Ole Miss Law School to Honor Five Individuals with Hall of Fame Induction
Judge William H. Barbour Jr. (J.D. 66) of Yazoo City and Myres S. McDougal (B.A. 26, MA 27, LLB 35) of New Haven, Connecticut, will be among the inductees posthumously honored. The remaining three inductees are Minnie P. Howard (B.A. 76, J.D. 80) of Batesville, Michael C. Moore (B.A. 74, J.D. 76) of Ridgeland, and Colette A. Oldmixon (J.D. 81) of Poplarville.
Susan Duncan, the dean of the School of Law, expressed her admiration for the exceptional caliber of individuals being inducted into the Hall of Fame. The Hall of Fame classes testify to the School's 170-year legacy of producing outstanding practitioners and community leaders.
Following his undergraduate studies at Princeton University, Barbour earned his degree from U.M. law school in 1966. He subsequently practiced law with his family members in Yazoo City until 1983, when President Ronald Reagan appointed him an Article III judge to the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Mississippi. He retired from the position in 2019.
Minnie P. Howard, a 1980 law school graduate, currently serves as the deputy director of North Mississippi Rural Legal Services in Oxford. Howard has dedicated her career spanning over 40 years to providing civil legal assistance to low-income individuals in Mississippi. Her work includes cases involving voting rights, school desegregation, consumer issues, public benefits, and disability. In addition, Howard has taught in the law school's clinical programs, imparting practical experience to law students for over two decades.
McDougal, born in 1906 in the Burton community of Prentiss County, graduated from Booneville High School before achieving academic success at Ole Miss. While studying at the university, he was actively involved in varsity football, served as the editor of the Daily Mississippian, and was elected as the student body president.By age 20, McDougal had already obtained his bachelor's degree, followed by a master's and law degree, after which he earned a Rhodes Scholarship. Upon his return to the United States from his studies at Oxford University, he became a leading figure in legal education.
Originally from the Mississippi Gulf Coast, Moore completed his undergraduate and law degrees at the university. After graduating from law school in 1976, he returned to the Coast and worked as an assistant district attorney in Jackson County.In 1979, Moore became the youngest elected district attorney in Mississippi, and in 1987, he won a statewide election to become Mississippi's attorney general. He is best known for his successful efforts in 1994 to file a lawsuit against 13 tobacco companies, which led to the state recovering $246 billion in costs for treating smoking-related illnesses.
After his tenure in public service, Moore resumed private practice in the Jackson area and continues to be actively involved in tobacco prevention programs throughout Mississippi.
Oldmixon, originally from Texas, received her bachelor's degree from Northwestern State University in Louisiana before pursuing a law degree from U.M. Upon graduating in 1981, she moved to Poplarville to join the law firm of her mentor, David Smith, and his colleagues.As a plaintiff's injury lawyer, Oldmixon primarily practices at the law firm of Smith & Oldmixon. She has actively contributed to the Mississippi Bar by serving on various committees, including being a fellow and former president of the Mississippi Bar Foundation.
Throughout her career, she has worked closely with the Mississippi Supreme Court Advisory Committee on Rules. She is a lifelong member of the Mississippi Association of Justice and the state's American Board of Trial Advocates chapter. Furthermore, Oldmixon has demonstrated leadership within the Ole Miss law school community, serving as a past president of the Law Alumni Chapter's board of directors and as a former chair of the Lamar Order giving society.
