By Kaitlin Howell
Jul 17, 2021 | 9:38 PM
JACKSON, Miss. (WJTV) – Former Mississippi First Lady Elise Varner Winter, the widow of Gov. William Winter, passed away on Saturday, July 17, 2021, in Jackson. She was 95.
During her time as first lady, she played a principal role in the governor’s efforts to reform the state’s educational system. Winter helped lead a statewide grassroots campaign, along with her husband. She made speeches, visited classrooms and explained the governor’s plans.
In a special session, the Legislature passed the 1984 Educational Reform Act, ensuring the state a system of kindergartens, compulsory attendance laws, and other improvements.
While she was first lady, Friends of the Mansion was organized under her supervision. Supporters contributed to acquire historic artifacts for the Governor’s Mansion.
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Former Mississippi first lady Elise Winter dies at 95
EMILY WAGSTER PETTUS, Associated Press
July 17, 2021
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1of5FILE - In this Wednesday, May 20, 2015 file photo, Former first lady of Mississippi Elise Varner Winter reacts to questions from Elbert Hilliard, former director of the Mississippi Department of Archives and History in Jackson, Miss. Elise Winter, the wife of former Mississippi Gov. William Winter, died Saturday, July 17, 2021 at her home in Jackson, said Dick Molpus, a longtime family friend who served on Winter s gubernatorial staff. She was 95.Rogelio V. Solis/APShow MoreShow Less
2of5FILE - In this Tuesday, Feb. 19, 2013 file photo, Former Gov. William Winter, right, and wife Elise listen to panelists at a symposium on the Future of Mississippi and the South on Winter s 90th birthday at the Old Capitol Museum in Jackson, Miss. Elise Winter, the wife of former Mississippi Gov. William Winter, died Saturday, July 17, 2021 at her
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