Ā鶹ֱ²„ alumna, Geneva Thomas Burnett celebrates 100 years
ELLISVILLE ā With a birthday on Halloween, 100-year-old Geneva Thomas Burnett naturally had a fun time celebrating her milestone wearing her favorite Halloween themed sweater and sharing memories with Ā鶹ֱ²„ President, Dr. Jesse Smith and his wife, Jennifer.Ā The Smith County native reminisced about her days at Ā鶹ֱ²„ and what it meant to have a birthday on Halloween.
āI didnāt think much of the day, but I have an uncle who said, āThe witches brought you.ā He was a joker and just trying to get a rise out of me,ā said the native of Homewood, a small community in Smith County.
The former educator recently moved from her home in Collins after falling and breaking her hip. Her niece, Cindy Shields said Geneva had lived in her home until just before her 99th birthday, and it was only the second time in her life she had stayed in the hospital for any illness. Thatās also the last time she drove her car. Currently residing in an assisted living facility, the former home economics teacher shared how she reached this pinnacle in age, healthy.
āI didnāt follow any certain diet. I had nutrition courses and we lived on a farm. We ate what we grew, whatever that was. We had three vegetables a day, an orange a day, and limited sweets. I didnāt eat a lot of beef; I ate a lot of fish and chicken and limited the salt,ā said Burnett. āI also drank black coffee before breakfast, no sugar or cream.ā
Her family also didnāt have electricity until her senior year in high school in 1940 and they never had air conditioning. They lived like pioneers, she laughed. Geneva rode five miles on the school bus to get to high school which consisted of only eight classmates: five girls and three boys. As the valedictorian of her small class in the Homewood schoolhouse, she headed off to Jones County Junior College during the summer planting season.
āI started in the summer instead of waiting until September, then I went three quarters in the winter, and I went the next summer-five quarters instead of six. Each quarter I took the recommended load plus one class which meant I could graduate in five quarters instead of six!ā Burnett said proudly.
Looking at her 1942 summer school class picture at JCJC, she pointed outĀ there were not many boys in school because of the war. She shared, only one of the three boys in her high school senior class survived. After prodding from her niece, Burnett shared she never had a serious boyfriend at JCJC.
āWhen WWII started, he left and that was the end of it. It wasnāt a serious relationship for him, and I wasnāt worried about that at the time. My classes were a priority because I was determined. I did a lot of extra things; I worked waiting tables in the dining hall and other activities that took time from the evening. The lights were out at 10 p.m. for curfew,ā explained Burnett.
Her favorite teacher at Jones was Miss Corley who taught English. Corley, who lived in Raleigh, took Geneva āunder her wingsā and invited her to be a part of a club she sponsored. Growing up, Genevaās mother, Beulah Anderson Thomas, wanted to be a schoolteacher but since she couldnāt follow her dream, she ingrained the idea in Burnett and her two sisters, Laura Louise, and Iva Nell, and eventually to all of her relatives. Ironically, teaching elementary aged students is how Geneva was able to pay tuition at Mississippi Southern College (the University of Southern Mississippi). Burnett earned her Bachelor of Science Degree in Home Economics Education in 1946 and her masterās degree in textiles and clothing at the University of Tennessee in 1952.
āOnce I got my masterās degree, I had a graduate assistantship in charge of a research project. I ended up staying six years as a faculty member. Doing the research, I didnāt feel like I had the background to really do it justice so when I had the chance to come to Southern to teach, I left,ā Burnett said.
Before she could leave Tennessee, the bank that loaned her $1,200 for her first car, a 1957 Chevrolet, made sure she paid her loan off in full.
āMost places I lived where I could walk to work. I saved up $1,200 for my first car after working at U.T. doing research after I graduated. I got a loan for the other half. As I was preparing to leave for Hattiesburg, Mississippi to take the job at Mississippi Southern College, I inquired with the bank about how much I owed. However, they were not going to let me leave Knoxville until I paid off the loan, which I did with the little savings I had left.ā
Confident in her teaching skills at Southern, Burnettās students seemed to thrive as she helped them develop critical thinking skills as they worked on each garment. However, after two years of teaching, Geneva met her future husband who had been teaching in the business department for someone on sabbatical.
