October 12, 2002
Daily Corinthian Newspaper
Les Horn
Funeral services for Leslie T. "Les" Horn,
94, of Corinth are set for 1 p.m. today at Memorial Funeral Home
Chapel with Malcom George officiating. Burial will
be in Henry Cemetery.
Mr. Horn died Thursday, Oct. 10, 2002, at Dogwood
Plantation. He was a member of Foote Street Church of Christ. Mr.
Horn attended Corinth High School for three years
and was a graduate of Alcorn Agriculture High School and Military
School. He graduated from Mississippi College in 1933. He lettered
in basketball, baseball and football in high school and college and
later played professional baseball. He served two years as city
clerk and worked for TVA. He was elected mayor of Corinth in 1946
and served three terms. As mayor he led the drive to purchase a
private water system and helped establish the city gas system. He
also played a vital role in the establishment of the first city
park.
He was preceded in death by his wife, Ann Shelton
Horn.
Survivors include two nieces, Margaret Ann Horn and
Gayle Gurley and her husband, Jerry; four nephews,
Ralph Horn, Larry Horn, Bobby
Burress and Jimmy Burress.
Pallbearers are Marvin Brose, Larry Darwin,
Wayne Henry, John Dodd, Edward
Voyles, Tom Sneed, Gilbert
Dellinger and Howard Little.
FORMER CORINTH
MAYOR DIES AT 94
Today Corinth mourns the loss of Leslie T. "Les" Horn,
the former mayor who played a key role in securing land for the park
and who is being remembered as a kind and humble man.
A three-term mayor who was first elected in 1946, Horn died Thursday
at Dogwood Plantation where he had lived for a short time. He was
94.
Funeral services are scheduled for 1 p.m. today at Memorial Funeral
Home Chapel. Burial will be at Henry Cemetery.
"He had the people at heart all the time, " said Corinth resident
Thelma Tucker, who spearheaded an effort to get the
Crossroads Regional Park's walking and exercise trail named in honor
of Horn-a change that was officially make in April 2001.
"He worked tirelessly for the people here, and that's evident by the
fact that he left so much after he was mayor," said Tucker.
"We are still reaping the benefit of his work."
Horn, a Corinth city clerk in 1939-40 and a former
TVA employee, continued to have a keen interest in the city's
welfare throughout his life, she said.
Corinth Mayor Jerry Latch said Horn
will be missed.
"He was a great leader of our community for many years, and he
helped lots of people in our city in both the public and private
sectors," said Latch. "His contributions will be
remembered for many years."
The land purchase for the park was completed in 1958. The property
had been considered as a possible site for a clothing manufacturer.
Horn was unseated as mayor shortly before the deal
was sealed, but he is credited with completing much of the leg work.
In a 2001 interview with the Daily Corinthian, Horn
recalled his days at City Hall.
"We did a lot of work without a lot of money," he said. "We just
scrounged around. I had a big time."
Horn is also credited with working to improve city
utilities.
Although Horn was not eager to take credit,
Assistant Park Director J.C. Hill said the park is
pleased to be able to preserve the memory of Horn's
contribution to the facility.
"Without his efforts, it very well may not have become a reality,"
said Hill. "It was a joy to meet him and to get that accurate
account of history that he shared with us."
Horn, a member of Foote Street Church of Christ, attended Corinth
High School and graduated from Alcorn Agricultural High School in
Kossuth in 1929. An accomplished athlete, he lettered in football,
baseball and basketball at Mississippi State College and played
professional baseball from 1934 until 1938. He was a World War II
veteran who later served in Korea.
Horn retired in 1970. He was preceded in death by
his wife, Ann Shelton Horn.
During his lifetime, Horn managed to spend time in
every state in the country except for three.
"But I've yet to see a place I like more than Alcorn County," he
told the newspaper last year.
