The Riverfront mural project is coming to a close this month with the unveiling of the last three of 32 historic murals on the downtown floodwall.

The unveilings will kick off Friday morning at 10 with a ceremony honoring the mural for former Gov. Kirk and Pat Fordice.

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The ceremony to unveil the Fordice mural will be at 10 a.m. Friday at the floodwall. The guest speaker will be Lt. Gov. Phil Bryant. Hunter Fordice will speak for the Fordice family. Nellie Caldwell, chairman of the Riverfront Murals project committee, will be emcee. In case of rain, the ceremony will be at City Auditorium, 901 Monroe St.

Nellie Caldwell, Riverfront Murals Committee chairman, will be the mistress of ceremony and Lt. Gov. Phil Bryant will be the guest speaker at the unveiling of the mural sponsored by members of the Republican Party and friends of the couple.

Guests will include Sen. Briggs Hopson, Rep. Alex Monsour and Fordice friends and family.

A Vicksburg contractor, Kirk Fordice was elected the 61st governor of Mississippi in 1991, the first Republican in the office in 118 years.

“He believed in smaller governments,” said Dan Fordice, one of the couple’s three sons. “He believed in individuals and businesses rather than governments running businesses.”

Another son, Hunter Fordice, said his father “approached government like how he approached his business — live within your means.”

Hunter Fordice said the major success of his father’s two terms in office was the development of the Legislature-approved Rainy Day Fund, a savings account for the state after bills are paid.

Dan and Hunter Fordice today operate the family-owned construction company, Fordice Construction Company in Vicksburg, which was founded in 1948 by their grandfather, Daniel Kirkwood Fordice Sr.

Pat Fordice was active in promoting literacy, the arts, health issues, families and volunteering in Mississippi during her time as first lady and after.

“She was the epitome of a Southern gracious lady,” said Nellie Caldwell, chairman of the Riverfront Murals Project committee.

Three of the couple’s four children — Dan, Hunter and sister Angie Roselle — still live in Vicksburg. The third son, Jim Fordice, a physician, lives in Nashville.

The last two murals to be unveiled will honor LeTourneau Technologies, on May 15, and Jitney-Jungle and The Glass Kitchen, on May 29.

The 32 murals along the wall at City Front were painted by Louisiana artist Robert Dafford.

A ceremony is in the works to celebrate the completion of the eight-year project.

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Contact Manivanh Chanprasith at mchanprasith@vicksburgpost.com