Lt. Gov. Hosemann names appointees to state flag commission
(The following is a press release from the Lieutenant Governor's office.)
Jackson, Miss.—A former Justice of the Mississippi Supreme Court, longtime Vicksburg attorney, and former public school teacher from the Coast will serve as Lieutenant Governor Delbert Hosemann’s appointees to the Commission to design a new State flag.
Hosemann’s appointees include former Justice Reuben Anderson of Jackson, J. Mack Varner of Vicksburg, and Sherri Carr Bevis of Gulfport.
“These three individuals, and the others who are charged with recommending a new flag, have a heavy responsibility to bear in the coming weeks. Because of their character, and the diversity of their backgrounds and perspectives, I have confidence they will come to a conclusion which will be respectful of our past and reflect a bright future,” Hosemann said.
The Commission, established by House Bill 1796, is charged with making a recommendation to the general electorate on the design of a new flag. The Speaker of the House and Governor are also provided three appointees for a total of nine members. The legislation requires the Commission to make its selection by September 14, and provides any new design must include the words “In God We Trust,” which also adorns the State seal.
To become Mississippi’s new state flag, a majority of qualified electors voting in a special election set for November 3, General Election Day, must approve the design.
“Ultimately, the people of Mississippi will decide whether this design, or some other design, should be the flag of our future,” Hosemann said.
Anderson served as the first African American Justice of the Mississippi Supreme Court from 1985 to 1991. He received his undergraduate degree from Tougaloo College, and law degree from the University of Mississippi School of Law. Anderson currently serves as President of the Board of Trustees of the Mississippi Department of Archives and History.
Varner currently practices family and business law in Vicksburg. He received his undergraduate degree from Millsaps College, and law degree from the University of Mississippi School of Law.
He is the past president of the Friends of Vicksburg National Military Park and Vicksburg Convention and Visitor’s Bureau, and formerly served on the Board of Trustees for Millsaps College.
Bevis was recently named Community Relations Liaison to the Singing River Health System. She received her bachelor’s degree in communications from Mississippi State University and a master’s degree from George Washington University. She previously worked as Assistant Secretary of State for External Marketing for the Secretary of State’s Office, and as a public school teacher in the Bay-Waveland and Hancock County School Districts. Bevis is the current national president of the Mississippi State Alumni Association.
