Officials joined Mississippi Transportation Commission Chairman Willie Simmons recently to dedicate a segment of State Route 28 in Hazlehurst as the “Carroll V. Hood Memorial Highway.”

Rep. Gregory Holloway Sr., Sen. Albert Butler and Copiah County Board of Supervisors President Judson Jackson joined Commissioner Simmons and Hood family members to honor the legendary businessman and developer Carroll V. Hood. Due to rain, the ceremony was moved inside the Copiah County Medical Center in a room aptly named the Carroll V. Hood Conference Room.

“I was honored to introduce House Concurrent Resolution 17 to name a segment of Highway 28 in Copiah County to commemorate the lift and legacy of Mr. Carroll V. Hood. He had a stellar career in business and politics, local, county, state and national,” said Rep. Holloway. “He was known as a hard-nosed businessman and was instrumental in building a strong infrastructure in Copiah County. His impact could be felt across the state. This honor is very befitting.”

Hood was born on June 29, 1936, in Copiah County. He attended Hazlehurst High School and then Copiah-Lincoln Junior College. After attending Hazlehurst High School and Copiah-Lincoln Junior College, he served in the Air National Guard and Army National Guard for nine years and received an honorable discharge. He and his wife, Elizabeth Ann Warren Hood, were married for over 65 years and had five children.

Carroll was an accomplished businessman and land developer. He was President of Hood Petroleum Company Inc; Copiah Oil Company Inc.; and HICO, Inc., General Insurance Agency. He was in the LP Gas business for 17 years, the trucking business for 30 years, the wholesale tire and appliance business for 15 years, and the cattle business for 25 years.

He held numerous leadership positions and served on many boards in his professional career: Chairman, Mississippi State Oil and Gas Board; Board of Directors, Mississippi Economic Council; President, Mississippi Chapter, Missouri Fox Trotter Horse Breed Association; State Fuel and Energy Management Commission; Executive Board, Copiah County Chairman, S. M. B. Andrew Jackson Council Boy Scouts; Commissioner, Mississippi Employment Security Commission; Board of Directors, Kimbrough Investment Company, member, Research and Development Council; Chairman, Farmers Home Committee; member, Mississippi State Parole Board; member, Board of Economic Development. He represented the Southeastern Region of the United States on the Gates Rubber Co. Dealer Council.

Carroll loved his hometown of Hazlehurst and served his community in many ways: Board of Trustees, Hardy Wilson Memorial Hospital; Board of Directors, Bank of the South; Board of Directors, Copiah County Economic Development District; Former President, Copiah Industrial Development Foundation; former president, Copiah County Economic Development District. He was a member of the Hazlehurst Chamber of Commerce, the Mississippi Petroleum Marketers Association, the Mississippi Cattleman’s Association, Rolling Hills Country Club in Crystal Springs, Mississippi, and the University Club in Jackson, Mississippi. As President of the Board of Trustees of Copiah County Medical Center, he was instrumental in the building of the new hospital in Hazlehurst. He and his wife received the Hazlehurst Chamber of Commerce Lifetime Achievement Award in 2008.

Hood died in October 2021 at age 85. 

“I grew up in Utica and there’s wasn’t much you could do in Utica or Copiah County without coming across the Hood family or being told about the good work Carroll was doing,” said Commissioner Simmons. “I thank Rep. Holloway and Sen. Butler for their leadership in making this happen. On behalf of the State of Mississippi, the Governor, Lt. Governor, our state legislators, and the Mississippi Transportation Commission, we are honored to officially designate this portion of SR 28 as the Carroll V. Hood Memorial Highway on this historic day.”

Per House Bill 1463 in the 2024 Session, the segment of Mississippi Highway 28 located in Copiah County, beginning at the Copiah County Medical Center near the intersection of Highway 28 and VFW Road, and running westerly for a distance of approximately one mile is designated and shall be known as the “Carroll V. Hood Memorial Highway.”