Veterinarian-turned wildlife photographer named ArtsNatchez Artist of the Month

By Roscoe Barnes III
Natchez, MS, USA / ListenUpYall.com
Aug 5, 2026 | 12:49 PM

Dr. Robert Field Jr., ArtsNatchez's Artist of the Month for August, displays one of his featured wildlife photographs depicting a great egret returning to the nest as her chicks await. The image is among several of Field's photographs on display at the ArtsNatchez Gallery in downtown Natchez. (Click on image to enlarge.)

NATCHEZ, Miss. – Dr. Robert Field Jr. is a veterinarian-turned-wildlife photographer whose love of nature and photography has landed him in some dangerous places.

One late afternoon during the early fall of 2017, Field was near his home in Jonesville, Louisiana, and walking through thick brush with his focus on a horned owl.
“I had him in my sights,” he recalled.

Then he took a step and felt something beneath his foot. He looked down and saw a copperhead. He jumped. “I tried to get as much air as I could,” he said, grinning.

The snake crawled away without striking.

Field said he’s found himself too close for comfort with snakes about 10 times.

“I’ve been lucky,” he said, noting he wears snake boots for protection. “This happens a lot when I’m trying to shoot birds because I’m looking up in trees, and I tend to not look at the ground as much as I need to. Copperheads are the hardest (to see) because they’re camouflaged.”

Field is ArtsNatchez Gallery’s Artist of the Month for August. His photography will be on display Saturday, August 8, at the gallery at 425 Main St. He will greet visitors during a free reception from 5 to 7 p.m. Refreshments will be served.

Field is a resident of Jonesville, Louisiana. Before retiring, he practiced veterinary medicine for 35 years. Photography has been his hobby for 25 years.

A graduate of Delta State University, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in biology, Field completed his doctorate at Louisiana State University School of Veterinary Medicine.

Love of nature

Field said his photography is “absolutely” informed by his training as a veterinarian.

Over the years, he kept a log on the migration of birds. “In this context, behavioral knowledge is more important than anatomical knowledge,” he said. “You get into a rhythm with them, and you learn what they tolerate in terms of noise and space when you’re in their habitat.”

Field’s interest in the camera began with his two children. He would take them out into nature and different wildlife reserves. He used his camera to document their experiences, and it eventually turned into a hobby. His cameras of choice are the Nikon D850 and D500.

Field’s exhibition will feature wildlife photographs from across the region, including scenes from Gilliard Lake in St. Catherine Creek, an alligator resting on a log, birds in several rookeries, a silhouette at Catahoula Lake in Louisiana, and a pileated woodpecker feeding its young.

Field said some of the photos were taken near his home in Jonesville, Louisiana, such as the alligator and butterflies. Included in the exhibit is a dramatic photograph of young ospreys leaving the nest in Breaux Bridge, Louisiana.

“I travel to different places at different times of the year when the animals are more prevalent to photograph,” Field said. “What I enjoy most is that I get to see and experience much more than what I photograph. Just the peace and serenity from just getting out in nature. Photography is the second-hand perk from the process. I grew up in nature, out in the woods.”

Half million ducks

One of Field’s favorite places to photograph is Catahoula National Wildlife Refuge during the winter, when roughly half a million ducks gather there. The bald eagles migrate down with the ducks and hunt them, he said.

“When you see a large group of the ducks flying, they just explode, and you look above them, there are bald eagles, and they’re hunting,” he said.

Field said the main photo in his display will be of the ducks flying.

Still, Field noted, wildlife photography can be both dangerous and challenging.

“As a photographer, you tend to look up or out. I had a few close calls with snakes. The alligators are not as aggressive as people think, if you keep a decent distance. I keep my eye on the big ones. Don’t let them get too close.”

As for challenges, weather is an issue. “You just never know what to expect when you go out in nature. I grew up hunting, but this is a lot harder than hunting. You can get the perfect shot of something, but you still have to get the lighting right and the angle right,” Field said.

Bald eagles

When Field thinks about the early days of his photography, he’s reminded of an incident with his children when he urged them to look up at some bald eagles nearby.

