Fielder’s Choice

There’s kind, calm, hardworking, smart, communityminded, caring, patient and lots more.

I’ve been blessed, during my 35 years full-time as a journalist, to be able to work with some dedicated circuit clerks in Mississippi, but none more so than Lucy Carpenter.

In an amazing 44 years on the job, Ms. Lucy, as I like to call her, has deservingly captured the respect of folks not only in Marshall County but statewide.

She’s the longest-serving circuit clerk in the state. And when other circuit clerks or judges or even those in other elected offices have had questions over the years, they often call Ms. Lucy.

She has a wealth of knowledge – on elections, on court, on public service and on life in general.

As one said, “She’s the circuit clerk of all circuit clerks.”

Ms. Lucy, who first took office in 1976, has certainly changed with the times – from typewriters and file folders to computers, from paper ballots to voting machines.

She welcomed the challenges of progress, adapted and taught others.

Since moving to Marshall County in 2001, I’ve covered many elections.

Typically on the morning of every election, I’ve called Ms. Lucy and asked, “Well, how is it going?”

She has always been positive, always upbeat.

But the one thing that did bug her, like myself, is the extremely low voter turnout.

I also always asked, since we push our press deadline back to get election results in the newspaper, “What time you think we will be finished tonight?”

And 90 percent of the time, she has nailed it within about 15 to 30 minutes.

A few years back, I called her about featuring her in one of our Profile Editions.

Another thing about Ms. Lucy, as good as she is as a public official and a person, she shied away from the attention. It has never been about her. It’s been about serving others and about co-workers, friends and family. I’ve never known anyone, in a position of important status like hers, to be so humble.

It was one of my favorite interviews of all time.

I’ve dialed 252-3434 a lot in the last 18 years to get information from Ms. Lucy for a news story, whether it be about a court trial or an election. She always knew the answer, and quickly.

In recent years, it’s been her cell phone. She’d answer, or always call me back.

She’s retiring December 31 after 11 terms in office.

It’s hard to imagine the Marshall County Courthouse without Ms. Lucy in it. And that’s not just from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. I often saw her car there well after hours and on weekends, too.

She is a fellow Rotarian. And thank goodness, she is not retiring from the Holly Springs Rotary Club.

“I’m still going to be around,” she told me. “I want to keep helping my community and being a part of things.”

I would expect nothing less. God bless you, Ms. Lucy. We all love you.

As Tina Turner would say it, “You’re simply the best, better than all the rest.”