Sledge Family Endowment Established at Northwest

Patsy Sledge

The Sledge Family Endowment was established by Northwest Mississippi Community College alumna, Dr. Patsy Sledge of Senatobia, as a tribute to her siblings and in appreciation to the excellent educational foundation each received at Northwest.

Sledge was a student at Northwest from 1964-66. She received her bachelor’s degree from Delta State University and continued her education at The University of Mississippi where she earned her master’s degree and her doctorate in Curriculum and Instruction.

Sledge taught for many years in DeSoto County schools and retired after 13 years as principal of Oak Grove Central Elementary School in Hernando. She retired in 2004 after 35 years of service in education.

The oldest sister of the Sledge family, Virginia Sledge Cox, left Northwest to attend The University of Mississippi where she earned a degree in Home Economics. She taught in Marshall County for two years before beginning a distinguished career as director of the Tate County Department of Human Services.

When Lynn Sledge Gartman, the youngest of the four, was a student at Northwest from 1972-74, she was the pianist for the Northwest Singers and for the singing group, A Dozen Plus Three. She was also a majorette with the Ranger Marching Band. Other honors at Northwest included being named to the Hall of Fame, to Who’s Who Among American Junior College Students, and as the Most Outstanding Music Student. She was also elected as secretary of the Northwest Senate and as a state officer of the Music Educators National Conference. After receiving her master’s and specialist degrees in Music Education from The University of Mississippi, she became the band director at a high school in Edinburgh, Texas, where she continues to serve.

Billy E. Sledge, the oldest sibling, attended Northwest on the GI Bill after serving in the U.S. Army during peacetime. He worked for the Coca-Cola Bottling Company in Hattiesburg before his death in 2010.

Howard and Myrtle Sledge, parents of the Sledge children, moved to Senatobia from Cleveland in 1950, where they lived at the corner of Thompson and West Streets on the Senatobia campus of Northwest, the site of the current Marilyn R. Spears Early Childhood Education Technology Building. Dr. Sledge remembers fondly growing up with the families of James P. McCormick, Howard Carpenter and Coach Bill Oakley, all of whom were longtime faculty members.

“We went to every Northwest event, athletic and fine arts. Those were happy days for all of us, and we loved Northwest then and still do. All four of us received a great education at Northwest,” Sledge said.

The first scholarship will be awarded in 2017-18 to students who are active in the Fine Arts programs with preference given to students who are a part of the Northwest Singers.

For more information about the Northwest Foundation, contact Sybil Canon, associate vice president of Development and Special Projects at 662-560-1103 or e-mail srcanon@northwestms.edu.

For questions or comments, email us at hottytoddynews@gmail.com.

Follow HottyToddy.com on Instagram, Twitter and Snapchat @hottytoddynews. Like its Facebook page: If You Love Oxford and Ole Miss…