Thomas King / The Meridian StarTony Fleming, the manager at Clarkco State Park, was recently named the 2019 park manager of the year by the Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks.

QUITMAN — Tony Fleming shies away from questions about himself, and is much more interested in showcasing the deeds of others.

But the manager at Clarkco State Park won’t be able to curtail praise for much longer, as he was recently named the 2019 park manager of the year by the Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks.

There are 21 state parks in Mississippi, and of them, the park managers and office staff vote on who should receive the award, meaning that this is an award from Fleming’s peers.

“It’s an honor and I appreciate it,” said Fleming, who has been manager at Clarkco for four years.

Fleming credited two key groups for the award.   

“If it hadn’t been for these two groups that I’ve got, the AmeriCorps and the Friends of ClarkCo… that’s what made the difference for me,” Fleming said.

The current AmeriCorps group stationed at the park is made up of six people in their late teens to early 20s. The team made it clear that Clarkco and Fleming are a great package deal.

“It’s been really refreshing to come here,” AmeriCorps member Mallory Fahey said. “It’s been fun working with Tony. It’s a really nice place.”

According to another member, Nikki Glendye, Fleming also received an award from AmeriCorps itself for his outstanding sponsorship.

“Every year we have some new sponsors that join the program and start requesting teams,” Glendye said. “Last year was Tony’s first year doing that and the award was to recognize him for being the best one last year,”

“It was all unexpected, I was just glad to have them all down here helping me,” said Fleming, who’s been working to maintain the appearance of the park and add new features. 

A combined effort of Fleming, volunteer groups and community support have kept the park going.

“We’ve built a bridge, and done a few different projects like removing limbs, chopping trees and spreading gravel,” Glendye said.

“It’s been an amazing experience,” AmeriCorps member Miles Telander said.

The park is also running a fundraising promotion.

People can purchase a bench that will be built and placed on park grounds complete with monogram for $500. According to Fleming, the park has built about 30 benches so far. All bench proceeds go straight to funding the park.

To contact the park for rentals or other inquiries, call 601-776-6651 or visit  clarkcostatepark@wfp.ms.gov.