S U M M E R N E W S L E T T E R 2 0 1 7 MFDA Installs 2017-2018 Board of Directors Story on page 5 SECRETARY-TREASURER John Wise Boone Funeral Home VICE-PRESIDENT Brett Brewster Cutshall Funeral Home PRESIDENT Ladd Pulliam Jones & Son Funeral Home PRESIDENT-ELECT Sammy Reed Lee Memorial Funeral Home NFDA Policy Board Representative Bill Chancellor Chancellor Funeral Home SOUTH GOVERNOR Bruce Lynd Heritage Funeral Home PAST PRESIDENT Sandra Chancellor Chancellor Funeral Home NORTH GOVERNOR Whitney Pegues W.E. Pegues Funeral Home SOUTH GOVERNOR Brett Moore Moore Funeral Home CENTRAL GOVERNOR Rusty Walton Milling Funeral Home CENTRAL GOVERNOR James Waggoner Milling Funeral Home NORTH GOVERNOR Troy Smith Brantley Funeral Home
Inside this Issue Summer 2017 Message from the President 3 Policy Board Update 5 2017-2018 Board of Directors 5-6 MFSSC Scholarship Fund Awarded 6 MFDA Student of the Year 7 MFDA Recognizes 50 Years of Service 7 MFDA Funeral Director of the Year 8 NFDA News 8-9 2017 LFDA & MFDA Joint Convention Highlights 11 MFDA Members Honor Jet Crash Victims 13 Page 2
A Message From the President Wow! What a great convention we had. New Orleans once again played a great host to our members as we joined with Louisiana for our annual joint convention. The wonderful meetings and seminars went above and beyond our expectations and the expo, as always, didn t disappoint. We can never thank our vendors enough for all that they do to support our association. I could go on and on about the Winsor Court Hotel and its beautiful accommodations and wonderful staff. If you go to New Orleans, I strongly recommend staying there. You will not be disappointed. The new officers and district governors of the association will be meeting soon to review our plans for this year and continue to see that our association grows in many different ways. Membership is always the key to survival for MFDA; without you, we could not exist. With that said, I encourage you to talk with your friends and neighbors in funeral service and make them aware of the benefits of membership. Our quarterly district meetings are a great way for us all to get together and discuss the issues facing our profession and learn from others. Your participation in these district meetings is pivotal to making them great. I can remember the days of having 30 to 40 funeral directors at the old Conestoga Steak House in Hattiesburg. We can have that again with very little effort. Bill and Sandra Chancellor represented MFDA at the NFDA Leadership Conference in Idaho. We look forward to an update on the new proposed bylaw changes NFDA is releasing this year. As much as I encourage you to participate in MFDA, I also urge you to be active in the NFDA. Their unlimited knowledge and vast resources are beneficial to funeral directors across the country. The upcoming NFDA convention in Boston will surely be great. If you have never been to the convention, this would be the perfect one to start with! I can not end without, once again, thanking everyone that took part in making our annual convention a huge success. Words can t express how lucky we are to have The Tatman Group handling our day to day operations and coordinating the meetings and conventions. They really are unbelievable when it comes to management and organization. Ladd Pulliam MFDA President Membership is always the key to survival for MFDA; without you, we could not exist. -Ladd Pulliam I look forward to visiting with you all around the state this year as I make the district meetings. Page 3
MFDA Leadership 2017-2018 MFDA Board of Directors Executive Director & Staff President Ladd Pulliam Jones and Son Funeral Home 601-788-6000 ladd.pulliam@hotmail.com President-Elect Sammy Reed Lee Memorial Funeral Home 662-566-1127 sammyreed@rocketmail.com Vice President Brett Brewster, CFSP Cutshall Funeral Home 662-423-5222 jbrettbrewster@yahoo.com Secretary- Treasurer John Wise Boone Funeral Home 662-335-7111; wisejd60@att.net Past President Sandra Chancellor Chancellor Funeral Home 601-372-2955 schance1120@att.net NFDA Policy Board Representative Bill Chancellor Chancellor Funeral Home 601-845-4449 bchan1066@yahoo.com Northern District Governors Whitney Pegues W.E. Pegues Funeral Home 662-869-2130 Troy Smith Brantley Funeral Home 662-895-2310 troy.smith@dignitymemorial.com Central District Governors Rusty Walton Milling Funeral Home 601-774-5779 rustymfh@bellsouth.net James Waggoner Oliver Funeral Home 662-614-5022 waggonerja@aol.com Southern District Governors Bruce Lynd Heritage Funeral Home 228-475-9861 bruceheritagefh@cableone.net Brett Moore Moore Funeral Home 601-544-2141 brettmoore2727@gmail.com MFDA Mission Statement MFDA P.O. Box 22584, Jackson, MS 39225 Phone: (601) 978-1920 Fax: (601) 957-5679 MFDA@TatmanGroup.com Executive Director & Lobbyist David Tatman david@tatmangroup.com Senior Account Manager & Lobbyist Kathleen O Regan kathleen@tatmangroup.com Assistant Account Manager & Lobbyist Jamie Freeman jamie@tatmangroup.com The Mississippi Funeral Directors Association was formed to cultivate and promote the art and science of funeral directing and embalming; to elevate and sustain the professional character and education of the funeral directors and embalmers; to encourage among them mutual improvement, social interaction and good will; and to the necessity and desirability of enacting and enforcing proper, just and uniform laws pertaining to funeral directing and embalming in the State of Mississippi. Have an interesting article to include in the MFDA Newsletter? Send suggested articles to the MFDA office. Your article could appear in the next quarterly issue! Office: 601-978-1920 Fax: 601-978-1950 Email: MFDA@tatmangroup.com Page 4
Policy Board In Review What a great time we had in New Orleans. I only heard positive comments from the vendors and all attendees on a very well planned and executed convention. Congratulations to the new board and your willingness to serve MFDA. As always we say thank you to NFDA for your participation and support of our state and convention. The NFDA Leadership Conference was held July 16 thru 19 in Couer d Alene, Idaho. If you have not attended this conference, you are missing out on a time of learning from others around the country, great speakers, and one of the most beautiful settings you can find. Make plans to attend this event in the future. Also, the NFDA International Convention and Expo in Boston, Massachusetts is quickly approaching. The dates are October 29 thru November 1. Hurry and make your reservations now before the rooms are all taken. This too is a wealth of resource, new and innovative products, and a wonderful time of networking for anyone in funeral service. I hope to see you there. Bill Chancellor MFDA Policy Board Representative MFDA Installs 2017-2018 Board of Directors The Mississippi Funeral Directors Association (MFDA) announced the 2017-2018 slate of officers and directors during the Installation Banquet at the LFDA & MFDA Joint Convention held at the Board of Trade in New Orleans, LA on June 13, 2017. The 12 funeral directors installed include: President, Ladd Pulliam, a licensed funeral director and embalmer who has recently begun his second tenure with Jones and Son Funeral Home. Ladd has been in the funeral industry since 2000. He is a graduate of East Mississippi Community College School of Funeral Service. He is currently serving his second term as MFDA President. President Elect, Sammy Reed, manages Lee Memorial Funeral Home and has more than 20 years of funeral service experience. In addition to being a licensed funeral director and embalmer at the funeral home, he also serves as a Deputy Coroner for Lee County. Vice President, Brett Brewster, CFSP, is Vice President for his family funeral home, Cutshall Funeral Home. He graduated from the University of North Alabama with a major in Small Business Entrepreneurship Management, and then later attended Northwest Mississippi Community College where he earned his degree in Funeral Service Technology. Secretary-Treasurer, John Wise, began his career in the funeral business in 1978 working for his father, James L. Wise, Sr. at Wise Funeral Home in Eupora. He received his Funeral Director s License in 1980 and later earned a Mortuary Science Degree from East Mississippi Community College. He achieved his Funeral Service License in 1988. Past President, Sandra Chancellor, has held her funeral director's license since 1984 and is the Office Administrator for Chancellor Funeral Home. Sandra graduated from Hinds Community College in 1983 with a degree in nursing, and has been employed by Hinds General Hospital, Mississippi Baptist Medical Center-Home Health, and most recently, Lakeshore Clinic in south Jackson. NFDA Policy Board Representative, Bill Chancellor, is the owner of Chancellor Funeral Home. He completed his education at Jefferson State School of Mortuary Science. Bill moved to Jackson in 1980 and has been serving the Jackson metro area in funeral service since. Continued on pg. 6 Page 5
