NATCHEZ &045; Friends and colleagues of former Natchez-Adams school Superintendent Claude Porter are remembering him as a dedicated educator and a man of his word.

Porter, 77, died Friday at Natchez Regional Medical Center. Funeral services will be held 2 p.m. today at Grace United Methodist Church, of which Porter was a member. Burial will follow at 4 p.m. at Wesson Cemetery.

Porter was a proficient athlete and was honored with the Distinguished American Award from the local chapter of the National Football Foundation in 2000.

After a standout athletic career at Natchez High, he lettered in football, basketball and baseball at Copiah-Lincoln Community College &045; where he was named to the Hall of Fame.

After lettering in football at Delta State University, Porter began teaching in 1952 at Gloster High, where he coached football, boys and girls basketball and baseball. But Porter soon returned to his hometown of Natchez, where he spent the next 36 years as a teacher, coach and administrator.

Porter became head coach at Natchez High in 1953, an administrator in 1961 and principal of North Natchez High School during the 1969-70 school year.

After serving as an assistant superintendent, he served as Natchez-Adams superintendent from 1976 until he retirement in 1988.

Dr. Gilmer McLaurin, who followed Porter as superintendent, said few were as dedicated to the district as Porter was.

&uot;He was very loyal to the school system and made great contributions while he was there,&uot; McLaurin said Saturday.

&uot;He was quite a leader in education, an outstanding man, Š and for that he was well respected throughout the state.&uot;

Because of all those things, McLaurin said, he was glad to have Porter’s support as a superintendent just starting out.

&uot;It’s quite a blow,&uot; McLaurin said of the death of Porter, whom he called a fine family man and close personal friend.

And what a friend and colleague Porter was, said Van Stewart, a close friend and fishing partner of Porter’s for almost 50 years.

What impressed Stewart, a former coach who worked with Porter in the district, most about Porter is that he was a man of his word.

&uot;He was the same every day,&uot; Stewart said.

&uot;You could pretty well believe what he told you. If he said he would do something, he did it.&uot;

Beyond that, Stewart said, Porter was notable for having held &uot;just about every position in the school system you could hold, from top to bottom.

&uot;He was truly a dedicated educator.&uot;

And Porter was also a masterful coach, added Tony Byrne, a former Natchez mayor who played on a championship football team for Porter in the mid-1950s.

&uot;He did a great job of getting boys Š who had such big egos to work together as a team,&uot; Byrne said, including himself.

Porter was a great athlete himself, Byrne pointed out &045; but Porter also didn’t flaunt either that or his later success.

&uot;He was a gentleman first of all, and a good athlete, but the thing I remember most about him is that while he was full of confidence, he was humble,&uot; Byrne said.

&uot;He was able to work with people in an easygoing manner,&uot; Byrne added.

&uot;He will be missed.&uot;