“I have lived here over 50 years. I feel like I am a native now,” said Nancy Yates.
Yates is a wife, mother, grandmother and now Philadelphia’s citizen of the year.
“Well, I was excited to death. I even cried. We are just lucky we live in Neshoba County and have so many people who deserve to be citizen of the year,” said Yates.
After spending a little time away, Yates and her husband Bill returned to Philadelphia in the 1960s, where Bill and his father began Yates Construction. During her time in the Fair City, she has been involved in several organizations and events. Most recently she helped with the completion of the Diamond Dreams Baseball Field.
“I heard a presentation at the rotary club on that and I went home and I said Bill, we need to help the Diamond Dreams team and he said really? And I said and you need to make it happen. I just felt like we were all so lucky in this county and I felt like maybe we could help make it better for other people,” said Yates.
Chamber and Main Street Executive Director Tim Moore said Yates embodies who citizen of the year is supposed to be.
“We had several nominations. Everybody is put together and we send them out to neighboring communities and Nancy Yates was chosen,” said Moore.
