Wilson Ashford Sr.

Wilson Ashford Sr. was a quiet man who made a significant impact on our county.  His nominator said that community activism was the trademark of Wilson’s life.   He was instrumental in organizing the first chapter of the Oktibbeha County NAACP, worked for peaceful school integration, and helped to register people to vote in the 1940’s, after his tour of duty in the Army.   He served on civil rights committees that helped protect people who did not know how to protect themselves.  His strong belief in education inspired him to work for the equal and proper treatment of students and to protect their educational rights.  He was very well respected, and in 1993, received the T. E. Veitch Community Service Award from the Chamber of Commerce.   Jimmy Linley, the president, said that he had never met anyone so deserving of that award than his friend, Wilson Ashford.