āBill wanted to go to New York University to earn his Ph.D. since he had earned
his masterās degree there. We got married that summer in 1960. He had some savings and investments, but it wasnāt enough for two people to live on for two-three years while he earned his degree. It was important for me to have a job, so I applied everywhere in New York,ā
To her surprise, Sears offered her a textile testing position and she worked for them for two-and-a-half years. After her husband quit school and was employed on Wall Street, Burnett pursued a better job. Answering an ad in the New York Times, Geneva got the job as the Director of Quality Control for the Fruit of the Loom company.
āIād take the samples of what they sold under the Fruit of the Loom label and shop the market and find comparable merchandise at a comparable price and test it to see how it stood up against the competition. I would get the results from the lab in New York City and write up my report and share the information with the business representatives,ā said Burnett, who worked there for seven years.
As the tumultuous 1970s rocked the financial world, her husband lost his job and the couple moved to Oil City, Pennsylvania, a booming oil industry town. Taking a job as a trust investment officer at a bank meant Geneva didnāt have to work. However, she explains, she got āroped intoā joining the federated womenās club, Belle Lettres Club and did a lot of community service work.
āThese ladies had a lot of āoldā money from the oil industry; they had nice houses, and they had all the help they needed to maintain the house. In 1888, when the club began, they decided they wanted to study literature, so they organized the club at one of the membersā houses, who eventually donated their residence to become the club house. People I got acquainted with at the bank invited me to attend and I joined soon after. Right away, they wanted me to do this job and that,ā shared Burnett.
She served as 2nd VP of Programs, 1st VP of Membership, and President, while
also pulling off a very successful fundraising campaign to refurbish and remodel the āclub house.ā
In 1978, her husband Bill was diagnosed with Multiple Myeloma. He worked part time until April of 1978, when he decided to come home, dying five months later. After getting her business affairs in order in Pennsylvania, Geneva packed up and moved to be near her sisters in Clinton, Mississippi.
āBoth of my sisters went to JCJC. Laura Louise Thomas taught 9th grade English at Laurel for a long time and Iva Nell Thomas Fortenberry taught high school science in Monticello for most of her career. Mom wanted all of us to be teachers,ā said Burnett.
The ātake care of businessā lady, continued to actively involve herself as a member of the First United Methodist Church, taking on various leadership roles in the First United Methodist Womenās group. On a regional level, Burnett served as the treasurer for the West Jackson-Vicksburg District and was on the Arlean Hall Administrative Board for eight years.
When asked if she had any advice for todayās students she politely deferred to comment.
āI wouldnāt know what to say! I have no advice because everything is so different,ā said Geneva. However, her niece reminded her of how she solved daily problems. āI had ups and downs. I dealt with them,ā said Burnett. āFor some reason I never felt like I didnāt have a solution.ā
Geneva also never expected anyone to take care of her and she didnāt get more in debt than she could handle. Living frugally and keeping to the basics, like her parents taught her, Geneva thinks helped her to reach 100 years of age.
āHareyā Artwork from Paulette Dove on display at Ā鶹ֱ²„
ELLISVILLE ā A variety of Paulette Doveās artwork, featuring rabbit heads on human bodies will be on display at the Eula Bass Lewis Art Gallery on the Ā鶹ֱ²„ Campus in Ellisville, through December 2. The show, āPaintings by Paulette Doveā is a collection of stories and the decisions people make. This art exhibit is open to the public free of charge. The JC Art Department will be hosting an āArt Talkā with Dove on Wednesday, November 16, at 1:30 p.m. in the Eula Bass Lewis Art Gallery.
Doveās preferences for creating her artwork include painting in oils, mixed media and clay. However, the rabbit figures and āopportunitiesā are themes found in all of her artwork currently on display.
