Senate Resolution 1

(As Adopted by Senate)

A RESOLUTION TO RECOGNIZE AND COMMEND THE OUTSTANDING LEADERSHIP OF DISTRICT 24 STATE SENATOR DAVID LEE JORDAN FOR HIS DISTINGUISHED SERVICE IN THE MISSISSIPPI SENATE ON THE OCCASION OF HIS RETIREMENT.

WHEREAS, District 24 State Senator David Lee Jordan has announced that he will be retiring from the Mississippi Senate; and

WHEREAS, since 1993, David Jordan has served as a Democratic member of the Mississippi State Senate representing District 24, which covers Leflore, Panola, and Tallahatchie Counties. In David Jordan, the citizens of District 24 have had effective representation from a dedicated public servant with extensive experience; and

WHEREAS, David L. Jordan was born on April 3, 1933, to a sharecropping family in Leflore County, Mississippi. Having grown up in an environment of economic hardship and racial injustice, he overcame many challenges and was educated at Mississippi Valley State University and the University of Wyoming, ultimately obtaining a master's degree in chemistry and working as a science teacher. Senator Jordan has served as a city councilman for the City of Greenwood, Mississippi, and has been an active champion of the civil rights movement; and

WHEREAS, Jordan is married to the former Christine Bell. They have four children, David L. Jordan, Jr., Joyce Jordan Dugar, Dr. Donald Jordan, and Dr. Daryl Jordan; and

WHEREAS, as a perennial Senate leader, Senator Jordan chaired the Senate Drug Policy Committee and was assigned to various other committees throughout his tenure. Some of these include the Senate Agriculture Committee, Senate County Affairs Committee, Senate Education Committee, Senate Environmental Protection, Conservation and Water Resources Committee, Senate Finance Committee, Senate Forestry Committee, Senate Housing Committee, Senate Municipalities Committee, Senate Tourism Committee, and Senate Veterans and Military Affairs Committee; and

WHEREAS, Senator Jordan's accomplishments included the implementation of character education in most school districts of the state, enacting the Mississippi Blues Bill to promote blues music for economic development, and passing a retirement package that benefited teachers; and

WHEREAS, David Jordan's long service has been marked by his commitment to success and recognized leadership. He excelled in a variety of major responsibilities and served the Senate, his constituents, and the state exceptionally well. Senator Jordan's public service has been exemplified by sound judgment and fairness, and he set the highest standard in all of his many roles, as a father, husband, grandfather, educator, citizen, statesman, and leader in the Mississippi Delta and in the Mississippi Senate, and as a true friend:

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE SENATE OF THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI, That we do hereby recognize and commend the outstanding leadership of District 24 State Senator David L. Jordan for his distinguished service in the Mississippi Senate on the occasion of his retirement and extend to Senator Jordan and his family the best wishes of the Senate for future success.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That this resolution be presented to Senator David L. Jordan and made available to the Capitol Press Corps.