindzie Brown.

10/10/2026

CONGRATULATIONS to Glenda Funchess! This is the seventh in a series of eight bio features on the Hattiesburg Hall of Fame, Class of 2026. The class will be inducted on Thursday, October 15 at Historic Eureka School Museum. For more information on our scholarship gala, watch this space!

Attorney Glenda F. Funchess while a junior at L. J. Rowan High School, was selected as an Outstanding American High School Student and graduated with honors in the Hattiesburg High School Class Of 1972, which was the first fully integrated class in the Hattiesburg Public School District. Glenda received her B.A. Degree from Texas Southern University in May 1976, her M.S. Degree from the University Of Southern Mississippi in May 1978, and her J.D. Degree in August 1984, from the University of Tennessee (Knoxville). Glenda pledged Gamma Psi Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., in the Fall of 1 973, at Texas Southern University.

Glenda has dedicated more than thirty years in preserving the history of the Civil Rights Movement in Hattiesburg. In this vein, she has honored more than 100 Veterans of the Civil Rights Movement, organized the 30t', 40th, 50th, and 60th Anniversaries of the 1964 Freedom Summer Project, financed Civil Rights Historical Markers throughout the city of Hattiesburg, designed two Civil Rights Institutes for middle and senior high school students, created several civil rights exhibits. designed and distributed civil rights brochures throughout the city, and coordinated trips to major civil rights sites throughout the United States. One of Glenda's proudest moments was organizing the grassroots efforts to have the middle school named in honor of her former principal, Professor N.R. Burger.

She is currently the Regional Managing Attorney for the Hattiesburg Office with Mississippi Center for Legal Sen/ices where she has been employed since August 1998.

10/09/2026

CONGRATULATIONS to Nate Griffin! This is the sixth in a series of eight bio features on the Hattiesburg Hall of Fame, Class of 2026. The class will be inducted on October 15 at Historic Eureka School Museum. For more information on our scholarship gala, watch this space!

Nate Griffin, a 1975 graduate of Hattiesburg High School who served as Vice President of his homeroom class while participating in band and numerous organizations, has become one of Houston’s most respected Sportscasters spanning more than 35 years. Griffin’s passion for athletics led him to play football at The University of Southern Mississippi before transferring to Los Medanos College where he competed in football and track from 1977 to 1979.

Concurrently, he served as President of Harambee, a student leadership organization dedicated to academic and cultural advancement. In 1987, he earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Texas Southern University while graduating with Dean’s List Honors. Two years later, Griffin launched an extraordinary broadcasting career across local and national radio and television platforms that would eventually land him on ESPN, Comcast Sports, and SportsWest TV.

Today, Griffin serves as Morning Sports Anchor/Reporter for Fox 26 TV, Houston, and has covered Super Bowls, World Series, NBA Finals, FIFA World Cup Soccer, and Texas high school sports, nationally and internationally. And, since 2008, has served as Radio Analyst for Rice Owls Football. In 2007, he became the first-ever television reporter for the NFL’s Houston Texans. And, in 2020, became the first professional football Radio Analyst for the XFL’s Houston Roughnecks in their inaugural season.

A sought-after emcee, he has earned many honors including Lifetime Achievement Awards, the National Association of Black Journalists Legends Award, and multiple Sportscaster of the Year recognitions. The City of Houston recognized his extraordinary impact by proclaiming January 20, 2025, “Nate Griffin Day,” while naming him Co-Grand Marshal of Houston’s Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Parade.

10/08/2026

CONGRATULATIONS to Kim Gallaspy!! This is the fifth in a series of eight bio features on the Hattiesburg HAll of Fame, Class of 2026. The class will be inducted on October 15 at Historic Eureka School Museum. For more information on our scholarship gala, watch this space!

Kim Gallaspy is a 1988 graduate of Hattiesburg High School, where she was a Student Council Senator, reporter for Hi-Flashes newspaper, a member of the National Honor Society, Quill and Scroll and the Junior Civitan Club.

She earned a bachelor’s degree in political science and a master’s degree in public relations from The University of Southern Mississippi where she became a member of Delta Delta Delta Fraternity and the Golden Key Honor Society. She was selected for membership in Omicron Delta Kappa and Order of Omega, and received the university’s Best Citizen Award in 1992.

