The College of Mayor and Aldermen will present Dr. William Ferris with a key to the city at 10 a.m. Friday at the meeting of the College of Mayor and Aldermen to be held at the Robert M. Walker Building.

Ferris is a distinguished American author and scholar from Vicksburg who previously served as Chairman of the National Endowment for the Humanities, appointed by President Bill Clinton in 1997 and concluded his term as President in 2001.

Ferris was also the founding director of the Center for the Study of Southern Culture at the University of Mississippi and is co-editor of The Encyclopedia of Southern Culture.

Ferris will be honored for his work documenting Mississippi culture, history and folklore on March 25 by the Mississippi Council for the Humanities, where he will receive the Cora Norman Award to recognize his distinguished career as a scholar and national leader in the humanities.

“Dr. Ferris is a treasure whose legacy will live long in Vicksburg history,” said Mayor George Flaggs Jr. “It is only fitting that we recognize him for his hard work, tireless commitment and dedication. to the development of the folklore of the South.