With a glimmer in his eye and a smile on his face, a hometownboy returned Thursday to give something back to the community — agift that will allow the creative talents of Mississippi studentsto be nurtured and grown for years to come.

Richard Scruggs — better known as “Dickie” in the late 1950swhen he lived in Brookhaven with his aunt and uncle Bill and SugarFurlow — was in town Thursday with his wife Diane to present a$450,000 check to the Mississippi School of the ArtsFoundation.

The gift by Mr. and Mrs. Scruggs was given in honor of hismother, Helen Furlow Scruggs. Thursday’s check brings their totalgift to the school to half a million dollars.

The old Y-Hut building will be renamed in honor of Helen FurlowScruggs, and a dedication ceremony is planned next March. Both thecampus and the Y-Hut have a special meaning to Scruggs. His motherwas a student at Whitworth, and the Y-Hut played an important rolein not only her life but his, too. The Y-Hut was used for years asa teen center for local kids, including the years Scruggs livedhere.

Last week the school took another step toward reality whenschool officials announced the application process is ready tobegin. The application procedures have been finalized; applicationbooks are printed and ready for shipment to high schools across thestate.

Between 90 and 100 high school juniors will be walking thegrounds of the old Whitworth campus this time next year, and thecampus will again be invigorating the minds of students and helpingMississippi stand out as a leader in fine arts education.

For so many in this community, a dream is coming true. It wasonly a few short years ago that the historic buildings seemeddestined for collapse. Attempt after attempt to save the campus ledto disappointment.

It was only a few short years ago that Lampton Auditoriumstubbornly refused to give up, even as the weight of the tile roofand termite damaged trusses were ruled unsafe and the buildingcondemned. It was an unexpected generous gift by the late Monelleand Andrew Smith that saved the building from collapse. Then, anerrant welders spark started a fire that should have destroyed thebuilding — and was minutes from doing so — when the blaze wasdiscovered in the middle of the night.

I like to remind MSA Director Vicki Bodenhamer of those storieswhen the problems that come with creating a school from scratchseem overwhelming.

This campus seems to have a destiny. How else do you explain theunprecedented statewide support the idea received from legislators,who grasped the idea and passed legislation in three short months?The school then picked up the support of the governor, who hadplanned to veto the bill because he considered it too costly.

The Whitworth campus has defied odds over the years, and theschool still has some major funding hurdles to overcome before thedoors open next August. It is the generosity of those like Dickieand Diane Scruggs that will help make the Mississippi School of theArts a dream come true. They understand the vision and importanceof the school, not just to Brookhaven and Lincoln County, but tothe entire state of Mississippi.

Write to Bill Jacobs at P.O. Box 551, Brookhaven, Miss.39602.