Jackson Free Press

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — Former Mississippi Gov. William Winter is improving as he remains hospitalized with head injuries.

Winter's condition was upgraded from serious to fair on Sunday, said Alana Bowman, spokeswoman for the University of Mississippi Medical Center.

Winter, 93, slipped and fell on the steep, icy driveway at his home Saturday, a day after a storm left a coating of sleet in central Mississippi as it moved through the South.

He was taken to UMMC by ambulance and admitted to the intensive care unit, where he remained Sunday, said Dick Molpus, who served on Winter's gubernatorial staff and is acting as a spokesman for the Winter family.

"He is progressing well," Molpus said. "All his tests are positive, and the family has every expectation for a full recovery."

Winter, a Democrat, was governor from 1980 to 1984 and is best known for pushing legislators to enact the Education Reform Act of 1982, which strengthened academic standards and required schools to offer kindergarten. He is also known as an advocate for improving race relations.

Molpus, who was secretary of state from 1984 to 1996, said the Winter family wants to express admiration and gratitude for his caregivers at UMMC, and they are thankful for messages they have received from people near and far.

"They are profoundly touched by the outpouring of support for Gov. Winter," Molpus said.