Guest Commentary Some highlights in the growth of Cleveland, Mississippi by Charles C. Jacobs Jr. (Part 2 of 3)

Dr. James Wesley Broom was named as the first president of Delta State Teachers College, but he died shortly after the college began functioning. He was replaced by Dr. William Kethley, who held the office until his death in 1956.

The 1930's were a perilous time for the new college. The Great Depression of the 1930's resulted in numerous demands for the closing of the institution from Legislators, since the State was strapped for money. Tthese efforts for closure were thwarted largely through the efforts of Walter Sillers, the distinguished Legislator from Bolivar county and his colleague, Senator W.B. Roberts.

Delta State experienced a large growth following World War II, with the return of Veterans to College under the GI Bill of Rights. A new business school and an enlarged science department, along with other departments, helped in the growth of the college. Because of this expansion from its original purpose of teacher training, the name of the college was changed to Delta State College in the 1950's under a bill sponsored by Senator W.B. Alexander. The name was later changed to Delta State University during the term of Governor Bill Waller.

Around 1948, Mr. I. A. Kamien, who was the owner of a large department store in Cleveland, was largely instrumental in the formation of the Cleveland Chamber of Commerce. This set up the machinery for an organized effort for the future growth of Cleveland. In the 1970's, the Chamber was broadened to include the county- Cleveland Bolivar County Chamber of Commerce. The first president of this new chamber was I. A. Kamien, Jr. the son of Mr. I. A. Kamien.

The organization of the Cleveland Country Club came in the early 1950's. Accountant, Ben Mitchell, spearheaded this move along with Nap Cassibry and a number of other Cleveland leaders. Mr. Cassibry was then president of The Cleveland State Bank. This step forward made Cleveland more attractive to the corporations looking for locations in the south.

Hospital facilities in Cleveland were woefully inadequate in and around the year 1958. I remember when my son, Charles, was born in February of that year. My wife, Rosemary, was a patient with a bed in the hall of the small hospital on Third Street. There were no rooms available. Slim Landrum, then director of the Chamber of Commerce was directing the efforts for construction of a new hospital in Cleveland, but the cost was beyond the city's capability, even with Hill Burton Funds paying a large part of this cost.

An appropriation to assist in the cost of a new hospital at Cleveland was introduced in the House of Representatives, but the Chairman of the Appropriation Committee (Junkin) would not release the bill because of what he called "funding shortage."

Mr. Sillers finally prevailed on Junkin to "let the bill go" and Senator W.B. Alexander carried the bill through the state Senate.

After passage by the Senate, this writer advised that J. B. Coleman, the Governor, was about to veto the bill because of the state monetary picture. I went to the Governor and pleaded for him to sign the bill, with the understanding that the State Hospital Commission would not spend the money for this new hospital, until he told them that adequate funds were available. Governor Coleman agreed to this procedure and signed the bill.

That summer (1958) the state revenues picked up and a delegation from Clevealnd, including Slim Landrum, Nevin Sledge, myself, and others went to Jackson to see the Governor, and as soon as we walked in, he said, "I know what you want and I am advising the Commission on Hospital Care to release the money."