Mr. and Mrs. Guy Solan Bowering  Sr. of Madison and the Hon. and Mrs. Michael Hailey Ward of Gulfport announce the engagement of their daughter, Melissa Suzanne Ward, to Richard Malcolm Caldwell Jr. Mr. Caldwell is the son of Mr. and Mrs. Richard Malcolm Caldwell Sr. of Vicksburg.

Miss Ward is the granddaughter of the late Mr. and Mrs. Arnold Constable of Gulfport, formerly of Marietta, Ga., and the late Mr. and Mrs. Theodore Finley Ward Sr. of Gulfport.

Mr. Caldwell is the grandson of Mrs. John Francis Halpin III and the late Mr. Halpin and William Kinley Caldwell Sr. and the late Mrs. William Kinley Caldwell, all of Vicksburg. 

The bride-elect is a graduate of Jackson Academy. She received a bachelor’s degree in communication from Mississippi State University, where she was a member of Phi Mu sorority. She received a Master of Arts degree in public relations from the University of Southern Mississippi School of Communication.

Miss Ward works independently as an oil and gas abstractor.

The prospective groom is a graduate of Warren Central High School. He received a bachelor’s degree in English from Millsaps College, where he was a member of Kappa Sigma fraternity. He received a Master of Arts degree from the Center for the Study of Southern Culture at the University of Mississippi and will graduate in December with a Master of Business Administration from the Else School of Management at Millsaps College.

Mr. Caldwell is an independent real estate professional with his family’s Coldwell Banker brokerage.

The wedding will be Oct. 17, 2009, at The Cathedral Church of St. Andrew in Jackson. A reception will follow at The Cedars.

Following a honeymoon in Seaside, Fla., and an extended stay in Italy next summer, they will make their home in Jackson.