First District resident Jimmy Sparks has much to be proud of. He is a Veteran of the U.S. Navy and the Mississippi Army National Guard, serving a total of 36 years. In addition to his military service, Mr. Sparks has devoted himself to his fellow Veterans as a volunteer driver for the Lee County Veterans Services office.
To date, Mr. Sparks has devoted 7,500 hours to his fellow Veterans. He drives approximately 160 Veterans to and from Memphis over the course of one year. Mr. Sparks has logged approximately 200,000 miles during his fifteen years of driving to the VA. When he's not on the road, Mr. Sparks enjoys life with his wife, Nancy, and their children: Rusty (Beverly) Sparks and Jennifer (Terry) Merrell. Mr. and Mrs. Sparks have four grandchildren: Grace Sparks, Brenden Sparks, Kade (Cheyenne) Merrell, and Shelby (Marcus) Gray.
The Lee County Sheriff's Department is to be commended for allowing the Lee County Veterans Services van to be safely parked and monitored at their Tupelo facility.
