Firm News and Highlights

William F. Winter, a shareholder in our Jackson office, received the 2002 Lifetime Achievement Award from the Mississippi Commission for Volunteer Service. Mr. Winter was honored for his achievements in public service at the Governor's Initiative for Volunteer Excellence Awards Luncheon.

Mr. Winter, who has been associated with our law firm since 1968, has served as Mississippi's Governor, Lt. Governor, Treasurer, State Tax Collector, and a state Representative. During his tenure as governor, Mr. Winter led a successful effort to pass the nations first truly comprehensive education reform act, which established Mississippi's first public kindergartens for all children.

After leaving the Governor's office in 1984, Mr. Winter continued his volunteer efforts on behalf of improved public education, civil rights, and economic opportunity. Mr. Winter has served as chair of the Southern Regional Educational Board and as a member of the boards of several colleges.

Mr. Winter was the principal organizer and first Chair of the Foundation for the Mid South, an organization of leaders from Arkansas, Louisiana, and Mississippi dedicated to improving the economic and social conditions of the three-state area, especially the Delta.

In 1997, William Winter was appointed to the President's Advisory Board on Race; then he joined with other interested citizens to create the Institute for Racial Reconciliation at Ole Miss. He is a recipient of the prestigious Martin Luther King, Jr. Award from the National Education Association.

He presently serves in the following leadership roles: President of the Board of the Mississippi Department of Archives and History, Chair of the National Commission on the State and Local Public Service, and a Board member of the Stennis Center for Public Service.

Generations of Mississippians will benefit from William Winter's work to improve education and to strengthen our communities. Winter has served a lifetime in civic, social, political, educational, and religious organizations.