Don and Becky Potts
Don and Becky Potts' backyard would be noticeable even without the horse. Behind their Fondren home, the couple maintains an elaborate garden and two greenhouses. Somehow, they also have room for Little River, their 7-year-old miniature horse.
Lorenzo Bailey
Go to college. Play basketball. Live out your dream.
Challenging the Next Generation
It was our own hometown David and Goliath story. Bernie Ebbers and WorldCom were the symbol of what Mississippi could be. WorldCom was the lone Fortune 500 company in the state, and Ebbers its ebullient, charismatic, down-to-earth hero. Everyone—from employees to stockholders to Wall Street—were charmed. Believers invested everything, buoyed by the company's phenomenal growth.
Mitchell Shears
Looking like a giant among the three-feet-tall first-graders pouring into the bright, sun-filled hallway of Clausell Elementary School, Principal Mitchell Shears steps into the main office where three students await his arrival. "I know it's good," he says, willing their presence to be one of praise instead of punishment. "Oh, it is," one of them replies. No sooner are the words out of his mouth that a kindergarten student is attached to his navy blue pants leg. "Great morning, Mr. Shears," she says, shaking her head and smiling, as the white beads hanging from her braided hair rattle. "Thank you," he tells her.
Girlfriends
Dorothy Triplett and Shirley Tucker became friends as they began navigating through small, intertwining circles in Jackson. Finding they had similar passions for several things—the city of Jackson, empowerment of young people and leadership in the community—the two women have maintained contact over the years.
Bruce Golden
During the day, he's Mr. Golden, the mild-mannered school librarian who dispenses copies of "Tuck Everlasting" and "Because of Winn-Dixie" to the book-loving kids at Peeples Middle School in South Jackson. Mr. Golden's library is a peaceful world of words, a refuge for literary-minded students from their hectic and often stressful school days. But on nights and weekends, he's Bruce, a jazz percussionist who trades in his Dewey decimals for complex polyrhythm and syncopated beats.
Inky The Clown
The pink-and-blue (Calvin Clown designed) striped arms disappear beneath the table, drawing forth a plain-looking hardcover black book. "You don't mind if I read?" Inky asks casually, waiting a second for my surprised, affirmative nod before opening his book to unleash a flame blazing from the page. "Jeepers!" he cries, shutting it with a start. "Must have been a cookbook."
Jayur Mehta
After leading me through the maze of bookshelves and cataloguing drawers and into his office in the downtown Charlotte Capers building, archeologist Jayur Mehta motioned me to sit down and began rummaging through opaque rectangular boxes in a corner. Once he found the one he was looking for, he beckoned me to them, smiling.
Katie Gill
Some would say trivia is, well, trivial. True, except when your grasp of it lands you on "Teen Jeopardy." Katie Gill, a 15-year-old Murrah High School student, earned the attention of Jackson when she landed a coveted spot on Alex Trebek's knowledge challenge for young contestants. Through the Jeopardy e-mail list, officials made an all-call for teenagers in the area. Gill did well enough on the online test to qualify for the Nashville finals.
Bart Heath
Bart Heath didn't go to culinary school. He's not vegan or vegetarian, and he admits, "I couldn't even cook a grilled cheese when I was 18 and a senior in high school." And yet, the Gulfport native is the new head chef at Jackson's premier vegan and vegetarian-friendly restaurant, High Noon Café.
Willie McKennis
Casually dressed in a black blazer, white dress shirt and blue jeans, Willie McKennis has a full schedule. However, he takes a break to tell the story of his life.
Toward a Peace Culture
Takashi Teramoto was 10 when "Little Boy" dropped on Hiroshima in August 1945, killing 140,000 Japanese—half instantly, the other half from radiation poisoning. Teramoto is traveling with Steven Leeper, director of the Hiroshima Peace Culture Foundation, who often translates for him. Dedicated to eliminating nuclear weapons worldwide, the foundation is funding their tour to 101 U.S. cities, which began late in 2007.
Sean Wade
Sean Wade is a big guy. He could use his stature to threaten, but instead, he exudes tranquility to those in his presence. Wade, 32, speaks with clarity and precision, his voice steady and soft. His demeanor is welcoming and inclusive, and he tends to be almost self-effacing. His kindness and gentleness are evident in every move and word.
Lee Vance
Jackson Assistant Police Chief Lee Vance sits at a small table in his office, hands clasped together, as he precisely chooses the words to describe his Jackson upbringing and adulthood. Behind him on the walls are two 24-by-36-inch posters of Muhammad Ali, whom Vance considers a personal hero despite his flaws. He is cautious to not interrupt his story, but when JPD needs a representative at a city meeting, he pauses to find a replacement.
Such Sweet Sorrow
Since July 2004, Ross Olivier has been pastor of the Galloway Methodist Church in Jackson, bringing with him experience forged in South Africa's anti-apartheid movement. As we spoke last Monday, his enthusiastic responses were well-considered, yet accessible. He leaned into me as he spoke. Rarely have I been in such a magnanimous presence. I couldn't help feeling a little sorry for myself: Why hadn't I met this man before? Olivier is returning to South Africa on Jan. 13.