Matt Johnson and Lynsee Parish are shown after they were presented as Mr. and Miss PJC on Wednesday at halftime of the men’s basketball game between Paris Junior College and Panola College. (PJC Photo)
PARIS — Mr. and Miss PJC — Matt Johnson of Plano and Lynsee Parish of Yantis — were announced Wednesday night at halftime of the men’s basketball game between Paris Junior College and Panola College.
Johnson is a two-year member of the Dragons baseball team and was recently named to Who’s Who Among Students in American Junior Colleges. After PJC, he will transfer to the University of Pittsburgh to play baseball while continuing his education. The 5-10, 172-pound sophomore plays shortstop.
Parish attends the PJC-Sulphur Springs Center, where she is president of The Blend club and vice president of the two-year college honor society Phi Theta Kappa in Sulphur Springs. After PJC she plans to pursue her degree in education and become a teacher.
Both students were named to the President’s Honor List, a feat requiring a 4.0 GPA. Candidates were nominated by PJC faculty and staff and selected by a vote of the student body. To qualify, they needed to be a full-time student, carry at least 12 semester hours and be a graduating sophomore.
Charles Richards Charles Richards moved to Paris in 2004 after retiring from a 40-year career in journalism – the last 26 years as a news writer and sports writer with The Associated Press in Dallas and Washington, D.C. In mid-2004, The Paris News coaxed him out of retirement, and he began covering the police, court and regional beat for The Paris News. Then in early 2005, he was switched to coverage of a sharply divided Paris City Council. He was appointed by the City Council in 2006 to the 12-member City Charter Review Commission, which extensively rewrote the outmoded document. His writing awards include two first-place awards in statewide competition for feature writing. The most recent was his 2005 story on a Paris doctor’s startling use of leeches in a successful attempt to re-attach a man’s severed ear. Over his career, Richards’ interview subjects include Alabama Gov. George Wallace, President Bill Clinton, President George W. Bush, David Koresh, Arnold Palmer, Muhammad Ali and numerous other political and sports figures. He is an alumnus of Texas Tech, where he was editor of the school newspaper. He lives in Paris with his wife, Barbara, who is retired after 30 years as a teacher and high school counselor.
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