By By Stacey Hancock/The Meridian Star
Capt. Roger Welborn of the Meridian Police Department received the first annual Emma Horton Award earlier this month for his dedication to preventing the use of tobacco by teen-agers.
The award was presented in Jackson by Attorney General Mike Moore.
Welborn has been an MPD officer for 19 years.
Emma Horton was assistant chief of the Goodman Police Department in Goodman, Miss. Horton was shot and killed Sept. 8, 2000, during a reported dispute over scheduling. A fellow officer, Eddie Myers, has been charged with capital murder in connection with the shooting.
Horton worked with the Youth Court and was one of the first to step up to the challenge of educating children on the dangers of tobacco.
The Partnership for a Healthy Mississippi is a public/private non-profit organization dedicated to offering healthy lifestyle choices. More than 600 local groups throughout the state are members of the Partnership, which is funded with money from the tobacco settlement.
For more information about Partnership for a Healthy Lauderdale County, call 482-9746.
Stacey Hancock is a staff writer for The Meridian Star.