While most people were either working are enjoying a day off Friday watching college bowl games, Steve Horne and his younger brother Jeff had the unenviable task of sifting through their father's personal items.
Former state representative Tommy Horne of Meridian died this week at the age of 72 while he and his wife were visiting relatives in Lonoke, Ark. The elder Horne, who represented the people of District 81 covering Clarke and Lauderdale counties until his retirement in 2003, was a mainstay in the Mississippi State Legislature for decades. He was regarded as one of the most influential men in the Mississippi Legislature as chairman of the powerful House Rules Committee. He was also a member of the PEER, Local and Private, Judiciary, and Ways and Means Committees. Horne was a graduate of the University of Southern Mississippi and Mississippi College School of Law; he was a practicing attorney until his retirement. He also was a veteran of the U.S. Army and Navy.
But as most of Horne's friends and colleagues remembered an intensely focused man, Steve Horne remembered the man he grew up idolizing and someone whom he would follow into Mississippi politics. Steve Horne took over his father's seat in the House of Representatives representing District 81 after his father's retirement.
"If I end up being half the man he was then I'll think I was successful," said Steve Horne as he took a break on Friday. "He was a very private man. Most people don't really know that much about him away from the legislature."
During the next several minutes Steve Horne reminisced about a man who would come home from Jackson and become a father. In many ways, Steve Horne said his dad was as intense as he was while representing the people of his district and his state. But there were lessons he wanted to teach his children and they were lessons learned and appreciated.
"He taught me right from wrong and was a great friend, father and mentor," said Steven Horne. "But I'm constantly reminded how much he shared himself with others. I always run into someone who my dad has helped. It makes me very proud."
State Senator Videt Carmichael and former State Representative Rev. Roy Dabbs remember Horne as a man whose word was as solid as an oak tree.
"I'm thinking about going into Webster's Dictionary and just scratching out the definition of honesty," said Dabbs, who will be officiating Horne's funeral service Monday. "I'm just going to put Tommy's picture right there. If there is a more honest person, I'd like to meet them."
"He was always there for me," said Carmichael. "He mentored me telling me to study the rules book. He always had great advice because he knew the state legislature inside and out."
A common denominator begins to emerge whenever the conversation evolves concerning Tommy Horne and how he conducted himself as a legislator and a family man. He was honest to the core and a tireless worker.
"He researched topics like no one before or since," said Dabbs. "He was a great statesman and a true American. He just wouldn't tell you what you wanted to hear or offer a bunch of fluff. What he said was the truth and you could take it to the bank."
Of course, the more intimate moments are shared among immediate family members. Steve Horne was able to laugh at some of those memories that for the rest of his life will stay with him, inspire him and bring him comfort during the sure to come hard times.
"He was a devout Christian and loved the outdoors," said Steve Horne. "As soon as I could walk he began taking me hunting and fishing. I just didn't realize then, as I do now, those trips were also to teach me about right and wrong and the world."
William Shakespeare, the English poet and playwright, died almost 500 years ago so there is no way he could know Tommy Horne. But Shakespeare must have been thinking about someone such as Horne when he said, "No legacy is so rich as honesty."
The legacy that Tommy Horne leaves behind is much more than what is in the home and stored boxes his sons sorted through Friday. It is a lingering perception to everyone who knew him that there is a right way and a wrong way in which to live your life.
Funeral services for Horne will be held Monday at 1 p.m. at Oak Grove Baptist Church.
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Horne remembered for his integrity, work ethic
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