Special to the Democrat

NATCHEZ — The Krewe of Mer will celebrate the Mardi Gras season with its 23rd annual Mardi Gras Grand Ball Saturday at the Natchez Convention Center. The theme will be “Natchez …The Legends Continue.” Captain Nicole A. Bell, said it is fitting for Natchez’s oldest and largest African-American krewe to join in Natchez’s Tricentennial Celebration.

The reign of the 2015 King Antonio Rankin and Queen Yolonda Colenberg Rankin will end with the crowing of Mer’s 2016 king and queen.

King Darrell Spencer White

Darrell White is a past president of the Krewe of Mer. He is married to Annie Bell Varner-White. They are the parents of three children Darah White, Daniel Varner Jr. and deVon White. They are the grandparents of Adriah Ellerby and Harley Varner, and the godparents of Z’yon and Khloe Holiday.

White is employed by the City of Natchez in the Office of Tourism Management as the director of cultural heritage tourism. His responsibilities include the management and operations of the Natchez Museum of African American History and Culture.

He has represented the African American community through his work over the years with the Natchez-Adams Chamber of Commerce, Historic Natchez Foundation, United Way, the Natchez Bluff Blues Festival, Mississippi Blues Trail, Mississippi Civil Rights Trail, the Black & Blue Living History project and the St. Catherine Street Trails project.

He has participated in a number of documentary film projects including; “Many Rivers to Cross (PBS),” “Slavery in America (PBS),” “The Rhythm Night Club Fire (IND)” and is currently the co-producer of the upcoming “The Parchman Ordeal/ The Untold Story.”

He is a member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc.

Queen Annie Bell Varner-White

Annie Bell Varner-White is a Natchez native and daughter of the late Irene Wells-Holiday and Huey Holiday.

She is a graduate of North Natchez High School and Alcorn State University. She has a bachelor of arts degree in sociology and social work and a master’s degree in guidance education. Varner-White is continuing her education at Walden University and is pursuing a doctoral degree in school psychology.

Varner-White is married to Darrell Spencer White. She has three children, Daniel Varner Jr., Darah White and deVon White. She has two grandchildren, Harley Elizabeth Varner and Adriah Ellerby. She has three godchildren, Fallon Brown and Z’yon and Khloe Holiday.

Varner-White is employed by the Natchez-Adams County School District at Robert Lewis Magnet School as the sixth- and seventh-grade counselor. She is a member of New Beginnings Missionary Church, Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Inc. and the Mississippi Counseling Association.

Her motto is “All children can learn.”

Varner-White’s philosophy of life is from Matthew 7:7, “Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you.”

Captain Nicole A. Bell

Nicole A. Bell is a doctoral student at Louisiana State University where she is employed as a graduate research assistant for the LSU AgCenter. She is a former long-time employee of Alcorn State University, also known as the back-to-back 2014 and 2015 SWAC football champions. Throughout her 15-year Alcorn tenure, she was a research assistant, research associate, facility manager and food safety specialist. 

Bell has a bachelor of science degree in accounting and a master of science degree in agriculture from Alcorn State and a master of science degree in food safety from Michigan State University, in East Lansing, Mich. She hopes to graduate from Louisiana State University in December 2017, with a Ph.D. in food science.

She is a member of Jerusalem Baptist Church No. 2 in Kingston and the Lucinda Robinson No. 6 Chapter Order of Eastern Star, in Natchez. Bell also serves as the second vice president for Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. — Zeta Delta Omega Chapter. In her very limited free time, she enjoys spending time with her three nieces, Faith, Hope and Denver. She was the 2006 queen, the year “Mer Goes Hollywood.”

Duchess Janet Green

Janet Green is a charter member of the Krewe of Mer and served as the krewe’s second queen, from 1993-1994 with her husband, the late Edward Green. She has also served as captain and worked on various krewe committees.

Green graduated from Alcorn State University where she received a bachelor of science and master of science degrees in English. She is a retired English teacher from the Natchez-Adams School District and is a member of St. Mark Missionary Baptist Church.

She has three daughters, Tiffany of Baton Rouge, Tamara of Seattle, Wash. and Candace of Natchez. She also has three grandchildren, Landon, Brooklyn and Braylon. Her interests are reading, traveling, surfing the Internet and spending time with family and friends.

Green’s philosophy of life is “Always live your life wisely and earnestly in the present moment filled with love, grace, and gratitude because tomorrow is not promised to you. Everything can change in a blink of an eye.”

Duchess Thelma S. Newsome

Thelma Newsome is a retired educator and graduated from Alcorn State University with a bachelor degree and graduated with a master’s degree from University of Southern Mississippi. Further matriculation includes Alcorn State University, University of Southern Mississippi and Mississippi State University.

She currently serves as a contractual consultant for the State of Mississippi Department of Education. Her employment history also includes work as a Concordia Parish School Board classroom teacher and work for the Natchez-Adams School District where she taught and served as principal and director of federal programs.

Newsome is a member of Rose Hill Missionary Baptist Church. She is also a member of Natchez Alumnae Chapter, Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Inc., Coalition of 100 Black Women-Southwest Mississippi Chapter, and Retired Educators of Adams County. Newsome ruled as the Krewe of Mer’s queen alongside her husband Donnell Newsome in 2003. The theme was “A Trip Down the Nile.”

Her philosophy of life is “You should never get so busy making a living that you forget to make a life.”

Duchess Jacqueline M. Jackson

Jacqueline M. Jackson is the daughter of Willie Mae Jackson, the granddaughter of the late Junius and Bernice Green and the late Willie Jackson Jordan, and goddaughter of Irene Holiday. She is self-employed and believes that if you work hard for what you want in life, you will be greatly rewarded.

Jackson is the mother of five children, Lillie Brown, Jermyn Jackson, India Dugart, Clarencia Smith and Adrianna Murphy. She has 8 grandchildren, Brianna, Kayla, Kenya, Kendale II, Jermyn Jr., Xavier, Emoni and Eamon.

Her hobbies and interests include spending time with family, especially her mother. Jackson’s other interests include the Elks Lodge because she loves doing things for the less fortunate. She received the highest degree in Elkdom in 2004. She is a past granddaughter ruler and member of Elks lodge Lizzie Shumaker No. 1052, Willie Mae Woods Council, Mississippi State Association of Elk, and Johnathan Grinnell Antler Guards.

She also was the queen of Mer in 2004, with Arthur “A.J.” Reed as the king.

Duke Lenon “Doc” Rankin

Lenon Rankin is a retired educator from the Jefferson County School District. His educational background includes a bachelor of science degree in biology from the University of Southern Mississippi and a master’s degree in educational leadership from the University of the Southwest, in New Mexico.

He is married to Helen T. Rankin. Together, they have three children, Antonio, Angela and Alma. The couple also has four grandchildren, Takirrya, Akira, Anyah and Antonio Lenon.

Rankin’s hobbies and interests include basketball, football, arts and crafts.

His philosophy is “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.”

Duke George Smith, Jr.

George Smith is employed at Jefferson County and Merit Health Natchez hospitals. He graduated from Jackson State University with a bachelor of science degree and completed a bachelor of science in nursing from Alcorn State University.

Smith is a member at the Bright Star Baptist Church in Natchez. He is also a member of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity Inc.

George reigned as king of Mer in 1999.

He enjoys traveling and attending car shows.

His philosophy of life is “Do good unto one another.”