Crystal Springs’ own Rob Pyron elected Mr. Ole Miss

By James Beasley
Crystal Springs can claim the distinction of being hometown for Rob Pyron, who was honored as the first ever “Mr. Ole Miss” at Homecoming in Oxford last Saturday. In past years, winner of the election was known as Colonel Reb, however the decision has been made to change the title to Mr. Ole Miss.

Pyron is the 21-year-old son of Craig and Courtney Pyron of Crystal Springs and older brother to Mary Landrum Pyron and Elizabeth Pyron, both of whom are also students at Ole Miss. “They (his sisters) helped me a lot in my campaign,” Rob said in a recent telephone interview. “In fact, they were a tremendous help.”

Pyron is a senior at the university, majoring in Public Policy Leadership with a minor in Business Management. He graduated from Copiah Academy in 2010 and has interned in Washington, D. C., under Mississippi Congressman Allen Nunnelee. During the summer, he also worked for a lobby firm in Washington.

“I hope to return to D. C. after graduation and maybe work as a legislative staffer,” he says. “I love Mississippi and where I come from, and I want to be in a position where I can give back to my state and Crystal Springs. I come from a Republican family and have some bright young ideas that I believe will be helpful.”

According to Pyron, the campaign for Mr. Ole Miss is a student-wide campus election lasting 1.5 weeks. Students wishing to run must submit a petition signed by at least 25 students and attend an information meeting. Each candidate is allowed to spend just $600 in campaign expenses. Rob’s sponsoring body was his fraternity, Kappa Alpha Order.

Read more in this week’s Copiah County Courier!