October 29, 2009
Mississippi Forestry Association (MFA) honored Ruth Cook of Hattiesburg, with the MFA 2009 President’s Citation Award. MFA presented the award at the Awards Breakfast, part of the 2009 Annual Meeting in Tupelo. The President’s Citation Award is given to an individual that provides special assistance to the MFA president in accomplishing the goals for the year.
Cook has served MFA as a member of the MFA’s Executive Committee from 2004-2006, and has been a member of the MFA Board of Directors since 2000. For the past several years Ruth has worked with the MFA Silent Auction and in 2009, she has been intensely focused on recruiting new members.
Ruth positively contributes to MFA as a leader and an engaged volunteer in addition to working full time as Director of Strategic Planning for Molpus Timberlands, LLC in Hattiesburg. She is also involved in several other projects as a volunteer including fund raising support for the Crosby Arboretum in Picayune.
“I first learned how tough Ruth was when we were bidding against each other for a bird bath during an MFA auction. It was a hard battle and I lost, but we raised a lot of money for MFA. Anyone that is around Ruth for long knows that she is a person of action, positive energy and generosity. This year was definitely a challenge for us as officers, but I could always count on Ruth for wise input during decision making, prompt action when needed, and a sincere desire to promote MFA and forestry in Mississippi,“ said Ellen Dabbs, MFA president.
Ruth combines a passion for forestry, professional training, and a belief in environmental education in a truly altruistic manner. The longstanding record of service and leadership in the forestry community will provide a lasting legacy of achievement as well as a solid foundation for future progress.
MFA hosted 500 guests at their annual meeting last week in Tupelo at the BancorpSouth Arena and Conference Center. The theme “Made in Mississippi,” featured current forestry leaders who grew up in Mississippi or were educated in the state. Meetings began on Wednesday, October 28 and continued through Friday, Oct. 30 with educational sessions, awards, exhibits, and fun activities for private landowners and forestry professionals.
Mississippi Forestry Association’s vision is to serve as The Voice of Forestry in Mississippi. In 1938 MFA was formed to guard and grow Mississippi’s forests and that is still its mission today. MFA is the only organization that represents every group in the forestry community. MFA leads efforts to protect landowner rights, to improve the forest products economy and to educate the community about the ecological benefits of healthy, renewable forests. MFA is a private (non government), nonprofit association. To learn more, visit www.msforestry.net.