Best-selling novelist John Grisham is Mississippi State's 1994 Alumnus of the Year.

Grisham

The author of The Firm, The Pelican Brief, and The Client was named one of Entertainment Weekly's 1993 Entertainers of the Year. His fifth novel, The Chamber, has recently been released, with the film rights already sold to Universal Studios. The movie version of The Client is in final production.

Responding to his selection, Grisham said: "I was a drifter when I arrived in Starkville in the winter of 1975. This was my third college, and if at that time someone had told me that one day my peers would select me as the alumnus of the year, I would have erupted with laughter.

"I am honored to be recognized in such a noble manner."

Each of Mississippi State's colleges and schools chose an Alumnus of the Year and each of them was nominated for the top award. Nominations also came from university alumni at large.

Grisham, 38, has maintained close ties with the university, establishing scholarships and returning frequently to lecture in writing classes. In 1989, he chose Mitchell Memorial Library as the permanent repository of his papers. He was the spring commencement speaker in 1992 and is a regular at Dudy Noble Field for Mississippi State baseball games.