Governors sample Mississippi hospitality

From left, Diane Patrick, wife of Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick; Airman Basic Justin Peoples, 334th Train-ing Squadron, and Gayle Manchin, wife of West Virginia Gov. Joe Manchin, demonstrate their hula-hoop skills at Saturday’s luau at marina park. The event was organized to entertain and honor families of Keesler’s deployed members. (U.S. Air Force photo by Adam Bond)

Governors sample Mississippi hospitality

Published July 22, 2009
By Angela Cutrer
81st Training Wing Public Affairs

KEESLER AIR FORCE BASE, Miss. -- It's been quite awhile since the governors of the United States enjoyed the breezes off the Mississippi Gulf Coast -- 74 years, in fact -- but that all changed last weekend when the National Governors Association kicked off its 101st annual meeting in Biloxi.

Spouses of the governors and guests enjoyed a Keesler welcome during a Saturday luau at the base marina, where they passed out gift bags to families of Keesler members who either recently returned from deployment or who will be deployed in the next 90 days.

Luau participants enjoyed games of limbo and musical chairs, as well as water slide events, prizes and music. Keesler Federal Credit Union provided funds for a menu of chicken and beef kabobs, macaroni salad, baked beans, pulled pork sandwiches and drinks.

Country music star Paul Overstreet surprised the guests with an impromptu performance, and he signed autographs to show his support to military families having to deal with loved ones on deployment.

"Family members are under as much stress as the deployed member," said Master Sgt. Jessica Woodruff, family readiness noncommissioned officer with the airman and family readiness center. "I thought it was time we recognized the families for all their sacrifices and for supporting our deployed members."

Sergeant Woodruff, who coordinated and implemented the weekend event as part of her scheduled monthly events for families of deployed members, had a special reason to feel proud of the event -- her spouse, Tech Sgt. Fred Woodruff, is deployed to Iraq from the 81st Surgical Operations Squadron until January.

The last time the NGA annual meeting met on the Coast was in June 1935, when the governors attending numbered but 20, including Alabama's David Graves and Mississippi's Martin Conner. In contrast, last year's centennial meeting in Philadelphia, where former president Bill Clinton served as the keynote speaker, played host to 30 governors, 38 former governors and 15 other special guests.

This year's affair, with Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour as host, spotlighted Gov. Edward Rendell of Pennsylvania's year-long initiative concerning U.S. economic stability; a keynote address by Zhang Dawei, vice governor of Henan Provincial Government in China; and U.S. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano delivering a central address about emergency preparedness.

Brig. Gen. Ian Dickinson, 81st Training Wing commander, and his wife, JJ, were guests at Sunday's conference brunch, where the Keesler Honor Guard presented the colors.
The weekend before the event, Keesler volunteers joined other Biloxi civic groups in a city-wide cleanup in preparation for the visitors.