The memory of Sue Tipton casts a long shadow over the Natchez City Cemetery &045; a shadow that is bright, lively and moving about from one section of the historic burial grounds to the other.

That is how she was in life, her friends and family say &045; always on a trek through the cemetery while talking all the way, pointing out this grave site or another and reciting interesting information about some of the Natchez characters whose lives she had researched.

On May 1, the cemetery’s board of directors will host Cemetery Awareness Day, 2 to 4 p.m., with guided tours and refreshments. The event will be dedicated to the memory of Tipton and the huge impact she had on the cemetery during many decades there as a volunteer.

&uot;We have not had the Cemetery Awareness Day for the last few years,&uot; said board member Amon Jordan. &uot;This was something Sue Tipton worked on for years and years. We’re going to do this in her memory this year and each year after.&uot;

John Tipton, retired recently as long-time Natchez city judge and one of Sue Tipton’s four sons, said his mother would be pleased. Mrs. Tipton died earlier this year.

&uot;She used to have a whole desk dedicated just to the cemetery,&uot; he said. &uot;She had all of her minutes from the board meetings, all her research and all the correspondence from people who would write her for information.&uot;

Her correspondence literally was from around the world &045; people who wanted to know more about ancestors buried in the cemetery but who did not always have the opportunity to visit, as well as people who would pass through, find a grave site of a family member and write later for whatever information was available, he said.

&uot;She even took pictures to send to these people,&uot; Tipton said. &uot;She’d go out there with her Instamatic and take pictures of the grave sites.&uot;

Sue Tipton and a small group of other volunteers made an inventory of the cemetery, compiling all the information found on grave stones and monuments and publishing it in book form. &uot;That was one of the best things they’ve ever done.&uot;

Tipton recalls trips through the cemetery with his mother. &uot;She would spend hours there. You’d go through the cemetery and she could tell you which plot you were in, what notable people are buried there; it was like being with a walking encyclopedia.&uot;

Betty Lou Hicks, who has been a Natchez tour guide for many years and will be one of the guides at Cemetery Awareness Day, said the commitment people have had toward the cemetery over the years is still alive. &uot;I’m sometimes amazed to see what some of the youth groups have accomplished there,&uot; she said.

Hicks said the cemetery is an important site for tourists to see, and she frequently sends people there or takes groups through it on walking tours.

&uot;I did a walking tour there at 6 o’clock at night just a couple of weeks ago,&uot; she said. &uot;The group thoroughly enjoyed it.&uot;

Visitors love the &uot;beauty of the place and the art that is out there in the statuary, monuments and iron fences,&uot; Hicks said. &uot;They are impressed with the well-kept grounds, a tribute to Don Estes and his grounds crew.&uot; Estes is cemetery director and also will be a tour guide during the May 1 event.

Hicks loves to tell stories about the people buried at the cemetery and not necessarily the famous ones, she said.

Amon Jordan said she and other board members are hoping for a beautiful day and a large crowd. The event is open to all the community, and there is no charge. &uot;But, of course, we appreciate donations,&uot; she said.