Smoke Signals and other news
Two former Byhalia High School graduates are making headlines at the USA Olympic Trials at the University of Oregon.
One is our very own Erica Bougard, who is competing in the Heptathlon Track and Field event. The contest consists of the 100-meter hurdles, the high jump, the shot put, the 200-meter dash, the long jump, the javelin throw, and the 800-meter run. She represented us in Tokyo four years ago. In the 2020 Olympic Games, she finished ninth in the heptathlon. She has also had many other athletic accomplishments including placing fourth in the 2019 Outdoor World Championship heptathlon, finishing fifth in the 2018 Indoor World Championship pentathlon, being a two-time USA Track and Field heptathlon champion and three-time pentathlon champion, and being a USATF 2017 long jump champion. She closed her Mississippi State University career as the mostdecorated athlete in MSU history with 16 All-American honors and five school records, a 2013 National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) pentathlon champion, a two-time Southeast Conference (SEC) champion and a three-time SEC Field Athlete of the Year. She was the 2015 Cliff Harper Trophy Winner and the first MSU woman ever named to The Bowerman watch list in 2015.
met Erica and her family four years ago. Her family graciously invited me to the family celebration when Erica returned from the Olympics in 2020. She finished 6th in the trials.
On Sunday, Florida University’s high jumper and our very own Corvell Todd finished fifth in the USATF Olympic Trials. In the first round, the opening bar was set at 2.14m / 7’.0 .25”, and Todd was only required to make one clearance. He finished 12th in the first-round competition.
Corvell and his brothers played baseball for the Byhalia Sports Association for many years, and his father, Wendall Todd, often coached. I plan to write an article about his many accomplishments soon.
Once again, our community is hurting from the loss of one of our young people, Jessie Dalton. I didn’t know him well, but I know his family. Our hearts go out to Jimbo, Shelby, and Karlie. They need your love, support, and prayers as they learn to move on without his loving presence.
LE Malone was laid to rest on Wednesday, June 26, with very special tributes from friends, family, and ministers. There were tears and laughter as memories were shared. Many members of the Class of 1969 were present and filled one entire pew with others sitting nearby. He and his wife, Rhea, were as special to the class of 1969 as he was to many other students whose lives he touched.
We celebrate the birth of our nation this week. I wonder if our forefathers would be pleased with the direction our country has taken. I am proud to be an American and glad to have the freedoms we have, but in some cases, I cannot follow the direction this country is taking.
I am sure all of you who have dogs know how smart they are. This little dog of mine has caught on to the fact that the notification on my phone from the ring cameras can mean someone is at the door. He will sometimes immediately look up at the cameras to see if he should bother to go to the door and bark. I also know he watches the camera when I am out to see when I get home. He has me well-trained as to when to feed him, let him out, pet him, and when he prefers to be left alone to nap.
Byhalia High School alumni have announced a Decades Reunion, and any graduate up to 1969 is invited to attend on September 21. I have been able to contact some of you, but I have not been able to reach others. It has been difficult for me to omit the names of those who have passed away since our last reunion. For more information or to RSVP, contact me using any of the methods listed at the bottom of this article.
Please share your news with me at jchwagg@gmail.com or text or call 901 246-8843. You can message me on Facebook as Clair Wagg.