LAUREL —
A special tribute was held for Dr. Robert (Bob) Holifield this week in recognition of his contributions to the community and years of service as a dental missionary.
Holifield, a retired dentist, and his wife, Jeanne, established the Honduras Baptist Dental Mission in 1974. When the Rev. and Mrs. Charlie Herrington came to him for dental work for their daughter while on furlough from work as Baptist missionaries to Honduras, they expressed a desperate need for dental care in the country.
William Wells, a local pharmacist, said the Holifields responded to the need by gathering a group of volunteers to travel with him to Honduras. His church family at First Baptist in Laurel helped him put a team together and a two week mission was underway.
The Holifields wanted to continue the ministry to Honduras, so in 1975 the Honduras Baptist Dental Mission became a non-profit organization.
Many of the individuals who served on mission teams, family, well-wishers and friends gathered in the FBC Family Life Center for a celebration of the life and work of Bob Holifield Tuesday. Judge Charles Pickering was the master of ceremony and former Mississippi Game and Fish Commissioner Billy Joe Cross was the guest speaker.
A number of other friends, including Wells, spoke at the event which turned into a roast for the man known to many as “Dr. Bob.”
Holifield, who celebrated his 89th birthday Thursday, said, “I think it is nice of my friends to honor us this way. I really don’t like to be the one out front, but I appreciate their desire to do this for me.”
Features
Related Photos
-
Dr. Robert (Bob) Holifield and his wife, Jeanne, stand behind a birthday cake that was made by Sherry Shows. The cake was among the gifts given to Dr. Holifield during a tribute dinner Tuesday night. Photo/Charlotte A. Graham
Dr. Holifield recognized for contributions as dental missionary
- Features
-
-
Family & Friends Day at Heidelberg church
Wesley Chapel African Methodist Episcopal Church of Heidelberg recently celebrated its Family and Friends Day.
-
Leaf River recognized as environmental leader
A Perry County business was recently recognized by the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality as one of the state’s 10 new environmental leaders.
-
Glenn retires after 41-year banking career
Danny Glenn, one of Laurel’s most well-known and respected community bankers, retired Friday after a 41-year banking career.
-
Literacy council planning gospel concert fundraiser
Members of the Pine Belt Adult Literacy Council are busy finalizing plans for a gospel concert that will serve as a fundraiser to aid the organization in its efforts to combat illiteracy in the area.
-
No Pain, No Pearl
When Grandmother went to heaven, I was given her pearl necklace. Looking at the pearls reminds me that a lot of pain caused such beauty.
-
Are you prepared to share the Gospel?
Dear friends, we are now two weeks into the year 2011. Hopefully, our many optimistic thoughts surrounding this New Year are still very bright! Yes, we still have time to straighten out what we made crooked last year — by following through with the commitments we miscarried then. So, this is still the time of year to renew our resolve to recover and maintain our spiritual, domestic, vocational, and civil priorities.
-
McLaurin named Religious Leader of the Year
Rev. James E. McLaurin of Laurel has been named the 2011 Religious Leader of the Year by the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Parade Committee of the Pine Belt.
-
Degree offering aimed at ‘new atheism’ movement
Wesley Biblical Seminary is trying to combat the “new atheism” movement with an Apologetics degree program offered for the first time this fall.
-
With or Without Cheer
Once I typed a column named “New Year With a Cheer”, but times have changed dramatically.
-
Happy New Year - 2011!
Dear friends, yet again, we are beginning to embark upon a brand new year!
- More Features Headlines
-
Obama Scraps Birth Control Mandate
US Airmen's Killer Sentenced to Life in Germany
Navy Names Ship for Gabrielle Giffords
Raw Video: Deadly Blasts in Syria
Romney Slams President Obama at CPAC
Gingrich: Pres. Obama 'waging War on Religion'
5 Killed in Wrong-way Crash on I-10 in La.
Uzbek Man Pleads Guilty in Plot to Kill Obama
Denver's Largest-Ever Drug Bust Nets Dozens
Marines: No Punishment for Nazi-like Flag
Vets Look to Translate Military Skills Into Jobs
Raw Video: School Bus Burst Into Flames
LA School Reopens Amid Sex Abuse Scandal
$25B Settlement Reached Over Foreclosure Abuses
Pentagon: Allow Women Closer to Front Lines
LA School in Sex Abuse Scandal Reopens
Raw Video: Italy's Mount Etna Bursts Into Life
Greeks March; Angry Despite Debt Deal
Air Force Airlines: Leaders Get Polished Service
Ga Girl Fights Off Kidnapper at Walmart
