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Alumni > Jim Livesay Service Awards > Kay Barksdale - 2010 Livesay Award Winner

Kay Barksdale - 2010 Livesay Award Winner

Kay Barksdale is a native of Memphis, Tennessee. She entered Millsaps College in 1960 as a religion major. While attending Millsaps, she worked as an assistant in the Religion Department, as a reporter and then co-editor of the Purple and White and was a member of Chi Omega sorority. She graduated in 1964, married and worked in Jackson, first as a teller at First National Bank, then as a youth director at Galloway Memorial United Methodist Church. She returned to Millsaps in 1973 and worked for a short while in the Millsaps Admissions Office recruiting in Jackson area schools.

In 1974 she moved with her family to Greenwood, Mississippi where she worked at the Greenwood Commonwealth. There she became Women's Editor in 1975 and later News Editor and Wire Editor. She also worked for two years at the Greenwood-LeFlore Chamber of Commerce. She returned to Jackson in 1986 and joined the Development Office at Millsaps as Director of Public Relations under Bill Franklin, Vice President for Development. She moved to Director of Alumni Relations under Jim Lewis in 1993, then Director of College and Church Relations until early 2000. She later became Director of Church Relations under Don Ray then Church and Parent Relations under Charles Lewis until 2008.

During her career at Millsaps she worked on many special projects, including:  the preparation and planning for the Millsaps Centennial in 1989 and 1990; Major Notes; Annual Reports, coordinated programs for dedication of Olin Hall and the Millsaps Tower; coordinated Alumni Council, annual move-in day activities, Parents Council, Council on Church Relations, set up the concert schedule and traveled  with the Millsaps Chamber Singers under Dr. Tim Coker to United Methodist Churches in Mississippi for 13 years and accompanied them on national tours; worked with the Dean's Office to coordinate commencement activities for 15 years; was part of the planning team with Chaplain Don Fortenberry to create the Faith and Work program and the Center for Ministry. She also worked with Vernon King and alumni Lee McCormick and Ward Van Skiver to raise funds for the John Wesley statue on campus.