The Winokur Story

DeltaDirections.org and other renewal endeavors within the Mississippi Delta region are generously funded through the Winokur Family Foundation. The family's involvement in this region began through a road trip for mother and son, a chance encounter with a famous Delta native, and a shared commitment with a college friend. Later collaboration with academic partners through the Delta academic consortium has come to fruition in this website.

A MOTHER & SON ROAD TRIP
In the spring of 2002, Marge Winokur and her son, Pug, embarked on an annual golf road trip seeking good greens and great food. That year's trip included a stay at the Peabody Hotel in Memphis, TN, a taste of Beale Street barbecue, and a trek to Clarksdale, MS in the heart of the Delta for more golfing and an advertised BBQ festival.

After breakfast on the road at the Blue and White Restaurant, founded in 1937 in Tunica, MS, the Winokurs arrived at the Comfort Inn in Clarksdale. Since there was actually no BBQ Festival, the clerk suggested dinner at Madidi restaurant which proved to be delicious. When rain postponed golf the next day, Marge and Pug took a drive around the Delta to see the sights. The pair had lunch at Abe's in Clarksdale, a third generation legendary restaurant established in 1924 at the crossroads of Highways 61 and 49. A growing curiosity inspired them to stay another night and to return to Madidi for dinner.

A CHANCE ENCOUNTER
Madidi was established by Delta natives and friends, actor Morgan Freeman and attorney Bill Luckett. The restaurant has been lauded by Food and Wine magazine as one of Mississippi's premier dining experiences for its fine French fare, and the Winokurs would certainly concur. They were pleasantly surprised to see both owners sitting at the bar when they arrived for dinner on their second night in Clarksdale.

Both mother and son were born and raised in Columbus, Georgia, and Marge immediately approached Morgan and introduced herself as both a fan of his work and the daughter of a woman who knew the real "Miss Daisy" (of Driving Miss Daisy fame). The gentlemen seemed startled but amused, and after a long conversation, Morgan invited the Winokurs to their other establishment, Ground Zero Blues Club, for drinks and a game of pool. While Pug had a beer at the bar, Marge and Morgan shared a game of pool and cemented her affinity for the Mississippi Delta.


Bill Luckett and Morgan Freeman
Photo courtesy Madidi Restaurant. Photo by Troy Catchings.

Marge and Pug Winokur
Photo courtesy Winokur family.

Madidi Restaurant in Clarksdale, Mississippi
www.madidires.com
Photo courtesy Madidi Restaurant.

Ground Zero Blues Club in Clarksdale, Mississippi
www.groundzero
bluesclub.com
Photo courtesy Ground Zero Blues Club.

A SHARED COMMITMENT
On the drive back home through Oxford and Memphis, Marge and Pug discussed the job opportunity, healthcare and community development needs within the region that had become so evident during their short visit. The historical significance of the Mississippi Delta and Clarksdale as well as its vibrant culture have been juxtaposed with the intense despair of economic downturns and racial disparity for many decades. Throughout the return trip, the Winokurs began to identify the seeds of how they might be able to contribute to the renewal of this region.

Pug contacted Dr. Barry H. Smith, a college friend who ran the Dreyfus Health Foundation, to discuss his ideas. DHF had been engaged in public health and community-building initiatives in areas all over the world, but had never put the same programs in place in rural areas of the United States. Pug and Barry agreed that the Mississippi Delta presented many of the same health and economic problems that were being addressed in other countries through the DHF body of work. After visiting the area, Barry agreed to begin a long-lasting commitment to renewal in the region through DHF initiatives, funded in part by the Winokur Family Foundation.

The work is now in its early stages, and the prospect of change for this vibrant region is exciting.

Source: Email interview with Herbert S. "Pug" Winokur
Article by Haley Montgomery