On Sept. 8, 2015, Picayune native Doug McQueen passed away.
Friday, exactly seven months after his death, McQueen and his family were honored with House Resolution No. 23.
Friends and family gathered at Picayune City Hall to hear District 108 Representative Mark Formby and Picayune City Manager Jim Luke share not only the resolution but also fond memories of the beloved educator.
McQueen was a graduate of Pearl River Community College and the University of Southern Mississippi, where he majored in English.
For 18 years, he taught English in numerous Mississippi school systems including Ocean Springs, Bay St. Louis and Biloxi, his wife Sandy said.
“Mr. McQueen’s cardinal guidance, devoted leadership and encouraging words promoted education for each student and never accepted the average but helped each of them discover their extraordinary potential to fulfill their dreams,” the resolution states.
After a career in education, McQueen moved into the corporate sector, where he taught leadership classes for companies in Texas and Ohio, his wife added.
“He never really left teaching,” Sandy McQueen said.
In 2005, the McQueens moved to Oxford where Doug McQueen retired from The University of Mississippi’s Department of Education as a leadership training consultant.
A celebration of his life was held on September 20 at Jack Read Park.
Although Luke met Doug McQueen later in his life, he said it felt like he had known him for 30 years.
Luke met Doug McQueen while writing his first book.
“He proofread my book and told me what he thought, he didn’t sugarcoat it,” Luke said Friday. “That’s what I loved about him. He encouraged and inspired me. He also had that ability to make you look ahead and do better. He was so proud of what was going in Picayune and how much the city had moved forward.”
Luke said one of his next books will be dedicated to Doug McQueen and include some of the late educator’s own compositions about Picayune.
“There’s a saying I once heard a long time ago,” Luke said. “If you ever notice sometimes after the sun has gone down in the evening, there’s a beautiful afterglow that lingers. I believe people are like that and Douglas was like that. His life will affect these kids for decades to come.”
Luke, who wanted to do something special for his friend, spoke with Formby about passing a house resolution for his friend.
“There’s a House and Senate Resolution,” Formby said. “We get lots of requests and weigh them. The information is sent to committees for discussion before being brought to the House and Senate floors for a vote. It’s a wonderful way to recognize people.”
Sandy McQueen said, that for both her and her husband, growing up in a small town presented them with wonderful opportunities. During the 1950s and 1960s, Picayune was far ahead of other small towns, she added.
“In 1963, Picayune Memorial High School was one of the premier schools for such a small town and Doug enjoyed all the opportunities offered by the school,” Sandy McQueen said. “He also enjoyed cruising up and down the boulevard.”
Several of her husband’s friends started a scholarship fund in his name at USM, which he knew about before he died, Sandy McQueen added.
“This resolution just reinforced what we already knew about his contribution to the teaching, administration and teaching leadership,” she said. “He never let go of it. Kudos to Jim Luke for making this happen.”
Read the full script of House Resolution 23 at http://billstatus.ls.state.ms.us/2016/pdf/history/HR/HR0023.xml.