Queen Martha Weissinger and King Jamie Bell were honored as Junior Auxiliary of Greenville Royalty on Friday night at the 2026 Charity Ball, which was held at The Greenville Golf and Country Club. The King and Queen were presented during the coronation ceremony, which included the presentation of the royal court comprised of school-aged sons and daughters of lifetime Junior Auxiliary members.
A native Greenvillian, Martha was born on November 13, 1958, to Leila and Douglas Wynn and was one of four siblings. She married her beloved husband, Matt Weissinger, in 1981, and together they have built a life rooted in family, service, and community. Martha and Matt are the proud parents of Douglas Weissinger and Molly Weissinger Biesemier. Douglas and his wife, Karen, live in Memphis, Tennessee, and Molly and her husband, Andrew, live in Palmyra, Virginia. Martha and Matt’s family has expanded to include six treasured grandchildren—Elizabeth, Wynn, and Annie Weissinger, and John, William, and Elaine Biesemier.
Martha attended St. James Day School, Carrie Stern Elementary, and Washington School before completing her high school education at Chatham Hall in Chatham, Virginia, in 1976. She then attended the University of the South, also known as Sewanee, where she studied forestry and enjoyed hiking, spelunking, and tutoring second graders. Upon transferring to Millsaps College, Martha joined the Chi Omega Fraternity and continued her commitment to service through tutoring at Davis Elementary in Jackson, Mississippi, and volunteering with the Boys and Girls Club and the YMCA. After graduating magna cum laude, Martha’s adventurous spirit led her to Kenya, East Africa, where she participated in the Experiment in International Living and studied native languages, photography, and the art of brick-making. Following her return to Greenville, Martha earned her master’s degree in education from Delta State University.
Martha’s varied career path has included teaching for 24 years, after which her creative spirit flourished through her work at the Knit-n-Yarn needlework shop and as the owner of a children’s clothing business, named Molly’s Closet. A talented seamstress, Martha creates exquisite French hand-sewn children’s garments. Next, her passion for plants led her to work at Wayside Plant Nursery and to pursue certification as a Master Gardener. This isn’t simply a title—it requires 40 hours of initial volunteer work and an ongoing commitment of 20 volunteer hours annually. As a Master Gardener, Martha has devoted countless hours to community horticultural projects throughout the Delta.
Martha’s horticultural expertise shines through in her current role as a horticulture judge for the Garden Club of America, an honor earned only after completing a rigorous 3- to 6-year volunteer apprenticeship. Martha has also served as Chairman of the Greenville Flower Show, presented by the Greenville Garden Club every three years as a free public exhibition of floral arrangements, horticulture, and photography
A devoted member of St. James Episcopal Church in Greenville, Martha is a communicant who has served on the Vestry and taught Sunday school and vacation Bible school for many years. She has served as chairman of the Altar Guild; she also volunteers to arrange the altar flowers for numerous occasions throughout the year. Martha has also served as chairman of the St. James Bazaar and continues to volunteer annually with the Bazaar and the St. James Day School Rummage Sale. In addition, she served as President of the St. James Day School Board and is a lifelong member of Church Women United and a past member of its Board.
Our Queen’s dedication to service extends broadly throughout our community. She has served as a Cub Scout and Brownie Scout leader and has served on the boards of the Junior Woman’s Club, the Delta Children’s Museum, the Executive Board of Washington School’s Board of Directors, the Master Gardener, the Greenville Garden Club, and the Greenville Arts Council.
Her leadership roles include serving as President of the Little Greenville Garden Club, President of the Junior Greenville Garden Club, President of the King's Daughters and Sons Circle # 2, President of the Washington School PTO, and President of the Washington School’s Foundation Board of Trustees.
While serving as a Junior Auxiliary member, Martha served as Decorations Chairman for the Annual Charity Ball and Amblyopia Chairman, which included eye exams for every first grader in Greenville’s elementary schools.
Some of Martha’s favorite charities that she serves and supports are the Delta Cotton Belles, Habitat for Humanity, Greenville Junior Auxiliary, King’s Daughters and Sons Circle #2, Living Waters, and Mutt Madness of the Mississippi Delta.
Martha and her family have been a cornerstone of community giving in Greenville and Washington County for decades. Her generous philanthropic support has touched countless lives through her involvement with numerous charitable organizations, making a meaningful difference in the lives of her neighbors.
