MS HR17

Commemorates the life and legacy of Mattie Jane Gardner Rials, who passed away on January 13, 2025, and expresses sympathy to her family and community in Pike, Amite, and Walthall Counties.

Recognizes Miss Mattie's 45-year career as a children's librarian with the Pike-Walthall-Amite Library System, where she created educational programs including weekly Story Hours and the Wednesday Friends group for developmentally and intellectually disabled participants.

Notes her creation of Scooter Mouse, a fictional character that won The John Cotton Dana Award from the American Library Association in 1976 and helped her receive the Kaigler-Lamont Award in 1998.

Highlights her earlier work opening a home kindergarten in 1965 and her continued volunteer service at the library after retiring in 2018.

References the Miss Mattie Foundation, a nonprofit organization established to honor her legacy by awarding scholarships to high school students from Pike, Amite, and Walthall Counties.