To honor the legacy of the late Gov. William Winter, the Two Mississippi Museums will offer free admission to the public on Friday, Feb. 21. The free admission is made possible by Jones Walker LLP, which acquired Watkins, Ludlam, Winter and Stennis, where Governor Winter worked for over 50 years.
"We are honored to acknowledge the contributions of Governor and First Lady Winter by facilitating access to the Two Mississippi Museums," stated Bill Hines, managing partner of Jones Walker LLP. "We trust visitors will come away with an understanding of their passion for Mississippi's history and their dedication to educating future generations."
Known for his staunch support for public education in Mississippi, Winter helped raise endowment funds to bring Mississippi’s school children to the Two Mississippi Museums—the Museum of Mississippi History and the Mississippi Civil Rights Museum.
The Two Mississippi Museums stand at the intersection of Winter’s greatest passions — history, education, and racial justice. He was a leading force behind the public/private partnerships that created the site’s conception and eventual construction. He once said the museums “were built for all of us, but most especially they were built for our children and our grandchildren and future generations.”
Winter served on the MDAH Board of Trustees for more than 50 years and was president for nearly that long. He died Dec.18, 2020, at the age of 97. Elise Winter, his wife of 70 years who was a community activist and author, died just six months after her husband on July 17, 2021.
The Foundation for Mississippi History established The William and Elise Winter Education Endowment to memorialize Mississippi’s former governor and first lady and their commitment to education and preservation. Funds are used to defray costs such as admission, travel, and on-site lunches for students.
For more information, email info@mdah.ms.gov or call 601-576-6850. To learn more about school field trips to the Two Mississippi Museums or to make a field trip reservation visit https://2mm.mdah.ms.gov/learn/field-trips.