August 2014 ~ Peoples Bank

Monday, August 18, 2014

Simpson County Platinum Club Luncheon

Political cartoonist Marshall Ramsay was the guest speaker for two luncheons held this summer for members of the Peoples Bank Platinum Club.

Ramsay entertained Platinum Club members who attended last Thursday’s luncheon in Mendenhall with stories of his beginnings as a cartoonist, his busy family of a wife and three boys, the family’s adventures with a series of dogs, and, more seriously, his bout with melanoma, a potentially deadly form of cancer.

Along the way, the two-time Pulitzer Prize finalist showed pictures of some of his more famous cartoons, which have appeared for several years in the Clarion-Ledger, the New York Times and USA Today.

He also shared his faith and his philosophy of life.

“Every day is a blessing,” he said. “You have to lean into it.”

“Bad things will happen to you,” he cautioned, “but great things will come from them. Some of the best things in my life have come from my worst moments.”

Ramsay recalled the day that his publisher at the Clarion-Ledger cut him back to part-time in a cost-cutting measure.

He said that “worst moment” actually expanded his career. He used his extra time to write several books and take to the speakers’ circuit, things he never thought he could do.

“I had to learn how to laugh at the things that drove me crazy,” he said. “I could have been angry or I could have made a joke. I made a joke.”

He advised his audience not to be afraid to try new things. “You may fail,” he said, “but you may succeed!”

Despite the fun he makes of Mississippi’s political figures in his cartoons, he says he loves people, even those he disagrees with politically.

Approximately 165 Platinum Club members attended the August 14 Mendenhall luncheon in First Baptist Church’s Family Life Center. The meal was catered by Smokey Mountain Grill.

The summer’s first luncheon was held in Collins on July 24 at the Collins Civic Center. There, Ramsay spoke to about 60 Platinum members and staff of Peoples Bank. Lunch was catered by Morgan’s on Main.

Peoples Bank Platinum Club organizes trips and other events for customers age 50 and over and provides a variety of services and “perks.”

More information on Platinum Club membership is available at any office of Peoples Bank or by contacting Oliver McLean, Platinum Club director, at 601-832-1752.