T-Shirt Contest

Four students from the Commercial Art Technology Department at Hinds Community College were chosen as winners of the T-Shirt Contest sponsored by the Raymond Chamber of Commerce. First place and a check for $100 was awarded to Kelly Roma from Vicksburg. Other cash winners were Tre’ Thornhill of Jackson, 2nd place; Amanda Speed of Brandon, 3rd place; and Brandy Hupperich of Utica, 4th place. The winning design will be featured on the t-shirts sold during the 1998 reenactment of the Battle of Raymond.

Michael Hataway, instructor of the Commercial Art Technology Department, reviewed the specifications for entry and decided it would be a good practical assignment for the class. “The course that the Commercial Arts students are enrolled in presently is Practical Advertising Techniques,” states Hataway. “I saw the contest as a practical assignment. I presented the challenge to the students when they returned from their Christmas break and they had approximately two-three weeks to work on it. Each student came up with their own design based on the specification set up by the Raymond Chamber of Commerce.”

In preparation for the contest each student had to do historical research. “For example,” said Hataway, “we had to do research on how many stars were on the American flag in the Battle of Raymond. With the help of Dr. Ben Fartherree, Professor of History at Hinds, we discovered there were 34 stars. Then, we had to come up with the proper arrangement of the stars and how they were displayed on the flag. There was a lot of interaction going on between Dr. Fartherree and my class in order to make sure we were historically correct.”

Winners of the T-Shirt Contest were chosen in March. John Barber, President of the Raymond Chamber of Commerce, commented, “The judging for this contest was actually done by the Reenactment Committee – mostly comprised of reenactors. They were looking for really authentic designs and we certainly saw a lot good ones. We were real proud of the students for their creative and artistic approach to the contest.”

Kelly Roma, first place winner, is in her last semester of Commercial Art Technology and plans to start working full time for Hayes Marketing in Vicksburg following graduation in May. Excited about having her design chosen as winner, Kelly commented, “I’m originally from Pennsylvania but have been living in Vicksburg for four and a half years. My husband is an electrical engineer working at Grand Gulf. I used to be an elementary school teacher but was not happy working in that field. What I really wanted was to return to college and get a degree in Commercial Art. I’ve always loved art and enjoyed it as a hobby. When I moved to Vicksburg, I heard that Hinds Community College had one of the best Commercial Art Technology programs in the South. So, I enrolled for the two-year program. It’s been a good two years at Hinds and I feel I’ve had the best training possible. Mr. Hataway is the best.”

The move from Pennsylvania to Vicksburg ignited Roma’s interest in the Civil War. “I’ve always been interested in Civil War history, so this assignment was interesting to me. After Mr. Hataway presented the assignment, I ended up doing a lot of research in the library. Also, I spent a great deal of time visiting the Vicksburg Military Park. At first, a lot of my time was spent on research and sketching out ideas. When I found something that looked good I just went with it. I started with the battlefield map that’s going to be featured on the back of the shirt. I thought it would be really interesting to have a map design to show the location of the battles. For those participating in the reenactment, I thought this would be a great souvenir to have.”

Roma’s design features a map on the back of the shirt and an artillery silhouette on the front. “On the front of the shirt, I didn’t want just a little pocket design. I wanted something that would cover the front and something that would be appropriate for both sides. When studying old pen and ink drawings from the Battle of Raymond, I noticed the use of heavy artillery. That’s why I went with the artillery silhouette. I tried to keep the design as close as possible to what will be expected – action wise – at the reenactment of the Battle of Raymond.”

The Raymond Chamber of Commerce is appreciative of Michael Hataway and the participation of his class toward this historical annual event. Thousands of visitors are expected for the Battle of Raymond reenactment to be held May 8-10, 1998. Kelly’s prize-winning shirt will be sold that weekend as a souvenir for all attending the event.