Barbour declares state of mourning

By By Terry R. Cassreino / assistant managing editor
September 8, 2004
Gov. Haley Barbour ordered flags flown half-staff through Friday in memory of former two-term Gov. Kirk Fordice, who died Tuesday at University Medical Center from complications of leukemia.
Barbour said Fordice left a lasting mark on Mississippi.
Barbour said the former governor's "frank, outspoken and unwavering style made him a respected figure with his political opponents and a beloved governor by Mississippians across the state."
Fordice's body will lie in the rotunda of the state Capitol for public viewing from 10 a.m. until 6 p.m. Thursday. Services will be at 10 a.m. Friday at First Baptist Church in Jackson. He is survived by a daughter and three sons.
The Purdue graduate and Memphis native lived in Vicksburg for 30 years with his wife, Pat, before moving to the Governor's Mansion. He left office in 2000 and had been living in Madison; he and Pat had divorced.
Friends, colleagues and political allies said they were saddened by Fordice's death. U.S. Rep. Chip Pickering, the Republican 3rd District congressman, said Fordice presided over historic growth for Mississippi.