House Concurrent Resolution 111

A CONCURRENT RESOLUTION COMMENDING DR. ROBERT SMITH, SR., FOR HIS COMMITTED DEDICATION TO THE HEALTH CARE PROFESSION AND ACKNOWLEDGING HIM AS A "LIVING LEGEND."

WHEREAS, Dr. Robert Smith, Sr., a native of Terry, Mississippi, has dedicated much of his life to the health care profession and has become a true "Living Legend"; and

WHEREAS, an unsung hero, Dr. Smith was a principal founder of the Medical Committee for Human Rights, which was the medical arm of the Civil Rights movement; and

WHEREAS, a Civil Rights activist, he helped expose racist practices within the American Medical Association during the Civil Rights Era which resulted in major changes toward justice in health care in the south; and

WHEREAS, a brave pioneer who stood on the front line and at the barricades in the Civil Rights struggles from Mississippi's Freedom Summer to demonstrations in Selma, Alabama, to Chicago, Illinois, Dr. Smith helped battle inequality and racism in the medical profession and is featured for his remarkable work in the New York Times, Time Magazine, Ebony, Brown Medicine, Tufts Medicine and other notable scientific journals; and

WHEREAS, possessing a heart for the poor, uninsured and underserved, he was a principal founder of the model for the National Neighborhood Health Center Movement that today serves over 17 million such Americans; and

WHEREAS, Dr. Smith was the first African-American physician to serve as chief of staff at a major tertiary level hospital in Jackson, Mississippi, and he was a Charter Diplomat and Fellow of the American Board of the American Academy of Family Physicians; and

WHEREAS, he was chosen as the coprincipal investigator with the National Research Program for the National Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities Study at the University of Mississippi Medical Center, which became the prestigious Jackson Heart Study; and

WHEREAS, a recognized leader in the diagnosis and treatment of diabetes and related illnesses, Dr. Smith founded and has served as a primary care physician for Central Mississippi Health Services; and

WHEREAS, he bravely chaired the landmark committee to propose the successful naming of the first federal building in the United States after an African American, Dr. A.H. McCoy, and that building remains today in downtown Jackson, Mississippi; and

WHEREAS, it is the policy of this Legislature to commend such a pioneer and trailblazer as the "Living Legend," Dr. Robert Smith, Sr., who has contributed significantly to his profession, community, the State of Mississippi, the United States of America and all of mankind, and whose message and example serve as a model for generations to come:

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI, THE SENATE CONCURRING THEREIN, That we do hereby commend Dr. Robert Smith, Sr., for his committed dedication to the health care profession, acknowledge him as a "Living Legend" and express sincere wishes for continued success in all of his future endeavors.

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