Bill Text: MS SC551 | 2018 | Regular Session | Enrolled
Bill Title: Extend condolences of the Legislature on the passing of Mississippi Delta Civic Leader Jere Nash, Jr., of Greenville.
Spectrum: Strong Partisan Bill (Democrat 10-1)
Status: (Passed) 2018-02-14 - Enrolled Bill Signed [SC551 Detail]
Download: Mississippi-2018-SC551-Enrolled.html
MISSISSIPPI LEGISLATURE
2018 Regular Session
To: Rules
By: Senator(s) Simmons (12th), Barnett, Blount, Bryan, Clarke, Dearing, Frazier, Horhn, Jackson (11th), Jackson (32nd), Norwood
Senate Concurrent Resolution 551
(As Adopted by Senate and House)
A CONCURRENT RESOLUTION EXTENDING THE CONDOLENCES OF THE LEGISLATURE TO THE BEREAVED FAMILY OF MISSISSIPPI DELTA KOREAN WAR VETERAN, BUSINESSMAN AND CIVIC LEADER JERE B. NASH, JR., OF GREENVILLE, MISSISSIPPI.
WHEREAS, it is with sadness that we note the passing of respected Mississippi Delta Korean War Veteran, Businessman and Civic Leader Jere B. Nash, Jr., 89, on December 30, 2017; and
WHEREAS, Jere was born on November 7, 1928, in Greenville to Jere B. Nash, Sr., and Wilda Heard Nash. He graduated from Greenville High School in 1946 and obtained his undergraduate degree from Rhodes (Southwestern) College in Memphis in 1950. For the next two years, he served his country in the U.S. Army, including a year in Korea as an Artilleryman. While in Korea, he began corresponding with a friend from Rhodes, Margie Boisen, who had graduated with him and then moved to North Carolina to complete a Master's Degree in Music; and
WHEREAS, following his discharge in January 1952, he asked Margie to marry him. She said yes and five months later they walked down the aisle together at Idlewild Presbyterian Church in Memphis, and for the next 65 years they lived in Greenville, raised a family of three sons, and contributed to their church and community. Margie died on April 30, 2017; and
WHEREAS, when Jere retired in 1998, he was President of Delta Implement Company, a Greenville-based group of stores in the Mississippi Delta that sell Case-IH farm equipment. Jere's father was a co-founder of the business in 1925. For his entire adult life, Jere was a member of Greenville's First Presbyterian Church, and he held, at one time or another, every office available to a layperson, including Clerk of the Session. In 1970, the City Council appointed him to the Board of Trustees for the Greenville Public Schools at the same time the federal court had ordered the desegregation of the schools. For 10 years, as a member of that board, he worked to make a newly integrated public school system a vital part of the community; and
WHEREAS, he and Margie helped to organize the Delta Music Association, Greenville Arts Council and the Greenville Symphony. Jere also served as President of the United Way, Chamber of Commerce and Boy's Club and as a member of the Rhodes College Board of Trustees. He was the founder of the Greenville Chapter of a national organization that promoted the exchange of high school students with foreign countries. The Salvation Army once named him Volunteer of the Year. In 1985, he and Margie jointly received the Distinguished Alumni Award from Rhodes College, and in 2007 he joined with his wife and sister when the Nash family was honored to be the recipient of the Lifetime Contribution to the Arts Award in Greenville. In his retirement, Jere tutored students at Trigg and Lucy Webb Elementary Schools and was a devoted driver for the Wheels on Meals program; and
WHEREAS, survivors include his three sons: Jere Nash III (Holly Wagner) of Jackson, Mississippi, Louis Nash (Rose) of Oxford, Mississippi, and Joe Nash of Greenville, Mississippi; three grandchildren: Oliver Nash of Jackson, Mississippi, and Sarah and Bo Nash of Oxford, Mississippi; and his sister, Mary Virginia Nash Watson. Jere's father died in 1990 and his mother died in 1971; and
WHEREAS, for as long as any of his children can remember, Mr. Nash was a proud member of the Rotary Club, serving as President of the Greenville Chapter and as a District Governor. He took to heart the Rotary oath: "service above self." Jere Nash loved and served his country, his community, his church and his family. Mr. Nash leaves a lasting legacy not only in his hometown but throughout Mississippi. His passion for helping build community throughout the Delta was unlike any other and he will truly 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 extend the condolences of the Legislature to the bereaved family of Mississippi Delta Korean War Veteran, Businessman and Civic Leader Jere B. Nash, Jr., of Greenville, Mississippi.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That this resolution be presented to the surviving family of Jere Nash, forwarded to the Washington County Community Foundation, and made available to the Capitol Press Corps.