“We were out at the Catahoula National Wildlife Refuge, and there were some bald eagles. They locked talons and were falling through the sky until they almost hit the ground. That’s one of their mating rituals.

Field’s children were eight and six, and they were sword fighting with sticks. Field yelled, “Look, look, you will probably never see this again!”

But instead of looking up at the eagles, his daughter, Bona, cried, “Daddy, Ben just hit me with a stick!”Interestingly, children are drawn to Field’s work. “Most of the children run to the alligator picture,” he said. “They are fascinated with it. People from other countries are fascinated with American alligators.”

Field said he has always tried to encourage young people to go out into nature and get away from their mobile devices.

ArtsNatchez Gallery is open daily at 10 a.m. For more information, call 601-442-0043.

 

Natchez’s Greg Iles and Ser Boxley featured in Mississippi Encyclopedia

By Roscoe Barnes III
Natchez, MS, USA / ListenUpYall.com
Jul 31, 2026 | 1:28 PM

Author Greg Iles, left, and historian and preservationist Ser Seshsh Ab Heter-C.M. Boxley, both of Natchez, are featured in the Mississippi Encyclopedia. Photos courtesy of Mississippi Encyclopedia. (Click on image to enlarge.)

NATCHEZ, Miss. — Greg Iles and Ser Seshsh Ab Heter-C. M. Boxley, both of Natchez, are featured in the Mississippi Encyclopedia, and their entries are spotlighted on the publication’s homepage.

Iles was a New York Times bestselling author whose acclaimed thrillers and mysteries were often set in and around Natchez. His works include “The Quiet Game,” “Turning Angel,” “The Devil’s Punchbowl,” “Natchez Burning,” and “Southern Man,” among others.

Iles was a friend and admirer of Stanley Nelson, the longtime editor of the Concordia Sentinel and author of “Devils Walking,” a book chronicling Ku Klux Klan violence in Southwest Mississippi during the 1960s. Iles drew inspiration from Nelson’s career in journalism.

Following Nelson’s death on June 5, 2025, at age 69, Iles published a moving tribute describing him as a “genuine hero” who always did the right thing regardless of fear or favor. Iles wrote that Nelson’s “brave and tireless work” inspired him to model Henry Sexton, the heroic journalist in his Natchez trilogy, after Nelson.

Iles won the 2015 Barry Award for Best Novel for “Natchez Burning” and received the Mississippi Author Award for Fiction for his 1995 thriller “Black Cross.”

Iles died of cancer on August 15, 2025. He was 65. His Mississippi Encyclopedia entry was written by Riley Moran of Tampa, Florida.

Boxley is a local historian, preservationist, and civil rights activist who worked with the Natchez Deacons for Defense and Justice during the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s.

He serves as coordinator of the Friends of the Forks of the Road Society and is known for his decades-long efforts to promote and preserve the history of the Forks of the Road slave market at 105 Liberty Road. The site, now managed by the National Park Service, was once the second-largest slave market in the Deep South.

In March 2026, Boxley donated his Forks of the Road exhibition to the Southwest Mississippi Center for Culture & Learning at Alcorn State University, Lorman Campus.

That same month, the Natchez Historical Society honored him with its Historic Preservation Award, which recognizes individuals or organizations that have made significant contributions to historic preservation or the study of history in the Natchez area.

Boxley’s Mississippi Encyclopedia entry was written by Roscoe Barnes III, cultural heritage tourism manager for Visit Natchez.

The Mississippi Encyclopedia is published by the Center for the Study of Southern Culture at the University of Mississippi and has been funded by the Mississippi Humanities Council.