āMy paintings tell stories that make people question their purpose. An image is not only captured but it also challenges the viewer to seek out an understanding of the painting,ā said Dove. āI use rabbit heads on human bodies with red balls as a metaphor placed indiscreetly in the paintings. Itās my way of presenting stories about people and their decisions with the red balls representing āopportunities.āā
Dove is currently working from her Side Door Studio in Biloxi. Her work is also on display at the Biloxi Visitors Center, the South Mississippi Art League at the Biloxi Greenhouse, and The Treehouse Gallery in Oxford.
The Biloxi native earned her B.F.A. and M.Ed. from The Mississippi University for Women and William Carey College. Throughout her 30 years as an educator, she has taught in Mississippi and West Virginia, as well as at Louisiana Tech University, Savanna School of Art, and Bascom Center for Visual Arts in North Carolina. Also, she has served as an educator at the Ohr-OāKeefe Museum of Art and the Walter Anderson Museum of Art.
For more information about the JC art show or to arrange a visit to the gallery
call 601-477-8401. The Eula Bass Lewis Art Gallery is open Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday from 8 a.m. until 3 p.m., and by appointment only on Wednesdays. The gallery is closed during the holidays. If you want to know more about the Ā鶹ֱ²„ Art Department, go to the JC Art Departmentās Facebook page, and on Instagram .
Ā鶹ֱ²„ students select Mr. & Miss JC
ELLISVILLE ā NiāRiya Bell of Laurel and Gage Herring of Columbia were recently voted as Mr. & Miss JC by their peers. The sophomores competed for the titles to represent Ā鶹ֱ²„ students and are considered to be the best representation of the student body.
āThis honor means that I can represent Jones and that itself is the biggest honor a college can give a student. JC has brought me so many blessings and this is just one of them. I canāt begin to explain how much I love this place and how much this college has impacted my life in the best ways. The memories and friends I have made while Iāve been here have been amazing and I will carry them with me for the rest of my life,ā said Herring.
The electro-mechanical technology major was also selected to represent the Mississippi/Louisiana Region as the Southern District Representative for Phi Theta Kappa International Honor Society. At West Marion High School, Herring was a member of the State Championship Archery Team. He was also a Mississippi Tech Scholar and a Mississippi Scholar. At Ā鶹ֱ²„ he is a member of the Bobcat Brigade and the Student Spirit Chairman for the Student Government Association. In his spare time, Herring hangs out at the Baptist Student Union. His future plans include continuing his education at Mississippi State University and majoring in industrial technology with the goal of continuing to work with industrial grade robotics. His parents are Toby and Nichole Herring.
Miss JC is a graduate of Northeast Jones High School. She was very active in high school as a member of the Table Tennis Team, Key Club, TARS, Serteens, FBLA, Career and Technical Student Council and Archery. Bell also earned the Most School Spirit Award, Class Favorite, Perfect Attendance, and she graduated on the Principalās List.Ā The business management and marketing major is a member of the Student Government Association at Ā鶹ֱ²„. Her future plans include going to USM and opening an art business. Her parents are Christopher Millsap and Shatara Bell.
āThis is a real blessing to me to be named Miss JC,ā said Bell.
Ā鶹ֱ²„ costume contest winners
ELLISVILLE ā Several hundred super-heroes, princesses and ghouls came out to have fun at the annual Ā鶹ֱ²„ Treats in the Streets on the JC campus. Kids played games for treats in the booths set up by JC faculty and students as a way to give back to the community. Some children participated in the costume contests for babies through teens, with the winners of the creatively dressed kids receiving a variety of goodies and sweet prizes from the JC Office of Student Affairs.
Ā鶹ֱ²„ students who dressed the best received prizes for their efforts. The Most Original Costume Award went to Isaiah Spradley of Soso who dressed up like the āDad who Finally Came Home with the Milk.ā Winning the Group category were Tristen Gendusa of Laurel and Ailee Byrd of Sandhill who portrayed the āStepbrothersā from the movie of the same name. The Overall Winner was Gracye Tower of Runnelstown who dressed as āVision.ā
Treats in the Streets is an annual, free, community event hosted by the Ā鶹ֱ²„ with various student organizations and academic and technical divisions setting up games and offering candy gifts.
