Rankin620web

??????????? WHERE ARE THEY NOW ???????????
Courtside Adventures
LEIGH RAMSEY
It is the perfect scene from any heartwarming
movie about growing up in the south. A young
boy and his friends ride their bikes to meet up for
a fun day of fishing. The barefoot children spend
their daylight hours outside, usually ending the
day at the baseball fields. As teenagers, they
jump in their unlocked cars and turn the keys
that were already hanging from the ignition.
The friends drive down the road, only stopping
to swipe a piece of sugar cane from a field. Once
they arrive at their destination, the teens sit on
the swinging bridge, eating sugar cane and
hiding from the cars that pass underneath.
Except this is not a movie scene, it is a glimpse
into the childhood of Hal Lusk, who grew up in
Florence, Mississippi. “I could go on for days
about growing up in Florence. I wouldn’t trade it
for anything. It was the simple life, and a great
place to grow up.” Mr. Lusk continued to recall
his childhood memories, telling stories about how
the 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. Hal
Lusk’s family absolutely loved their quaint town.
Hal’s mother, Velma, was born and raised in
Florence. His father, Harold Lusk Sr., moved
there in 1948. They got married and had two
children, Sandy, and Harold Lusk Jr. (Hal).
Harold Lusk Sr. owned C&H Steel. In his free
time, he coached his son’s little league teams. A
ballpark in Florence was named after him, to
honor him for years of service. Hal’s mom, Velma,
served Florence as well. She owned several
businesses in the Florence area, and served for 28
years as either mayor or alderman of Florence.
Velma Lusk was once awarded for being the
longest serving female in municipal government.
Sandy Tabor, the daughter of Harold Sr. and
Velma Lusk, continued the family tradition of
serving Florence. Sandy served in the Florence
school district, first as a teacher, then counselor,
assistant principal, and she eventually became
principal. Though she has now retired, she still
serves the school, part-time, and lives in the
house she built next to her childhood home.
Hal Lusk Jr. learned to love sports from a
very early age. Whether he was playing a
spontaneous game of baseball with his buddies,
or being coached by his father, his childhood was
filled with baseball memories. When he entered
high school, he played every sport that was
offered. Mr. Lusk went to Belhaven on a baseball
scholarship. He is in the baseball Hall of Fame
for his achievements during that time.
While attending Belhaven, someone suggested
he start refereeing basketball games. He loved
the idea. After joining the association, he began
officiating junior high and high school games.
He then began refereeing for junior colleges and
small colleges. He attended some referee camps
and was hired for division one conferences. This
gave him the opportunity to travel the country
and he got to officiate fourteen NCAA
tournaments, one of which was the Sweet 16.
In 2017, Mr. Lusk came off the floor from
refereeing. He became the assistant coordinator
over officiating for numerous division one
conferences, including the SEC. He is also the
coordinator over officiating for Mississippi
junior colleges, Alabama junior colleges, and
two NAIA conferences.
Hal Lusk Jr. has experienced all of this while
also working for Jackson Public Schools. In
1986, he became assistant athletic director for
the schools, and in 1990, he became athletic
director. He has since retired from that position.
He will be celebrating his 34th anniversary with
his wife, Jennifer, in July. They have three sons,
Chad, Noah and Hal Lusk III. He also is proud
of his five grandchildren, Isaac, Camille, Elena,
Mia, and James Harold Lusk IV.
Mr. Lusk shared how thankful he is that
refereeing has offered him so many unique
opportunities. He has met interesting people,
like Coach Bobby Knight, and has traveled to
exciting places all over the United States and
beyond. He humbly shared, “To say that an ole
boy from Florence, Mississippi, has gotten to go
to all of those places is pretty interesting, to say
the least.”
Hometown RANKIN • 89