MISSISSIPPI LEGISLATURE
2004 1st Extraordinary Session
To: Rules
By: Representative Holland, Aldridge, Franks, Markham, Miles, Montgomery, Sullivan, Turner
A RESOLUTION RECOGNIZING AND COMMENDING MR. ROBERT BUTLER AND MRS. NITA BUTLER FOR THEIR MANY YEARS OF DEDICATED SERVICE TO THE HANDICAPPED CITIZENS OF TUPELO, MISSISSIPPI.
WHEREAS, Mr. Robert Butler and Mrs. Nita Butler have spent the course of fifty years serving God through fellowship and service to their fellowman by working with disabled individuals; and
WHEREAS, on December 14, 1954, a new day dawned for the handicapped citizens of Northeast Mississippi when Mrs. Butler expressed a deep concern for the many disabled citizens of the region, including her brother, Milford; and
WHEREAS, her efforts, coupled with those of her husband and countless others, were instrumental in the establishment and dedication of the first regional rehabilitation center in Mississippi, a facility which opened its doors in 1956 as the very first Cerebral Palsy center in Tupelo; and
WHEREAS, the climax of the Butlers' efforts became paramount with the official dedication of an all new $325,000.00 Regional Rehabilitation Center on December 1, 1963, after having been previously located in the basement of the Harrisburg Baptist Church and the Nurses Home of the local Tupelo hospital; and
WHEREAS, both fervently committed to assuring the best rehabilitative services, assistance, therapy and medical treatment to the many disabled citizens of Tupelo and Mississippi, Mr. and Mrs. Butler have become synonymous with the handicapped and disabled throughout the state; and
WHEREAS, Mr. Butler, for his diligent efforts and commitment to enhancing the services offered to disabled individuals, was appointed to serve two terms on the Mississippi Rehabilitation Advisory Council, in addition to serving the Mississippi Association Vocational Education Special Needs Program, the President's Committee on Employment of People with Disabilities and the Board for the Regional Rehabilitation Center, Inc.; and
WHEREAS, from the date of its opening in 1956 to the end of the 2003 fiscal year, over 1,130,000 rehabilitation services have been provided by the Regional Rehabilitation Center to approximately 111,500 clients free of charge, all in part of the efforts of Mr. and Mrs. Butler; and
WHEREAS, it is the policy of the House of Representatives to recognize the contributory and humanitarian efforts of such esteemed citizens as Mr. and Mrs. Butler's caliber, whose volunteerism, services and commitment to Mississippi's disabled has served as a benchmark for excellence in exhibition of the commitment mankind has to God through serving their fellowman:
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI, That we do hereby recognize and commend Mr. Robert Butler and Mrs. Nita Butler for their many years of dedicated services to the handicapped citizens of Tupelo, Mississippi, extend our grateful appreciation for their commitment and express our warmest wishes for continued success in all their future endeavors.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That copies of this resolution be furnished to Mr. and Mrs. Butler and to the members of the Capitol Press Corps.