Naylor Foundation hosts mixer

Published 11:42 am Thursday, August 7, 2014

A foundation dedicated to remembering one of Warren County’s most well-known law enforcement agents held its first official event Tuesday night.

The Randy Naylor Foundation, dedicated to the former police officer and constable who was known for his work with the Vicksburg-area youth, was created to continue Naylor’s legacy said his son, Randy Naylor Jr.

The mixer, held at the Winehouse, was the first official gathering for the foundation dedicated to Randy Naylor Sr., who died in November.

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The goal of the foundation is to create opportunities and events for the youth in the city.

“Any youth services, we want to be a part of it,” the younger Naylor said.

The foundation wants to partner with anyone helping the youth already, he said.

“Hopefully some of the talent in Vicksburg will want to stay, hopefully the city will be a more attractive city in the state,” he said. “Studies show that children that participate in some summer youth program…have less discipline problems at school, less drop out, and less teen pregnancy.”

Naylor said his father always believed in giving a warning first before giving out a ticket. “He was always out to help anyone,” he said. “If someone needed assistance, he was that guy.”

Police investigator Eric Paymon said, “He was committed to the kids…that was his life.”

Committee member Tonya Naylor, the wife of Randy Naylor Jr., said her father-in-law always embraced her as a family member.

“He never called me daughter-in-law,” she said. “I was always his daughter.”

Committee member and Warren County Tax Assessor Angela J. Brown said the foundation is a good way to remember Naylor.

“He poured his heart into Vicksburg,” she said. “This foundation is to keep his vision alive — all the things he stood for.”

Brown said she hopes events like Tuesday’s raise awareness about the foundation.

One of the upcoming projects the foundation is working on is a program called “Seniors helping Seniors,” in which students help elderly people in the community by cutting their grass, painting their house, or performing odd jobs that need to be done.

Tonya Naylor said soon the foundation would be setting up a ball for law enforcement officers.

Though the logistics have not been settled, Brown said she hopes the ball could be the foundation’s signature event.

“We want to make sure that it is the annual event the foundation is known for.”

Mayor George Flaggs Jr. was classmates with Randy Naylor and the two grew up together.

“I’m supporting everything in his name and his honor,” Flaggs said. “Naylor always wanted to be a police officer.”

“He became on of the best police officers Vicksburg ever had,” Flaggs said. “He was the type of person you would want to emulate.”

“That’s what this foundation is all about and I applaud the family for wanting his name and his legacy to live on,” Flaggs added.

Paymon, who helps run the VPD’s summer youth program named after Naylor, said Naylor’s compassion for community youth was unparalleled.

“He was committed to the kids,” Paymon said. “That was his life.”