Page 10 - MS811

Mississippi 811 Renames Its Headquarters After Its Founding Father, Sam Johnson
8 • Mississippi 811
2024, Issue 1
Valentine’s Day 2024 will be a memorable day for Missis- sippi 811 for more than candy and flowers. It was on this day that the Mississippi 811 building located at 200 Country Place Road in Pearl was officially named after the founding father of Mississippi 811, Sam Johnson.
A throng of dignitaries, family and vis- itors gathered outside to celebrate the unveiling of the plaque placed at the entrance of the facility. The inscription read, “The Samuel P. Johnson Building, in honor and recognition as the found- ing father of MS811, and appreciation for his thirty-nine years of dedicated pursuit in making Mississippi a better place to live and work.”
Fred Johnson, President of Mississippi 811 and Fred Witherspoon, Chairman of the Mississippi 811 Board of Directors served as the master of ceremonies for the occasion. In addition to the unveil- ing of the plaque, Fred Johnson shared with the audience that one of Sam Johnson’s visions when they purchased the property was to pay the note off in five (5) years. While that might have
seemed like a heavy lift for most, Sam thought it could be done.
Fred Johnson shared Sam’s vision with the crowd and then stated, “Mission accomplished.” Following was a cere- monial burning of the note to celebrate the achievement of that goal. Festivities inside the building included recogniz- ing board members who had recently retired. Those board members included Mike Morgan who was hired as the Op- erations Manager for Mississippi 811. Also, recognized were long-time board members Al Davis and Sam Jordan. Additionally, George Lewis was recog- nized for his contributions to Missis- sippi 811 as the liaison for Mayors and elected officials.
As you walked around the room visit- ing with those who lingered, there were many “Sam Johnson” stories and fa- vorite sayings being shared and fondly remembered. “I don’t have to be smart; I just hang around smart people,” and “It’s just the right thing to do” were overheard as groups were seen nodding their heads in agreement and one more time remembered the man who made a difference.