Charles Marshall is a community and civic leader and former long-time elected Supervisor for Forrest County. He is an active duty veteran of the Vietnam War serving in the US Navy, Naval Reserve and Mississippi National Guard. He is also an industry leader working with the Hercules Corporation for over 26 years.
Judge Deborah Gambrell-Chambers is a well-known jurist and community leader. In 1980, she became the first African American elected to serve as Forrest County Justice Court Judge. In 2011, she was the first African American female appointed by the Mississippi Governor to the 10ᵗʰ District Chancery Court bench, where she serves today.
Peggy Jean Gould Connor was a lifelong resident of Hattiesburg and owner of Jean’s Beauty Parlor on Historic Mobile Street. Connor was active in the Civil Rights Movement and an integral force in Freedom Summer of 1964. Connor served as a citizenship teacher for the Southern Christian Leadership Conference and was a founder of the Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party. In 1965, Connor filed a lawsuit against then Mississippi Governor Paul B. Johnson contesting legislative reapportionment that contradicted the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment. The case ultimately went before the US Supreme Court which decided in Connor’s favor.
