The past 58 years of pride and tradition began in a dormitory room in March of 1932. The great seal Mississippi State University was created in a single day by James Rye Barton, a 1933 math graduate.
A junior at the time, Barton designed the seal when the school’s name was changed from Mississippi A & M College to Mississippi State college by a Legislative Act Feb 6, 1932) under Governor Sennett Connor.
Being ill and confined to his room, Barton created the masterpiece in just a few hours. His original design was then submitted to a selection committee.
The committee who recommended Barton’s new school seal was composed of Professors Ernest Leslie Lucus, Matthew Livingston Freeman, J.V. Bowen and James Napoleon Lipscomb.
Barton’s original seal has stayed basically the same since it was first designed. The shield, located at the center of the seal, symbolizes the connection between MSU and the United States. Taken from the seal of the U.S., this shield illustrates MSU as being a land grant institution. Located behind the shield is a key crossed with a saber. The key depicts MSU as a key to education, learning and knowledge. The saber was added because, at the time, the college was strictly a military school. Finally, the sunburst surrounding the shield was added simply for artistic effect because “it looked so bare.”
Even though this seal has remained essentially the same over the years, several modifications have been made. In 1958, the outer circle of the seal which read “Mississippi State College was changed to “Mississippi State University.” A border which read “of Agriculture and Applied Sciences” was added to the inner circle design. Finally, the words between the saber and key which read “Research, Learning, Industry” were changed to “Learning, Service, Research.”
In 1984, Dave Vyverburg altered the seal once more so it would be easier to reproduce as a trademark of MSU. The words “of Agriculture and Applied Sciences” were dropped due to the expansion of MSU beyond the agricultural and scientific fields. Vyverburg also strengthened the lines and letters to create the seal used today.
The current form of the MSU seal is registered in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office as the official trademark of the university.
Recently celebrating his 80th birthday, Barton taught high school for nine years at Caledonia and at Jackson Central High Schools after graduating from MSU. Then, during World War II, he was ordered into military service and served almost four years. After taking part in the invasion of Okinawa, Barton became a major and then retired from the reserves as a lieutenant colonel. He also worked six years for the Veterans Administration in the Vocational Rehabilitation Division where he helped retrain disabled veterans. Then, before retiring in 1975, Barton joined the Mississippi Tax Commission in 1952.
Having always been proud to be an alumnus of MSU, he also realizes that being a part of this institution allows for a special bond with other MSU graduates from the time of graduation throughout life. During his years in the military, Barton’s path crossed with several fellow MSU alumni all over the world and especially at Okinawa.
James Rye Barton, who now lives in Jackson, created a symbol which has become an important part of MSU: Yet, when asked how he felt about his well known creation, his answer was simply, “Well, I’m right proud of it.”
