Bill Text: MS HC103 | 2017 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Former Speaker Pro Tempore Robert G. Clark, Jr.; commend upon 50th anniversary of election to the Mississippi House of Representatives.
Sponsorship: Bipartisan Bill
Status: (Passed) 2017-04-03 - Enrolled Bill Signed [HC103 Detail]
Download: Mississippi-2017-HC103-Introduced.html
MISSISSIPPI LEGISLATURE
2017 Regular Session
To: Rules
By: Representatives Gunn, Clark
House Concurrent Resolution 103
A CONCURRENT RESOLUTION COMMEMORATING THE 50TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE ELECTION OF FORMER SPEAKER PRO TEMPORE ROBERT GEORGE CLARK, JR., TO THE MISSISSIPPI HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES IN 1967, IN REPRESENTATION OF HOUSE DISTRICT 47, AND ACKNOWLEDGING THE HISTORICAL IMPACT OF HIS ELECTION ON THE PROGRESSION OF THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI AND THE CRITICAL LEGISLATIVE POLICIES ENACTED DURING HIS ESTEEMED CAREER.
WHEREAS, 2017 marks a year of historic milestones for the State of Mississippi, in addition to being the year in which the state celebrates its Bicentennial Anniversary, it also marks the Golden Anniversary of Mr. Robert George Clark, Jr., former Speaker Pro Tempore of the Mississippi House of Representatives, who will celebrate the 50th anniversary of having become the first African American elected to the Mississippi Legislature since the era of Reconstruction; and
WHEREAS, born on October 3, 1928, in Ebenezer, Mississippi, Speaker Pro Tempore Clark, the distinguished gentleman from Holmes County who completed nine consecutive terms for an exceptionally laudable 36-year legislative career before retiring at the conclusion of the 2003 Regular Session of the Mississippi Legislature; and
WHEREAS, having been reared and educated in rural Holmes County where his father farmed and worked for the county school system, the importance of education was impressed upon him early in life, and upon completing his formal education, the young and intrepid Robert Jr., set out on his journey of collegiate matriculation, which culminated with the receipt of a bachelor's degree from Jackson State University, a master's degree in administration and educational services from Michigan State University, with additional courses of development taken at Mississippi Valley State University, Florida A&M University, Western Michigan University and as a 1979 teaching fellow of the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University, all prior to having bestowed upon him a Doctorate of Humane Letters in 2003 and an honorary Doctorate of Laws in 2014 from Tougaloo College and Michigan State University respectively; and
WHEREAS, equipped with a burning desire to improve the quality of life for mankind, the altruistically-spirited Clark initially set his aspirations on becoming an attorney, then he considered doing missionary work in Africa, but after careful examination of the plight of Mississippi's future given its oftentimes tumultuous past, he soon came to the realization that there was more than enough "missionary" work within the borders of his home state, beginning with endeavors to alter the course of prosperity and success for the state's most vulnerable, its children, and without reluctance began a career in education, pouring into the lives of children and families as a teacher, coach, and ultimately as a principal; and
WHEREAS, cognizant of the fact that children's educational outcome was directly influenced by the level of their parents' educational attainment, Speaker Pro Tempore Clark, in 1966, attempted to create an adult education program in the Holmes County School District, but found himself met with opposition from the school board that denied his request, and which also prompted his entry into the political arena as a candidate for the county superintendent of education, after having been given a conditional response by the board that it would only endorse an adult education program if the superintendent approved the establishment of such a program; and
WHEREAS, however, that feat proved more of an obstacle than Clark imagined, as the Mississippi Legislature enacted a law that changed the method of selecting superintendents from elected to appointed offices, thereby dashing his hopes for superintendent, yet reigniting the flame to effectuate change on a much larger platform, a statewide platform, the platform that redirected his course from one of educational leadership to one of legislative trailblazer and historical icon; and
WHEREAS, that one change in the law prompted Clark to run for the Mississippi House of Representatives as the people's champion for House District 47, which encompassed portions of Attala, Holmes and Yazoo Counties, and on November 7, 1967, two years, three months and one day after President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Voting Rights Act of 1965 into law on August 6, 1965, the citizens of Holmes County placed Robert George Clark, Jr., in the annals of history when they elected him to serve as the first African-American legislator to the Mississippi House of Representatives in the 20th Century; and
