88 • JUNE 2020
??????????? WHERE ARE THEY NOW ???????????Courtside AdventuresLEIGH RAMSEYIt is the perfect scene from any heartwarmingmovie about growing up in the south. A youngboy and his friends ride their bikes to meet up fora fun day of fishing. The barefoot children spendtheir daylight hours outside, usually ending theday at the baseball fields. As teenagers, theyjump in their unlocked cars and turn the keysthat were already hanging from the ignition.The friends drive down the road, only stoppingto swipe a piece of sugar cane from a field. Oncethey arrive at their destination, the teens sit onthe swinging bridge, eating sugar cane andhiding from the cars that pass underneath.Except this is not a movie scene, it is a glimpseinto the childhood of Hal Lusk, who grew up inFlorence, Mississippi. “I could go on for daysabout growing up in Florence. I wouldn’t trade itfor anything. It was the simple life, and a greatplace to grow up.” Mr. Lusk continued to recallhis childhood memories, telling stories about howthe town had no police, only a town marshal.The doctor, who lived across the street from him,would make house calls if someone was sick. HalLusk’s family absolutely loved their quaint town.Hal’s mother, Velma, was born and raised inFlorence. His father, Harold Lusk Sr., movedthere in 1948. They got married and had twochildren, Sandy, and Harold Lusk Jr. (Hal).Harold Lusk Sr. owned C&H Steel. In his freetime, he coached his son’s little league teams. Aballpark in Florence was named after him, tohonor him for years of service. Hal’s mom, Velma,served Florence as well. She owned severalbusinesses in the Florence area, and served for 28years as either mayor or alderman of Florence.Velma Lusk was once awarded for being thelongest serving female in municipal government.Sandy Tabor, the daughter of Harold Sr. andVelma Lusk, continued the family tradition ofserving Florence. Sandy served in the Florenceschool district, first as a teacher, then counselor,assistant principal, and she eventually becameprincipal. Though she has now retired, she stillserves the school, part-time, and lives in thehouse she built next to her childhood home.Hal Lusk Jr. learned to love sports from avery early age. Whether he was playing aspontaneous game of baseball with his buddies,or being coached by his father, his childhood wasfilled with baseball memories. When he enteredhigh school, he played every sport that wasoffered. Mr. Lusk went to Belhaven on a baseballscholarship. He is in the baseball Hall of Famefor his achievements during that time.While attending Belhaven, someone suggestedhe start refereeing basketball games. He lovedthe idea. After joining the association, he beganofficiating junior high and high school games.He then began refereeing for junior colleges andsmall colleges. He attended some referee campsand was hired for division one conferences. Thisgave him the opportunity to travel the countryand he got to officiate fourteen NCAAtournaments, one of which was the Sweet 16.In 2017, Mr. Lusk came off the floor fromrefereeing. He became the assistant coordinatorover officiating for numerous division oneconferences, including the SEC. He is also thecoordinator over officiating for Mississippijunior colleges, Alabama junior colleges, andtwo NAIA conferences.Hal Lusk Jr. has experienced all of this whilealso working for Jackson Public Schools. In1986, he became assistant athletic director forthe schools, and in 1990, he became athleticdirector. He has since retired from that position.He will be celebrating his 34th anniversary withhis wife, Jennifer, in July. They have three sons,Chad, Noah and Hal Lusk III. He also is proudof his five grandchildren, Isaac, Camille, Elena,Mia, and James Harold Lusk IV.Mr. Lusk shared how thankful he is thatrefereeing has offered him so many uniqueopportunities. He has met interesting people,like Coach Bobby Knight, and has traveled toexciting places all over the United States andbeyond. He humbly shared, “To say that an oleboy from Florence, Mississippi, has gotten to goto all of those places is pretty interesting, to saythe least.”Hometown RANKIN • 89