Survivalist, Sam Larson shares āAloneā adventures with Ā鶹ֱ²„
ELLISVILLE ā Hearing the stories about surviving the wilderness from the History Channelās winner of the 5th season of, āA±ō“Ē²Ō±š-ø鱚»å±š³¾±č³Ł¾±“Ē²Ō,ā Sam Larson proved to be inspirational to students, administration, and guests ofĀ Ā鶹ֱ²„ās Charles Pickering Honors Institute speaker forum. In preparation for classes and realizing the effects of the Covid-19 Pandemic, Dean of the Honors College, John Stockstill remembered watching Larson when he debuted on the first season of the wilderness survival TV series and considered how Larson could inspire his students.
āI wanted to reach out to someone who had been through some very difficult experiences in life, and when at rock bottom they had nothing left to give, they reached into some deep places in their soul to find that inner strength,ā said Stockstill.
In his first visit to the South, Larson admitted to feeling uncomfortable on a college campus. As a high school senior, Larson knew the outdoors was where he wanted to spend his life and not in a classroom or traditional job. A search on the Internet led him to the Jack Mountain Bushcraft Mountain School in northern Maine and the adventure of his lifetime began.
āWhen youāre out in the wilderness, something that appeals to me is youāre dealing with the raw element of nature,ā said Larson. āItās just the natural world and human beings. How do these two go together because there is no social hierarchy; mother nature is not playing favorites. Itās just you and the natural world and whatever you can do with the materials in your surroundings. I absolutely loved it!ā
Traveling all over North America, from the Southwest desert to the Canadian Ice Shield, learning from the Northern Quebec Cree Indian, and numerous places in between, Larson learned a variety of survival skills. However, he eventually had to return to Nebraska to work. He began blogging about his adventures in the wilderness and it caught a casting producerās attention from the History Channel.
āShe sent me an email explaining they were exploring survival show ideas as some shows were getting pulled from the networks. She said they were going to take 10 people with 10 survival items and drop them in a remote region where they canāt find each other and whoever lasts the longest wins. They were going to teach them how to use the camera equipment so they would really be alone,ā said Larson. āThey had an idea that intrigued me. I thought, one, itās not going to work and two, I have to do this!ā
The then 25-year-old Lincoln Nebraska native was invited to appear on the
new wilderness survival show for its first season in 2015. His wife Sydney was seven months pregnant with their first child, but he couldnāt pass up the āonce in a lifetimeā survival challenge. When he learned about the destination, however, he felt under-prepared.
āIāve traveled to a bunch of places ā¦ and I had learned a lot of things at that point, but I didnāt learn or know a lot of the skills really necessary to survive in the coastal British Columbia wilderness. The first thing that caught me off guard, being a kid from Nebraska, was the ocean life.ā
Arriving in the Northern British Island of Vancouver, Larson said he felt like he just wasted all his time preparing for something he wasnāt really equipped to do. Adversity hit him hard upon landing on the rainy, stormy coastal island. However, he said he didnāt want to regret not trying or dropping out. Before long, Larson was catching salmon and crabs, trapping rodents, foraging from the sea, and eating limpets from the ocean.
āI kept telling myself, give it all you got, donāt squander this once in a lifetime
opportunity-donāt mess up! After seven weeks of that, I called on the satellite phone and I tapped out. I gave it my all and I felt OK about it at the time. Soon after they picked me up, I learned there was only one other guy out there,ā said Larson.
After beating eight people, surviving 55 days in an unfamiliar environment, Larson wondered if he had pushed harder, could he have won? Realizing he wouldnāt have another opportunity, he came back to Lincoln and continued working at the Nature Center teaching survivalist skills and leading nature hikes. Amazingly, Larson got another call from the casting director about being on a redemption series of Alone, in 2018, for season 5, of the History Channel show.
