Three months after the landmark 1973 Roe vs. Wade decision, a South Carolina woman named Barbara was raped and became pregnant. She favored abortion, an option now legally available to her, but a compassionate advisor changed her mind. “Someone sat down with her and encouraged her to choose adoption,” says Tiffany Bell, Barbara’s daughter and […]
Graduation night is always meaningful for Mary S. Graham, but her first as president of Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College was among the most memorable. After she hugged the first student to walk across the stage, embracing the rest came naturally. “I hugged over 1,000 people that night,” Graham recalls. “You get excited, and you […]
Husband-wife duo, Kyle and Stephanie Tootle For as long as he can remember, Kyle Tootle has wanted to start his own business and harbored a passion for homes. “In high school, I would design houses and present them to my girlfriend (who is now my wife), and she would critique my designs,” he recalls. “While […]
Where others see obstacles, Jolynne Trapani sees opportunities. “My mother and father always taught me (that) when the front door doesn’t open, go to the back; when the back door doesn’t open, go to the windows,” says the Bay St. Lou- is resident of 35 years. “When the windows don’t open, go to the attic […]
Among the elderly, loneliness is an epidemic. Statistics show that about 50 percent of nursing home residents have no relatives, and 46 percent have no living children. By some accounts, as many as 60 percent have no visitors. Kathy Rogers, vice president of Marston Rogers Group, witnessed the problem firsthand in 2013, when her mother, […]
As the nation commemorates man’s first steps on the moon 50 years ago, a Moss Point trailblazer is reflecting on another milestone in the space program. When Dr. Mae Jemison became the first black woman to travel in space, flying aboard the space shuttle Endeavor in 1992, Gulf Coast native Sharon Caples McDougle also cemented […]
Coordinates Couture began as a hobby for owner Jackie Trebotich-Pegoda – as well as a form of therapy. After losing two husbands to health issues, the D’Iberville/Woolmarket native acknowledges struggling with depression and fear of the future. She wondered what she would do with her life when her children were grown. “I felt as though […]
With a father who worked at Trans World Airlines, it’s little surprise that Erika Scicutella caught the travel bug at an early age. “If we weren’t flying, we would take road trips,” she recalls. “I loved that I got to experience different destinations with my family. I feel it brought us closer, as well as […]
In an era of big-box stores, W.P. Shelton Jewelers harkens back to a time when business was done with a handshake and a smile. Family-owned for 75 years, William Paul (W.P.) Shelton founded his store in 1945 on Howard Avenue in Biloxi after learning how to repair airplane instrument panels during World War II. In […]
Photography by Brandi Stage Portraiture Coach sets example of hard work, dedication for her students Michele Woodberry Michele Woodberry is not one to seek the spotlight. Although her role requires her to take charge and run large events at times, the self-proclaimed introvert prefers being behind the scenes. “I like my athletes to get the […]
