Iris Easterling Presented with Themis Award at Southern Miss Symphony Performance
Mon, 04/28/2025 - 02:00pm | By: Mike Lopinto
Iris Easterling is presented with the Themis Award at the Symphony’s season finale concert.
The University of Southern Mississippi (USM) Symphony presented the 2025 Themis Award to longtime patron and donor Iris Easterling at its season finale concert.
Easterling has supported the Southern Miss Symphony since the 1960s. She joined the university’s arts support organization, Partners for the Arts, at its inception in 1998 and eventually became its third president. From its humble beginnings, she was instrumental in growing the group of enthusiasts, supporting hundreds of programs, faculty members and students.
“It is clear that Iris Easterling believes in and understands how important it is for the community to support our arts offerings,” said Colin McKenzie, director of the School of Music. “Her commitment to supporting our USM music students is unwavering. What I also appreciate is that she has demonstrated time and again that support takes on many forms–and she is engaged in every method of support possible from fundraising to advocacy to volunteerism.”
The award is named after Themis, the Greek goddess of divine law and order. She was the Titan who assured that things were done in an honorable way. She presided over the most ancient oracles, and first instructed mankind in the laws of justice, morality and good governance.
The Themis award is presented annually to an outstanding Southern Miss administrator, professor, staff member, or other individual who has contributed to the success of the orchestra and its members. Each recipient receives a plaque, and their name is added to a permanent installation in the Symphony suite located in the Fine Arts Building.
“When Dr. Paul asks us to leave this place better than we found it,” McKenzie added, “I believe he might have been inspired by her good work on behalf of this wonderful place and its wonderful people.”
Previous Themis Award recipients include Dr. Harold Luce, Dr. Peter Ciurczak, Dr. Aubrey K. Lucas, Sidney J. Gonsoulin, Dr. Susan L. Steen, Jerry Wren, Tom Dungan, Dr. Mike Lopinto, David Williamson, Stanley Hauer, Rusty Rolison, Christopher Crenshaw, Lonnie Young, Belinda Taft and University Baptist Church.
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