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A.J. Holloway (c. 1939 – June 5, 2018) was an American politician, who served as Mayor of Biloxi, Mississippi, from 1993 to 2015. He also played
Prior to his election as mayor, Holloway worked at the
City of Biloxi - Mayor's Office
*
C-SPAN ''Q&A'' interview with Holloway, February 12, 2006
{{DEFAULTSORT:Holloway, A.J. 1930s births 2018 deaths Businesspeople from Mississippi Mayors of Biloxi, Mississippi Mississippi city council members Mississippi Republicans Ole Miss Rebels football players 20th-century American businesspeople
college football
College football (french: Football universitaire) refers to gridiron football played by teams of student athletes. It was through college football play that American football rules first gained popularity in the United States.
Unlike most ...
for the 1960 national champion Ole Miss Rebels
The Ole Miss Rebels are the 18 men's and women's intercollegiate athletic teams that are funded by and represent the University of Mississippi, located in Oxford. The first was the football team, which began play in 1893.
Originally known as th ...
.
Early years
Holloway was educated in the Biloxi public schools and graduated from theUniversity of Mississippi
The University of Mississippi (byname Ole Miss) is a public research university that is located adjacent to Oxford, Mississippi, and has a medical center in Jackson. It is Mississippi's oldest public university and its largest by enrollment.
...
, where he played on the Ole Miss football team which went to two Sugar Bowl
The Sugar Bowl is an annual American college football bowl game played in New Orleans, Louisiana. Played annually since January 1, 1935, it is tied with the Orange Bowl and Sun Bowl as the second-oldest bowl games in the country, surpassed onl ...
s, a Cotton Bowl, and won share of the National Championship
A national championship(s) is the top achievement for any sport or competition, contest within a league of a particular nation or nation state. The title is usually awarded by contests, ranking systems, stature, ability, etc. This determines the be ...
in 1960.
Political career
Prior to his election as mayor, Holloway worked at the Mississippi
Mississippi () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States, bordered to the north by Tennessee; to the east by Alabama; to the south by the Gulf of Mexico; to the southwest by Louisiana; and to the northwest by Arkansas. Miss ...
Tax Commission for 12 years, reaching the position of senior revenue agent, and served one term on the Biloxi City Council
A municipal council is the legislative body of a municipality or local government area. Depending on the location and classification of the municipality it may be known as a city council, town council, town board, community council, rural counc ...
, representing Ward 3. During his term as mayor, he oversaw the direct financial benefit to Biloxi from casino
A casino is a facility for certain types of gambling. Casinos are often built near or combined with hotels, resorts, restaurants, retail shopping, cruise ships, and other tourist attractions. Some casinos are also known for hosting live entertai ...
gambling that was introduced to the area in 1992.
Hurricane Katrina
On August 29, 2005,Hurricane Katrina
Hurricane Katrina was a destructive Category 5 Atlantic hurricane that caused over 1,800 fatalities and $125 billion in damage in late August 2005, especially in the city of New Orleans and the surrounding areas. It was at the time the cost ...
hit Biloxi causing massive damage and loss of life. Summarizing the devastation in Biloxi left behind by Katrina, Holloway told The Sun Herald, "This is our tsunami
A tsunami ( ; from ja, 津波, lit=harbour wave, ) is a series of waves in a water body caused by the displacement of a large volume of water, generally in an ocean or a large lake. Earthquakes, volcanic eruptions and other underwater explo ...
."
Hopes for the future
As mayor, Holloway envisioned as many as 20casino resort
A casino hotel is an establishment consisting of a casino with temporary lodging provided in an on-premises hotel. Customers receive the benefits of both gambling facilities and lodging. Since the casino and hotel are located on the same premis ...
s in Biloxi in 10 years, and as many as 30,000 hotel rooms and 30,000 employees in the casino resort industry. His "Reviving the Renaissance" initiative also promised improvements in areas such as affordable housing, historic preservation, public safety and public education
State schools (in England, Wales, Australia and New Zealand) or public schools (Scottish English and North American English) are generally primary or secondary schools that educate all students without charge. They are funded in whole or in pa ...
.
Holloway said in 2004 and again in 2007: "Future generations are going to look back on this chapter in our history as a time when we made the right decisions … when we cherished and protected our culture... and we did things to improve and enhance our quality of life
Quality of life (QOL) is defined by the World Health Organization as "an individual's perception of their position in life in the context of the culture and value systems in which they live and in relation to their goals, expectations, standards ...
. They're going to see this as an historic time."
References
External links
City of Biloxi - Mayor's Office
*
C-SPAN ''Q&A'' interview with Holloway, February 12, 2006
{{DEFAULTSORT:Holloway, A.J. 1930s births 2018 deaths Businesspeople from Mississippi Mayors of Biloxi, Mississippi Mississippi city council members Mississippi Republicans Ole Miss Rebels football players 20th-century American businesspeople