Mr. and Mrs. Hal McPherson of Tupelo are pleased to announce the engagement of their daughter Elena Lee McPherson to Benjamin Robert Gilliland, son of Dr. and Mrs. David Gilliland, of Tupelo, Mississippi.
Elena is the granddaughter of Mr. Gerald McGill and the late Mrs. Rosemary McGill, and Mr. and Mrs. Weylan McPherson, all of Tupelo, Mississippi.
Ben is the grandson of Mrs. Jessie Ramage and the late Mr. Boyd H. Ramage of Hesterville, Mississippi, and Dr. Robert Gilliland and the late Mrs. Marian Frances Gilliland, of Kosciusko, Mississippi.
The bride-elect graduated from Tupelo High School in 2006 where she lead and participated in various activities including Wave Connection. She graduated Summa Cum Laude from the University of Mississippi in 2010 with a Bachelor of Arts in English and Spanish where she was also a member of Delta Delta Delta. Elena continued at Ole Miss to pursue her Master of Arts in Curriculum and Instruction graduating Summa Cum Laude in 2011. The bride-elect has since been teaching English and coaching the dance team at Madison Central High School in Madison, Mississippi.
The prospective groom graduated from Tupelo High School in 2007 where he participated in various activities including football. He graduated Cum Laude from Mississippi State University in 2011 with a Bachelor of Science in Biology with a pre-med emphasis. Ben graduated from the University of Mississippi Medical Center with a Doctor of Medicine in May 2015.
The couple will soon relocate to Birmingham, Alabama, where Elena will teach Language Arts at Simmons Middle School, and Ben will complete his residency in family medicine at Saint Vincent’s Hospital East.
The couple will exchange vows at five o’clock in the afternoon on June 6, 2015, at Harrisburg Baptist Church in Tupelo, Mississippi. A reception will follow at The Antler, also in Tupelo. Friends and family are invited to attend.