I think I found the answer. At least all the pieces seem to fit.
Your cover is dated 1926 and in that year an A.J. Watson, Jr. (a/k/a Allan John (Jack) Watson, Jr.) was a Freshman and an engineering student at Mississippi A&M, later renamed Mississippi State University. (Incidentally, A&M stands for Agricultural and Mechanical.)
Here's his Freshman year photo:
And a page from his Senior Class Yearbook in 1929:
According to my research, he would later become the third Chief Executive Officer at Mississippi Power (and even had a generating plant named after him).
He died in 1998 at the age of 89. His obituary text is recited here:
Quote:
GULFPORT - Allan John Watson Jr. (Jack), 89, died Sunday, Feb. 8, in Gulfport. Born Aug. 11, 1908, in Biloxi, Mr. Watson was educated in the Biloxi public schools and in 1929 received a BS degree in electrical engineering from Mississippi State University where he also did post-graduate work. He was a member of Tau Beta Pi and Phi Kappa Phi engineering honor societies. His career as a professional engineer spanned 43 years at Mississippi Power Co., where he began working as a student engineer during his college days. He joined the company full-time as an engineering assistant in 1930 and progressed over the years to the position of president and chief executive officer, which he assumed in 1958. He was also a director of Mississippi Power Company as well as of the Southern Company and became chairman of the board and chief executive officer of Mississippi Power in 1972. He retired as chairman of the board in 1973 and as a director of both MPC and the Southern Company in 1978. A registered professional engineer, Mr. Watson was a member of the Mississippi and National Societies of Professional Engineers and a senior member of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers. He directed the effort to restore electric service to the Mississippi Coast following Hurricane Camille in 1969 and in 1970, accepted on behalf of Mississippi Power, the Edison Award, the utility Industry's highest honor, presented by the Edison Electric Institute for the company's outstanding performance. Mr. Watson was also an advisory director of Hancock Bank, Gulfport; director and member of the executive committee of the Mississippi Business and Industrial Development Corporation; and a trustee of Southern Research Institute of Birmingham. He served on the Mississippi Agricultural & Industrial Board from 1964 to 1967 and was a director of the Mississippi Economic Council and chairman of its Resources and Development Committee in 1967 and 1968. Always active in his community, Mr. Watson was a former director and president of the Gulfport Rotary Club and a former director of the Gulfport Chamber of Commerce and the Gulf Coast Symphony. He served as vice president and a member of the executive board of the Pine Burr Area Council, Boy Scouts of America and was a recipient of the Silver Beaver Award in 1969. He was also a trustee for the Gulf Pines Girl Scouts Council Trust fund and was a trustee of Piney Woods Country Life School. Mr. Watson was an Episcopalian and a vestryman for many years at Church of the Redeemer in Biloxi, serving as senior warden from 1960-63. He became a member of St. Peter's by-the-Sea Episcopal Church in Gulfport in 1977. He was a longtime member of the Gulfport Yacht Club and had served on the board of directors. He also held membership in the Boston Club of New Orleans, the Capital City Petroleum Club in Jackson and the Downtown Club in Meridian. Mr. Watson was preceded in death by his parents, Allan John Watson and Nell White Watson; and a sister, Mary Ellen Watson. He is survived by his wife, Martha Jeanne Doty Watson; two children, Maria Louise Watson and Allan John Watson III, both of Gulfport; and a brother, William White Watson of New Augusta. Burial will be private. A memorial Eucharist will be celebrated at 2 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 12, at St. Peter's by-the-Sea Episcopal where the family will receive friends for a half hour before the service. The family prefers donations to St. Peter's by-the-Sea Episcopal Church, 3100 W. Beach Blvd., Gulfport, MS 39501; or to Mississippi State University where an electrical engineering scholarship is being established in his memory. Checks should be made payable to the Electrical Engineering Dept., P.O. Box 9571, Mississippi State, MS 39762. Bradford-O'Keefe Funeral Home in Gulfport is in charge of arrangements.
Posted 09/10/2014 03:05 am
