For nearly four decades, the legacy that Bessie and Leland Speed created has helped University of Mississippi students find support during some of the most difficult moments of their lives.
Now, that legacy has a permanent home.
The university recently dedicated its newly renovated and expanded counseling center as the Bessie and Leland Speed Counseling Center, honoring a family whose commitment to student well-being has shaped mental health support at Ole Miss for generations.
The Jackson, Mississippi, couple’s belief that every student deserves access to compassionate care inspired decades of philanthropy, including more than $800,000 in lifetime and estate gifts to the university. But for their son, Warren Speed, the center’s true impact is measured in lives changed.
“I know that, for my mother especially, a greater honor than having her name on a building would be knowing that somewhere inside that building, a young person who is struggling will find someone who cares, someone who listens and someone who can help,” Warren Speed said.
Leland Speed graduated from the Georgia Institute of Technology and earned his MBA from Harvard Business School. He built a distinguished career in real estate, developing Jackson’s Eastover subdivision alongside his father.
He founded and served as chairman of two Mississippi-based, publicly traded real estate investment trusts: EastGroup Properties and Parkway Properties. He served as executive director of the Mississippi Development Authority during Gov. Haley Barbour’s administration.
Leland and Bessie, an Ole Miss graduate, were married for 59 years and raised three sons: Stewart, Forrest and Warren.
While serving on the UM Foundation’s fundraising committee in 1984, Bessie Speed asked where a student struggling with alcohol or other drug misuse could turn for help. When she learned a dedicated resource was needed, she set out to create one.
“For my mother, this was more than a charitable cause; it was deeply personal,” Warren Speed said. “She had witnessed the devastating effects of alcoholism within her own family and understood the pain it could cause, both for the addicted individuals and for everyone who loved them.
“She believed that young people deserved help before their struggles became tragedies.”
Driven by that conviction, Speed began raising funds in 1986. A year later, the Bessie S. Speed Center for Alcohol and Drug Education opened on campus, offering education, awareness programs and confidential counseling services.
Student support quickly followed. In 1987, fraternity and sorority organizations pledged $100,000 to advance the center’s mission.
Today, that spirit of care lives on through the university’s counseling center, the William Magee Center for AOD and Wellness Education and the William Magee Institute for Student Wellbeing.
Counseling Center Director Juawice McCormick said the Speed family’s generosity continues to make a difference daily. Their support has helped fund clinical graduate assistants who expand counseling services and increase access to care for students.
“The legacy that Bessie Speed created here remains a powerful and enduring influence today,” she said. “We’re so grateful for the Speed family’s continuing support and the relationships we’ve built with them over the years.”
McCormick said the family’s commitment lives on in every outreach effort, counseling session and student served through the center.
The Speed Counseling Center’s dedication is a reminder that philanthropy can do more than renovate buildings. It can create a place where students feel seen, supported and valued. Every day, students arrive carrying challenges that can feel overwhelming. Because of donors like the Speeds, they face those challenges with encouragement and guidance from others.
For Brett Barefoot, executive director for central development, the Speed family’s kindness reflects the university community at its best.
“The impact of the generosity and commitment of the late Bessie and Leland Speed is truly immeasurable,” Barefoot said. “The difference they’re making in the lives of our students and the lasting impact their support will have on our Ole Miss community is priceless.”
To support student well-being at the University of Mississippi, contact Brett Barefoot at bmbarefo@olemiss.edu or 662-915-2711.
By Michael Newsom/UM Office of Development