Northern District Governor, Whitney Pegues, currently serves as the President of the Gumtree Museum of Art Guild of Volunteers. She earned her Bachelor of Business Administration degree in 2009 from The University of Mississippi. Northern District Governor, Troy Smith, serves as the location manager of Brantley Funeral Home. He received a degree in Accounting from University of Mississippi in 2012, and a degree in Funeral Service Technology from Northwest Mississippi Community College in 2013. Troy also serves on the Northwest Mississippi Community College Advisory Committee for the Funeral Service Program. Central District Governor, Rusty Walton, is a Licensed Funeral Director and Embalmer and Monument and Pre-need consultant at Milling Funeral Home. Central District Governor, James Waggoner, is a Funeral Director and Embalmer at both Oliver Funeral Home and Lee Funeral Home. He received his Mortuary Science degree at Holmes Community College in 2004. In addition to his career at the funeral homes, he served as Montgomery County Deputy Coroner from 2008 to 2015. Southern District Governor, Bruce Lynd, is a Funeral Director and Manager at Heritage Funeral Home. Southern District Governor, Brett Moore, serves as a Funeral Director at Moore Funeral Home. He is a third generation funeral director and embalmer, began working part-time with his family s business Moore Funeral Homes, Inc. in 2006. He graduated from East Mississippi Community College s Mortuary Program in 2011. MFDA News MFSSC Tommy Hurt Scholarship Fund 2017 Recipient In memory of cherished club member, Tommy Hurt, the Mississippi Funeral Supply & Sales Club (MFSSC) began a scholarship fund for deserving students seeking vocation in the funeral profession. MFSSC members contribute to this fund voluntarily each year. The past 3 years MFSSC has been honored that Danny Hurt, Tommy s son, graciously donated his time to present the award at the Expo of the South. This year s recipient was chosen carefully by fellow club member Steve Quinn who worked closely with Holmes Community College in the selection process. The 2017 recipient is Will Wilson. Will, 27, grew up in the Jackson, MsS area and attended Madison Central High School. He is currently a Mortuary Science sophomore student at Holmes Community College in Ridgeland, Ms. Will resides in Greenwood, Ms where he completed his apprenticeship as a resident trainee under the guidance of licensed funeral director Will Gnemi at Williams & Lord Funeral Home. Before assisting in serving families of the Greenwood area, Will worked as a removal specialist for Kevin Hughes at Greater Jackson Mortuary Service for one year. Upon completion of school in May, he will sit for the National Board Examination and remain in Greenwood as a licensed funeral director. Will Wilson is passionate and sincere abut his career in funeral service. The Mississippi Funeral Supply & Sales club proudly recognizes Will Wilson as the 2017 recipient of the Tommy Hurt Scholarship Fund Award and wishes him the best on a long career in the funeral profession. Page 6
MFDA News MFDA Recognizes Tommy Powell for 50 Years of Service to the Funeral Profession The Mississippi Funeral Directors Association (MFDA) is pleased to announce the recipient of the 50 Years of Service award. This award is presented annually to someone who has been in the funeral service profession for 50 years and has shown exemplary service and dedication. The 2017 recipient was formally honored by MFDA on June 13, 2017 at the Installation Banquet during the 2017 LFDA & Mississippi Funeral Directors Association (MFDA) Joint Convention. The convention took place June 10-13, 2017 at the Windsor Court Hotel in New Orleans, LA. The 2017 recipient is Mr. Tommy A. Powell with Mississippi Mortuary Services in Pearl, Mississippi. Mr. Powell has been in the industry for 54 hardworking years. Powell began working in the funeral profession while he was a senior in high school in 1962 at Gunter funeral Home in Columbus, MS part time. In 1965 he graduated from the Dallas Institute, Gupton Jones Mortuary School, in Dallas, Tx. and passed his National Boards in 1965. After working for Powell worked in Columbus for a few years until he moved to the coast and worked at Bradford-O Keefe Funeral Home in Biloxi, MS. In 1970 he moved to Jackson, MS and went to work at Baldwin Funeral Home (later known as Baldwin-Lee Funeral Home) until 1998 when he joined the staff at Mississippi Mortuary Services as an embalmer and crematory operator where he is still presently employed. Information about the MFDA 50 Years of Service award can be found by visiting www.mississippifuneraldirectors.com. Registration and application materials for 2018 will be available in April 2018. MFDA Awards Brandon Berry with Student of the Year Award The Mississippi Funeral Directors Association (MFDA) is honored to announce the recipient of the 2017 Student of the Year Award, which is awarded to faculty-selected students from each of Mississippi s Mortuary Schools. The recipient of the MFDA 2017 Student of the Year Award is: Brandon M. Berry, Memphis, Tn., who is studying Mortuary Science at Northwest Community College. The MFDA Student of the Year was honored on Monday, June 12, 2017 during the LFDA & Mississippi Funeral Directors Association (MFDA) 2017 Joint Convention at the Windsor Court Hotel in New Orleans, La. To find out more about the MFDA Student of the Year Program, visit www.mississippifuneraldirectors.com. Page 7
