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Paul A. Arnold was not born in Magee. Instead he was born in Vernon, Texas in 1962. People are unaware, but his middle initial “A” doesn’t stand for anything, but his wife, Kay, nicknamed him Awesome. His daddy said, “Everyone needs a middle initial”, so they just added the “A”.
His dad worked for Sun Oil Co; so they moved very often, having lived in over 20 states before moving to Magee when he was in middle school.
Paul’s love for sports was the highlight of his life. He loved everything: baseball, basketball, football. You name it, he loved it. He would listen to the radio as late as his parents allowed, to hear any ballgame he could. After graduating from Magee High School in 1980, he received scholarships to play football at Copiah Lincoln Community College and also one from Belhaven to play baseball, which is the one he chose.
After college, Paul settled down in Magee and went to work for Ambulatory Equipment Service, where he has been now for nearly 30 years.
Paul’s love for sports continued. He has coached city league baseball, high school baseball at Simpson Academy in 1997 and 1998, where they won the state championship in baseball both of those years, and of course he coached little league. He had the pleasure of coaching his daughter and son for many years and many championships. In the meantime, he was still playing softball himself. Sometimes he was there from early Saturday morning, before daylight, and not leaving the fields until 2 A.M. the next morning. All at once, he made the decision not play anymore, but he still loved it and his teammates! He still loved Magee Trojan Football too! In 1982, he joined the Magee Touchdown Club and is still an active member today holding the seat as president. Our recipients’ love and support of Magee athletics never ends. He is the face of Magee Trojan Football. As the late summer sun beams down, fall practice starts, and the excitement starts building. Our recipient is busy trying to get the booster club going, to help support the team in any need it may have. From stocking and running the concession stand to serving breakfast on game day, to coordinating pre-game meals, our recipient keeps Trojan football rolling. In 1988, our recipient became a member of the “Trojan Chain Gang”, where he still roams the sidelines. Walking up and down the sidelines every Trojan home game. He is predicting plays, lobbying the refs for a call and remembers play by play the entire game.
Many years ago, our recipient was invited to attend services at Coat Baptist Church by his co-worker, Billy Blair. He knew something was missing in his life and made the decision to follow Jesus Christ. He has been, and still is, dedicated to Jesus. He is the youth leader at Coat Baptist Church, and prays that his life will touch the youth that he comes in contact with, to make good choices and come to know Jesus as he did. Our recipient has loaded the church van and taken groups of kids to Disney World, Dollywood, Six Flags, Silver Dollar City, and countless other attractions, through the years. He has a close relationship with his youth, even puts together a random trip to the movie or out to eat whenever possible, but most of all he works hard leading them to the Lord and teaching the word of God to them. He encourages them to live a life that would be an example of Jesus.
In 2003, our recipient faced something in his life that was totally unexpected. He was diagnosed with Sarcoma, a very aggressive cancer in the muscle of his left thigh. He went through chemotherapy and 37 radiation treatments. As sick as the cancer treatments made him, he trusted in the Lord through it all. He was blessed to have so many family and friends that supported him through this season in his life. Some even went as far as to wheel him into the football stadium to support his precious Magee Trojans.
Paul is involved and supports many aspects of the City of Magee. In Paul’s free time, you can find him on the riding lawn mower. Paul takes care of many yards around town.
Although his children and grandchildren do not live in Magee, he wants them to look back at his love for life and see that Magee folks have been there for him. He and his wife, Kay, who is also a cancer survivor, have been blessed with 4 children Keisha, Josh, Wesley, and Jamie, and 9 wonderful grandchildren, who are the loves of his life.
Picture this years ago, Breck and Larkin were playing in a Little League game coached by Paul Arnold in Columbus, MS. As all bases were loaded, Paul yelled out “Ducks On The Pond”. Now that is where my Ducks On The Pond for MageeNews.com originated. As Paul coached those young fellows, he instilled in them a great lesson, whether you strike out or make a hit, play your best and enjoy the sport.
<sports photos by Patrice Boykin>
