This week a former colleague whom I worked with at The Vicksburg Post reached out to me about our 2023 edition of PROFILE, a publication we do once a year.

She apparently still keeps up with The Post even though she lives in Maine, and after seeing snippets of the 2023 edition online, she asked if I could send her a hard copy.

I gladly did, because I remember how interested she was in Vicksburg’s history when she lived here and the amazing job she did when asked to write stories about the people and places.

Entitled “Legends and Legacies of Vicksburg’s Past: Living History” PROFILE 2023’s theme paid homage to the 160^th anniversary of the Siege of Vicksburg by giving a nod to some of its lesser-known stories.

And, if I do say so myself – the newsroom hit the ball out of the park even though there was some gnashing of teeth and late nights before it went to press.

But when all was said and done, I think it turned out to be one of the best PROFILE editions we have published since its start.

And this has been evident from the responses I have seen on Facebook.

Obviously, PROFILE would not have been as successful without the indispensable help from the Old Court House Museum – Bubba Bolm, Jordan Rushing and Chris Bolm. Also, Charles Pendleton with the Vicksburg Civil War Museum lent a hand as well as Stacey Massey from the Southern Cultural Heritage Foundation, park historians with the Vicksburg National Military Park, Vicksburg resident Tommy Presson, and of course all those who supported PROFILE through advertisements.

For those of you who may not have had access to a copy of PROFILE 2023, I would encourage you to come down to our office on Washington Street and pick up one.

I think it’s a must-read for newcomers to the community as well as folks like me who have been here nearly all of their lives and for those who were born and raised in Vicksburg.

And in my opinion, there is not one story that is better than another. It is the whole of the collection that makes it a must-read.

I can’t wait for my former colleague to receive her issue. I know she will enjoy every word.