MFDA News Continued MFDA Recognizes Sandra Chancellor as Funeral Director of the Year The Mississippi Funeral Directors Association (MFDA) bestowed Sandra Chancellor with the honor of 2017 Funeral Director of the Year. She was recognized during the LFDA & MFDA Joint Convention Installation Banquet held on June 13, 2017 at the Board of Trade in New Orleans, La. Chancellor is the Office Administrator for Chancellor Funeral Homes and is also a licensed funeral director since 1984. She graduated from Hinds Community College in 1983 with a degree in nursing. She has many dedicated years to MFDA from leadership positions such as Treasurer and most currently President to stepping in as interim Executive Director. Chancellor was presented with the MFDA Funeral Director of the Year Award for her dedication, leadership and service to MFDA and the funeral profession. The Funeral Director of the Year Award is given to a funeral director regarded by others as a role model who goes above and beyond the call of their everyday work to make a difference. The recipient is an exceptional and dedicated volunteer that has made outstanding contributions to the advancement of the funeral profession. Page 8 NFDA News NFDA Consumer Survey: Funeral Planning Not a Priority for Americans Brookfield, Wis. June 22, 2017 For the fifth consecutive year, the National Funeral Directors Association s (NFDA) annual Consumer Awareness and Preferences Study indicates that consumers acknowledge the importance of preplanning their own funeral, but fail to do so in practice. This year s findings reveal that 62.5 percent of consumers felt it was very important to communicate their funeral plans and wishes to family members prior to their own death, yet only 21.4 percent had done so. Even though nearly two-thirds of Americans acknowledge the importance of prearrangements, respondents cited several factors as preventing them from planning, namely that preplanning is not a priority, that they have not thought about it, or that prepaying is too costly. Consumers are Not Shopping for their Funeral Homes Key findings from the NFDA 2017 Consumer Awareness and Preferences Study indicate that end-of-life services are becoming increasingly personal, with families wanting new, unique ways to honor and celebrate the lives of loved ones. Despite this, most are not inquiring at multiple funeral homes to compare costs and services offered. The percentage of respondents who contacted more than one funeral home was only 18.9 percent, and of those who visited/ called more than one funeral home, 52.3 percent did so to compare prices. Every funeral home offers unique services and pricing structure. To help families plan a meaningful tribute to their loved one, NFDA recommends calling or better yet, visiting several funeral homes to find one with licensed funeral directors who understand their emotional needs and will be sensitive to their budget. According to NFDA s survey, the way families choose to honor and celebrate loved ones continues to evolve. End-of-Life Services Outside of the Funeral Home Indicating a shift away from the popularity of the funeral home setting, almost half of respondents have attended a funeral at a non-traditional location, such as a cemetery, an outdoor setting, a home, or a similar meaningful location that represents the life and interests of the deceased. (Continued on page 9)
NFDA News Continued Importance of Religious Components at All-Time Low The percent of respondents who feel it is very important to have religion incorporated into a funeral service has decreased from 49.5 percent in 2012 to 39.5 percent in 2017, an all-time low. This mirrors a broader trend of Americans not identifying with a religion. As a result, families are turning to non-clergy celebrants, a specially trained officiant of an end-of-life service, to conduct ceremonies. Green Funerals Gaining Popularity Just over half of respondents (53.8 percent) said they would be interested in exploring green memorialization options to reduce the environmental impact of end-of-life rituals. Green services can include use of biodegradable caskets, a formaldehyde-free embalming process, recycled paper products and more. Therapy Dogs Guide Funerals from Start to Finish To bring comfort to families, both while planning a funeral and during the service itself, funeral homes are