The family’s Gulf Coast story began with Harrell Mallett, who attended the Perkinston Campus from 1951 to 1953 on a basketball scholarship. His connection to the College continued long after his student days. Harrell established the Mallett Family Scholarship, creating a legacy of support that his family continues today.
In the 1970s, the second generation of the Mallett family began making its own mark at Gulf Coast. Harrell’s daughter, Debbie Mallett Pitzer, attended the Harrison County Campus, then known as Jefferson Davis Campus, from 1975 to 1978 and earned her Associate Degree in Nursing in 1977.
Harrell’s son, Dr. John Mallett, attended Perkinston from 1976 to 1978 on an academic scholarship. A pre-med major, he was selected for Who’s Who Among American Junior College Students. He served on the Student Council and was elected vice president of the freshman class. He was also a member of Phi Theta Kappa, served on the Food Committee and was a student representative on the Self-Study Committee.
A few years later, another of Harrell’s sons, Dr. Presley Mallett, arrived at Perkinston. He attended from 1980 to 1982, but the education he received was only part of what made his Gulf Coast experience life changing.
As freshmen in 1980, Presley and Dr. Tara Scott Mallett discovered they had similar schedules and shared many classes. They even became chemistry lab partners. Their friendship eventually became something more, and the couple married on April 22, 1989.
For Presley, those years at Perkinston provided both a strong educational foundation and relationships that have lasted a lifetime.
“MGCCC allowed me to begin my educational journey,” he said. “It provided a great foundation for me to build upon, and I will be forever grateful. I have lifelong friendships that were established there, in addition to meeting my wife, so it’s a pretty special place.”
The family’s connection continued into a third generation. Presley and Tara’s son, Sam Mallett, attended the Tradition Center from 2016 to 2018, earning his Associate Degree in Nursing in 2018.
Other members of the Mallett family’s third generation have followed the same path. Karsyn Mallett, daughter of Harrell’s son Tommy, is currently enrolled in the Surgical Technology program at the Harrison County Campus.
Today, the Mallett legacy at Gulf Coast spans four generations. Gabriel Mallett, Tommy’s grandson and Harrell’s great-grandson, is currently a student at the Harrison County Campus.
From Harrell’s arrival at Perkinston on a basketball scholarship more than 70 years ago to the family members who followed him into Gulf Coast classrooms, four generations of Malletts have now called MGCCC their college.
And their legacy is not only measured by the generations who have attended. Through the Mallett Family Scholarship, established by Harrell and still supported by the family today, the Malletts are helping make a Gulf Coast education possible for generations beyond their own.
For the Mallett family, Gulf Coast is more than part of their history. It is a legacy they continue to build.
