Bill Text: MS SC510 | 2024 | Regular Session | Enrolled
Bill Title: Mourn the loss and commend the life of Luster Bayless, legendary Costumer to John Wayne.
Spectrum: Moderate Partisan Bill (Republican 26-3)
Status: (Passed) 2024-03-12 - Enrolled Bill Signed [SC510 Detail]
Download: Mississippi-2024-SC510-Enrolled.html
MISSISSIPPI LEGISLATURE
2024 Regular Session
To: Rules
By: Senator(s) Chassaniol, Harkins, Carter, Parker, Blackwell, Fillingane, Younger, Whaley, Williams, Rhodes, McMahan, Boyd, England, McLendon, Kirby, Berry, McCaughn, Suber, Jordan, Hopson, Robinson, Ladner, Seymour, Wiggins, DeLano, Thompson, Barrett, Barnett, Thomas
Senate Concurrent Resolution 510
(As Adopted by Senate and House)
A CONCURRENT RESOLUTION MOURNING THE LOSS AND COMMENDING THE LIFE AND PUBLIC CONTRIBUTIONS OF LUSTER BAYLESS OF RULEVILLE, MISSISSIPPI, LEGENDARY COSTUMER TO JOHN WAYNE AND FOUNDER OF UNITED AMERICAN COSTUME COMPANY, AND EXPRESSING THE SYMPATHY OF THE LEGISLATURE ON HIS PASSING.
WHEREAS, it is with sadness that we note the passing of Luster Bayless, legendary costumer to John Wayne and Mississippi businessman from Ruleville, Mississippi, on February 11, 2022, at the age of 84; and
WHEREAS, Luster's rags to riches story began on October 26, 1937, when he was born to David and Jimmie Lee Bayless in Ruleville, Mississippi. The son of sharecroppers, Luster's young life was mostly spent in the cotton fields working on the Macabee Plantation; and
WHEREAS, a star quarterback at Ruleville High and talented basketball player, Luster graduated from high school and enlisted in the U.S. Navy where he was a Purser on the USS Cole. After the Navy, he enrolled in junior college, but it wasn't long before his dreams of a better life called him away to California; and WHEREAS, in 1959, he sold his college books and hitchhiked from Ruleville to Hollywood, California, where his childhood friend Jimmy George was working as a costumer in the movie industry; and
WHEREAS, Luster spent two years learning his craft at the Western Costume Company before accepting the position as a set costumer on John Wayne's famous film, McClintock. This led to 14 more movie offers with John Wayne, including True Grit, Rio Bravo, The Cowboys and The Shootist to name a few. Luster also worked at Disney, MGM, Warner Bros., Universal, Twentieth Century Fox, and many other studios as an independent costumer. His credits included Mary Poppins, That Darn Cat, Cheyenne Autumn, Telefon, Apocalypse Now, Comes A Horsemen, Conagher, Tom Horn and many others; and
WHEREAS, while working at Disney, he met and married Patricia Voght, a marriage that lasted 27 years and blessed them with two daughters, Christy and Diana; and
WHEREAS, in 1977, Luster decided to open his own costume company, and United American Costume Corporation was created. The small 10 x 10 storage space has grown over the last 44 years to cover more than 125,000 square feet of wardrobe ranging from 1750 – present day; and
WHEREAS, as a businessman, he was known to rule with an iron fist yet give someone the shirt off his back, if he was asked. He believed in a day's work for a day's pay and that a man's word was good if he looked you in the eye and shook your hand. He believed in quality rather than the net profit and as Costume Designer on Tom Horn, Luster was the first person to independently guarantee the wardrobe budget to include wardrobe and labor supplied by his company for one price. He has been credited for starting the careers of countless Costumers and Costume Designers and providing work for those losing their benefits because they were short on hours. He stood up for his beliefs and stopped shipments to Canada when runaway productions refused to allow American Costumers to work there; and
WHEREAS, despite his success, Luster never forgot where he came from. He frequently returned to his hometown of Ruleville, Mississippi, and in the early 1980s, he bought the estate across the street from the Macabee Plantation where he had worked as a child. He was often seen riding his tractor and expressing joy over his cotton and soybean crops. Luster shared his success with his hometown and started a museum there to display movie star wardrobe and memorabilia from some of Hollywood's best actors and films as well as a restaurant and retail clothing store; and
WHEREAS, in more recent years, he split his time between Los Angeles and Ruleville. In 2001, he handed the daily operations of his company over to his daughter, Diana. He continued to find joy every day in sharing his life stories to friends and customers and could be spotted frequently on a ladder restocking clothes, helping in a fitting or teaching a new costumer how to shape a hat; and
WHEREAS, Luster is survived by his daughters Christy (Steve) Kovacic, Diana (Rodd) Foster; four grandchildren: Samantha, Michelle, Dillon and Katie; two great-grandchildren, Jaxs and Jet; sister Reta (Maurice) Williams; extended family of nephews and nieces; and many friends; and
WHEREAS, Luster's impact on the entertainment industry and on his home state will be missed:
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE SENATE OF THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI, THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES CONCURRING THEREIN, That we do hereby mourn the loss and commend the life and public contributions of Luster Bayless of Ruleville, Mississippi, legendary Costumer to John Wayne and Founder of United American Costume Company, and express the sympathy of the Legislature on his passing.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That this resolution be presented to the surviving family of Luster Bayless and be made available to the Capital Press Corps.