offering certified therapy dogs; 34.5 percent of respondents said they would be extremely interested or very interested in having a therapy dog present during a memorial or funeral service. Families Planning Memorial Services When Choosing Cremation With the rate of cremation surpassing that of burial, more consumers want to have a memorial service when they choose cremation (40.4 percent in 2017 vs. 35.1 percent in 2015). Consumers are increasingly aware that they can view a prepared but not embalmed body as part of a service before cremation (47.8 percent in 2017 vs. 39.7 percent in 2015). The Consumer Awareness and Preferences Study is conducted annually to measure consumer perceptions of funeral services. Invitations are emailed to a consumer panel consisting of Americans age 40 and older, with 1,013 individuals completing the study in 2017. Page 9
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LFDA & MFDA Joint Convention Highlights Page 11
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MFDA News MFDA Members Honor Military Plane Crash Victims On Monday, July 10, 2017, a military KC-130 crashed in Leflore County, Mississippi, taking the lives of 16 servicemen. Throughout the remainder of that day and the next day, their remains were transferred to the Mississippi Crime Lab in Pearl to await transfer to the mortuary affairs base in Dover, DE. Early in the evening on Tuesday, July 11, I received a call from my good friend Mike Squires on behalf of the liaison contracted by the military to handle the transportation arrangements for these soldiers. Mike asked me to contact the liaison and see if our association would be able to assist them in this matter. After a lengthy conversation with Carson Sprow, I agreed to contact some of our members and see if we could arrange for 16 funeral coaches, all white, to assist them with the transfer of the soldiers bodies from the crime lab to the Air Guard base located beside the airport in Jackson. In less than 30 minutes, with the help of some of the other officers in our association, we had the cars secured and ready to go. The biggest hurdle however was not knowing a date or a time for the transfer. We learned at 3:00 p.m. on Wednesday that the coaches and drivers were needed at the crime lab at 4:30 a.m. the following morning! Thankfully, the military soon decided that there was no way they could complete their task and have the remains encased and ready for transfer that early, so the time was pushed back to 6:30 a.m.. Without hesitation, our members, along with 2 members of the Mississippi Funeral Directors and Morticians Association, graciously accepted the task and honored these men with a professional and dignified journey to board their final flight. As president of this great association, I can not begin to tell you the pride I felt knowing these funeral directors gave of their own time to help in this noble task. Thankfully, Mississippi doesn t experience tragedies like this often, but when it does, the true American spirit comes out through our funeral directors and we rise to the task at hand to offer our true service in time of need. MFDA Foundation PROMOTING ACADEMIC EXCELLENCE BY PROVIDING ADDITIONAL RESOURCES AND OPPORTUNITIES FOR IMPROVING THE QUALITY OF EDUCATION IN THE FUNERAL SERVICE PROFESSION. To make a memorial donation or a general donation to the MFDA Foundation, please contact MFDA at (601) 978-1920 or MFDA@TatmanGroup.com. The foundation is a 501(c)3 organization and all donations are tax-deductible to the extent allowed by law. Page 13
Classifieds Classified ads are provided as a complimentary service to MFDA members. Ads will run for one issue, unless an extension is requested. To place your classified ad, send a Word document with the information to: Mississippi Funeral Directors Association P.O. Box 22584, Jackson, MS 39225 Or Email: MFDA@TatmanGroup.com The ad will appear in the following newsletter. The printed ad should not be deemed to constitute a recommendation or endorsement of any type by MFDA. Advertiser Index Company Page Ad Appears American Benefit Life Insurance Company 9 Federated Insurance 12 Homesteaders Life Company 10 MFDA Foundation 13 Pollan Promos 9 Superior Funeral & Life Insurance Company 2 Page 14
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Mississippi Funeral Directors Association P.O. Box 22584, Jackson, MS 39225 Phone: (601) 978-1920 Fax: (601) 957-5679 Email: MFDA@TatmanGroup.com www.mississippifuneraldirectors.com Mark Your Calendar! Event Date Location NFDA International Convention October 29-November 1, 2017 Boston, MA MFDA Winter Seminar January 28-30, 2018 Vicksburg, MS LFDA & MFDA Joint Convention June 2-5, 2018 Golden Nugget Biloxi, MS