September 24, 2018
East Central Community College alumni George Taylor of Forest, retired vice chairman of Community Bank of Mississippi, and Gina Hollingsworth Gordon, gifted education teacher with the Newton Municipal School District, will be recognized as Alumnus and Alumna of the Year, respectively, Thursday, Oct. 4, 2018, when the college holds its annual Homecoming festivities on the Decatur campus.
All alumni are invited to a reception hosted by the ECCC Alumni Association beginning at 3:30 p.m. in the Brackeen-Wood Gymnasium. The group’s annual business meeting and the recognition of alumni awards will begin at 4:30 p.m. in the same location.
A complete Homecoming schedule can be found at www.eccc.edu.
George Taylor, Alumnus of the Year, and Gina Gordon Hollingsworth, Alumnua of the Year. (EC Photos)
George Taylor (‘67)
When talking to people who know George Taylor, the attribute that seems to always come up in conversation is humble servant. Those who know him well say that when one has a problem or a need they only have to “call George.” But those same people are also quick to tell you that he usually won’t take credit for what he does.
That is perhaps why it was no surprise when asked how he felt about being named East Central Community College Alumnus of the Year, Taylor humbly said, “I think it’s a very great, undeserved honor.”
Taylor, who has held various positions with Community Bank of Mississippi, formerly Farmers and Merchants Bank, since 1975, recently served as vice chairman from 2009 until his retirement this past spring.
He began his career as an assistant national bank examiner with the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, a division of the U.S. Department of the Treasury, before taking a position with First Mississippi National Bank in Hattiesburg. He would serve in various roles from assistant cashier, to assistant vice president and branch manager, and finally vice president.
Taylor relocated to Forest in 1975 when he took a position as senior vice president with what was then Famers and Merchants Bank. He held various other titles throughout the years including executive vice president, chief operating officer, president of Farmers and Merchants Bank and Forest Bancorp, vice chairman and president of Forest Bancorp, and president of Community Operations.
Taylor also served in the United States Air Force. He received undergraduate pilot training at Vance Air Force Base in Enid, Okla., and was a pilot with the Mississippi Air National Guard at Key Field in Meridian. He retired from active duty in 1975 after six years of service and reaching the rank of captain.
When asked who has influenced him the most, Taylor credits family and former teachers with providing a positive influence on his life and career.
“My family, my teachers at Decatur High School and East Central Community College, and the other folks in Decatur where I was born and raised, all contributed to my wonderful life. I remember so well all the great times I had as a young person, living and growing up in Decatur. I learned to work hard and try different things.
“I think college many times does not totally prepare one for life’s work. However, it makes you mature and learn how to live and get along with others, while providing a great environment to learn.”
Although he claims to have been just an ‘everyday plain student’ who struggled to keep his B average, Taylor has fond memories of his days growing up in Decatur and attending East Central.
“I was so impressed with the quality of the instructors and their ability to work with each and every student. I loved the camaraderie we all had as students together. I run into EC friends every week and we all have friendships and great memories of EC.”
Taylor also began his time at East Central with Freshman Day initiation like all first-year men in those days.
“I will never forget that all freshman boys were initiated into EC with a shaved head, thanks to the upperclassmen. It did grow back.”
He also reminisced about the week before East Central played Scooba (East Mississippi Community College) in football each year and how students would take turns and beat the Warrior drum 24/7 until the game was played. Many East Central alumni also have favorite stories about their professors, especially those taught by legendary instructors like Ovid Vickers and Tommy Thrash. Taylor is no exception and shared the following accounts:
“Since I was a local Decatur boy, we would ride our motorcycles through the campus, especially on summer days, never realizing we might be interfering with class. During those days the windows of the classrooms were raised to help deal with the heat and the classrooms were right on the street. One day as we were cruising through campus, Mr. Vickers, trying to teach, stuck his head out a window and yelled at us for disrupting his lecture. We tried not to go back around the campus after that!
“Another instance I remember happened while sitting in Mr. Thrash’s history class on a hot, just after lunch, afternoon. Most of the students were drowsy and some asleep. Just in the middle of the class, and most of us not paying attention, he lifted his wooden desk chair and threw it out into the middle of the class room. This made a great noise, woke us all up and we didn’t doze any more that day!”
Taylor said, “I truly enjoyed everything and loved the experience. I would do it all again without hesitation.”
In addition to his banking and military careers, Taylor has also been active in his community, serving in various ways.
He was selected Forest Citizen of the Year in 1989, is a past Cub Scout Master and received the Award of Merit from Boy Scouts of America, received the Forest Junior Auxiliary Award, and is a member and past president of the Forest Area Chamber of Commerce, from which he also received the Golden Shovel Award.
He has been an active member at Forest Baptist Church, where he is a past chairman of the deacons, treasurer, Sunday school teacher and chair of the audio/video committee.
Taylor is past president of the Forest Rotary Club and the Scott County Mississippi State University Alumni Association, and past treasurer of Forest Community Arts, Inc.
He previously served on the Dean’s Council for Mississippi State University Meridian Campus and is former chair of the East Central Community College Foundation Board. He is a member of the Friends of the Forest Library and the Forest Country Club.
A graduate of Decatur High School, Taylor received his bachelor’s degree from Mississippi State University and is a graduate of the Louisiana State University School of Banking of the South. He has completed additional coursework and seminars with the American Institute of Banking, American Bankers Association National Commercial Lending School, American Bankers Association Funds Management School and Citizens & Southern Commercial Lending School.
