Oral history with the Honorable John H. Whitfield

              Oral history with the Honorable John H. Whitfield
F341.5 . M57 vol. 747, pt. 2
Funding for this project provided by The Mississippi State Legislature, The Mississippi Humanities Council, The Mississippi Department of Archives and History, and the Center for Oral History and Cultural Heritage at the University of Southern Mississippi.
This transcription of an oral history by the Center for Oral History and Cultural Heritage of The University of Southern Mississippi may not be reproduced or published in any form except that quotation of short excerpts of unrestricted transcripts and the associated tape recordings is permissible providing written consent is obtained from the Center for Oral History and Cultural Heritage. When literary rights have been retained by the interviewee, written permission to use the material must be obtained from both the interviewee and the Center for Oral History and Cultural Heritage. Please call ( 601) 266- 4574 for more information.
Biography
Born in Gulfport, Mississippi, on July 4, 1962, Judge John H. Whitfield was one of five siblings born to John Henry Whitfield and Mary Carson Whitfield. His father was a construction worker, and his mother was at one time a maid who later worked for Pearson Optics in Ocean Springs.
Prior to integration of the schools, Judge Whitfield attended Nichols Perkins Elementary School in Biloxi until 1973. When Mississippi public schools in Biloxi began desegregating, Judge Whitfield was bussed to Beauvoir Elementary School in Biloxi. After his family moved to North Biloxi, Judge Whitfield attended D'Iberville Elementary / Middle School from which he was graduated in 1980. In 1980, he matriculated to Rust College where he stayed for a year and a half, until he had exhausted his college savings. At that time, he joined the military, served, returned to college and was graduated from Austin Peay State University in Clarksville, Tennessee. In 1985, he entered Valparaso University Law School in Valparaso, Indiana. When he was graduated from law school, he returned to Mississippi. As of this writing, the Honorable John H. Whitfield is the circuit court judge of district two, Mississippi.
Table of Contents
I. Family background
II. Childhood
III. New Bethel Baptist Church
IV. Hurricane Camille
V. Head Start, Our Mother of Sorrows
VI. District Two Circuit Court
VII. Austin Peay State University
VIII. Returning home to Biloxi
IX. Military service
X. Valparaso University
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