Hattiesburg – A year after Hurricane Katrina hit Mississippi and the Gulf South as the worst natural disaster in modern U.S. history, the University of Southern Mississippi and the city of Hattiesburg marked the event on campus Tuesday with a ceremony honoring the memory of the storm’s victims and saluting those involved in recovery efforts.

Southern Miss President Shelby Thames and Hattiesburg Mayor Dr. Johnny DuPree spoke at the event, along with guest speaker Babs Faulk, who led the South Mississippi Chapter of the American Red Cross’ Hurricane Katrina relief efforts.

“This is a day of hope, a day of thanksgiving, a day of prayer and a day to remember all the heroes who gave countless hours of time and resources in the days and weeks following Hurricane Katrina,” said Faulk. In the Hattiesburg area alone she said, “Over 1 million meals were served, 2,228 evacuees were housed in shelters and 45,000 families were helped all because of the efforts of many organizations and volunteers.”

Southern Miss suffered more than $200 million in damages to its Gulf Coast and Hattiesburg operations. Faculty, staff and university administrators worked vigorously to resume the fall 2005 semester, including what has been described as a heroic and unprecedented effort to move the university’s Gulf Park operations at Long Beach to the Healthmark facility located in the former Garden Park Hospital in Gulfport.

That move was accomplished in just six weeks and allowed students already enrolled for the fall 2005 semester to continue their program of study uninterrupted.

“We want them (the coast) to know they are not forgotten in this time of recovery. Our alumni, students, faculty and staff are already providing the leadership and talents to help our beautiful Mississippi Gulf Coast and the affected region recover,” said Dr. Thames. “Today, we reaffirm our commitment to continue playing a vital role in that recovery by providing quality academic programs across the Gulf Coast, the state and the region.”

Mayor Dupree recognized others who helped Hattiesburg immediately following the storm. “We can celebrate today as we move ahead. Because of the resiliency of the people of this city and those across the country – like St. Cloud, Minn.; San Jose, Calif.; the Red Cross and Salvation Army and others who adopted the city – we were able to endure,” said Dupree.

Others presenting at the event included Southern Miss English professor Dr. Angela Ball, who gave the first public reading of her poem about the impact of the hurricane; Dr. Stephen Sloan, co-director of the university’s Center for Oral History and Cultural Heritage’s Katrina Project and Nichol Armstrong of Pass Christian, a coordinator in the university’s Office of Community Service Learning.

“Even as the hours and days of uncertainty and worry passed, the staff of Residence Life and the students who rode out the storm became like a second family. If not for them, I'm not sure how I would have coped with not knowing what became of my family. They encouraged me, listened to me, prayed with me and gave me comfort,” said Armstrong.

Southern Miss Dean of Students Dr. Eddie Holloway gave the invocation, Southern Miss music professor Dr. Kimberly Davis and May 2006 Southern Miss graduate Courtney O’Keefe of Long Beach provided music. Southern Miss President Emeritus Dr. Aubrey K. Lucas and St. Thomas Catholic Church pastor Fr. Tommy Conway concluded the ceremony with the dedication of a live oak tree in memory of the victims of Hurricane Katrina.

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REMEMBERING SACRIFICES -- Deanne Cunningham, a staff member in the the University of Southern Mississippi Department of Biological Sciences in Hattiesburg, Miss., pauses to read the inscription on a stone at the base of a new live oak that was planted in memory of the victims of Hurricane Katrina. The university and city of Hattiesburg held a joint service commemorating the one-year anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, the most deadly natural disaster in the history of the United States. (Southern Miss Public Relations photo by Steve Rouse)

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KATRINA COMMEMORATION – The University of Southern Mississippi marked the one-year anniversary of Hurricane Katrina Tuesday (Aug. 29), with a commemoration and dedication event at the front entrance of the Hattiesburg, Miss. campus, where a new live oak was planted to replace one of the many fallen trees on the campus. The storm, which killed more than 300 people in Mississippi, and more than 1,300 people in the Gulf South, also caused more than $200 million in damages to the university. (Southern Miss Public Relations photo by Steve Rouse)