Institute, another Sonny Montgomery legacy, begins to roll

MERIDIAN - From his perspective, C.D. Smith has been involved in all types of leadership programs. Although a native of Vicksburg, he's been with BellSouth in Meridian for 24 years. And he broke ground as one of the company's first AfricanAmerican regional managers 12 years ago.

He recalls being in "Dimensions 80," a Stone Age chamber of commerce leadership development program shortly after he arrived in Meridian. Then he was one of the leaders in "Math First," a Meridian Community College project. And he's gone through the East Mississippi Business Development Corporation's "Leadership Lauderdale" program.

And now he's chairman of The Montgomery Institute, a yearold eightcounty organization to develop citizen leadership. And it's named for the revered former congressman, Sonny Montgomery. Smith was part of the founding.

"Meridian has so many assets that are the envy of almost any other community - such as two interstate highways, our own community college, a campus of Mississippi State University and yet we haven't been able to capitalize on them," Smith observed. "It's obvious that something was missing."