John Cofield's 'Oxford & Ole Miss' –– The 1960s Coming Forward

From the integration of Ole Miss in 1962 by James Meredith to the national football championships won by legendary Coach Johnny Vaught in 1960 and 1962, the decade of the ’60s was a time of trial and triumph at The University of Mississippi. As it is today, The Grove was a gathering place for fans and alumni to come together and socialize, show their support for the Rebel football team and talk about old times. Many of the leading business and political leaders in Mississippi were regulars at the Saturday Grove gatherings, including writer Wille Morris, Thad Cochran, Dean Faulkner Wells and Larry Wells, and Will Lewis, owner of Neilson’s Department Store on the Oxford Square.
Pictured in the Grove, standing left to right are: Bill Dunlap, Ed Morgan, Sen. Thad Cochran, Adam Shaw, Larry Wells, Dean Faulkner Wells, Carl Downing and Will Lewis. Sitting left to right are: Willie Morris, Judge Grady Jolly and Bettye Jolly. This gathering of friends marked the occasion of Willie Morris becoming writer in residence at The University of Mississippi. The John Morgan photo is courtesy of Larry Wells.