House Resolution 39

A RESOLUTION COMMENDING AND CONGRATULATING ARTHUR COLBERT UPON HIS RETIREMENT AFTER 30 YEARS OF SERVICE TO THE UNITED PARCEL SERVICE.

WHEREAS, Arthur Colbert faithfully served the United Parcel Service (UPS) in various capacities, and it is with great appreciation that we recognize, upon his retirement, his 30 years of dedication and devotion to his career; and

WHEREAS, Mr. Colbert was born on November 1, 1949, in Gunnison, Mississippi, to Nathaniel and Pairlee Smith and is the oldest of 14 children; and

WHEREAS, in 1970, Mr. Colbert attended and graduated from West Bolivar High in Rosedale, Mississippi; and

WHEREAS, after high school, Mr. Colbert served his country for two years in the United States Army which included 12 months in Vietnam; and

WHEREAS, after returning home, he married Naomi Thomas on Christmas Day in 1971; and

WHEREAS, Mr. Colbert is the proud father of three children, Lashanda, Adrienne and Keidrick; and grandfather of six grandchildren, Alexandria, Marcus, Morganne, Amaya, Keidrick and Myles; and

WHEREAS, Mr. Colbert received an associate of arts in science degree from Coahoma Community College and furthered his studies in electronics at Mississippi Valley State University; and

WHEREAS, before his career with UPS, Mr. Colbert worked at Douglas in Lomason in Cleveland, Mississippi, for eight years; and

WHEREAS, then in 1980, Mr. Colbert began his career as a route driver with UPS in Greenville, Mississippi; and

WHEREAS, during his diligent and faithful service to UPS, Mr. Colbert moved up the ranks of the company, became an on-car supervisor in 1989 at the Greenville Center and later transferred to the Dermott Center in Arkansas, where he worked as a supervisor until his retirement in February of this year; and

WHEREAS, making his role as a supervisor more than a job, Mr. Colbert motivated and inspired coworkers in a constructive manner and he found something positive in every situation he faced, which made people want to follow his lead no matter how challenging the situation may have seemed; and

WHEREAS, shipping is vital to our nation and the world as demonstrated by the fact that there is not a hospital that could operate a single day without all the overnight deliveries of transplants that UPS handled without fail; and

WHEREAS, when he began in 1980 with UPS, shipping and commerce in general was a different world, and as UPS grew so did Mr. Colbert; and

WHEREAS, upon his retirement in February 2010, Mr. Colbert left UPS, and the shipping industry in general, in a better position than he found it, by bringing attention to detail and then leading his coworkers in formulating innovative ways to get the task at hand done; and

WHEREAS, it is the policy of the House of Representatives to honor diligent employees such as Mr. Colbert, whose career serves as an example to his fellow coworkers, and whose legacy of dedicated service is exemplified by outstanding leadership, commitment and prudent judgment:

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI, That we do hereby commend the remarkable career of Arthur Colbert, congratulate him upon his retirement from the United Parcel Service, and express deepest appreciation to him for the hard work and many sacrifices he made in his 30 years of service, and extend best wishes for many years of good health and enjoyment in his retirement.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That copies of this resolution be furnished to Mr. Arthur Colbert, to United Parcel Service and to the members of the Capitol Press Corps.