House Concurrent Resolution 75

A CONCURRENT RESOLUTION COMMENDING THE LIFE, SERVICE AND ACCOMPLISHMENTS OF MRS. HILDA LOUISE SMITH CASIN AND ACKNOWLEDGING HER SIGNIFICANT EDUCATIONAL AND CIVIC CONTRIBUTION TO PIKE COUNTY, MISSISSIPPI.

WHEREAS, the only child of her late parents, Mr. Willie B. and Mrs. Ruth Mae Bonds Smith, born and reared in McComb, Mississippi, on the precept tenets of humility, integrity, intestinal fortitude and the importance of education, Mrs. Hilda Louise Smith Casin premised her life to one of service to humanity, starting right in her native home; and

WHEREAS, a 1948 graduate of Burglund High School, a young Louise attended Southern Christian Institute, where she received her associate's degree in 1950, which prepared her for her inaugural entry into the wonderful world of educational instruction, which commenced during the fall of the same year at Stephenson Elementary School as a fourth and fifth grade teacher; and

WHEREAS, eager to sharpen her educational acumen and expand her arsenal of instructional tools, Mrs. Casin embarked upon a journey of undergraduate and postgraduate matriculation, which materialized in her receipt of a bachelor of science degree in elementary education from Jackson State University in 1959, a National Science Foundation Grant to attend Depauw University during the summer of 1962, and both a master of science degree in guidance and counseling and an education specialist degree in educational administration from the University of Mississippi, in 1969 and 1977 respectively; and

WHEREAS, on a trailblazing trajectory for career success in her chosen profession, Mrs. Casin was one of 19 national participants chosen to attend the Computer Assisted Instruction Institute at Stanford University in 1969, and became the first African-American inductee into the University of Mississippi Chapter of Kappa Delta Pi Education Honor Society; and

WHEREAS, Mrs. Casin's commitment to educational excellence and the success of students under her instructional tutelage and guidance spanned the course of 50 years until her retirement in 2000, which encompassed the ascent from roles as an instructor to an apex conclusion in a supervisory position as a district administrator for the final 27 years of her career, and witnessed the inception of a personal self-funded scholarship to assist students in attending the college or university of their choice; and

WHEREAS, her community service is inclusive of a broad span of civic and social involvement, stemming from the McComb Library Board, the Railroad Museum Board, the Pike County Chamber of Commerce Board, Pike County Teachers Federal Credit Union Board, Pike County Business League, NAACP, Jackson State University Alumni Association and the McComb Historic Preservation Commission, the latter of which inspired her to establish Pike County's Black History Gallery as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization listed within the State of Mississippi's Tourism Guide Book; and

WHEREAS, with these affiliations, she has been on the receiving end of numerous accolades of acknowledgement, including, but not limited to: the Georgia Westbrook Club Award for Excellence; 24th Street Church Award; Walker's Chapel Church Award; McComb Club Award; McComb-Pike Reading Council's IRA Service Award; the McComb Negro Business and Professional's Woman of the Year Award; Alpha Kappa Alpha - Phi Mu Omega Chapter Community Service Award; NAACP's C.C. Bryant Lifetime Achievement Award; Pike County Chamber of Commerce's Lifetime Achievement Award; Jubilee Performing Arts Center's Lifetime Achievement Award; Enterprise Journal's Lifetime Achievement Award; and Chapter of the Delta Kappa Gamma's Red Rose Award; and

WHEREAS, having been encouraged, inspired and supported in all of her career and civic endeavor by her late husband, Silas Casin, Jr., until his untimely transition, Mrs. Casin continues to enjoy the boundless affection and inspiration of her immediate family circle, including: her daughter, Dr. Sylvia Casin-Brown; grandson, Justin E. Armstrong; and completed by the calvary of Thompson, Webb, Harris, Bonds and Barnes families; and

WHEREAS, it is the policy of this Legislature to commend the excellence displayed in the venerable lives and careers of such esteemed Mississippians of Mrs. Casin's caliber, whose lifetime of educational prowess is attributable to shaping the minds and futures of countless thousands of students and families with whom she interacted and the enduring impacts upon lineal generations which followed:

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI, THE SENATE CONCURRING THEREIN, That we do hereby commend the life, service and accomplishments of Mrs. Hilda Louise Smith Casin and acknowledge her significant educational and civic contributions to Pike County, Mississippi.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That copies of this resolution be furnished to Mrs. Hilda Louise Smith Casin and to the members of the Capitol Press Corps.