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Gillespies
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Tell us about your family.
Van Gillespie, 56 - Enjoys time with family, working out, and cooking
for family and friends.
Angie, 51 - Enjoys reading, cooking, and entertaining friends.
Mary Beth, 23 - Spends most of her time studying as she just completed
her first year of dental school at UMMC. Enjoys reading, swimming, and
spending time with her friends and family.
Emma Cate, 14 - Enjoys cooking, swimming, and hanging out with friends.
How did you meet and how long have you been
married?
We met at First Baptist Jackson in the singles department. We dated
for nine months, were engaged nine months, and were married for
nine months when we found out we were pregnant with Mary Beth.
However, she arrived in eight months and broke our trend! We are
excited to be celebrating our 25th anniversary this December.
​
What brings you the greatest joy as a parent?
Watching our girls grow and develop into loving, kind, Christian young
ladies. We are so proud of our girls and all that they have accomplished,
and we can’t wait to see what God has in store for them in the future!
What are some of your favorite things about
Rankin County?
The hometown feel greatly appeals to us. We love our neighborhood,
Fox Bay, and love our neighbors. Between coworkers, neighbors,
fellow church members, etc., we have been fortunate to be surrounded
by great people and have made many wonderful memories. We’ve had
the opportunity to be involved in our church and our community here.
What accomplishments make you proud during
your time living in Rankin County?
We have made a wonderful home and have enjoyed our careers as
an attorney and nurse. We have both had great opportunities and
successes throughout our careers, but our sweet girls are our biggest
accomplishments. We have loved watching them grow and develop
their own personalities and seeing the people they are becoming!
What do you love about your team/school?
Van grew up in Oxford and graduated from Ole Miss undergrad and
law school. Mary Beth also recently graduated there for undergrad.
Ole Miss has been the epicenter for so many memories for generations
of our family. We love the beautiful campus and going to the Grove for
tailgating! We love how Ole Miss brings so many of our friends and
family together to celebrate a team that we all cherish!
FAVORITE TAILGATE RECIPE
Cheesy Meatball Sliders
• 2 lb. lean ground beef
• 1 cup Italian-style breadcrumbs
• 3 Tbsp. prepared pesto
• 1 large egg, lightly beaten
• 1 jar (24 oz.) pasta sauce
• 1 package (18 oz.) Hawaiian sweet rolls
• 12 slices mozzarella cheese
• ½ tsp. dried oregano
• ¼ cup melted butter
• 1 Tbsp. olive oil
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 tsp. Italian seasoning
• ½ tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
• 2 Tbsp. grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese or shredded
Italian cheese blend
• Fresh basil
Preheat oven to 350. Combine ground beef,
breadcrumbs, pesto and egg and mix lightly.
Shape into 12 meatballs; place on a greased rack
in a 15x10x1 inch baking pan. Bake until browned
and a thermometer reads 160, about 35 minutes.
Toss meatballs with sauce; set aside. Meanwhile,
without separating rolls, cut horizontally in half;
arrange bottom halves in a greased 13x9 inch
baking dish. Place half the cheese slices over roll
bottoms; sprinkle with oregano. Add meatballs
and sauce. Top with remaining cheese slices and
bun tops. Combine butter, olive oil, garlic, Italian
seasoning and red pepper flakes; brush over buns.
Bake, covered, for 20 minutes. Uncover and
sprinkle with Parmesan and shredded mozzarella.
Bake, uncovered, until cheese is melted, 10-15
minutes longer. Sprinkle with basil before serving.
Hometown RANKIN • 43