Batesville Job Corps Center Renaming Ceremony a Resounding Success
A welcome banner with the likeness of former governor Charles “Cliff” Finch and former representative Dr. Aaron Henry was on display at the entrance to the Job Corps Center. In the gym where the program was held, mums and Easter lilies adorned the front of the stage and large portraits of Finch and Henry were placed nearby.
Colleagues and friends of Finch and Henry shared fond memories of the men with an audience of Job Corps students, staff and guests. Finch, an attorney, served as governor of Mississippi from 1976 to 1980 and was known as the “working man’s friend.” Henry, a pharmacist, was the state president of the NAACP for 33 years and a Mississippi legislator from 1979 to 1991.
Finch and Henry grew up within 50 miles of each other in Pope and Clarksdale, Miss., respectively. Both men, known for their determination, endless work hours and commitment to improving the lives of Mississippians, forged an alliance to bring Job Corps to Mississippi at a time when southern governors would not sign legislation to do so.
During the ceremony, Sen. Roger Wicker, who was instrumental in supporting the center’s name change, praised Finch for his hard work and dedication to any challenge he undertook.
Wicker said, “Opponents might beat him, but they could not out-work him.”
Tri State Defender
10/30/9
Magnolia Tribune
