SENATOBIA - Two longtime members of the Northwest Mississippi Community College family have passed away in recent weeks.
Northwest Sports Hall of Famer and longtime Board of Trustees member Jamie Howell, Sr. passed away on May 7, and former Northwest Board of Trustees member Don Clanton passed away on Monday, May 20. Both were devoted supporters of Northwest through the last several decades.
Born in Sumner and raised in Pope, Howell was a three-sport athlete at Northwest, lettering in baseball, men's basketball and track from 1957-58. During his sophomore season, Howell was an all-state captain and the Rangers' leading scorer, earning recognition as the team's Best Offensive and Best Defensive Player. In baseball, Howell caught the attention of the Baltimore Orioles and was drafted by the organization, but instead chose to further his athletic and academic career at the University of Mississippi.
While at Ole Miss, Howell earned All-Southeastern Conference honors as the Rebels' center-fielder in 1960. One of his defining moments came when he hit a two-run walkoff home run in the bottom of the ninth to beat Notre Dame, 3-2 in Oxford. Once again, Howell caught the attention of major league scouts and was drafted by the Philadelphia Phillies, before choosing instead to remain close to home and raising his family.
After earning his Bachelor's and Master's degrees from Ole Miss, he began his coaching career as the Rebels' freshman basketball coach, before moving on to serve as the head men's basketball coach at Holmes Junior College (1962-64). He later served as the principal and basketball coach at Ashland Attendance Center from 1964-70, helping the Blue Devils to the state tournament in 1967, with his girls' team winning the state title.
In 1970, Howell returned to Senatobia to serve as the first headmaster of the recently-opened Magnolia Heights School. While in the role of headmaster, he also started the basketball and baseball programs, coaching the Chiefs until 1976. In 1977, Howell left the education field to serve the State of Mississippi for four years as Motor Vehicle Comptroller, and was later tapped to serve as the Director of the Vocational Skills Training Program with the Batesville Job Corps Center. While at that job, he was able to resume his coaching career at Magnolia Heights School where his nationally-ranked 1985 girls basketball squad won the MPSA Class AA and MPSA Overall State Championship, with a perfect 37-0 record.
Howell was devoted to Northwest for 44 years, serving as the longest-tenured Board of Trustees member. In 1992, he became one of the charter inductees into the Northwest Sports Hall of Fame and in 2010, Howell was enshrined to the Mississippi Community College Sports Hall of Fame.
A lifelong Tate County native and an avid supporter of Northwest athletics, Clanton graduated from Independence High School in 1961 and went on to attend Northwest from 1961-63. After graduating from Northwest, he attended the University of Mississippi and earned a Bachelor of Physical Education degree, before later receiving a Master of School Administration in 1971.
Following college, Clanton worked as a teacher, coach and assistant principal at the former Coldwater High School. While there, Clanton helped the Cougars win the Chickasaw Conference triple crown in basketball, football and baseball. He was later elected as the superintendent of Tate County Schools from 1976-87 and again from 1995-2000. He also served as the mayor of Senatobia from 1989-93 and two terms as an alderman-at-large from 2009-17.
In addition to being an active member of the Senatobia Optimist Club, Clanton was often in attendance at countless Northwest athletic events, including football, basketball, baseball and softball home contests.