WHEREAS, remaining undeterred in his efforts to methodically reform the political system of cronyism and prejudicial elitism from the inside out rather than through a combative approach, Clark's legacy of public service has been a novel of many firsts, including: being tapped as the 1982 Democratic nominee in the newly reapportioned Second Congressional District, posturing him to become the first African American to represent Mississippi in Congress since 1883; the first African American to serve as a committee chair when he was appointed Chairman of the House Education Committee in 1979, an appointment that proved critically important in his standing at the forefront in guiding into law the passages of the 1982 Education Reform Act, the 1984 Vocational Education Reform Act and the Education Enhancement Act; the first African American elected by his peers to the Office of Speaker Pro Tempore in 1992, a position he retained until his 2003 retirement as the longest serving state representative; and in 2004 the first African American to have a state building named in his honor; and
WHEREAS, as Speaker Pro Tempore, Clark served as Chairman of the House Management Committee, which oversees the vital internal business and personnel affairs of the House, and the retired patriarch emeritus of the Mississippi Legislative Black Caucus has deeply rooted affiliations with several entities including:
having been one of the founding members of Central Mississippi, Inc.; helped organize the Milton Olive III Memorial Corporation of Holmes County; served as Director of Project Second Start at Saints Junior College; served on the Advisory Board for the Delta Research and Cultural Institute (DRCI); served as Chairman of the Board of Directors for the Mississippi Action for Community Education (MACE) in Greenwood, Mississippi; served as Chairman of the Mississippi Action for Community Education Fund Board; organized the Fine Housing Enterprise Program; involved with the Holmes County 21st Century Commission; and assisted with the inception of the R.F.K. Holmes County Economic Development Agency; and
WHEREAS, the recipient of numerous awards and honors during his esteemed career, including national recognition for his service on the Policy and Steering Committee of Education Commission of the States and the Education Committee of the National Conference of State Legislatures, Speaker Pro Tempore Clark has had bestowed upon him Alumnus of the Year Award from Jackson State University, the Award of Distinction and Outstanding Leadership Award from the University of Mississippi and the Outstanding Achievement Award for Education in Mississippi; and
WHEREAS, the subject of a book entitled Robert G. Clark's Journey to the House: A Black Politician's Story, as well as the focus of a Library of Congress documentary created by the Civil Rights History Project through an oral history interview, Speaker Pro Tempore Clark's vision and constructive leadership embodied the spirit of true statesmanship and the continued hope for a unified state of academic and economic progression and racial reconciliation; and
WHEREAS, in the 50 years since Speaker Pro Tempore Clark's election to the Mississippi House of Representatives in 1967, the State of Mississippi has made significant strides in advancing the causes held most dear to his heart before, during and subsequent to his terms in office, and remains on a path of achieving excellence by pursuing the best outcomes for all of the state's citizens; and
WHEREAS, it is the policy of this Legislature to honor and pay very special tribute to pioneers of Speaker Pro Tempore Clark's refined caliber, who have helped shape the face of Mississippi's history through their revolutionary acts of courage in the face of fire, and those whose humility in times of disparate treatment renews faith in the forgiving nature of mankind as evidenced by the forgiveness of our Heavenly Father:
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI, THE SENATE CONCURRING THEREIN, That we do hereby commemorate the 50th anniversary of the election of former Speaker Pro Tempore Robert George Clark, Jr., to the Mississippi House of Representatives in 1967, in representation of House District 47, acknowledging the historical impact of his election on the progression of the State of Mississippi and the critical legislative policies enacted during his esteemed career, and extend best wishes for continued success, prosperity and good health in all of his future endeavors.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That copies of this resolution be furnished to former Speaker Pro Tempore Robert George Clark, Jr., to the Board of Directors of the Mississippi Department of Archives and History and to the members of the Capitol Press Corps.
