2015

Unsung Hero ofthe Year:

Editor's note: We asked the communitylead– ers to nominate individuals wbo have done much to improveNewton County. but rarely get i·ecog– nized for it. From ihOSi' nominations. we chose the second Bllllual .4ppe8J UnsuntrHero of tbe rear. Phil SmphiD. a retired edu :ator with more Lbaa .JO yearsofsemceinJli. issi.ppi. Tenn~and West Virginia It's our hope that tllls annual recognition will showNewton Countyjust howspeciB.1 these indi– viduB.1.s - and their ccntributions - a.re. rat Ooma Campbell a.is "'1ew1oocountyappeaJ.com Th re's a joke that follows Phil Sutphin L"OUnd Decatur. Af, an educator with a doctorate hangingon · mill. Sutphin, the former president ofEast Ceotn.J. Community College, is known around a.-. '"Dr. Phil." other Dr. Phil is Phil McGraw, a famous telerl'.," n psychologist who solves guests' prob– lmis. ·we hm'e a~ joke going around about that.- he said ~~fy usual response is, I don't chwif!e as much or make as much." But like bb counterpart, Sutphin is known for fixinl!'problem. and helping others. MI always like to help folks, to be as helpful as po sible:· he said. Sutphin is chairman of the Decatur zoning board and pre ident of the Greater Decatur Chamber of Commerce. He's a member of the Decatur Lions Club and serves on the board at Laird Hospital in Union. He serves on several boards for his church, Decatur UnitedMethodist, both locally and statewide. He also sings in the choir. He's not one to boast about his involvement behind the scenes or to talk about financial con– tributions to worthy causes. He does what he does be– cause it's the right thing to do. It's never about the giory, said Mayor Pat O'Neill. who attend.$ church with Sutphin Wld hi.. wife. the !or– :d.

ployed as well. He also worked at Concord College in West Virginia. It all prep81'1:!d him fo!' a caJ'1'1 •r back in ~fissi! -.ippi He joined the staff of l::.1JCC under lhe leader:.;;__hip of ' ~

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O;\~·ill ..;aid. ~His heart is in the right place." Sutphin was born in -v _ :: :; = ! _

Blue Mountain, where

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his father, the Rev. Felix : • A Sutphin, was a long- time president of Wood College in Mathiston