John David Wynne Guice | Obituaries
John David Wynne Guice, 87, of Laurel went to his heavenly reward Monday, July 30, 2018.
His celebration of life will be at 2 p.m., Thursday at St. John’s Episcopal Church in Laurel. Visitation begins at 1 p.m. Family and friends are also invited to a graveside service at 2 p.m. Friday, at the Old Biloxi Cemetery north of the railroad tracks off Irish Hill Drive.
Born March 24, 1931 in Biloxi, John was the son of William Lee and Lee Dicks Guice.
He is survived by his wife Nancy Martin Guice; daughter Soni Buckalew (Glen); son Johnny Guice (Liz); and step-daughter Nancy Koen (Jason). Grandchildren include Lauren Buckalew Cook (Steve), Adam Buckalew, Wade Guice, Chad Guice (Bailey), Elyse Guice, Zion Koen and Jason Koen. Great-grandchildren are Bennett and Owen Cook. He also has one surviving sibling, Miriam Guice Howell, 96, of San Antonio, Texas. He was beloved Uncle John to a myriad of nieces, nephews and their children.
John Wynne graduated from Biloxi High School (1948), Yale University (BA 1952) and The University of Texas at El Paso (MA 1953). In 1954, he joined the U.S. Army, where he was valedictorian of his Cryptographic School in Fort Gordon, Ga. He was stationed in Fontainebleau, France with the NATO Forces, where he served as a cryptographic specialist. Dr. Guice received his Ph.D. in History from the University of Colorado in 1969.
His teaching career began that year as an assistant professor of history at the University of Southern Mississippi. He was promoted full professor in 1978 then transitioned to professor emeritus in 2000. During his tenure at USM, Dr. Guice served the institution in a variety of leadership positions, including director of the American Studies Program and president of the Faculty Senate. In addition to his teaching career at USM, he served as visiting professor at Pepperdine University and the University of Colorado.
A renowned researcher and accomplished author, John’s first book, “The Rocky Mountain Bench: The Territorial Supreme Courts of Colorado, Montana, and Wyoming,” was published in 1972 and awarded the American Association for State and Local History Certificate of Commendation for “original scholarship and for illustrating the interrelationship of local and national history.”
His love and focus on the American Frontier led him to pen “Frontiers in Conflict: The Old Southwest, 1795-1830.” John was a contributor for and edited “By His Own Hand? The Mysterious Death of Meriwether Lewis.” He worked closely with a forensic scientist to exhume Meriwether Lewis’ body and discovered evidence that Lewis had been murdered. On this same topic, Dr. Guice was interviewed by the History Channel on a show titled “In Search of History: Meriwether Lewis - Suicide or Murder?” He also contributed a 25-page introduction to the reprint of “The Confession of James Copeland.” Guice was commissioned to author “Forrest County General Hospital, 1952-2002: The Evolution of a Regional Referral Center: A Prophecy Fulfilled.”
Professor Guice authored countless articles, book reviews and encyclopedia entries. He performed hundreds of speeches at local, historical, civic, fraternal, religious and public school functions and participated in professional conferences across the nation.
His suburb scholarship earned fellowships, awards, honors and grants, including the Mississippi History Dunbar Rowland Award for lifelong contributions to the preservation, study and interpretation of Mississippi History, the Richard Wright Literary Excellence Award at the Natchez Literary Celebration and the Thad Cochran Humanities Award by the Natchez Literary and Cinema Celebration in recognition of his outstanding contributions to the literary, intellectual, historical and cultural life of the American South.
John served as the president of the Mississippi Historical Society, where his major initiative was the founding of seventy Mississippi Federation of Local Historical Societies. He was a member of the Western History Association and The Mississippi Historical Society. Multiple boards of directors counted on his knowledge and expertise. His community service included Jaycees, Sun Bowl Committee, Rotary Club, Library Boards in both Hattiesburg and Laurel and was an active leader at Parkway Heights UMC in Hattiesburg then St. John Episcopal Church in Laurel.
To sign the online guestbook, visit www.memorychapellaurel.com.
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