MISSISSIPPI LEGISLATURE

2007 Regular Session

To: Rules

By: Senator(s) Williamson

Senate Concurrent Resolution 534

A CONCURRENT RESOLUTION COMMENDING AND CONGRATULATING MRS. TINYE MARSHALL OF NESHOBA COUNTY WHO WAS NAMED MISSISSIPPI'S OUTSTANDING OLDER WORKER BY ENTERPRISE WORKS, INC.

     WHEREAS, in conjunction with National Older Workers Month, Mrs. Tinye Marshall, an 85-year-old mother and grandmother, was nominated and named Neshoba County and Mississippi's "Outstanding Older Worker" for 2006; and

     WHEREAS, Mrs. Marshall was nominated in April 2000 by Experience Works, Inc., a nonprofit organization that provides training and employment services for older workers, and she won the state title; and

     WHEREAS, to be eligible for Mississippi's Outstanding Older Worker, a person must be at least 65 years of age, a resident of Mississippi, currently employed and work at least 20 hours a week; and

     WHEREAS, Mrs. Marshall won the state honor and traveled to Washington, D.C., to compete for the National Prime Time Award.  During her stay, she took a tour of the city and attended meetings and an awards banquet along with her state congressional representatives.  Mrs. Marshall had never been to Washington, D.C., or even been on an airplane; and

     WHEREAS, although many may not know Mrs. Marshall by name, Neshoba County residents are sure to know her face as Wal-Mart's greeter for the past nine years, and she still works 40 hours a week greeting customers; and

     WHEREAS, growing up near the edge of Kemper County, where she still lives today, Mrs. Marshall has been a worker her whole life.  During her lifetime, she worked at Wells Lamont for 31 years and Nemanco in DeKalb for four years before going to work at Wal-Mart; and

     WHEREAS, while working, she also helped raise three of her brothers and could drive a John Deere tractor as good as any man, all the while raising a family of her own; and

     WHEREAS, she and her late husband, Perry, have a son, Eugene, who lives in Meridian, Mississippi, with his wife, Judy.  Mrs. Marshall also has three grandchildren, Kim, Brooke and John, and two great-grandchildren, Riley and Hadley; and

     WHEREAS, the thought of retiring is not even in sight for Mrs. Marshall.  When Mrs. Marshall is not greeting Wal-Mart customers, she enjoys quilting and cooking, and is a faithful member of Sardis Baptist Church; and

     WHEREAS, the national, yearlong Prime Time Awards Program is America's singular and most far-reaching effort to salute older workers.  No other national program recruits and identifies people over age 65 who are still contributing to their communities and keeping themselves healthy by working.  The Prime Time Awards seeks to remove barriers and lessen stereotypes about older workers.  Launched in 1998, Experience Works' Prime Time Awards Program salutes America's senior workforce by identifying winners in three categories:  Outstanding Older Workers, Outstanding Employers of Older Workers and America's Oldest Worker; and

     WHEREAS, the Outstanding Older Workers Program, which was awarded in 2006 to Mrs. Marshall, is an extensive grass roots nomination effort in all 50 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico, to find the person over age 65, working more than 20 hours a week, who best reflects the characteristics of leadership, learning, mentoring and community service, and who continues to make meaningful contributions to their employer.  Many of these people are in second careers, have overcome handicaps or taken additional training in their later years to continue to improve their working skills; and

     WHEREAS, Mrs. Marshall is a prime example of a Mississippian supporting the desire of older adults to live in their own homes and communities for as long as possible, and it is with great pride that we recognize this effort to help our citizens remain vibrant in their community and state:

     NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE SENATE OF THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI, THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES CONCURRING THEREIN, That we do hereby commend and congratulate Mrs. Tinye Marshall of Neshoba County, Mississippi, who was named Mississippi's Outstanding Older Worker by Enterprise Works, Inc., after winning the local award in Neshoba County, and we extend to her and her family the best wishes of the Legislature in their future endeavors.

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That this resolution be presented to Tinye Marshall, be forwarded to the Area On Aging Council for Neshoba County and be made available to the Capitol Press Corps.