Tuesday Morning, September 8, 2020, the Forrest County Board of Supervisors meeting was an emotional scene as long time Forrest County Chief Administrator Officer Betty Carlisle was surprised with a Lifetime Achievement Award.
Right before declaring a morning recess for lunch, Forrest County Board of Supervisors President David Hogan called out for Hattiesburg's Hometown Hero, Derrian Moye to come forward. He wasn't in the room nor was he on the printed agenda. One person in the audience stepped out to get Mr. Moye who entered the board room with a parade of women behind him.
Hogan told Moye "come right on up Mr. Moye" as he entered, inviting him to the front of the room to the podium. Mr. Moye, known mostly as "Mr. Hattiesburg", began by speaking by acknowledging the fact that this is the year women are celebrating a 100 years of women suffrage.
He acknowledge how far woman have come in cracking the 'glass ceiling.' Moye said, "We've got our first African American (our) first woman on [Forrest County Board of Supervisors] the board to show how far we've come!" as he pointed toward Sharon Thompson, the first woman and African American to ever be elected to the Forrest County Board of Supervisors.
Then in a surprise, he said, "I want to honor Mrs. Betty. I want to use my platform as Hometown Hero to honor a real hero!" after recognizing Mrs. Betty Carlisle, Forrest County Chief Administrator Officer, called to check on him serval times as he talked about his near death experience fighting both severe pneumonia and severe covid 19 at the same time.
A emotional Mrs. Betty uttered, "I'm going to cry!" as she fought back tears. Moye then invited Mrs. Betty's co-workers up, who spoke in very high regard of what a great person she was, a loving caring person, a great boss, and shared how much she really means to the entire staff.
"Here's a piece of that glass ceiling for women", Mr. Moye said as he presented Mrs. Betty with a "Hometown Hero's Lifetime Achievement Award Women's Edition" glass award in honor of the 100 years celebration of women's suffrage. The room erupted in a round of applause, filled with the most powerful people in the county, from The Board of Supervisors & sheriff, to constables, directors, court clerks, attorneys, and county residents, all thanking a woman who's given so much for so long to the citizens of Forrest County, MS.
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