Taylor and his wife, the former Jo McMullan of Decatur, have three children and six grandchildren. Susan and her husband, Terry Miller, reside in Hattiesburg with children Taylor, Jack and Payne. Stephanie and husband, Brian Shaw, live in Madison with their children, Cade and Luke. Jonathan Taylor and wife, Donna, live in Madison and have one daughter, Aspen.
George is the son of Elaine Freeman Taylor, who still resides in Decatur, and the late George Taylor, Sr. He has one brother, Gerald Taylor, who resides in Ridgeland with his wife, Wanda.
Gina Hollingsworth Gordon (’89)
When asked how she felt about being selected ECCC Alumna of the Year, Gina Hollingsworth Gordon said, “It is one of the greatest honors I’ve ever received. Being a native of Newton County, ECCC has always been a part of my life. My parents instilled in my sisters and me the value of an education and it was a given that my twin sister and I would attend East Central upon graduation. Throughout my life, I visited the campus for high school functions, attended ballgames, and knew most teachers before I began my college career. Being given this honor is recognition of my parents’ desire for our success, and also is a tribute to all of the wonderful memories I have of this school.”
Gordon serves as the gifted education teacher for grades two through sixth at Newton Municipal School District. Her role includes designing a curriculum for gifted children using standards set by the Mississippi Department of Education. Her students participate in competitions with other gifted students in the area through the East Central Talented and Gifted program.
Her fellow teachers said there is nothing Gordon wouldn’t do for her students or her school and that she often times can be found planning activities that include not only her gifted students, but programs in which she would invite the entire school to participate. She can also be found helping out with reading fairs, science fairs, literacy nights, and other special events throughout the school year.
Gordon puts her students above everything else and she says they will always be the highlight of her career, along with her great team of co-workers.
“Seeing my students’ successes in life inspires me and allows me to witness my influence on them. I’m lucky to get up every morning and go to a job I love. Not only are my students great, but the people I am fortunate to work with every day are the kindest, hardest-working people I’ve ever met. They’ve always been so supportive of me in anything that life presented to me and have shown me the power of teamwork.”
Gordon has received numerous honors during her 24 years in education. She was named as a Samsung state finalist in the Solve for Tomorrow contest for a technology lesson she created, which resulted in her classroom being awarded Samsung tablets. She has been a Karen Wallace Geography Teacher of the Year, which is presented to teachers who teach geography in creative ways in their classrooms, and most recently received the Golden Apple Teacher of the Year.
“The Golden Apple Teacher of the Year Award was a great honor because I felt like it was not only for me, but great recognition for my school,” Gordon said.
Gordon said she knew when she was in fourth grade that she wanted to be a teacher, but as she got older and realized teaching was not the best paying profession she decided to go a different route. It was at East Central where she realized she was meant to be a teacher.
“I never seemed happy in my choice and I knew I had a different calling,” she said. “East Central helped me to finalize my decision to follow my calling. The caring teachers and counselors there taught me to follow my heart and to see that life is short so be happy in what you choose to do in it.”
Gordon said the highlight of her time as an EC student was the dedicated professors who took time with each student to ensure that they were meeting the educational needs of that student. Teachers went out of their way to make sure that each class was an enjoyable educational experience.
“I had many professors who made an impact on me at East Central,” she said. “It’s especially surreal to see their names now on most buildings around campus. Ms. Lucille Wood taught me to always say what you mean and mean what you say. Mr. Ovid Vickers taught me the power and beauty of the spoken and written word. Dr. Richard Ethridge taught me to love and respect history. Mrs. Alice Pouncey taught me the power of a great mentor. Mr. Bubby Johnston showed me a love of the arts which I instill in my own students every year. Mr. Ron Davis taught me to always teach with kindness and a gentle heart.”
Gordon also learned the value of humor in the classroom and it’s a lesson she uses in her own classroom today.
“I remember one day in Mr. George Mason’s biology class, he was not happy about two students talking when he was teaching. He stood up, put his hands on his hips and said, ‘Please don’t ignore me in class. The one thing I can’t stand is 'ignore-ance.’ It took a minute for people to realize what he meant. He showed me to always use humor in your classroom because life is too short not to laugh. I use that statement in my classroom every year.”
Her family has been the biggest influence in her life and career, along with her own teachers she had growing up.
“My parents greatly influenced me in my life, and their legacy is still a part of me today. Their constant unconditional love, patience, and motivation directed me to my career path I chose in life. My sisters have also influenced me greatly because through their help and undying affection for our family, I witnessed the true devotion of families. My children have shown me that my love is infinite and have given me strength when I thought I didn’t have any left.
“Of course, every teacher who has taught me from kindergarten to college influenced my career because the great ones instilled a love of teaching and the mediocre ones demonstrated the kind of teacher I was not going to be in my own classroom.”
Gordon is a member of Mississippi Professional Educators, has served as Reading Fair committee chair, vice president of East Central Talented and Gifted, Science Fair committee chair, lead teacher, and Language Arts coordinator. She has received National Board Certification, was named a Presidential Scholar, inducted into Kappa Delta Pi International Honor Society in education and Pi Delta Kappa. She is a member of First Baptist Church in Newton.
She is a graduate of Newton County Academy and received her bachelor’s and master’s degree from Mississippi State University.
Gordon has two children: a 23-year-old son, Cody, and four-year-old daughter, Bennett. Her family also includes three sisters, Shirley, Kathy, and a twin sister, Tina, all of whom attended East Central. She is the daughter of the late Clifton and Elizabeth Hollingsworth.
“I am so honored to receive this recognition from such an awe-inspiring school. I enjoyed every minute of East Central – the classes, the ballgames, the other extra-curricular activities, and making new friends. It is an experience that helped to create the person I am today. I am very grateful,” Gordon said.
