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This story originally appeared in the Jackson Free Press. It was added to the Mississippi Free Press website in 2025.
Note that any opinions expressed in legacy Jackson Free Press stories do not reflect a position of the Mississippi Free Press or necessarily of its staff and board members.

In the biggest retreat for the University of Mississippi since Gettysburg, the school has placed its search for a new mascot to replace Colonel Reb on hold. The official line is that the search committee isn’t happy with the submissions. The real problem is that so many Ole Miss alumni (like the Joneses) are unhappy with UM officials for trying to replace the Slave Owner with a more politically correct mascot. Will Chancellor Robert Khayat and AD Pete Boone survive the turmoil? (Dr. S suggests they invest in moving boxes.)

Here’s another Colonel Reb update on the latest “victory.” Like an earlier link, this one is found on the Nationalist Movement Web site. Dr. S is certain that Colonel Reb backers are thrilled to know they have the full support of a neo-Nazi group.

Mississippi native Donna Ladd and partner Todd Stauffer founded the Jackson Free Press in 2002 in the capital city. The heavily awarded local newspaper did many investigations heralded across the state and nation and served as a paper of record due to its diversity, inclusion, in-depth reporting and deep connection to readers and dedication to narrative change in and about Mississippi. In 2022, the nonprofit Mississippi Free Press, founded by Ladd and JFP Associate Publisher Kimberly Griffin in 2020, purchased the journalism assets and archives of the Jackson Free Press. A Google grant through AAN Publishers enabled Newspack's integration of the JFP archives into the Mississippi Free Press website to become part of a more searchable archive of recent Mississippi history and essential journalism.