Lucky to be able to share such interesting stories

Published 5:42 pm Friday, March 17, 2017

There are definitely aspects of my job I dislike. Having to hit deadlines can be terribly stressful, and sitting at a computer for hours is not great on the neck. But then when I think about what I do get to do, sometimes those negatives do not seem so bad.

For the past few weeks, the positives have seemed to outweigh the negatives as I have had the pleasure of doing research on the history of the Jewish community in Vicksburg.

I have written a story for Sunday’s paper that will hopefully whet your appetite about the upcoming centennial gala that is to be held at the B.B. Club on March 25, and I will also be doing a story about the history of the Jewish community for a future issue of our Vicksburg Living Magazine.

Email newsletter signup

Sign up for The Vicksburg Post's free newsletters

Check which newsletters you would like to receive
  • Vicksburg News: Sent daily at 5 am
  • Vicksburg Sports: Sent daily at 10 am
  • Vicksburg Living: Sent on 15th of each month

Now to say this assignment has been totally stress free would be a straight up lie. Some of the sources I have been using are conflicted. So gleaning the truth has been a challenge.

However, all the reading has been interesting, and my interviews have certainly been entertaining.

Last week I sat down with Richard Marcus to talk about the early days of the B.B. Club and what the Jewish community used to look like in Vicksburg.

Let me just say, Mr. Marcus, like his cousin Steven, is a master at story telling.

I could have listened to his memories of days gone by for days.

And how exciting it must be to know so much about your heritage. I actually felt a little envious.

The same was true when I talked with Stan Kline. He showed me pictures of Jewish families who had lived in Vicksburg, and like Mr. Marcus described, I could see that downtown Vicksburg thrived with Jewish merchants.

My favorite story he told was about a woman by the name of Corinne Sartorius. She had actually worked for The Post, and her column was named “About Town.” According to Mr. Kline, her column was apparently nothing short of a gossip column.

I can only imagine the number of enemies, I should say friends, that Mrs. Sartorius must have acquired through the years. She knew everybody’s business.

The landscape of Vicksburg is known worldwide for its treasure trove of history, but we also have a wealth of interesting individuals whose stories are just as valuable.

So for now, I get to be the lucky one to help share these stories. I hope you will read what I heard from my sources. Now if my boss would only supply me with a better chair, maybe I would not have a crick in my neck all the time.

Terri Cowart Frazier is a staff writer for The Vicksburg Post. She can be reached at terri.frazier@vicksburgpost.com.

About Terri Cowart Frazier

Terri Frazier was born in Cleveland. Shortly afterward, the family moved to Vicksburg. She is a part-time reporter at The Vicksburg Post and is the editor of the Vicksburg Living Magazine, which has been awarded First Place by the Mississippi Press Association. She has also been the recipient of a First Place award in the MPA’s Better Newspaper Contest’s editorial division for the “Best Feature Story.”

Terri graduated from Warren Central High School and Mississippi State University where she received a bachelor’s degree in communications with an emphasis in public relations.

Prior to coming to work at The Post a little more than 10 years ago, she did some freelancing at the Jackson Free Press. But for most of her life, she enjoyed being a full-time stay at home mom.

Terri is a member of the Crawford Street United Methodist Church. She is a lifetime member of the Vicksburg Junior Auxiliary and is a past member of the Sampler Antique Club and Town and Country Garden Club. She is married to Dr. Walter Frazier.

“From staying informed with local governmental issues to hearing the stories of its people, a hometown newspaper is vital to a community. I have felt privileged to be part of a dedicated team at The Post throughout my tenure and hope that with theirs and with local support, I will be able to continue to grow and hone in on my skills as I help share the stories in Vicksburg. When asked what I like most about my job, my answer is always ‘the people.’

email author More by Terri Cowart