JACKSON, Miss. (WTVA) -- Former Mississippi Governor William Winter has been honored by the FBI for his work as a community leader.
Special Agent in Charge Daniel McMullen with the Mississippi FBI officer presented Winter with the 2012 FBI Director's Community Leadership Award.
FBI officials say Winter was selected for his outstanding contributions in the areas of civil rights, education, and community service.
He served in the military during World War II and the Korean War.
Winter graduated from Ole Miss and the University of Mississippi School of Law.
FBI officials say Winter was one of a group of people who formed the Committee of Concern following the 1964 deaths of Andrew Goodman, James Chaney, and Michael Schwerner in Philadelphia and the fire bombings of several black churches in Mississippi.
The group raised $50,000 and recruited northern and western college students to rebuild six churches.
The Committee of Concern is now known as the Mississippi Religious Leadership Conference.
Winter is also known for his work to provide publicly-funded primary education, specifically kindergarten, while he served as governor.
He also worked for racial reconciliation, educational reform, and the preservation of Mississippi's history.
Governor Winter is currently working on an initiative to build a state civil rights museum in Jackson.
Since 1990, the FBI Director's Community Leadership Award has been a principal means by which the FBI has publicly recognized the achievements of individuals and organizations who have worked diligently to prevent crime, drug and gang violence, and to promote education in their community.
