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Co-Lin entering his 46th season as head coach for the women having won just shy of 1,000 games and taking his women’s team to six NJCAA national tournaments. “Gwyn was a great coach and had been a great player at Co-Lin. I learned a lot from him and he made me a better coach,” said Lewis. Year two look promising with a new assistant and a full year of recruiting. “We were fortunate to have signed two out of state play- ers from North Louisiana who were really good. One, Eugene Robinson, was about 6’10’’ and the other was Larry Robinson who was 6’3’’. Their high school team at Bastrop, Louisiana, had won the 6A state championship in Louisiana. Their high school coach was Mike Vining who went on to become head coach at Northeast Louisiana University (now UL-Monroe). With the quality players we had signed from our district, and the out-of- state players, we quietly felt like we were going to be in contention for a national championship, “ Lewis stated. “Well, we always had picture day just a few days before the first game and on that day I had a late afternoon visit from the Dean of Students who told me the Robinson boys just got in a car with a Louisiana license plate, loaded up all of their belongings and said they were headed back to north Louisiana. I was shocked. Things were going really well for them, but like most, they were a little homesick I guess because some kids were too far away to go home every week.” Despite the departures, Co-Lin still won the state championship. After the season was over, Dr. Thames came to see Lewis and offered him an opportunity to work in an administration role, but be able to continue to coach. The job was to be the Director of Financial Aid, which at the time, was working with only a very low number of students who had applied and been in the program. Lewis was intrigued and admitted he had thought about moving into administration at some point and this was a great chance to and get his feet wet and continue coaching. “I met with Dean Forrest Case and he said ‘it’s nothing to it. Just fifty names.’ The next year the Basic Opportunity Grant (now called Pell Grants) program was launched by the federal government, and all of a sudden, the fifty students grew to over 700 students when the government made some changes on who was eligible. I just dug in and learned all I could going to classes and seminars,” Lewis said. He continued to coach and run financial aid while at Co-Lin. By this time, the family was growing. Daughter Kelli had been born in 1974 shortly before the move to Co-Lin, and son Jay, had come along in the spring of 1978. Out of the blue, in June of 1978, a business opportunity came about in Petal, MS, and Lewis accepted it. A week into the job, he knew he had made a mistake and longed to return to the education arena. Just three months later, a position came open at USM to work as a recruiter to hire faculty for the nursing program, which was facing some potential accreditation issues, and needed to add faculty with doctoral degrees. Lewis was very interested to go back to public education. He met with Dr. Aubrey Lucas and Lucas told him this would be a very difficult and challenging job, but Lucas told Lewis he felt like he could do the job. Lewis took it. Lewis said the recruiting went well though, and they hired some well-prepared nursing educators. Two of the recruits, one from Indiana and one from Texas, eventually became Dean for the School of Nursing. A year later, Lewis went to work in continuing education when a job opened up, working on academic credit side. During this time, Janet Gale had been doing substitute teaching at Petal High School and then went to work at the Forrest County campus of Pearl River Community College teaching computer and clerical skills to students who were older and trying to re-enter the workforce. During his time at USM, Lewis had a couple of coaching jobs offered, but decided to stay at USM, which he thought was best for him and his family. He was working toward his doctorate and working full time at USM. Shortly after he earned his doctorate, the President’s job came open at Pearl River Community College and Lewis applied. There were many applicants and Lewis made the final three of candidates. He was not chosen, but the process gave him the idea this might be what he eventually wanted to do. When M.K. Turk took the job as Head Basketball Coach at USM, Turk called Lewis and said WDAM TV wanted to televise the first USM basketball game ever to be broadcast. It would be the USM game at Memphis State. John Cox, the current longtime play by play voice for USM athletics, was working as a backup to Bill Goodrich on USM athletics radio. Turk said Cox would do the play 16 SOUTHERN SENIOR MAGAZINE | Winter 2020-2021 B arze’ P lace Preserving Yesterday’s Memories 105 Hwy 11 S • Picayune 601-749-0756 • 601-273-1057 www.barzeantiquespicayune.com Ted, the Tool Man, Does Lamp Repair! Collectibles and Books by Local Authors make Great Gifts!