Family owned and operated to support the next generation

Oxford, Michigan – Corinth Coca-Cola Bottling Works Inc. has been serving beverages since 1907. During that time, the family-owned and operated organization expanded from its original location in Corinth to multiple locations in the Mid-South.

And all that time, the family has run the business. A fifth-generation owner-operator, Colin Skoke has deep roots not only in Coca-Cola and the Mid-South, but also in the University of Mississippi, where four generations of his family earned their degrees.

To honor the legacy of UM while supporting future generations of students, the family funded one scholarship (the Collin Coca-Cola Business School Scholarship Fund) and officially established a second scholarship. did. A longtime management student.

“Our family has owned and operated this business for over 100 years, and we have ties to Ole Miss that go back generations,” says the two recent graduates or current children. said Ken Williams Jr., who has He is a student and represents four generations of his university family.

Corinth Coke Chair Sandy Williams (BBA 57) and his wife Rosemary Taylor Williams (BS 60) from Lucedale, President and CEO Kenneth Williams (BBA 63) and his late My wife, Nancy Kinkade Williams (BS 60) 63), is from Clarksdale and all have Ole Miss degrees.

After completing his undergraduate degree at Millsaps College, Corinth Coke COO Ken Williams Jr. received his MBA there in 1994. His daughter, Emma, ​​is in her junior year at Ole Miss pursuing a degree in Communication Science and Disability. Her eldest daughter Elizabeth, like her grandmother Nancy Kincade Williams graduated in 1963, she graduated in 2018 with a degree in primary education.

Nancy Williams’ father, Robert P. Kincade, played football for the Rebels from 1935 to 1938, including the Rebels’ first and only appearance in the 1936 Orange Bowl.

“The connection with Ole Miss is early and often,” Williams said. “And some of us are educated in business schools.

“Our involvement with Ole Miss has been invaluable to us. I can do it.”

To achieve this goal of helping other students, the Coca-Cola Business School Scholarship is available to full-time students enrolled in the school who are residents of Alcorn, Itawamba, Lee, Prentice, or Tishomingo counties for four semesters. will award a minimum of $1,000.

Scholarship recipients must have excellent academic performance and a history of participation in extracurricular activities and a history of service to others and their communities.

“We believe it will be important to educate the youth of this region for decades to come,” said Sandy Williams. “And Ole Miss thinks he’s one of the best places to make that happen. It’s right there in our own backyard.”

Refreshments Inc. Partners in Business Scholarship provides funding for full-time sophomores, juniors, and juniors who are residents of Alcorn, Itawamba, Lee, Marshall, Pontotoc, or Union counties .

Some of the refreshment scholarships are funded from an annual golf tournament, said Ken Sailey, dean of business at Ole Miss and a veteran participant in the fundraiser.

“I have enjoyed my relationship with Kenneth and Sandy Williams for about 12 years, ever since I attended their charity golf tournament benefiting from a Refreshments scholarship,” Sailey said. . “These events reveal the heart of this great family, educating and uplifting people within the organization and throughout the state and region.

“It’s been wonderful to meet the family and interact with them over the years. They are selfless and caring people and I appreciate their dedication and commitment. In addition to the region, he left a considerable legacy to his family, his company, Corinth and Ole Mis.”

The family hopes the scholarship will help strengthen communities in northeastern Mississippi, said Kenneth Williams Sr.

“Our dream is that with our support, some of the students in the area will attend business school and then remain in Mississippi and join one of the many quality companies already established, or perhaps “Hopefully they use their talents to make our state better for the next generation.”

“We believe that the people who live and work in these county communities are part of our family,” said Ken Williams Jr. ”

The Corinth Coca-Cola Business School Scholarship Endowment and Refreshments Inc. Partners in Business Scholarship Fund accept donations from individuals and organizations. To donate, send a check with the name of the donation or fund in the notes section to: University of Mississippi Foundation, 406 University Ave., Oxford, MS 38655, or online at https://give.olemiss.edu Please donate at .

For more information on School of Business Administration support, please contact Angela Brown, Senior Director of Development, at browna@olemiss.edu or 662-915-3181.