Buddy Bynum

    James L. “Buddy” Bynum, former editor of The Meridian Star, and former aide to Gov. Haley Barbour and U.S. Sen. Trent Lott, died Saturday at his home in Ridgeland from complications of pancreatic cancer. He was 59.

    A memorial service will be held Thursday at 11 a.m. at Chapel of the Cross Episcopal Church in Madison with reception preceding in the Parish Hall.

    Survivors include his wife, Sandy; a daughter, Sarah Bynum of Paducah, Ky.; a step-son, Jarrod Lee of Magee; two grandchildren; and his parents, Kenneth Donald and Verna Harrison Bynum of Meridian.

    “We’ve lost the irreplaceable center of our family and joyous light in our lives, but the inspiration of his faith, optimism and perseverance will live on in our hearts forever,” Sandy Bynum said in a statement. “We thank everyone who gave him care and support over this last year, and everyone who stood with him for so many years in his tireless march for progress.”

    Bynum served nearly five years as director of communications for Barbour.

    “Buddy Bynum and I were friends for years before he became my communications director,” Barbour said in a statement issued Sunday. “Of course he was editor of the Meridian Star, but we had worked together during his days in Washington with Sen. Lott and had known each other for a long time before that. So for me, this is more than the loss of a great staffer but a true friend.”

    Bynum recently served as executive editor of The Oxford Enterprise.

    From 2000-2005 he was editor of his hometown paper, The Meridian Star.

    “Buddy was more than a great boss and mentor, he was the embodiment of a timeless professional,” Fredie Carmichael, editor of The Meridian Star said Sunday. “He instilled a passion in me about the important roles newspapers play in the communities they serve. His wisdom and intellect were unmatched. But more than all of that, he was a trusted friend. There is a huge void in my heart. He will always be a giant in my eyes and a hero who couldn’t possibly be replaced.”

    “Buddy was one of Mississippi’s finest journalists. While serving as editor of The Meridian Star, he had the city’s and region’s best interest at heart while doing his best to make sure government and government officials were held accountable to the people. He was a great friend, a trusted mentor and a wonderful family man who believed in public service and deeply appreciated the important role journalism and newspapers play in a community. He contributed an awful lot to East Central Mississippi and the state as a whole. I am heartbroken at the loss. He will be dearly missed,” said Terry R. Cassreino, who served as assistant managing editor at The Star when Bynum was editor.

    Bynum also was director of public affairs at the Mississippi Department of Economic and Community Development, the predecessor agency of the Mississippi Development Authority, from 1998-2000.

    From 1993-1997 Bynum was editor and co-owner of the Mississippi Business Journal.

    In Washington D.C. Bynum served as deputy secretary for Congressional Relations of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and communications chief for U.S. Sen. Trent Lott.

    In 1988 the city of New Orleans conferred upon him the title of Honorary Citizen and the key to the city.

    After majoring in journalism at the University of Mississippi where he was editor of The Daily Mississippian, he worked for The Sun-Herald on the Mississippi Gulf Coast and covered state government and politics for the Jackson Daily News.