Bill Text: GA HR89 | 2009-2010 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Fowlkes, Mr. William; condolences
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)
Status: (Passed) 2009-01-15 - House Read and Adopted [HR89 Detail]
Download: Georgia-2009-HR89-Introduced.html
09 LC 94
0102
House
Resolution 89
By:
Representative Brooks of the
63rd
A
RESOLUTION
Honoring
the life and memory of Mr. William Fowlkes; and for other purposes.
WHEREAS,
the State of Georgia mourns the passing of one its finest and most distinguished
citizens on December 21, 2008, Mr. William Fowlkes; and
WHEREAS,
Mr. Fowlkes earned a bachelor's degree in history from the Tennessee
Agricultural and Industrial College, in Nashville, Tennessee, in 1935;
and
WHEREAS,
while in college, Mr. Fowlkes worked as a night watchman in the college library,
where he was drawn to copies of the
Atlanta Daily
World, a conservative black newspaper;
and
WHEREAS,
upon graduation, Mr. Fowlkes was honored to receive a job with the
Atlanta Daily
World, where he continued to work for more
than 30 years as a reporter and editor; and
WHEREAS,
during his time with the
Atlanta Daily
World Mr. Fowlkes covered many historic
racial crimes such as the 1955 murder of Emmett Till and the 1946 Monroe
Massacre, in which a lynch mob killed two young black couples in Walton and
Oconee counties; and
WHEREAS,
Mr. Fowlkes's passion for justice extended beyond reporting it, as he picked up
a potential witness in the Monroe case in the dead of night and transported him
to Atlanta so that he would remain unharmed until the trial and later assisted
the witness in finding a job; and
WHEREAS,
Mr. Fowlkes's surviving family includes his two daughters, Wilhelmina Fowlkes
and Loretta Harrison, and one granddaughter; and
WHEREAS,
this talented reporter and jazz pianist will long be remembered by his many
readers, friends, and neighbors whose lives he touched daily.
NOW,
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES that this body hereby
joins in honoring the life and memory of Mr. William Fowlkes and commending his
many great achievements.
BE
IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Clerk of the House of Representatives is authorized
and directed to transmit an appropriate copy of this resolution to the family of
Mr. William Fowlkes.