The entries on Iles and Boxley may be viewed at https://mississippiencyclopedia.org/

 

Mayor Gibson proclaims Julyteenth as Natchez’s Day of Freedom

by Mississippi Monitor | Jul 13, 2026 | Capital/River
By Roscoe Barnes III, Ph.D., Visit Natchez

Mayor Dan Gibson issued a proclamation on Monday, July 13, on the front steps of City Hall recognizing Julyteenth — the day freedom came to Natchez with the arrival of the Union Army on July 13, 1863. Pictured (front row, left to right): Thelma Newsom, Alderwoman Valencia Hall, Mayor Dan Gibson, Chesney Doyle, and Vel Robinson. Second row (left to right): historian Jeff Mansell, Norma West, and the Rev. Clifton Marvel Sr. Back row (left to right): Joseph A.C. Smith and Roscoe Barnes III. (Click on image to enlarge.)

NATCHEZ, Miss. -- Mayor Dan Gibson presented a proclamation Monday officially recognizing July 13 as Julyteenth, the day freedom for enslaved people came to Natchez with the arrival of the Union Army on July 13, 1863.
 
“This is a very special day,” Gibson said during a ceremony on the front steps of City Hall. “Many of our citizens may not understand the significance of July 13, (but) the day is sacred in the history of our city.”
 
The term Julyteenth was coined by Ser Seshsh Ab Heter-C. M. Boxley, local historian, cultural preservationist, and coordinator of Friends of the Forks of the Roads Society.
 
Nationally, Juneteenth is celebrated as a day of independence and federal holiday observed annually on June 19. It commemorates June 19, 1865, when Union troops arrived in Galveston, Texas, to enforce the Emancipation Proclamation, bringing news of freedom to enslaved African Americans there.
 
In Natchez, freedom came sooner. It came when Union forces arrived on July 13, 1863, nine days after the fall of Vicksburg.
 
“It was on this day that the Union Army offloaded at Natchez Under the Hill, and the U.S. 11th Illinois Regiment Infantry marched up Silver Street and began the occupation of Natchez,” Boxley said in a 2024 interview. “July 13 is when the Union Army seized control of Natchez and prompted thousands of enslaved people to begin fleeing plantations and travel to Natchez, where they found freedom behind the Union lines.”
 
While reading the proclamation, Gibson described Julyteenth as one of the most important days in Natchez’s history. The proclamation states that Union troops “arrived to enforce the Emancipation Proclamation, bringing freedom to thousands of enslaved men, women, and children whose descendants remain an important part of the fabric of our community today – nearly two years before the events commemorated by Juneteenth in Galveston, Texas.”
 
The proclamation furthers acknowledges that slavery was a profound moral evil that denied the God-given dignity of human life. It notes that Natchez played a prominent role in the slave-based economy and was home to the Forks of the Road, the second largest slave market in the Deep South.
 
Because of the Union Army occupation, Natchez eventually became a place of refuge and beacon of hope, Gibson said, noting that many formerly enslaved people claimed liberty and began new lives as free citizens.
 
The proclamation also recognizes that during this period, Forks of the Road “was transformed into a place of purpose as newly freed men answered the call to serve in the United States Colored Troops, demonstrating extraordinary courage in the pursuit of liberty, justice, and the preservation of our nation.”
 
While still reading from the proclamation, Gibson said Julyteenth is about honoring the “resilience, determination, and enduring spirit of those who endured unimaginable hardship.”
 
He said the city recognizes with gratitude that the labor of enslaved people helped build Natchez and the state of Mississippi, as well as the nation. He said it is also important that this history be known and remembered by future generations.
 
Gibson called on residents not only to remember the sins of the past but also to celebrate the progress that has been made.
 
“May ‘Julyteenth Day’ forever be a day where freedom and equality are embraced, and where love heals the divisions of yesterday, allowing us to embrace the opportunities of today and tomorrow,” Gibson said.
 
Monday’s proclamation followed a weekend of Julyteenth commemorative, including a re-enactment by Jamal McCullan of Hiram Rhodes Revels’ speech Friday evening at Zion Chapel A.M.E. Church; a workshop on history, race, and racial reconciliation led by the Rev. Dr. Dorothy Sanders Wells on Saturday at Trinity Episcopal Church; and a wreath-laying ceremony Sunday at Forks of the Road. The weekend concluded with
 
The weekend concluded with historian Jeff Mansell of Natchez National Historical Park presenting “When Freedom Came to Natchez” at Freedom Hall, the former home of a Kingdom Hall of Jehovah’s Witnesses.
 
