For 25 years, Patsy Holloway Speights chronicled the life and history of Jefferson Davis County as editor and general manager of The Prentiss Headlight.
A Prentiss native, Speights graduated from Prentiss High School and attended the University of Southern Mississippi before beginning her career at The Headlight in 1987. Until her retirement in early 2012, she embodied the role of the community newspaper editor, covering meetings, writing stories, selling advertising, laying out pages and making sure the newspaper reached the post office on time each week.
“She was the epitome of the Norman Rockwell painting of a small town newspaper editor,” said Headlight publisher Bill Jacobs. “In those 25 years she put out a fine community weekly, and she has many awards to show for it. She told the Jefferson Davis County area story.”
Speights’ leadership and service extended well beyond her hometown. She served as president of the Mississippi Press Association, chairman of the MPA Education Foundation and Mississippi state chair for the National Newspaper Association.
In 2007, the NNA presented Speights with its McKinley Memorial Award in recognition of her efforts on behalf of newspaper postal issues in Mississippi and nationwide.
Upon her retirement, the MPA Board of Directors honored Speights with a resolution of appreciation for her distinguished career and service to Mississippi newspapers.
Speights died Oct. 7, 2015, at age 70, leaving a legacy as a dedicated community journalist, newspaper industry leader and tireless advocate for the vital role of local newspapers.