Kim served as public affairs coordinator in the Office of Governor Kirk Fordice and as communications director and executive director of the Mississippi Republican Party. In 2003 she joined the Mississippi Technology Alliance as director of External Affairs and editor of Pointe Innovation magazine. She joined the Mississippi Institutions of Higher Learning in 2010 as director of legislative services and later as assistant commissioner for government relations.

Kim returned to her alma mater in 2024 as Chief of Staff and Strategic Advisor to the President of The University of Southern Mississippi. She currently serves on the board of The Arc of Southeast Mississippi and as secretary of the Hattiesburg Arts Council Board of Directors. She is a Sustaining Member of the Junior League of Jackson where she previously held leadership positions including Communications Vice President and Fund Development Vice President.

10/06/2026

CONGRATULATIONS to Dr, Evelyn Parker. This is the fourth in a series of eight bio features on the Hattiesburg HAll of Fame, Class of 2026. The class will be inducted on October 15 at Historic Eureka School Museum. For more information on our scholarship gala, watch this space!

Evelyn L. Parker, PhD is Professor Emerita of Practical Theology at Perkins School of Theology, Southern Methodist University (SMU) in Dallas, TX, the Visiting Distinguished Professor of Practical Theology at Garrett Evangelical Theological Seminary in Evanston, IL, and an Extraordinary Professor at the University of the Western Cape, Desmond Tutu Centre for Religion and Social Justice, Cape Town, South Africa. She graduated from L. J. Rowan High School in 1970. She credits the Tri Hi Y, Mrs. M. Chambers, advisor, as foundational for her professional accomplishments.

Her academic accomplishments include 2024 Graduate Certificate in Medical Humanities, Tulane University Medical School, New Orleans, LA, 1996 Doctor of Philosophy, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, 1991 Master of Religious Education, Perkins School of Theology, SMU, Dallas, TX, 1983 Master of Science, Prairie View A&M University, Prairie View, TX, and1974 Bachelor of Science, Lambuth University, Jackson, TN.

She taught at Perkins School of Theology, Southern Methodist University for 23 years where she held the Susanna Wesley Centennial Chair in Practical Theology and served for six years as Associate Dean for Academic Affairs. She has published five books, including the 2025 publication of Tangible Grace: Ministry Interventions for Teen Dating Violence. As a laywoman in the Christian Methodist Episcopal Church, Parker represents the Church in the World Council of Churches (WCC) Central Committee and the Commission of the Churches on International Affairs.

10/05/2026

Congratulations to Meg Pearson Paul!! This is the third in a series of eight bios featuring members of the Hattiesburg Hall of Fame, Class of 2026. The class will be inducted on October 15 at Historic Eureka School Museum. For more information on the scholarship gala, watch this space.

Meg Pearson Paul, an honor graduate of Hattiesburg High School's Class of 1979, treasured her high school years. She was active in band, Meistersingers, Mu Alpha Theta, and Student Council, and remained devoted to Abbie Rogers' Civitan Camp throughout her school years and beyond. Meg earned a B.S. in Special Education from Mississippi State University, graduating magna cm laude, and taught for several years in the Hattiesburg Public Schools. She then stayed home with her young children while remaining active in civic life, serving on the Hattiesburg Zoo Board and as president of Hattiesburg Area Habitat for Humanity.

When her children were 8 and 11, Meg returned to school, graduating from Pearl River Community College in 2003. She began working as an RN at Forrest General Hospital, was named Hospice Nurse of the Year in 2005, and served 20 years with Forrest General Hospice. During these years she was also active at Trinity Episcopal Church, where she became its first female Senior Warden, and last year she was named the local Woman of Impact by the American Heart Association.

Meg is married to Dr. Joe Paul, USM's 11th president, and is a proud Golden Eagle. Her daughter, Hallie, a teacher by trade, and her husband, Dr. Daniel Krebs, are both Hattiesburg High graduates and live in Hattiesburg with their three children. Her son, Daniel, is a disaster-recovery project manager with BDO (formerly Horne, LLP) and lives in Houston.

06/02/2026

HPSD Foundation Vice-President Harmony Albert, chats on air about public nominations for the Hattiesburg Hall of Fame. Nominations are possible at HPSDFoundation.org and due July 1.

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Hattiesburg, MS

Website

http://www.HPSDFoundation.org/

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