In addition to the City of Natchez, the events were organized by Kathleen Bond, superintendent of the Natchez National Historical Park; Joseph A.C. Smith, founder of BlackNatchez.org and owner of 1720 Gallery & Gift Shop; and Malcolm Innis, New Vision Broadcasting.

ArtsNatchez Gallery celebrates the nation’s 250th anniversary

Special patriotic exhibit set for Saturday, July 11, in downtown Natchez

By Roscoe Barnes III

Natchez, MS, USA / ListenUpYall.com
Jul 9, 2026 | 3:43 PM

ArtsNatchez Gallery Director Leon Hollins showcases Carolyn Terry's "Red, White and Blue" photograph, part of the collection that will be featured Saturday at the downtown gallery. (Click on image to enlarge.)

NATCHEZ, Miss. – Like communities across the United States, ArtsNatchez Gallery will celebrate the nation’s 250th anniversary with a special patriotic- themed art exhibit on Saturday, July 11, at 425 Main Street. The reception will be held from 5 to 7 p.m. and is free to the public. Refreshments will be served.

“We’re inviting all of our artists to participate,” said Gallery Director Leon Hollins. “We’re asking them to showcase their work using the colors red, white, and blue. We’re expecting to have photographs, banners, and paintings, and other pieces of art. It will be a great show for the public.”
 
Among the many works that will be displayed is Carolyn Terry’s photo of a red, white, and blue hot-air balloon. It was photographed over the Mississippi River three or four years ago, said Terry, who is based in Picayune. This and other images she photographed are “very Americana,” she said.
 
Terry said she appreciates the patriotic theme. “It’s a wonderful thing to celebrate our 250th anniversary,” she said. “I hope we as a nation continue to grow and that in another 50 years, our 300th’ anniversary will be even better.”
 
Terry said she remains optimistic about the nation’s future because of the people who want it to succeed. “That’s why we’ve made it to 250 years,” she said.
 
Terry is a master craftsman photographer, digital artist, and member of Professional Photographers of America Inc. She is the author of “Onward Mississippi,” a coffee table book with 65 images of her digital paintings and explanatory text based on locations throughout Mississippi. Her second book is “The Endurance of the Spirit: Mississippi Episcopal Churches.”
 
The works of Carolyn Weir, who is experimenting with patriotic colors in her banners, will also be featured in the exhibit. Weir said she is excited about Saturday’s event, which will highlight artwork that reflects what it means to be American.
 
“Our artists have come together and presented creations that tell a little bit of the story of our great country,” she said. “We invite the public to help us continue to celebrate the wonderful gift we have by living in America.”
 
In addition to being a painter, Weir is a kinetic mobile sculpture artist who specializes in “things that move,” she said, adding she also does abstract paintings.
 
Weir was recently awarded a $500 mini-grant from the Mississippi Arts Commission for the creative work she is exploring with banners.
 
ArtsNatchez Gallery is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that promotes the arts in the greater Natchez area and is managed by a board of directors. It features local artists whose work spans a wide range of media, including photography, painting, ceramics, woodwork, fabric arts, and jewelry. Artwork is presented in oils, acrylics, pastels, charcoal, pencil, and pen and ink.
The gallery is open daily at 10 a.m. For more information, call 601-442-0043.
 

VIDEO: Natchez High graduate Jayda Myles awarded 2026 Hugh Green Scholarship

 Natchez High School senior Jayda Myles received the 2026 Hugh Green Scholarship, a $1,000 award presented by the Hugh Green Scholarship Foundation during a ceremony Thursday, July 2.

Eva Dunkley, who chairs the Foundation committee, presented certificates of recognition from U.S. Congressman Bennie Thompson to both Jayda Myles and Hugh Green.

'So thankful': Natchez High grad Jayda Myles receives Hugh Green Scholarship

Natchez High grad Jayda Myles receives the 2026 Hugh Green Scholarship, a $1,000 award named for former NFL standout Hugh Green and recognizing student-athletes for academics and sports.

