MaxxSouth Broadband — a provider of high-speed Internet, cable TV and phone services in northern Mississippi – and its owner John Robinson Block donated a rare collection of early Mississippi law books to the MSU Libraries in February and subsequently pledged an in-kind gift valued at $750,000. The gifts are part of the company’s Community First program, designed to deliver on the company’s mission to give back and support its communities in ways that enhance their quality of life.
The impetus for the in-kind gift was the generous February donation of a major collection of rare, early Mississippi law books to the MSU Libraries Special Collections Department by John Robinson Block, Publisher and Editor-in-Chief of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette and Toledo Blade, which, like MaxxSouth, are subsidiaries of Block Communications. Mr. Block’s donation to MSU Libraries opened the door to further conversations about MaxxSouth support.
The collection of 19th-century Mississippi territorial and state session laws were printed between 1801 and 1898. The collection includes the first digest of the laws of the Mississippi territory, published in 1808; state session laws from 1818 to 1859, showing the development of the legal system from a context of early frontier conditions to a highly regulated plantation-dominated society; five Civil War imprints published between 1861 and 1865; and Reconstruction and post-Reconstruction era laws through 1898. For more information on the specific titles visit the Library website.
“MaxxSouth and Block Communications, Inc., with their generous contributions, have demonstrated just how invested they are in the communities in which they operate,” said Frances Coleman, Dean of Libraries at MSU. “These donations enhance our unique and rare collections and helps promote our vision of delivering excellent programs of teaching, research and service.” As part of the support agreement, MaxxSouth Broadband will provide advertising and other services to MSU Libraries and to a variety of other programs at the university over a three-year period. “Universities play such an important role in society, so we feel it is our duty to give back.” said Peter Kahelin, President and CEO of MaxxSouth Broadband. “The purpose of our support to the Mississippi State University Foundation is to maintain and enhance the academic excellence for which this fine institution is known for, and the benefits they bring to the Mississippi community as a whole.”
About MaxxSouth Broadband:
MaxxSouth Broadband service area for video, high-speed Internet and digital phone stretches more than 200 miles and includes 20 counties and 60 communities in northern Mississippi and Alabama. The company currently has approximately 80,000 subscribers for broadband services and passes 110,000 homes. Operating as a subsidiary of the reputable and diversified media holding company Block Communications Inc., MaxxSouth Broadband continues to expand and enhance its state-of-the-art broadband network in the communities it serves. For more information, visit www.MaxxSouth.com.
About the MSU Libraries:
Mississippi State University Libraries is a premier research library providing its communities of users an ongoing, creative, technologically advanced library program that provides new and emerging technologies; enhances and inspires teaching, research, and service of the highest caliber in an environment of free and open inquiry and with a commitment to excellence. For more information about MSU Libraries, please visit http://library.msstate.edu.
Photograph by Randall McMillen
MSU President Dr. Mark Keenum, and MaxxSouth Broadband owner, John Robinson Block at the presentation of the collection to MSU Libraries.
Submitted by
Brad Moreland
Co-chair, Public Relations Committee
Mitchell Memorial Library
Mississippi State University
