Oakland Represented At Capitol

By Editor | January 14, 2026 |

Oakland News
By Linda Aldy

Condolences to the family of Patsy Burt Williams who was laid to rest Saturday in graveside services at Oakland Cemetery. Patsy was 91 years old and was one of four siblings who grew up in Oakland. Her siblings were Joe Lee Burt, Dale Burt, and Jane Burt Pray. Patsy was named Queen of Yalobusha County during her high school years. She enjoyed a career as a real estate agent and a bookkeeper in the Memphis area. Patsy leaves a son, Burt, in Oklahoma, and a daughter, Cindy, in Memphis as well as eight grandchildren and four great-grandchildren.

My siblings and I recently had pillars and a plaque installed at the entrance of the Oakland Cemetery in honor of our parents, Richard and Margaret Jean Ross. In part, the timing was to honor our Daddy’s 100th birthday year. We also planned to have gates installed and got that done last week one day after our Daddy’s 101st birthday. I wasn’t able to join the sibling team to supervise the installation (oldest siblings always think they are supervising, right?), but they did a great job. I have the best siblings–Janet, Carol, Rich, and Martha. I can’t express my appreciation enough for them. They always support my crazy ideas and help keep me excited about things that I jump off into.

Right now, I’ve jumped off into the 2026 Mississippi Legislative session. I represent the Town of Oakland as their volunteer lobbyist and The W, my alma mater. There are so many names to remember at the Capitol—174 legislators, hundreds of staff, weekly changes of the House and Senate pages, plus dozens and dozens of lobbyists and a daily rotating group of local constituents. I get tickled when two certain legislators call me “Oakland” as we pass through the halls without time to stop and chat. I love it because I know they associate me with my hometown! While Oakland has only one Senator elected to represent us, Senator Ben Suber, I collect other Senators (and House members) as I make connections. One Senator has bought hunting land in Oakland, another grew up going to Cossar State Park, one is next door to us and has lots of friends in Oakland, one had relatives who lived in Oakland years ago. I tell them all I have made them honorary Oakland Senators. The same thing with The W—so, so many have W connections.This past week, the Senate Public Health Committee, chaired by Sen. Hob Bryan of Amory, held a hearing on The W’s nursing program which is ranked as the number one school in Mississippi and in the top four percent nationally. Some interesting data points shared with the Committee include The W has the lowest federal loan debt of any public Miss. university; it leads in graduate earnings of Pell grant graduates four years after graduation with an average earning of $53,231; it had the highest enrollment percentage growth at 8.1 percent of the public universities; it was named the number one public university in Miss. by Money.com; and it ranked highest in the state among “Best Colleges for Your Tuition (and Tax) Dollars” by Washington Monthly.

One of the nursing graduates who testified was Dr. Katina Holliday, originally from Aberdeen and now of Los Angeles. She has a remarkable personal story and has built an amazing company and non-profit organization in LA. She is giving back to her hometown and her home county by establishing a health clinic and a grocery store there. Her right-hand woman is one of her best W friends, Twila Cain Proctor, originally from Vaiden. As I visited with them over dinner the evening before the hearing, I told them about Marquitrice Mangham who opened our grocery store, Oakland Farmacy Marketplace. Twila looked startled and grabbed her phone and showed me where she had just had a call from Marquitrice. They met last year at a housing conference on the Coast. Both Katina and Marquitrice have received national attention for their work and I’m proud to know them both and to serve on the non-profit board, In Her Shoes, Inc., that Marquitrice founded. It’s definitely a small world and Mississippians are making a difference across the nation.

Before I retired “from paying work” four years ago, I worked for nearly 20 years as the Executive Director of the Mississippi Optometric Association which gave me the opportunity to attend multiple national meetings each year. I am so honored that the American Optometric Association has invited me back to its Presidents Council, held this year in Orlando, to conduct two workshop sessions. The Presidents Council brings together the newly elected state officers to gain additional leadership training and to compare notes on issues in the individual states. Mississippi has an active presence on the national front including the AOA Immediate Past President Dr. Steven Reed of Magee who will rotate off the board in June.

I look forward to seeing Oakland Mayor Stephanie Patterson and several members of the Town Board at the Capitol this week as the Mississippi Municipal League hosts its annual Winter Conference.

Don’t forget to put Sat., May 2, on your calendar for Oakland’s Yalo-Ribbon Festival. We have Danica Hart of Chapel Hart fame as our featured musical act. If you are interested in being a sponsor or vendor, contact Chamber Executive Director Sue Donohue Smith at execdir.oaklandareachamber@gmail.com

Please share your news with me at oaklandareachamber@gmail.com or leave a message at 601-853-3942.

Posted in Archived Stories