 By Roscoe Barnes III

The Natchez Democrat

July 8, 2026

Jayda Myles (center), the 2026 recipient of the $1,000 Hugh Green Scholarship, is pictured with Eva Dunkley and scholarship namesake Hugh Green. (Click on image to enlarge.)

NATCHEZ, Miss. --- Natchez High School senior Jayda Myles received the 2026 Hugh Green Scholarship, a $1,000 award presented by the Hugh Green Scholarship Foundation during a ceremony Thursday, July 2.

 “I’m so thankful for this opportunity,” said Myles. “I am very thrilled and honored to have this scholarship.”
 
Jayda is the daughter of Galaundra Myles. She plans to attend Alcorn State University this fall and major in agriculture.
 
A standout athlete, Jayda was recognized for her achievements in softball. Although she also played basketball during high school, she said softball was her primary sport.
Throughout her athletic career, she earned numerous championship rings and medals.
 
The scholarship is named for Hugh Green, a former NFL standout and College Football Hall of Famer. He is a native of Natchez and 1976 graduate of North Natchez High School.
 
The foundation has been actively presenting the scholarship each year for more than 30 years, according to Eva Dunkley, who chairs the foundation committee.
 
She said it all originated as a vision of her late husband, George Dunkley III, who followed Green’s football career “from the beginning to the end.”
 
“After Hugh was drafted to the Miami Dolphins, my husband had Miami Dolphin Day, which was the day we had the parade to honor Hugh,” Eva said. “After Hugh finished pro ball, my husband decided he would like to have a Hugh Green Day. Thirty years later, it’s still going. We’re just so proud of what Hugh has done for the community. As long as we have a dollar in this fund, we will be giving a scholarship.”
 
Eva said it’s important to keep the scholarship going to help the children of the community.
 
The previous recipient of the award was Markeith Thompson, who attends the University of Southern Mississippi.

The Hugh Green Scholarship Foundation committee presents the 2026 $1,000 Hugh Green Scholarship to Natchez High senior Jayda Myles (third from left). Pictured from left (front row) are Galaundra Myles, Hugh Green, Jayda Myles, Laura Ann Jackson (seated), and Eva Dunkley. Back row from left: Josie Gilchrist, David Myles, and Phillip West. (Click on image to enlarge.)

Green was on hand for the recent scholarship presentation.

 
“Congratulations to you,” he said to Jayda. “I hope this helps you somewhere down the road.”
 
Green said his goal has always been to strengthen the scholarship program. He added that its continued success has been possible because of the support of people in Natchez and across Mississippi.
 
Eva also presented certificates of recognition from U.S. Congressman Bennie Thompson to both Jayda and Green. The certificates read, “We are celebrating you because you did more and did it better and always exceed our expectations. Your hard work, dedication, and achievement will be cherished.”
 
The scholarship is awarded each year to students "who really need and deserve it," Eva said. Applicants must have a GPA of 2.5 or higher, submit a letter of recommendation from a teacher, pastor, or coach, and write an essay explaining what the scholarship would mean to them. Applicants also must be active in high school athletics, she said.
 
In addition to Eva, the foundation’s committee members include Secretary Wilbur Johnson and Treasurer Laura Jackson, both of whom attended the scholarship presentation. Other attendees included Jayda’s uncle, David Myles, Phillip West, and Eva’s classmate, Josie Gilchrist.
 

Farewell to civil rights veteran Ed King

I’m pictured here with King, Mulholland, and MDOC Commissioner Pelicia Hall. (Click on image to enlarge.) 

We’ve lost another giant of the Civil Rights Movement. The Rev. Dr. Ed King died Saturday, July 4, 2026, in Jackson. I was honored to meet him in September 2019 when he visited the Wilkinson County Correctional Facility in Woodville, where I served as chaplain. We were hosting a special visit by Joan Trumpauer Mulholland and Loki during a celebration of Anne Moody’s birthday.

I'm featured here with King, Mulholland, and Rep. Angela Cockerham. (Click on image to enlarge.)