NATCHEZ &045; Michael Britton &uot;Britt&uot; Rowell does not remember his first Pilgrimage

pageant.

He participated as a small boy in the maypole, but having grown up in Brandon, he did not participate in the pageant every year.

Still, the pageant is not only a Natchez tradition, it is also a family tradition for Rowell. And this year he is serving as the Pilgrimage Garden Club king, along with Queen Virginia Lee Waycaster.

&uot;It’s pretty new to me,&uot; Rowell said this week, a few days into his official reign. &uot;I’m having the time of my life.&uot;

But Rowell is not at all new to Natchez. His family owns Richmond, where he spent many summers as a child. His mother, Anna Mary Nall Rowell, served as a pageant queen.

Still, Rowell wasn’t sure what was being asked of him when he was chosen king. A friend from Natchez had to set him straight.

&uot;She said, ‘Britt, when they ask you to do this, you don’t turn it down,&uot; he laughed.

But that doesn’t make it any easier to explain it to his friends. He’s endured a few jokes about being king, although his friends will be attending the pageant and the ball.

Despite the teasing, Rowell said he now appreciates the tradition his family has been a part of for so long.

&uot;I’ve enjoyed seeing how important it is to my mom,&uot; he said. &uot;It’s got me asking more questions about her time in the pageant.&uot;

Rowell, who is a senior majoring in education at Mississippi State University, has plans to become a teacher and football coach. He isn’t sure at what level he would like to coach &045; although he wouldn’t mind a collegiate position.

&uot;Whatever happens happens,&uot; he said. &uot;You never know.&uot;

Rowell is the son of Michael Allen and Anna Mary Nall Rowell. His grandparents are the late Mr. And Mrs. Louis A. &uot;Sam&uot; Nall, Farries Sanders Rowell of McLean, Va., and the late Auby Britton Rowell.

Rowell is a 1998 graduate of Brandon High School. At Brandon High, he received the American Legion Award, lettered in varsity football and was active in the youth program at Crossgates United Methodist Church. He has held leadership positions with Mississippi Methodist Happening, a statewide spiritual retreat for high school students.

At Mississippi State, he is a member of Kappa Alpha Order and Campus Crusade for Christ. He was a youth intern at Tupelo United Methodist Church and held leadership positions with The Journey, a statewide spiritual retreat for college students.

He enjoys running.

Rowell’s family owns Richmond, home of the John Shelby Marshall family.