Senator Buck Clarke presented the official resolution in honor of Coach David “Boo” Ferriss to his wife, Miriam Ferriss, on Nov. 13.
Delta State University’s baseball legend Coach David “Boo” Ferriss was recently honored by the Mississippi legislature through an official senate resolution.
On Nov. 13, Senator Buck Clarke and Delta State President William N. LaForge presented the resolution to his wife, Miriam Ferriss.
“This was a really special moment, and I am very humbled by the resolution,” said Miriam. “I appreciate Sen. Clarke and President LaForge taking the time to honor him in this way.”
Boo was a Boston Red Sox Hall of Famer and legendary coach of the Delta State Statesmen. He retired from Delta State after the 1988 season, but he spent the rest of his life as a Statesmen supporter before he passed away in November of 2016.
Ferriss was so revered in the state, that some called him the “Dean of Mississippi Baseball.”
“As much as he loved playing in the MLB, he was even happier coaching,” added Miriam. “That’s where his heart was. He loved the players he coached, and they loved him back. It was his greatest joy. He lived his dream, and I supported him in everything he wanted to do.”
Sen. Clarke said Boo was more than deserving of the recognition.
“One of the legislature’s ways of honoring those who have contributed so much to our state is by passing a resolution, which is much like a bill, that tells of their life and what sets them apart,” said Clarke. “This resolution is then entered into the Senate journal and thus is a permanent record for all time.”
“Personally delivering the resolution to Mrs. Ferriss was a special treat for me,” added Clarke. “Resolutions are usually handed to someone in the Capitol, maybe in a ceremony, and the legislature is then done with it. Mrs. Ferriss is such a gracious person, and it was an honor for President LaForge and me to visit her in her home. Coach Ferriss was truly a remarkable person, and a legendary Mississippian. If you ever met him, you would never forget him — just as he never forgot you.”
LaForge said he was honored to present the resolution directly to Miriam.
“In his resolution, passed by the state legislature, Sen. Buck Clarke captured the spirit of Coach Ferriss’s life and character,” said LaForge. “It is a very fitting tribute to a great man, and one of Delta State’s legends. What a pleasure it was to be there with Sen. Clarke when he delivered the resolution to Mrs. Ferriss.”
Learn more about Boo’s unparalleled career at http://www.clarionledger.com/story/sports/college/2016/11/24/legend-boo-ferriss-dies-thanksgiving-age-94/91616420.
Follow all Delta State news at www.deltastate.edu.
