Contact: Bill Wagnon
When the editor in chief of the nation's first personal finance publication spoke recently at Mississippi State, he delivered more than just words of advice.
Knight A. Kiplinger of Kiplinger's Personal Finance Magazine announced a $250,000 gift from the Kiplinger Foundation.
The contribution supports the James O. Mayo Fund for Excellence in Business Education in the College of Business and Industry. Mayo, a 1941 Mississippi State business graduate and the college's first student body president, is retired vice chairman of the Kiplinger Washington Editors Inc.
"The Mayo Fund will provide support for faculty professional development," said Dean Harvey S. Lewis. "We are extremely appreciative of Knight Kiplinger and his foundation for taking the lead in supporting this important project and for honoring one of our most distinguished alumni."
Mayo, a retired rear admiral living in McLean, Va., served three decades in the U.S. Navy, as commander of an aircraft carrier, chief of staff of the 65,000-person Naval Air Force Atlantic and defense and naval attaché to Moscow. During his career, he held the distinction of piloting every type of Navy aircraft.
After retiring from the Navy in 1975, the Clarke County native joined close friend and fellow Navy pilot Austin Kiplinger, then editor in chief of The Kiplinger Washington Editors Inc. He first was military and foreign affairs editor, then executive vice president, and finally, vice chairman of the board of directors.
Now retired from publishing, Mayo serves on the college's Senior Executive Advisory Board. He also holds master's degrees in economics and international affairs from the University of Virginia and George Washington University, respectively.