Land gift paves way for aerospace center

BYLINE: Dennis Seid, Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal, Tupelo, Miss.

Nov. 22--COLUMBUS -- Thirty years ago, Wayne Fishback bought land not far from Golden Triangle Regional Airport, hoping to see rapid development in the area.

It took a little longer than he expected, but with the arrival of American Eurocopter, Aurora Flight Sciences and SeverCorr and other major companies to the region in the past two years, the area is rapidly becoming a magnet for development.

With that in mind, Fishback donated 171z2 acres of land north of GTRA near the U.S. Highway 82 interchange that officials will develop into an aerospace engineering center of excellence for nearby Mississippi State University.

The gift, valued at about $2.5 million, will allow MSU to build a facility that will serve as an incubator of sorts for the burgeoning aerospace industry.

Fishback, a retired architect from Simi Valley, Calif., has never lived in Mississippi. But his parents did live in Columbus for 10 years during their retirement, and Fishback grew fond of the area.

In Simi Valley, Fishback saw firsthand the relationship between Stanford University and the Silicon Valley, and he thinks MSU can also develop a similar partnership with the Golden Triangle.

"The reason for the gift is this -- one region, one vision. We first talked about it in 2000, but we weren't quite ready," Fishback said. "Two years ago, we started really serious discussions about the project. But we don't want a typical development. We've envisioned open space, a water feature, a park-like setting. And seemed to me that Mississippi State would be at the center of those plans."

The long-range plan includes office space, retail, restaurants and room for commercial and light industrial uses.

"We want this to be a special area, and an enhancement to the approach and exit of the airport," Fishback said.

Kirk Schulz, dean of MSU's Bagley College of Engineering, said the center would provide experts and resources to aerospace industry-related businesses big and small. The center will share research and technology with the industry, as well as work with civilian, homeland security and military issues.

Tony Vizzini, head of MSU's Department of Aerospace Engineering, said centers of excellence can be found across the country, but MSU's aerospace center will be unique.

"This will be the first of its kind to be geared toward economic development as well, positioning ourselves to develop the area to benefit everyone," he said. "This center allows us to build on our past successes with American Eurocopter and Aurora Flight Sciences and to increase our future outreach capabilities."

Construction of the center will begin in 2008.

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