The Queen credits her mother, grandmother, and her “other mother,” Margaret Rosella Kellum, with teaching her the joy of giving to others. Along with her husband, she is proud to serve Greenville and the surrounding communities and is honored and humbled to be named the 2026 Charity Ball Queen.
A native of Leland, James Oscar Bell III (Jamie) was born in Washington County in 1957 to James Oscar Bell II and Maie Pope Sherrod Bell. He is married to Marla Sharp Bell, who is a Lifetime Member of the Junior Auxiliary of Greenville, having served as president in 2000. They are the proud parents of four children and six grandchildren: Sons Shattuck Bell(Cricket), Ransome Bell, and Andrew Farmer (Brinkley); daughter Ashley Culbertson (Jack); and grandchildren Jackson, Taylor, Charlotte, Shepherd, Henry, and Evelyn.
Jamie is a longtime member of the Leland Presbyterian Church, where he has served as Elder, choir member, and on numerous committees. He is an active Sunday School participant, a former Junior High Sunday School teacher, and enjoys being a part of the Children’s Sermon ministry.
Devoted to his community, Jamie is co-founder, tournament director, and volunteer for the Delta Cotton Belles annual tennis tournament, the Make-a-Wish Foundation tournament, and the Blair E. Batson Children’s Hospital Tennis Benefit. Jamie is also on the board of the Washington County Scholarship Classic (Ole Miss/State Tennis, Golf, and Pickleball), where he serves as organizer, fundraiser, and tournament director. In addition, Jamie has coached the Washington School Boys’ and Girls’ Tennis Teams and has volunteered for numerous events and projects at Washington School over the past 35 years.
Jamie’s hobbies have included hunting and fishing for a lifetime, but his paramount interest has always been tennis, a pastime that evolved into a distinguished career. Currently the Head Pro, Tennis Director, and General Manager of the Greenville Golf and Country Club (GGCC), Jamie’s love of the sport began in the late 1960s at the Deer Creek Town & Racquet Club in Leland. He quickly developed into a skilled athlete, winning numerous local singles, state, and sectional doubles titles.
A graduate of Leland Academy, Jamie played collegiate tennis at Mississippi Delta Community College, winning runner-up in the junior college state championship in 1976 and 1977. During his years at Mississippi State University, he enjoyed playing in the intramural league, winning the title of Doubles Champion in 1979. After college, he spent ten years at John Newcombe’s Tennis Ranch, advancing from Teaching Pro to Head Pro, Assistant Manager, Co-Owner, and Co-Director of the Competitive Edge International Tennis Academy. He later returned to Mississippi as Head Pro and Manager of Cypress Hills Tennis Club in Greenville before beginning his tenure at the Greenville Golf and Country Club in 2002.
Over his 45-year career in the tennis industry, Jamie has received numerous awards and recognitions, such as the Mississippi Tennis Association (MTA) and Southern Tennis Association (STA) Education Merit Award, MTA Media Award, President of the Mississippi Chapter of the United States Professional Tennis Association (USPTA), and Mississippi Association of Independent Schools (MAIS) Tennis Coach of the Year on several occasions. Also selected as MTA’s Pro of the Year twice and named USPTA Pro of the Year, he has served on the MTA Board of Directors, the Southern Board, the Delta Community Tennis Association Board, and the Tennis Foundation. Jamie has served as a USTPA tournament official, as well as president of the Mississippi Chapter of the USPTA and the Mississippi Professional Tennis Association. In this capacity, he organized and conducted workshops for high school coaches and launched the A-to-Z Program, which was instrumental in encouraging women to participate in leagues and tournaments. Throughout the years, Jamie has mentored numerous juniors and adults through his year-round tennis programs and contributed hundreds of tennis articles to the Delta Democrat-Times and Life in the Delta magazine.
Jamie’s leadership at the GGCC has included overseeing major court renovations and construction efforts that have contributed to the facility receiving multiple recognitions: MTA/STA Special Event of the Year, MTA/STA Charity Event of the Year, MTA Team Tennis Event of the Year, and Delta CTA Facility of the Year. In 2019, Jamie was honored to be inducted into the Mississippi Tennis Foundation Hall of Fame.
Whether in his family life, community service, church involvement, or professional career, Jamie continues to make a difference in the lives of others and remains guided by a principle he embraced decades ago:
“People won’t always remember what you say; they won’t always remember what you do; but they will always remember how you made them feel.”
The Junior Auxiliary of Greenville is grateful for all of its sponsors and supporters this year. For more information, please visit https://www.jagreenville.org/
