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Give to refurbish the George Street House’s historic staircase
In 2019, the University of Mississippi Veterans Resource Center and the Office of Veteran and Military Services moved into a charming home in the center of campus: the historic George Street House.
Donor support, volunteers and grants helped renovate the house, decorate, furnish and make a functional, welcoming space for UM’s nearly 1,700 student veterans and military-affiliated students.
The first floor of the Street House is the Veterans Resource Center, where students can access study spaces, a stocked kitchen and a lounge where they can relax and connect. Students head upstairs to the second floor of the house to Veteran and Military Services offices to access their GI Bill benefits.
And that, said Andrew Newby, the administrator of Veteran and Military Services, can sometimes pose a problem.
“The George Street House itself is charming. It's visually striking,” Newby said. “But the stairs, which I believe are the original stairs from when the house was built in the early 1900s, are not in good condition.”
Many of us picture Ole Miss student veterans as young people who served in Iraq or Afghanistan and are in excellent shape. But student veterans often deal with injuries that affect mobility and balance, and not every student veteran is young.
“My oldest student veteran at the time of us moving in was 82 years old. Mr. Inman was a helicopter pilot during the Vietnam War, and he came to the University of Mississippi with his grandson to get an undergraduate degree and a master's degree,” Newby said. “My next oldest student veteran is 65, about to be 66. And they've got to go up and down the stairs every time that they need something.”
To respond, Newby’s team has embarked on a project to refurbish the historic staircase by repairing any worn-out or cracked treads and then adding durable stair runner carpet to provide better traction. The carpet, which is made in America, features a historic star design that matches the house’s patriotic décor.
To bring this project to the finish line, we need your help!
The Ole Miss Family has responded with love for our student veterans and military-affiliated students with gifts and contributions that helped make the George Street House a home. In honor of Veterans Day and the season of giving, please consider showing our gratitude by contributing to refurbishing the historic staircase.
Inscribed above the door to the George Street House is the word "Nostos," a theme from ancient Greek literature of an epic hero returning home.“If you've ever had to write your blood type on your clothes to go to work in the morning, you shouldn't have to wonder where you can go on this campus to get the help that you need,” Newby said. “The George Street House’s one-stop shop for the Veterans Resource Center and Veteran and Military Services has transformed our ability to serve a very unique student population. We’ve made this place a home. We want to invest in continually improving this space to better serve the next greatest generation and future generations.”
Please help us better serve those who served for all of us: make a gift to improve the George Street House today!
The Student Veterans Association at the University of Mississippi was founded more than 100 years ago in 1920 to help integrate returning World War I veterans into the community. Veterans of every American war since then have been welcomed home at Ole Miss.
Armistice Day was celebrated on Nov. 11 every year to commemorate the end of World War I. However, in 1954, President Dwight D. Eisenhower established Nov. 11 as a day to celebrate veterans of all wars and peacetime service. Honor our student veterans with a gift of $54!
The George Street House, the home for the Office of Veteran and Military Services and the Student Veterans Association at Ole Miss, was built 112 years ago as a residence for the dean of the law school. Over the years, it housed sororities, faculty groups and the offices for a revolving door of departments. Named for a former university administrator, the house finally was re-dedicated to our student veterans in 2019.
Five years ago, the University of Mississippi was named a Purple Heart University by the Military Order of the Purple Heart for its dedication to serving the needs of veterans. The Purple Heart was first awarded 239 years ago in 1782 by George Washington. The George Street House is a symbol of the university's commitment to our student veterans. Support them today with a gift!
More than 1,700 veterans and military-affiliated students currently study at the University of Mississippi and are served by the Office of Veteran and Military Services. Show your support for all of them with your gift!