Mississippi Society, Sons of the American Revolution

Compatriots and visitors to the Mississippi Society of the Sons of the American Revolution!  

     As President of the Mississippi Society, I extend to you a personal thank you for visiting the MSSSAR website.  I trust this means you have an interest in our patriotic heritage and in the history of the United States.  It is a great honor for me to serve as President of the MSSSAR. I am glad to be a member of an organization that strives to preserve and teach our nation’s history, promote patriotism, and honor our ancestors who sacrificed so much for the cause of freedom.

     On March 25 - 26, 2022, the 113th Annual Convention of the Mississippi Society was held in Oxford, MS.   It was obvious, as we navigate a world that is regrouping from the pandemic, that the Sons of the American Revolution in Mississippi has continued to be active through this difficult time; thus, proving that patriotism, education, and the preservation of history and heritage are timeless and enduring principles.
As we move forward through my tenure as president, I have some goals for our society.  These goals can be remembered by focusing attention on the beautiful, new Mississippi medal, which contains a blue ribbon with a five-pointed white star in the center.  Focusing on the star, the theme of my tenure as president is “Stars Over Mississippi.”  It is my desire that every member of the MSSSAR will be wearing one of the Mississippi medals before the year is over. The goals I have for our society form an acrostic — S.T.A.R.S.  

Reverend Tommy Thompson

     The first “S” stands for support.  I ask all members to “up” their support for their local chapter. Attendance is important, especially in this time in our nation’s history.  We need more people supporting patriotism, our nation’s history, and its heritage.  Then, we need to support our State Society.  There are many ways we can be a positive influence for patriotism through working together.  We are approaching our 250th Anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence.  There will be a number of activities throughout the state that you will be asked to support.

     The “T” stands for “training.”  Better training for our chapter and state officers, our committee chairmen, and our members can only lead to a more productive society and more community involvement.   Our chapter members and state officers have tremendous talents to be used in promoting patriotism, in teaching history, and in honoring our patriotic ancestors.

     “A” stands for achievements and accomplishments. This year we will be promoting Youth Awards, Community Awards, and Educational Awards, as well as the accomplishments of our members by the Medals and Awards Committee. Our chapters will be promoting various achievement awards with elementary and middle school students, history teachers, educators, law enforcement officials, veterans, ROTC, and Eagle Scouts, as well as the achievements of our members.  It is important that we acknowledge the accomplishments of the award champions and our members today!  We can achieve great things for our Society.

     One of our strong emphases must be on “Recruitment," which is what the "R" stands for. If an organization does not recruit new members, it will cease to exist.  As a State Society, we recruit to honor our ancestors “who gave us our Constitution, the Bill of Rights, an independent Supreme Court and a nation of free men.”  (From the SAR Recessional.)  Our chapters need to reach out to family members and others who are the descendants of the heroes of the American Revolution. We have faithful genealogists who will assist anyone in tracing his lineage to one of the patriot fathers or mothers who won freedom and independence for this nation.  If you believe you have a patriot ancestor, check out the application on this website.

     And finally, the last “S” stands for “service.” There are many opportunities for us to show our patriotism through service: support to veterans, local law enforcement, first responders, school classrooms, teachers, parades, and other service projects.  We will grow through service!
 
     It is my hope that when my tenure comes to an end, the MSSSAR, and all our chapters will shine like “Stars over Mississippi.” I pledge myself to the success of the SAR in Mississippi.

I ask you to join me in that endeavor.

Tommy Thompson
President, Mississippi State Society
Sons of the American Revolution.

The President’s Corner