George Pearce Hopkins,Jr.

Mr. George Pearce “Buddy” Hopkins, Jr., 81, of Gulfport died Friday, June 29, in Gulfport. Mr. Hopkins was born April 15, 1926, in Gulfport to George Pearce Hopkins, Sr., and his wife Marjorie Selby Hopkins. A lifelong resident of Gulfport, Mr. Hopkins graduated in 1943 from Gulfport High School, where he was voted "Mr. Gulfport High School". Following graduation, Mr. Hopkins served his country during World War II as a radioman in the United States Navy. In 1950, Mr. Hopkins received his bachelor of science degree in civil engineering from the University of Mississippi, where he was a member of Alpha Tau Omega social fraternity and Chi Epsilon National Honorary Civil Engineering fraternity. After college, Mr. Hopkins joined his father at George P. Hopkins Contractors, Inc., where he worked over five decades, first as a professional engineer then as president and owner. Mr. Hopkins' company built an impressive list of structures, including bank buildings, education buildings, manufacturing plants, the Walter Anderson Museum, the Gulfport Yacht Club, St. Peters by The Sea Episcopal Church and numerous government buildings for the Air National Guard, Keesler Field, Stennis Space Center and US Coast Guard. He was a member of the American Society of Civil Engineers, the Mississippi Society of Professional Engineers and the National Society of Professional Engineers. Much respected in his field, Mr. Hopkins served in numerous leadership capacities within the building community. He was a two-time president of the Mississippi Gulf Coast chapter of the Associated General Contractors of America, a past president and director of the Associated General Contractors of Mississippi and a twelve-year chairman of the Gulfport City Planning Commission. His leadership roles were not limited to the construction industry. Mr. Hopkins was a director of the Gulf National Bank at the time it was sold to Peoples Bank of Biloxi. He was a longtime director of Magnolia Federal Bank and Magnolia BanCrop, Inc. He also was a former director of the New Orleans Branch, Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta. He served on the Board of Trustees of Gulf Park College and Westminster Academy, was president and director of Misco Marine, Inc., a director of the Gulfport Chamber of Commerce and president of the Gulfort Rotary Club which honored him in 2006 with the prestigious William Harris Hardy Award in recognition of a lifetime of service to the City of Gulfport. A well-respected sailor, Mr. Hopkins was known for his numerous contributions to the sailing community. He was actively involved in the Gulfport Yacht Club, serving as Commodore in 1955, at the age of 29, and as a member of the GYC Governing Board. He was also Commodore of the Gulf Coast Cruising Association, a past board member of the Olympic Sailing Association of New Orleans and the 1987 President of the Gulf Yachting Association, directing the Gulf South’s leadership body of 32 yacht clubs spanning Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Florida and Arkansas. Mr. Hopkins is survived by his wife of fifty years, Maryem Fowlkes Hopkins, his son George Pearce Hopkins III, his wife Becky Tilley Hopkins and their children, George Pearce Hopkins IV, Patricia and Blake Hopkins, all of Gulfport; his daughter, Mimi Hopkins Magee and her husband, Charlie and their children, Harrison, Rives, Emily and Meade, all of Jacksonville, FL; his son Samuel Fowlkes Hopkins, Sr. and his wife, Danielle DeMetz Hopkins and their children, Sam, Jr., Alexander and Kate Hopkins, all of Gulfport; sister, Ann Gresham and her husband, Bill of Indianola, MS, and sister, Marjorie Dee West of Hattiesburg, MS. Mr. Hopkins was preceded in death by his sister, Dorothy Marion Hopkins. Visitation will be from 6 until 8 p.m., Sunday, July 1, 2007, at Bradford O’Keefe Funeral Home on O'Neal Road in Orange Grove. Funeral services will be 1 p.m. Monday, July 2, 2007, at Trinity United Methodist Church, Gulfport, where friends may visit from 11:30 a.m. until service timie. Interment will follow in Evergreen Cemetery. The family prefers memorials to St. Peters-By-the-Sea Episcopal Church, 1912 E. Beach Blvd., Gulfport, MS 39501, or to the charity of your choice.