Former Home-Econ Teacher Becky Tollison is a Serious Businesswoman
This is the second in a series of profiles about the people who are helping make our community better by serving as members of the North Sunflower Medical Foundation’s Board of Directors.
When we caught up with Becky Tollison, she was running home to take care of one of her “GrandDogs”. That’s serious business for Becky – or Cotton, as her four grandkids call her. But Ms. Becky is a serious businesswoman.
Becky grew up in Drew and moved to Ruleville when she married Bubba Tollison in 1983. She taught home economics for a generation of students before retiring so she could make “grand sitting” her full-time job. Unfortunately, life had other plans for Becky.
“My husband had an insurance agency. When he died, I was forced to learn about the insurance business quickly,” she said. “Everybody tells you to not make any major decisions for a year. I just decided that I didn’t have a choice.”
Good Leadership
“It gave me a purpose to get up and get out of the house in the morning. I had one employee, Laura Wells, and she’s still with me. She is fabulous. I could not do it without her. We grew together, and the business has grown with us.”
Becky said the town of Ruleville has changed some since she moved here in the early 1980s. “Downtown isn’t quite as bustling as it used to be. Even still, Ruleville has remained a nice clean respectable Delta town. There aren’t that many of them left. We have had good leadership in our town and we have a very good hospital,” Becky said.
By serving on the board of the North Sunflower Medical Foundation, Becky is now part of the leadership that keeps the town and the hospital going. “I was honored that they asked me,” Becky said. “They have done many good things for the community. Things people don’t realize, like helping the police and fire departments. Giving scholarships to people to help them get their degree.”
North Sunflower Foundation’s Impact
Becky says that it’s the little things the Foundation does that make the biggest impact, like the new housing for Ambulance drivers next to the hospital that gives them a nice place to stay when they are on call. And the driving force behind that type of foundation work is her old high school classmate, and former Foundation board member, Billy Marlow.
“I don’t think that any of this would be possible without Billy’s guidance,” she said. “I think he has been very helpful for our community. One thing Billy has done that I appreciate is that he would buy a house and renovate a house so the community could use it. Then he would sell it at a lower cost so another family could move to Ruleville and become part of our community. He has been very instrumental in the development of North Sunflower and our little town.”
Serving on the North Sunflower Foundation is a small part of what Becky feels is her civic responsibility. “It is a good way to do community service. I think everybody should do something to help the community in one way or another. I’m just glad I can do that.”
If you are interested in contributing to the North Sunflower Medical Foundation, contact Stacy Davis at stacy.davis@nsmedicalfoundation.org or call (662) 756-4129.