House Concurrent Resolution 55

(As Adopted by House and Senate)

A CONCURRENT RESOLUTION COMMENDING MRS. CYNTHIA COOPER ON HER ACCOMPLISHMENTS AND UPON BEING NAMED ONE OF TIME MAGAZINE'S "PERSONS OF THE YEAR" FOR 2002.

WHEREAS, Mrs. Cynthia Cooper, a native resident of Clinton, Mississippi, and WorldCom's vice president of internal audit, was named one of Time Magazine's "Persons of the Year" for 2002; and

WHEREAS, Mrs. Cooper's diligence, tenacity and perseverance to acquire her rightful place in the higher echelon and infrastructure of corporate America, proved to be a demanding endeavor, but nevertheless, worth the while; and

WHEREAS, having received her formal education in the Clinton Public School System, Mrs. Cooper's matriculation of higher education at Mississippi State University was fast-paced, in addition to giving her a firm foundation and equipping her with the necessities to climb the often demanding corporate ladder; and

WHEREAS, fulfilling her role as vice president of internal audit of what was, for a time, the twenty-fifth largest company in the United States, Mrs. Cooper has endured some very intensive attacks on her character as well as the loss of some of her colleagues; and

WHEREAS, never being one to give up on pursuing a fight for equity, justice and truth, Mrs. Cooper embarked upon a task that forced her to make, perhaps, the toughest decision in her corporate career, shedding light on the largest corporate hoax to date in America; and

WHEREAS, in efforts to insure proper measures were followed, Mrs. Cooper took every approach that could have possibly been taken in confronting the situation in order to assure most efficient resolution of the conflict; and

WHEREAS, Mrs. Cooper never wavered one moment in her work ethic and remained unrelenting in seeking out the best interest of the company and its thousands of employees; and

WHEREAS, now working to restore WorldCom to its once prodigious state of excellence and assurance of quality services and support, Mrs. Cooper has been considered by millions as a heroine, but probably not more so than by her family, including: husband, Lance; daughters, Stephanie and Anna Katherine; and parents, Gene and Patsy Ferrell; and

WHEREAS, it is because of her diligent efforts that Time Magazine honored her with one of the three commendations as "Person of the Year" for 2002; and

WHEREAS, it is the policy of the Legislature of the State of Mississippi to recognize and commend excellence in such outstanding Mississippians as Mrs. Cooper, who has exemplified the true meaning of virtue, integrity, honesty and hope:

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI, THE SENATE CONCURRING THEREIN, That we do hereby commend and congratulate Mrs. Cynthia Cooper on her accomplishments and upon being named one of Time Magazine's "Persons of the Year" for 2002, and wish to extend our heartiest wishes for success in all her future endeavors.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That copies of this resolution be furnished to Mrs. Cynthia Cooper and members of the Capitol Press Corps.