Mr. and Mrs. Jack H. Kirk Jr. will celebrate their 50th anniversary Aug. 11 from 2-4 p.m. at Concord Baptist Church. The couple first met on a blind date while they were college students. By JAMIE PATTERSON
Managing Editor

Herbie Kirk was hesitant when his college roommate asked him to join him on a double date.
It was also a blind date.
After juggling the notion of helping a friend out, he eventually agreed to come along.
But the moment Kirk saw Janice Gates walk down the stairs, he knew he’d made the right decision.
“I said, ‘that’s the girl I’m gonna marry,” he said, smiling.
It may sound like the beginning of a beautiful relationship. But both Herbie and Janice agree it took awhile for the sparks to fly.
On their first date, they pretty much kept to themselves.
“It was not very romantic,” Herbie said, with a laugh. “She sat on her side of the car, and I sat on mine.”
Both Janice and Herbie were both dating people back in their hometowns. So it wasn’t an instant romance for the two.
They didn’t meet again until two years later. And they haven’t left each other sides in 50 years.
-------for the rest of the story see The Yazoo Herald printed edition or subscribe to the Digital Edition.----------