Two Ole Miss Programs Honor Former Senator Trent Lott, Wife Tricia

Programs honoring former Mississippi Senator Trent Lott and his wife, Tricia, are cultivating future leaders for America at The University of Mississippi.

At a reception at Oxford’s University Club this weekend, Lott, a former Ole Miss cheerleader at Ole Miss, expressed appreciation to friends, former co-workers and alumni and donors for their support the Patricia Thompson Lott Scholarship program at Ole Miss.

“We honor Tricia with the establishment of this scholarship program and she takes a very personal interest in each recipient,” Lott said as he noted the couple has been celebrating their 50th wedding anniversary.

“It’s been 51 years of bliss, you know,” he said as he hugged his wife and gave her an admiring kiss.

Senator Trent Lott and his five, Trisha, visited with friends, donors, alumni and guests at a reception Saturday to raise funds for the Patricia Thompson Lott Council Scholarship at Ole Miss. From left are Will and Samantha Pepper, Tricia Lott and Senator Lott, Cindy Phillips and friend.

“The Trent Lott Leadership Institute, established in honor of former Senator’s life of public service, has as its mission to identify talented young people and prepare them for leadership positions in our state and nation,” said Executive Director, Billy Gottshall. The Lott Leadership Institute has become one of Ole Miss’ top programs attracting high ability students interested in leadership development.

“We fully expect that the names of today’s Public Policy Leadership graduates will resound through the halls of state legislatures, Congress, U.S. Embassies and other institutions that serve the public good in the future,” Gottshall said.

The Patricia Thompson Lott Scholarship Endowment was established in 2005 with gifts from Bill Gottshall and his wife Donna, Lott’s former state director Guy Hovis and his wife Sis, and former Secretary of the Senate Gary Sisco and his wife Mary Sue. Almost 10 years later the endowment has grown to more than $1.5 million and granted 63 scholarships to public policy leadership students.

The Trent Lott Leadership Institute is housed in facilities in the center of the campus, across from Weir Hall which was the old Student Union when Lott attend Ole Miss in the early 1960s. He is known to have led the Hotty Toddy cheer from the balcony of Weir Hall.

The Lott Institute is noted nationally for its program design, which reaches out to young people before they enter college through the Lott Program for pre-college students, including the Lott Leadership Institute for high school students and the Lott Leadership Institute for rising ninth graders.

“We continue work with our Bachelor of Arts in Public Policy Leadership degree at Ole Miss, where we work with promising and talented young people to develop global leaders for the future,” Gottshall said.