Johnny DuPree is a civic and community leader. He was Hattiesburg’s first African American mayor and was the longest tenure of Mayor in Hattiesburg’s history. Prior to becoming Mayor, Dr. DuPree served as a member of the Forrest County Board of Supervisors and on the Board of the Hattiesburg Public School District.
Ed Howell was the owner of Peoples Bank, which was a Black-owned bank on Historic Mobile Street. He was a successful entrepreneur who also owned a brickyard, clothing store, and real estate agency.
Daisy Brown Thorne was a 1946 graduate of Eureka High School and a devoted educator. She taught home economics for over three decades in the Hattiesburg Public School District. Daisy was the widow of Jesse Leroy Brown, America’s first African American Naval Aviator and war hero.
