A house RESOLUTION

TO CONGRATULATE Ms. Bernie Bell OF Orangeburg COUNTY ON THE OCCASION OF HER ONE HUNDREDTH BIRTHDAY AND TO WISH HER A JOYOUS BIRTHDAY CELEBRATION AND MANY YEARS OF CONTINUED HEALTH AND HAPPINESS.

Whereas, the members of the South Carolina House of Representatives are delighted to learn that Bernie Bell will celebrate her one hundredth birthday surrounded by family and friends on January 12, 2024; and

Whereas, born on January 12, 1924, in the first quarter of the twentieth century, she has witnessed the many remarkable social changes, technological advancements, and international developments that have spanned the globe from that time into the first quarter of the twenty-first century; and

Whereas, the daughter of the late Frank and Ezella Shuler Shingler, Ms. Bell was born in Elloree, the oldest of two children, and was educated at Oak Grove School in Santee; and

Whereas, in 1939, she married the love of her life, Harvey Gilmore. Before she was widowed at the age of forty-one, she and her beloved husband had eleven children, two of whom died in infancy, a daughter and son. They later lost their sons Willie and George Gilmore in death, but she is still blessed with one daughter, six sons, and one adopted son of over fifty years; and

Whereas, for many years, Ms. Bell attended Oak Grove Baptist Church and Friendship African Methodist Episcopal Church in Santee in her earlier years. Today she is a member of Mt. Hebron Baptist Church in Santee where she is currently the mother of the church, and she has served on the Senior Choir and in many other duties in the church; and

Whereas, her favorite Bible verse is Psalm 23:1, "The Lord is my Shepherd," and her favorite Gospel song is "Come on in the Room," sung by the Georgia Mass Choir; and

Whereas, Ms. Bell has been the pillar of the Parler Community for many years. Her home has been used many nights for sleepovers and as a place to get a meal daily. Her doors are always open to family and friends. She is famous for making homemade biscuits that would melt in your mouth; and

Whereas, without a license or formal training, she taught a sort of mathematics through her example, not in a school classroom but in her community, when she added the values of love and hard work to her life; subtracted a can't do attitude from her mind; multiplied these concepts in her home, church, and community; and divided them among her children; and

Whereas, the South Carolina House of Representatives is pleased to honor this daughter of South Carolina at the celebration of her one hundredth birthday, and the members join with her family and friends in congratulating her on reaching this extraordinary milestone. Now, therefore,

Be it resolved by the House of Representatives:

That the members of the South Carolina House of Representatives, by this resolution, congratulate Ms. Bernie Bell of Orangeburg County on the occasion of her one hundredth birthday and wish her a joyous birthday celebration and many years of continued health and happiness.

Be it further resolved that a copy of this resolution be presented to Ms. Bernie Bell.

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