M&P Bank Board Member Honored by Mississippi State University
A group of Mississippi State University’s notable alumni are selected each fall as Alumni Fellows. They are honored in recognition of the ultimate measure of a university—the quality of its alumni. As Alumni Fellows, these graduates will hold the distinction for life. The Alumni Fellows Program, sponsored by the association and the university’s eight academic colleges, recognizes graduates who have distinguished themselves in their respective careers. The program engages Alumni Fellow honorees who will share their extensive knowledge and real-world experience in the classroom and informally with MSU students and faculty.
M&P Bank Board Member Ted Kendall has been recognized as a 2022 Alumni Fellow of the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences.
Ted Kendall is a fifth-generation farmer and second-generation Bulldog whose passion for agriculture runs deep. The Bolton native grew up working on his family’s farm and was eager to expand his knowledge and involvement in the industry. He followed his father’s footsteps to Mississippi State, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in agricultural economics in 1982.
After graduation, he returned home to carve out his own career in the family business, where he now serves as president and co-owner of The Gaddis Farms. The diversified row-crop, beef cattle, wildlife management and timber farming operation in Hinds County has been owned and operated by Kendall’s family for more than 100 years. Kendall, along with his father and cousin, has prioritized progressive farm management methods and innovative equipment usage over the years to ensure the sustainability of the historic Gaddis Farm as a thriving, modern-day business.
Beyond The Gaddis Farms, Kendall has invested his time and resources in a variety of areas that help advance Mississippi’s wider agricultural industry. He has held and continues to serve in numerous leadership positions, including Vice-President of the Mississippi Farm Bureau Federation, delegate and producer chairman for the state of Mississippi on the National Cotton Council and member of the boards of directors for both Southern Farm Bureau Casualty Insurance Co. and Merchants and Planters Bank, among others. He also served as chairman of the USDA Farm Service Agency State Committee for Mississippi and the Dixie National Sale of Champions Committee, and is currently serving as vice chairman of the board of directors for the Mississippi Food Network.
An entrepreneur, community leader, farmer and advocate, Kendall has maintained strong connections with his alma mater over the years. He and his wife Libby, a fellow MSU graduate, are proud to share their True Maroon connections with others—especially their children, Anna and Whit, who are the family’s newest Bulldog alumni members.