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By Bill Coate - The Madera Tribune

A youthful looking Ray Mabus, Governor of Mississippi, is shown here in the center of a group of young historians from California and Mississippi. In the front row, from right to left are Darryl Lewis, Mississippi teacher, and Maderans Bill Coate, Ben Cortez, Ryan Cope, and Franklin Escobedo. The Maderans were in Mississippi to do research on the Mordecai family.

Photo by: For The Madera Tribune

It is difficult to believe that 16 years have passed since that day when the capitol building was bustling with such unusual activity. Mike Wallace from 60 Minutes was talking with Mississippi Governor Ray Mabus about corruption in state government. Although it was an interview of top priority, especially for the young Harvard educated Mabus, the three young Maderans who were waiting for their own meeting with the Governor were singularly unimpressed. They had come a long way and had important work of their own to do.

Franklin Escobedo, Ryan Cope, and Ben Cortez had boarded a Greyhound bus in Madera in January of 1988, and accompanied by their sixth grade teacher, had set out to discover a piece of Madera County's past. They were in search of the roots of George Washington Mordecai, whose biography they were writing. As they set out on their journey, the trio seemed undaunted by the impending 7,500-mile bus ride.

The students took a rather roundabout way to Jackson, Mississippi. From Madera they traveled to Richmond, Virginia. Their goal in that place was to search the records of the state archives and to visit Rosewood, the plantation birthplace of Mordecai.

After mining the archives of Virginia with considerable success, these pint-sized detectives and yours truly, their teacher, set out for Raleigh, North Carolina, and the Mordecai plantation where Madera County's first assemblyman lived after the Civil War. Just as they had done in Richmond, the Madera youngsters combed the state archives at Raleigh in search of clues to Madera's past.

From Raleigh their historical odyssey lured the Maderans to Greenville, Mississippi and to the home of Louise Dixon, wife of Assemblyman Mordecai. They visited Deer Creek and the Sycamore plantation where Louise was born and grew to womanhood.

From start to finish, the Mississippi portion of their trip proved to be the high point of their journey. They were housed at Mount Holly, an antebellum mansion with tall columns, lots of magnolia trees, and several four-poster beds. They ate their meals in the formal dining room under the magnificent chandeliers. They were overwhelmed by the southern hospitality extended to them in Greenville. Then came the word that the Governor of the state had heard about their venture into the past, and he wanted to learn more about it.

On the appointed morning, the Madera kids bounced out of bed in anticipation of their meeting with Mississippi's Chief Executive. Joined by their student colleagues from Leland, Mississippi, they set out for the Governor's office, leaving their breakfast of eggs, bacon, and grits untouched. McDonald's would be much faster, if not more palatable.

Within two hours the students were standing outside the Governor's office, awaiting their appointment time. When the clock struck the much-anticipated hour, a spokesman for Mabus appeared to inform the group that there would be a slight delay. The presence of the national television crew indicated that the Maderans had been preempted.

A somewhat flustered aide was given the task of keeping the young visitors occupied. She took them to the Governor's mansion and showed them where Mabus and the C.B.S. television crew would have lunch. From there the students were given an inside tour of both houses of the Mississippi legislature. All of this was very nice, but the kids were anxious to meet their host in person.

Finally they were taken back to the Governor's office, and this time they were greeted by Mabus, but it wasn't the Governor; it was his cousin who had been given a political job just after the election. The Madera kids, although not exactly enthralled with a substitute, did a perfect job of concealing their disappointment. They listened while the surrogate governor explained the realities of politics. Then with no warning at all, the door opened and out stepped Ray Mabus, Governor of the State of Mississippi.

He almost looked like one of the kids; could this really be the governor? When he began to talk, however, all thoughts of youth or inexperience vanished. The politician captured his audience by revealing his interest in them. He wanted to know about the Madera Method and how the kids were actually going to write a book with Mississippi kids. He extended his congratulations and assured the Mississippi teacher that he would be hearing from the Mississippi State Department of Education.

When the Governor left the group, the Californians felt vindicated. They had finally met Mabus, but more than that, they had planted a seed. The young Maderans came home to share their findings and to finish their book. They called it "Refuge." In the meantime, the Mississippi kids took off on a project of their own, and shortly thereafter the Madera Method flourished in Greenville, Mississippi, due on no small measure to that very important meeting, albeit delayed, between the Governor of Mississippi and the kids from Madera.

Bill Coate William "Bill" Coate is a San Joaquin Valley historian, author, television personality and retired public school teacher with 36 years of classroom experience. He is the award-winning founder of the Madera Method, a research-based educational program that uses primary source materials to help students explore history. He writes about the past of our nation and valley with a weekly column and story. He also writes articles pertaining to local schools. The Madera Tribune online subscription To subscribe or log on, CLICK HERE. For more information first, CLICK HERE.