Iconic Vicksburg physician W. Briggs Hopson Jr. dead at 82

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Vicksburg physician W. Briggs Hopson Jr. died Saturday, June 20, 2020. He was 82 years old.

Hopson, in addition to being a key force in the health care community, was one of the driving forces in the success of the Miss Mississippi organization. Hopson also led the construction and development of what is now Merit Health River Region hospital. He retired at the age of 80 in 2017.

Hopson began his medical career in Vicksburg in 1967. He attended the University of Tennessee Medical school in Memphis. The Delhi, Louisiana, native has impacted countless lives through his leadership in the Vicksburg health care community along with the numerous civic organizations he has been involved with.

Dr. Hopson is survived by his wife, Pat, and his four children and their families: state Sen. W. Briggs Hopson III, Jay Hopson, Kathy Ricks and Karen Hall,

“This is a tremendous loss to Vicksburg,” Mayor George Flaggs Jr. said Sunday morning. “Dr. Hopson was a pioneer, not only in health care, but in the area of civil rights. His legacy reaches far beyond the area of the field of health care. He was a great person — a pillar of this community. My heart, thoughts and prayers go out to his wonderful family.”