MISSISSIPPI LEGISLATURE

1999 Regular Session

To: Rules

By: The Entire Membership

A CONCURRENT RESOLUTION COMMENDING SPEAKER PRO TEMPORE ROBERT GEORGE CLARK FOR HIS MANY YEARS OF OUTSTANDING SERVICE TO THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI.

WHEREAS, Robert George Clark, Speaker Pro Tempore of the Mississippi House of Representatives, has dedicated over thirty years of service to the people in the State of Mississippi; and

WHEREAS, Speaker Clark, a native of Holmes County, Mississippi, earned an undergraduate degree from Jackson State University and a master's degree in administration and educational services from Michigan State University; and

WHEREAS, Speaker Clark also studied at Mississippi Valley State University, Florida A & M University and Western Michigan University and, in 1979, he was a teaching fellow of the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University; and

WHEREAS, representing District 47 and serving his eighth consecutive term in the House of Representatives, Speaker Clark initially sought election in hopes of providing adequate education for students in the rural hamlets of Mississippi; and

WHEREAS, in January 1992, Representative Clark was elected by his fellow legislators as the Speaker Pro Tempore of the Mississippi House of Representatives and was reelected to this position at the beginning of the 1996 session; and

WHEREAS, in 1977, Speaker Clark became the first Black committee chairman in the Mississippi House of Representatives as he was named Chairman of the Education Committee, a position he held for ten pivotal years of change and reform in Mississippi's educational system; and

WHEREAS, as Chairman of the Education Committee, Speaker Clark led the House to pass the highly acclaimed 1982 Education Reform Act, the 1984 Vocational Education Reform Act and the Education Enhancement Act which provided Mississippi's schools with the necessary funds to repair schools in numerous school districts across the state; and

WHEREAS, during his legislative career, Speaker Clark has served as Chairman of the House Ethics Committee and Vice Chairman of the Apportionment and Elections Committee; and

WHEREAS, as Speaker Pro Tempore, he serves as Chairman of the House Management Committee, which oversees internal business affairs and personnel of the Mississippi House of Representatives, and he is the senior ranking member of Mississippi's Legislative Black Caucus; and

WHEREAS, Speaker Clark was one of the original members of the Board of Directors for Central Mississippi, Inc., an antipoverty program covering several counties in Central Mississippi which, among many other components, has a head start program that has been instrumental in giving vast numbers of rural children a jump start in preparedness for entering the mainstream public schools; and

WHEREAS, Speaker Clark also helped organize the Milton Olive III Memorial Corp. of Holmes County, an antipoverty program designed to provide essential medical care to individuals who were in the greatest need; and

WHEREAS, Speaker Clark served as Director of Project Second Start at Saints Junior College, an organization that focused on giving adults an opportunity to develop skills in various vocations that were necessary to increase their standard of living and leading them to better employment; and

WHEREAS, another community enrichment program Speaker Clark organized was the Fine Housing Enterprise program which was developed for the community to receive various forms of assistance allowing numerous poor families in the county to afford decent housing; and

WHEREAS, Speaker Clark has received numerous awards and honors during his career, including the Alumnus of the Year Award from Jackson State University, the Award of Distinction and Outstanding Leadership Award from the University of Mississippi and the Outstanding Achievement Award for Education in Mississippi; and

WHEREAS, currently, Speaker Clark is working to bring a correctional facility to Holmes County and with little or no expense to the county, providing jobs to the residents and enabling young criminals to pay their dues to society while being detained close to home; and

WHEREAS, Speaker Clark has been lovingly supported in his endeavors by his lovely wife, the former Jo Ann Ross, and their children, LaLeche, Robert George III and Bryant Wandrick; and

WHEREAS, it is the policy of this Legislature to recognize and pay special tribute to such an outstanding Mississippian as Speaker Clark, a great pride to our state, for his immeasurable contributions on behalf of the people of the State of Mississippi during his long and distinguished career in public service:

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI, THE SENATE CONCURRING THEREIN, That we do hereby commend our friend and colleague, Speaker Pro Tempore Robert George Clark upon his many accomplishments and express our heartfelt appreciation for his years of dedicated service to citizens of Mississippi.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That copies of this resolution be furnished to Speaker Pro Tempore Robert George Clark and to members of the Capitol Press Corps.