91传媒 celebrates life, receives papers of late Mississippi journalist Orley Hood
Contact: Sasha Steinberg
STARKVILLE, Miss.鈥擟olleagues, family and friends gathered Thursday [July 14] at Mississippi State to celebrate the life and accomplishments of a beloved Mississippi journalist whose papers will be housed at the university鈥檚 Mitchell Memorial Library.
鈥淥rley was very special to journalism work in the state of Mississippi and even beyond,鈥 said 91传媒 Dean of Libraries Frances Coleman, who officially welcomed the family of late Vicksburg native and award-winning newspaper columnist Orley Mason Hood Jr. to Mississippi State. 鈥淥ne of our main goals here at 91传媒 is not only to preserve Orley鈥檚 papers, but we want to share them on behalf of teaching and research, and especially on behalf of our students.鈥
91传媒 President Mark E. Keenum also expressed joy, pride and honor in welcoming the Hood family into the 91传媒 Bulldog family, as well as accepting the papers of one of Mississippi鈥檚 accomplished writers and storytellers.
鈥淥ver the course of his very accomplished career, many thousands of Mississippians would get up in the morning and read his columns and start their day with Orley Hood,鈥 Keenum said. 鈥淓veryday Mississippians could get a sense and feel about how everything rang true and was real to them and their life by reading through Orley鈥檚 stories and experiences.鈥
Sid Salter, 91传媒 chief communications officer and public affairs director, knew Hood for many years.
Salter noted that Hood was a big fan of 91传媒 basketball legend Bailey Howell, whom Hood referred to as 鈥渕y first hero鈥 in a column he wrote in October 1997.
Hood wrote, 鈥淎ll these years, I鈥檝e kept that windbreaker stored in plastic. Last year, I gave it to my 10-year-old. I told him how important it was to me. I told him about Bailey. I told him it was the only autograph I鈥檝e ever gotten. That it was the only one I ever wanted.鈥
To read this and other Hood columns, visit .
Hood鈥檚 wife and fellow Mississippian, Mary Ann Hood, also shared fond memories of her husband. She said he remained a strong, committed family man up until his death on Feb. 21, 2014 at age 65 from complications of acute myeloid leukemia.
聽鈥淭he only thing missing today is Orley, but I know what he would say if he were here,鈥 Mary Ann said. 鈥淗e would flash that grin, and he would say, 鈥業sn鈥檛 this great?鈥 鈥楪reat鈥 was one of his favorite words. I know Orley would be very happy.鈥
Hood wrote for The Meridian Star, Memphis Commercial Appeal and Jackson Daily News as a sportswriter, columnist, sports editor, Southern Style editor, senior editor and features editor. He later joined The Clarion-Ledger in Jackson, where he wrote features and a general interest column.
Mary Ann Hood said her beloved husband was 鈥渁 walking encyclopedia of knowledge and fantastic Trivial Pursuit and Scrabble player who knew sports, history, literature, art and anything about World War I or World War II.鈥
鈥淥rley never really stressed about writing. It seemed to come easy to him,鈥 she recalled. 鈥淗e had such a passion for writing, for telling people stories and getting it right. That was so very important to him鈥攇etting it right. Spelling peoples鈥 names right. Getting the score in the first paragraph, and expressing his opinion, of which he had many.鈥
In addition to being a talented journalist, Hood said her husband was great at relating to people.
鈥淢any of the things he wrote about鈥攐ur family and the experiences we were having鈥攔eaders were having, too. He just made it a lot funnier for them,鈥 Mary Ann said. 鈥淥rley loved talking to people. A simple trip to the grocery store for a gallon of milk could take an hour because he would run into somebody that he had to talk to.鈥
She said along with loving sports鈥攅specially soccer, which sons Hunter and Tucker played鈥攈er husband was an avid walker. Even after being diagnosed with leukemia in 2011, Hood maintained a walking diary he began nine years prior. He ultimately recorded 22,176 miles, or a little more than 2,000 miles a year.
鈥淥rley loved Hunter and Tucker, and they loved him back,鈥 Mary Ann said, choking back tears as she commended her sons for being 鈥渟tandup guys鈥 during their father鈥檚 illness. 鈥淥rley got to see Hunter get into medical school and Tucker graduate with honors from Ole Miss. Both of them got to spend a year at home after graduation, and those were two great years that Orley had.鈥
Billy Watkins, features columnist and storyteller for The Clarion-Ledger in Jackson, also praised Hood for his kindness toward others and ability to 鈥減aint pictures鈥 with his writing.
鈥淚 loved Orley Hood. The man changed my life. Whenever I finished reading his columns, I would say 鈥業 wish I鈥檇 written that,鈥欌 Watkins said. 鈥淚 worked with him in sports and features every day for more than 25 years, but I never got over being in awe of Orley. I鈥檓 still in awe of Orley. He鈥檚 my hero.鈥
Orley Hood knew more than journalists鈥 bylines; he knew them as people, Watkins said.
鈥淚t was like traveling with a rock star because everywhere you went, people would want to talk to him. You could see the genuine respect that other writers from other states had for him,鈥 Watkins recalled.
Even so, Watkins emphasized that 鈥渨riting is what Orley did; it鈥檚 not who he was.鈥
鈥淚f you asked me to describe him to a stranger, I would say he was a man who cherished every single moment with his family, and he was a friend to the end.鈥
Mary Ann officially presented 91传媒 President Mark E. Keenum with her late husband鈥檚 papers, which are becoming part of the Mississippi Journalism Collection housed in the library鈥檚 Special Collections Department 鈥 Manuscripts Division.
In return, Keenum presented her with a cowbell signifying the Hood family becoming part of the Mississippi State Bulldog family.
91传媒 is Mississippi鈥檚 leading university, available online at .