2022 MCC Hall of Fame Honoree: Anne Dowdle
“Travel is not reward for working; it’s education for living.”
A new adventure is always on Anne Dowdle’s mind; she has a current passport at the ready. Her next venture: The Five Stans of the Silk Road of Central Asia, including Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan.
A great deal of her 22-year retirement from Meridian Community College has been spent venturing to foreign lands. She admits she has learned so much from and about the culture of the 76 countries she has visited.
But before traveling around the world, Dowdle was a trailblazer at MCC. “In 1968, I became the first public relations/publications coordinator at the college, and my ‘staff’ was composed of two work-study scholarship students,” she said.
Dowdle is one of four MCCers who will be added to the College’s Hall of Fame roster on Tuesday, March 8, during a ceremony spotlighting the honorees’ achievements. Hosted by the MCC Foundation, the induction ceremony will begin at 2 p.m. in the McCain Theater. The ceremony will be live-streamed via mcceagles.live.
Honorees are alumni or former employees who have excelled in their careers. They are recognized for their service to the College, contributions to society, and life missions. Joining Dowdle in this year’s class are Wilhelmine Damon, Dr. Ray Denton, and Dr. T.J. Soyoye.
Dowdle remembered when she began working at what was then called Meridian Junior College, there was one building on campus, Ivy Hall, and Dr. Bill Scaggs served as the College’s leader as dean. “To be honest, I didn’t know what I was doing, but Dr. Scaggs convinced me I could do the job,” she said.
She added that Dr. Scaggs later also persuaded her to expand her role to include fundraising. “Or, as I like to call it, friend raising for the MCC Foundation.”
She recalls her biggest challenge was the Foundation’s $2 million capital campaign in that role. “And thanks to so many business leaders and volunteers, we surpassed our goal,” she said. In working with colleagues and community folks she admired, Dowdle said she tried to emulate their best traits.
Dowdle holds degrees from Mississippi University for Women and Mississippi State University.