āShe asked me, āHow would you like a second, once in a lifetime opportunity?ā I was all over it! I said, āSign me up!āā
When he learned about the new format, bringing back 10 former contestants to Asia, Larson was sure he was going to the jungle or a tropical island. He was surprised to learn the destination was the Kensee Mountains in northeastern Mongolia, 30 miles from Siberia.
āMongolia and the sheer remoteness of the area, the wildlife, and extreme
temperatures made this by far, the most dangerous location,ā said Larson. āThis will be extremely tough, not just the elements and critters and everything that could get you, but youāre competing against a group of people who are extremely experienced, and a group thatās proven they can stay out in the wilderness a long time.ā
When Larson arrived in Mongolia, he said it was like dĆ©jĆ vu, learning all these things that he didnāt know even though he thought he was well prepared. The hardest thing as he arrived was leaving his wife with a 7-day-old baby and a 2-year-old.
āI had this feeling of self-doubt the whole time; Am I doing the right thing by being out here?ā said Larson. āThe food situation, not to mention the cold was one thing. In August, the winter comes fast out here. The food situation was way worse than British Columbia. It was like there was just nothing to eat.ā
During the 60 days in the frozen tundra, Larson survived on Eurasian voles or little rats he trapped, minnows, snails, grasshoppers, ants, and leeches. The food situation was pretty dire, leaving him with only a few options as winter settled in and the snow piled up. Utilizing a survival trick from his mentor, as finding firewood was a dayās task and food was non-existent, Larson managed to find a way to survive.
āThe theory was when your body starts to starve, you can compensate for that in some ways by overhydrating it. I got a pot full of water and took whatever I had around, herbs, pine needles, call it āteaā if you like, but thereās no sugar like in the south. Itās hot water.ā
Every day for weeks, this was all Larson had and he was thankful. He also had a quote from Winston Churchill that helped him mentally. āSuccess is failing constantly but moving from failure to failure without a loss of enthusiasm.ā Despite his daily failure to find wood and food, that hot cup of water kept him happy enough to get to the medical exam day.
āIt was day 60. I remember being really cranky, asking the crew why they were messing with me and my rhythm. They set up a camera and started asking questions and I thought it was weird. āAre you eating anything?ā I said, āno.ā āAre you coldā¦. happy?āĀ But after a while, I remembered how dire the situation really was and I started to tear up and began crying,ā said Larson. āOut of nowhere, I felt these arms come around me from behind and it was my wife, and she tells me, āSam you just won!ā It was one of the happiest days of my entire life. To go from a totally depraved state to having this warm hug of a loved one, food was on its way and the mission was finally complete.ā
Larson shared with the audience that his wife is the unsung hero of the whole experience. Being at home with now, three kids, unable to ātap outā when things got to 
be too much, was very motivational and inspiring to Larson. Also inspired by the experience, was Ā鶹ֱ²„ sophomore from Runnelstown, Gracye Tower.
āAlthough he was eating leeches and small bugs and nothing some days, he was happy about being alive. I think a lot of us take being alive for granted. We just expect it to happen every day and it doesn’t. We lose people every day. He was grateful for his hot water. I thought that was very inspirational,ā said Tower.
Additionally, Larson advised the audience the best way to prepare is to expect the unexpected and to be gritty. Taking care of business every day, despite the situation, no matter how hard youāre suffering he said, may not mean being tough.
āIn Mongolia, in my most vulnerable situation what grit looked like was staring into a cup of hot water day in and day out and deciding not to sulk, but to be thankful for what I had no matter what that thing was, day in and day out. Figure out what you can be thankful for, no matter how small it is or if people think itās stupid, find the one thing youāre thankful for and focus on that.ā
Finally, Larson advised the audience that no matter what we do in life, to find something to care about more. For sophomore Sarah Morgan of Columbia, it reminded her of her top priority in life.
āFor me, that translated to my relationship with God. I think thatās what he was hinting at, because thatās how I can apply it in my life. If I donāt get into Physical Therapy school, or I donāt pass the test in the end. Itās not going to ruin me because thereās something more important and to me and itās God.”
