Fielder’s Choice

Pam and I enjoyed a longwelcomed “family” reunion last week.

We hadn’t seen our fellow newspaper folks from around the state in two years due to COVID.

That made this Mississippi Press Association summer convention really special.

And there were lots of smiles, hugs, handshakes and reminiscing as we gathered in Biloxi at the Golden Nugget.

Pam and I took a ride along the coastline, on Highway 90, Thursday morning. Her parents once lived in Gulfport, and I’ve been going to Biloxi for conventions almost every summer since 1987.

We talked about the historic Biloxi Lighthouse. The landmark of the Mississippi Gulf Coast was completed and placed in operation in 1848. It has been damaged over the years by hurricanes but not destroyed. After Hurricane Katrina in 2005, restoration was completed with a re-lighting ceremony in 2010.

We drove past a couple of souvenir shops that we have visited frequently over the years with our children. We’d typically come home with hermit crabs.

There’s the Edgewater Mall, where Pam once worked.

And we tried our best to pinpoint the location of the former Broadwater Beach Hotel. That was my favorite — where my convention memories started 34 years ago.

I certainly miss the Broadwater and parts of the “old coast.” We spent a lot of time last week with two of our best friends, John and JJ Carney, who own and operate the Lawrence County Press and the Copiah County Courier.

John’s press convention memories go back to the former Buena Vista Hotel. His dad raised him in the newspaper business and the press association.

One of our favorite dining experiences last week was at White Pillars. It’s a farm-totable restaurant using Mississippi-grown meats and seasonal local vegetables.

It was great.

But we reminisced a lot about the former White Pillars, which Pam and I experienced for the first time some 30 years ago with longtime friend Rubye Del Harden, my former boss in the newspaper business.

White Pillars opened for the first time as a restaurant in 1969 and was loved by many as a gem on the Coast. We enjoyed it during the late 80s at conventions. There was a separate room filled with desserts where you could sample and select your favorite.

The memories are special, and the “new beginning” of White Pillars is welcomed.

Pam and I also had a late lunch on Thursday at White Cap Restaurant. It, too, has a long, rich history on the Mississippi Gulf Coast.

The food was great during our few days in the Biloxi and Gulfport area, but the best thing was being around “family.” Our newspaper friends mean the world to us. We’ve been through good times and not-so-good times with them. We all support one another.

I asked Layne Bruce, executive director of MPA, on Thursday evening at the opening reception if any old-timers were coming.

He said, “You and John!”

He was right. All I could do was laugh.