Page 18 - South Mississippi Living - March, 2019

COASTNOTES
Hibernia Marching Society
OCELEBRATES WITH 41ST ST. PATRICK'S PARADE
story by Lynn Lofton photo courtesy of the Hibernia Marching Society
n March 17 everyone is Irish and wears green. Locally, the Hibernia Marching Society leads the celebration with a big parade in Biloxi. This year the parade will be March 16 beginning at 2 p.m. at the Biloxi Yacht Club and navigating the downtown streets of Biloxi. This year’s Colleen is Kristina Winter and the Grand Marshal is John Michael O’Keefe.
The Hibernia Business Administration degree from Kristina Winter, daughter of Karl Marching Society was not formally the University of South Alabama. and Gaye Winter, was born and organized until 1978. Prior to this, He worked for several years in the raised in Biloxi. She graduated from
informal gatherings were held by several Irish Americans at Mary Mahoney’s Old French House Restaurant. The three men who started HMS were Dr. John O’Keefe, Clark Shaughnessy and Joe Collins. “They often discussed the idea of organizing a St. Patrick’s Day Parade; however, a wee bit of Irish Blarney tells us that the idea lasted no longer than the last bottle of Bushmill,” Hibernia President Mary McCusker said.
John Michael O’Keefe, Jr., son of John Michael O’Keefe and Deborah Dawn Langlinais, was born in Biloxi and has been a lifelong resident. He is married to Missy Hensley and they are the parents of three children, Connor, 17, London, 15, and Parker, 14.
He obtained his Bachelor of
family business before furthering his education by earning a Master of Business Administration from the University of Southern Mississippi.
O’Keefe pursued a sales career in healthcare, ultimately leading to a career in healthcare administration. He obtained his nursing home administrator’s license and operated a nursing and rehabilitation facility and later became the CEO of Select Specialty Hospital-Gulf Coast in Gulfport.
He is a member of Gulf Coast Carnival Association, the Order of Mithras Carnival Association, and the Gulfport Rotary Club. He serves as the Biloxi High School and Junior High Cross Country Booster Club President. He is an avid runner,
and his family attends Our Lady of Fatima Catholic Church in Biloxi.
the University of Mississippi with highest honors. She is a lifetime alumna of Alpha Omicron Pi sorority. She is currently a receptionist in a medical office in Oxford with plans to attend graduate school at Ole Miss.
She interned for the College Disney Program in Orlando and was a
Gulf Coast Debutante in 2014. She was presented as a Debutante for the State of Mississippi in 2016.
She is a member of the Daughters
of the American Revolution-Biloxi Chapter and is affiliated with the Cameo Society of Mississippi. She
is a member of Les Masquees Mardi Gras Krewe and was a Maid in the Krewe of Neptune in 2015. She has been involved in the community and donates all of her spare time to the Humane Society.
18 SOUTH MISSISSIPPI Living • March 2019
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