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MERIDIAN, Miss. (WTOK) – A special ceremony was held today to rename a street in honor of a man who has been serving east Mississippi for almost 40 years.
Forty fifth avenue from Highland Park Drive to 5th street has officially been renamed Ricky Hood Senior Boulevard. City leaders and community members wanted to recognize a man who has spent so much of his life leading his community by faith, service and sacrifice.
Ricky Hood Senior spoke more about what he hopes to see from the community after he eventually leaves.
“At the end of the day, when I leave it’s still going to be about the Boys and Girls Club. And that part is never going to be forgotten by this community. It’s that the Boys and Girls Club is forever in this community, but it’s only as good and only as strong as the community is. And the community has to be strong in its support of children and the elderly,” said Ricky Hood Senior.
Ricky Sr. also spoke more about what inspired him to keep giving back to the community for so many years.
“It’s easy for me to give because somebody gave to me. It’s as simple as that; it’s not very complicated. I think we complicate it a lot, as to why people do things. It’s simple, it’s simple. Somebody did it for me and I’m hoping that the people that I do it for they pay it forward,” said Ricky Sr.
Community members from across the city and the state shared stories about how Ricky impacted their life and how grateful they were to see his legacy live on in a new way.