House Resolution 1

A RESOLUTION HONORING THE LIFE AND LEGACY OF DR. ALTON COBB AND EXPRESSING DEEPEST SYMPATHY TO HIS FAMILY AND FRIENDS UPON HIS PASSING.

WHEREAS, it is written in Ecclesiastes 3:1 that "To everything there is a season, and a time for every purpose under the Heaven," and as such, on October 14, 2021, the immaculate author and finisher of our soul's destiny summoned the mortal presence of dearly beloved, Dr. Alton Cobb, to eternal rest, rendering great sorrow and loss to his family and friends; and

WHEREAS, affectionately known to his family as "Al," Dr. Cobb was born in a dog-trot log cabin without electricity to Joseph Harrison and Winnie Ora Cobb in the Cameron community near Camden, Mississippi, on October 19, 1928, and from that dirt road in Madison County he went on to a distinguished career and life of purpose and public service; and

WHEREAS, as a child, Dr. Cobb attended a one-room schoolhouse in Camden and graduated from Camden High School in 1946, and afterwards he attended Holmes Junior (Community) College, and graduated from the University of Mississippi, where he also attended the medical school program; and

WHEREAS, Dr. Cobb remained a strong proponent of public education his entire life, and he loved Ole Miss tremendously and made it plain to his nine grandchildren that he would help with the cost of college if, and only if, they went to the University of Mississippi; and

WHEREAS, Dr. Cobb then attended Johns Hopkins Medical School in Baltimore, Maryland, and while there, he met a young Waterloo, Iowa, nursing student named Mary O'Connor who worked as a nurse on one of his cases, and he called her that very first evening for a date; and

WHEREAS, Dr. Cobb earned his medical degree from Johns Hopkins in 1954, and in a feat that was equally impressive, convinced Mary to marry him and move south; and

WHEREAS, after his internship at Charity Hospital in New Orleans, Dr. Cobb then completed two years of active service in the United States Army Medical Corps during the Korean War, and shortly thereafter, he received a master of public health degree from Tulane University in 1960, and retired as a full colonel from the Mississippi National Guard following many years of service; and

WHEREAS, after a brief solo medical practice in the small town of Pickens, Mississippi, Dr. Cobb began a career in public health that would occupy him for the next 35 years, as he first served as a county health director for Sunflower County, and thereafter as the director of Chronic Disease Services for the State Department of Health; and

WHEREAS, Dr. Cobb was an active voice in conversations with Governor John Bell Williams about whether to bring Medicaid to Mississippi, and when that came to pass, he became the first executive director of the Mississippi Medicaid Commission; and

WHEREAS, in 1973, Dr. Cobb was appointed as State Health Officer for the Mississippi Department of Health, a position he held until 1992, and as he was assisted by dedicated public servants, he led the reorganization of the agency and several major initiatives, including: implementing the nationally recognized Mississippi Women's, Infants' and Children's Program; a reduction in infant mortality and tuberculosis rates; compulsory school vaccinations; modernized public health statutes; stronger patient protection in nursing homes and licensure regulations for home health care; and a statewide emergency medical services system; and

WHEREAS, after retiring from the Mississippi State Department of Health, Dr. Cobb served almost a decade as clinical consultant for Information and Quality Healthcare; and

WHEREAS, Dr. Cobb received numerous honors and awards during his distinguished career, including Alumnus of the Year from Holmes Community College and the Tulane School of Public Health; the prestigious Woodrow Wilson Award for Public Service by the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine; an award of Merit by the American Public Health Association; Public Administrator of the Year for Mississippi in 1981; Blair Batson Award of Merit from the Mississippi Academy of Pediatrics; and the Humanitarian Award from the Mississippi Academy of Family Physicians; and for several years he served as an alternate delegate from Mississippi to the American Medical Association; and

WHEREAS, in retirement, Dr. Cobb invested in charitable causes, often those raised to him as valuable by his wife, and he spent countless hours at the "old home place," near Camden, where he inspected his pine trees and welcomed families and friends for regular Sunday gatherings; and

WHEREAS, once asked by his wife what he would wish if he were granted one last wish, Dr. Cobb quipped, "More affordable and accessible health care for all the people of Mississippi," and as he was practical, principled and uninterested in material possessions, he spent his life working towards that end; and

WHEREAS, as a genuine man of exceptional character, Dr. Cobb's legacy will continue for generations to come, and his outstanding devotion to his family and to his community will always be remembered, and precious memories of time spent with him will hopefully continue to provide warmth, peace and comfort to his loved ones; and

WHEREAS, though he has traversed the river of life to reunite with those who answered God's summons to life eternal and now beckon his arrival to the celestial shores of Heaven's grandeur, such as his parents and his older brother, John Herbert, the legacy of Dr. Cobb's indelible imprint upon our lives will continue to refresh the hearts and fond memories of his loved ones, including his wife of 67 years, Mrs. Mary O'Connor Cobb; three children, Mary Alene Alford, Dr. Tommy Cobb and Susan Cobb; nine grandchildren, all of whom he was immensely proud, Timothy Alford, Leah Hendrix, John Paul Alford, Jenny Sneed, Lauren Steele, Cameron Cobb, Scott Jimenez, Sara Burns and Mary Grace Suggs; 19 great-grandchildren, of whom he was unabashedly prouder; and a host of other relatives and dear friends; and

WHEREAS, Dr. Cobb will forever be loved, cherished and missed by all who knew him, and since it is written in 2 Corinthians 5:8, that to be "absent from the body is to be present with the Lord," his family and friends can find peace and comfort during this difficult time; and

WHEREAS, it is the policy of the House of Representatives to recognize and commend the lives of outstanding Mississippians, especially those such as Dr. Cobb, who certainly inspired everyone he met and whose life's light illuminated the path of hope for all he encountered along his earthly sojourn:

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI, That we do hereby honor the life and legacy of Dr. Alton Cobb, and express sincere and deepest sympathy to his family and friends upon his passing.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That copies of this resolution be furnished to the family of Dr. Alton Cobb and to the members of the Capitol Press Corps.