MISSISSIPPI LEGISLATURE
2019 Regular Session
To: Rules
By: Senator(s) Norwood, Frazier, Blount, Horhn, DeBar, Jackson (11th), Jackson (32nd), Jordan, Simmons (13th), Witherspoon
A CONCURRENT RESOLUTION EXTENDING THE CONDOLENCES OF THE LEGISLATURE TO THE BEREAVED FAMILY OF MISSISSIPPI PHYSICIAN AND LEGENDARY CIVIL RIGHTS PIONEER DR. JAMES ANDERSON, SR.
WHEREAS, we join the medical and Civil Rights community of Central Mississippi in mourning the loss of well-known Physician Dr. James Anderson, Sr., (82) on February 18, 2019. Dr. Anderson established the Jackson-Hinds Comprehensive Health Center, the largest in Mississippi; and
WHEREAS, in 1970, Dr. Anderson assisted Dr. Aaron Shirley in founding Jackson-Hinds Comprehensive Health Center, one of the oldest community health centers in the United States. Over the years, Dr. Anderson served not only as a Physician at Jackson-Hinds but also as Medical Director and Chief Executive Officer until his retirement in 1998. He was one of the first three African-American doctors to earn full hospital privileges in the Mississippi State Medical Association; and
WHEREAS, Dr. Anderson was born in Jackson, Mississippi, on March 7, 1936. He attended Lanier High School, and while in the 10th grade earned early admission to Morehouse College in Atlanta, Georgia. After graduating in 1956, Dr. Anderson entered Meharry Medical College in Nashville, Tennessee; and
WHEREAS, on December 27, 1959, Dr. Anderson married Selena Velma Helm in Jackson. Together, they lovingly raised three children. He was a devoted husband and father. Dr. Anderson was the brother of former State Senator Doug Anderson; and
WHEREAS, Dr. Anderson briefly had a private medical practice in McComb, Mississippi. He then entered the United States Army and served as Chief Medical Examiner for the Recruiting Station in Syracuse, New York, and as Company Commander of the 624th Medical Dispensary in Jackson, Mississippi; and
WHEREAS, upon receiving an honorable discharge from the Army in 1963, Dr. Anderson established a private practice in Jackson. He was Director of Health at Jackson State University for more than 30 years. Dr. Anderson was part of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee during the Civil Rights Movement; and
WHEREAS, Dr. Anderson held professional memberships in the National Medical Association, Mississippi Medical and Surgical Association, National Association of Community Health Centers, and the Mississippi Primary Health Care Association. He was also a member of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC), the Monday Evening Club, and Alpha Phi Alpha and Sigma Pi Phi Fraternities. Dr. Anderson was a former member of the Board of Directors of The Algebra Project, Inc.; and
WHEREAS, Mississippi lawmakers honored Dr. Anderson in 2017, noting he had worked for more than 50 years to provide health care in low-income, uninsured and minority communities. Dr. Anderson leaves a lasting legacy in medicine, politics and Civil Rights. We pay tribute and cherish fondly the memory of this most public-spirited citizen of Mississippi whose enormous civic energy will 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 Mississippi Legislature to the bereaved family of Mississippi Physician and Legendary Civil Rights Pioneer Dr. James Anderson, Sr.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That this resolution be presented to the surviving family of Dr. James Anderson, Sr., forwarded to the Jackson-Hinds Comprehensive Health Center, and made available to the Capitol Press Corps.