A military-science teacher who is a former funeral director will be one of three candidates for Warren County coroner in a November special election.

Noland Smith, 45, a naval-science instructor and swim coach at Warren Central High School, filed qualifying papers before Friday’s deadline, a spokesman for the Warren County Circuit Clerk’s Office said Monday morning.

In addition to Smith qualifying papers for Larry Chisley, 54, owner of Dillon-Chisley Funeral Home, and Doug Huskey, 48, an employee of Glenwood Funeral Home, had been made public by Friday’s filing deadline.

Chisley, formerly deputy coroner, has been serving as coroner since the July 22 death of John Thomason, who had twice been elected to the post. The person selected by voters will serve the remainder of Thomason’s term, which expires Dec. 31, 2007.

Smith is a Vicksburg native who is retired from the U.S. Marine Corps. In addition to his duties at WCHS, he works part time at Smith’s Mortuary of Clinton. Smith said his experience as a funeral director was in California and that he completed Orange County, Calif., death-investigation training.

He is president of Port City Kiwanis and is a district governor of Kiwanis International and is a Mason and a member of American Legion Post 213, the Mississippi Coaches Association and the Mid-Mississippi Basketball Referees Association.

Coroners conduct investigations into the cause and manner of deaths that occur from trauma or outside the direct care of a physician.

The three are to be on ballots in the general election, set for Nov. 7.

The remaining qualifying deadline for this election year is Oct. 6 for the post of District 2 trustee on the Vicksburg Warren School District board.

Incumbent Zelmarine Murphy has been the only one to file papers for the school board post. Murphy, the longest-tenured member of the board, is seeking a fourth six-year term. She ran unopposed in the 2000 election.

Also on the ballot are elections for nine other county, district or federal offices including all of part of Warren or area counties.