Hometown Rankin - June & July 2017

“When you say, ‘I’m from Brandon, people know where it is!’”
Georgia Grubbs said with noticeable pride and total agreement by her husband, Truitt.
Jackson had been their home where they had planned to raise their three children,
but school uncertainties forced them to move.
After being told the fifth time that their children would
have to change schools one more time because of
consolidations, they pulled up roots and planted their
lives in Rankin County. It was a good plant for the
Grubbs as well as the citizens of the county.
As for the Brandon school system, Georgia says, “It couldn’t
have been better.” Truitt credits Dr. Mike Vinson, their superintendent
of education, for turning the schools around.
Truitt and Georgia have always been faithful public school
supporters. Truitt was the “baby” of six children, and when all of
his siblings boarded the school bus, he cried to go to school with
them. The next year was too long for him to wait. When his
crying wouldn’t stop, Truitt’s mother visited the principal and
convinced him that Truitt needed to be in school. He started
“primer,” as it was called, six months early.
When thinking back over the positive growth of their beloved
county, Truitt, an active Republican, believes that his party has
played a major role in Rankin County progress. “I believe this
county (Rankin) carried the heaviest Republican vote in the state
and has influenced state-wide elections,” he says with a politician’s
pride. He added that Rankin County is the home of Governor
Phil Bryant (before the governor’s mansion), Tate Reeves, Dick
Hall, and Gregg Harper.
Representative Harper is a Republican that recognizes the
influence that the Grubbs wield. He refers to Truitt as his adopted
daddy and has spoken publicly about believing that Georgia and
Truitt have had more influence on his election than any others.
The Grubbs are not your “front-porch-rocking” neighbors.
Truitt began his career as a 4-H county agent in Lawrence County
and moved on to Lincoln County for eleven more years. After a
break to earn his master’s degree from Mississippi State, he
returned to work as the southwestern district director of the
cooperative extension service for twenty years.
He recalls traveling to Brandon to buy calves for his 4-H
clubs from J.W. Underwood. His farm was located on acreage
that was to become Crossgates Subdivision. Truitt credits
Underwood for quality development of Brandon in those early
stages of city planning.
After the Grubbs’ sons had begun and operated Green Tree
Landscape and Maintenance for ten years, Truitt retired after
his thirty-two years with the extension service and joined his
sons for the next ten years.
Georgia added amid her contagious laugh, “The boys told
him if he behaved, they’d give him a riding lawn mower!” She
joined the family business as the financial operator after retiring
from six years as director of Kinder-Gates, a children’s day care.
Hometown Rankin • 11