COLUMBUS, Miss. – Mag Chain, a treasured tradition on the campus of Mississippi University for Women, will feature alumna Jenny Katool, product development manager for Sanderson Farms, Inc.
The ceremony will be held Saturday, May 5 at 8 a.m. on Callaway lawn. The rain location is Pohl Gym.
Katool graduated from The W in 1978 with a bachelor of science degree in home economics education, returning to complete her Certificate in Culinary Arts in 2000. In 2005, she earned a master of science in nutrition from the University of Southern Mississippi.
For the past 32 years she has been employed with Sanderson Farms, Inc. As product development manager, her department is responsible for developing food products and menu items for national restaurant chains, packaging and labeling and consumer recipe development including photography and video.
Katool is a member of the Institute of Food Technologists and the International Association of Culinary Professionals through which she is a Certified Culinary Professional.
Since her graduation, Katool has been active in the MUW Alumni Association, beginning with the Jackson Metro Chapter where she served as president and currently serves as treasurer. She has also served as a director and president of the MUW Alumni Association, chairman of the Culinary Arts Advisory Board and chairman of the Southern Grace Cookbook. She currently serves on the MUW Foundation Board and chairs the investment committee. In 2004, she was awarded the Alumni Achievement Award and in 2018 the Alumni Service Award.
She also serves in many community organizations including St. Richard Catholic Church, United Way, ProStart and St. Dominic Health Services, serving as their foundation board director.
Mag Chain has taken place in some form at The W since 1890. During this event, the magnolia chain is carried by seniors singing the “Magnolia Chain Song” from the front of Columbus Hall to Callaway lawn where the ceremony is held.
The procession is led by the student government president who carries a bouquet of daisies in honor of the graduates who began the ceremony years ago. Daisies are carried because the magnolia chain was originally made of daisies and other flowers.
At the conclusion of the ceremony, the seniors form a circle around the magnolia chain, lock arms and sing the “Friendship Circle” song. After the song is completed, the seniors make a mad dash for a magnolia blossom.
Tradition holds that graduates who are able to walk away with a magnolia blossom will find good fortune and romance.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 1, 2018
Contact: Anika Mitchell Perkins
(662) 329-7124
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