House Resolution 123

A RESOLUTION HONORING REPRESENTATIVE FRANCES FREDERICKS FOR HER LEGISLATIVE LEGACY AND CONGRATULATING HER UPON THE OCCASION OF HER RETIREMENT FROM THE MISSISSIPPI HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES.

WHEREAS, the honorable and distinguished Representative Frances Fredericks will retire from the Mississippi House of Representatives after having dedicated 21 consecutive years of extraordinary service to the people of this state; and

WHEREAS, blessed with an extraordinary life, she was born the eldest of eight children to the late Percy and Alice Manning, who always lived a life of service by example; and

WHEREAS, influenced by her parents' example, she sought to nurture and improve the health of others by fulfilling her dream of becoming a nurse; and

WHEREAS, after graduating from George Washington Carver High School, she achieved her dream of becoming a nurse when she graduated from St. Mary's School of Nursing in Kansas City, Missouri, and went on to marry the love of her life, Isiah Fredericks, and create a blessed family with four children: Don, Yolonda, Isiah, Jr., and Alvin; and

WHEREAS, she came to serve in the Mississippi House of Representatives unexpectedly, when her husband, former Representative Isiah Fredericks, Sr., passed away, and young Frances was working to improve the lives of others by serving as a nurse at the Veterans Administration Hospital; and

WHEREAS, driven by her passion for the plight of others and passion for carrying on the banner of public service that she and her dear Isiah had always practiced in their lives, this young widow, Frances Fredericks, decided to bear the mantle of public service on a larger scale by seeking the vacant legislative seat of her husband and surprising many individuals by winning on her first attempt; and

WHEREAS, on June 5, 1990, she won election to the House of Representatives District 119 seat with 59% of the vote against three male candidates in a special election, was reelected in a 1992 special election held pursuant to redistricting, with an overwhelming 81% of the vote, and has since remained unopposed in her four bids for reelection; and

WHEREAS, in recent interviews regarding her retirement, Representative Fredericks has stated, "It was hard at first...I tried to make sure that the people that I was supposed to represent knew that I had their best interest at heart."; and

WHEREAS, during her tenure as a legislator she has served on the following committees: Ways and Means, Judiciary B, Corrections, Public Health, Local and Private, Medicaid, and the Select Committee on Poverty, and for the term beginning with the 2008 Regular Session of the Legislature, as Chairperson of the Marine Resources Committee; and

WHEREAS, not one to limit her community involvement to the Legislature, Representative Fredericks has always been active in her community and dedicated to improving the quality of life for all citizens, as evidenced by her service as President of the Harrison County Chapter of the National Council of Negro Women, of which she is a life member, and is active in the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, of which she is also a life member; and

WHEREAS, also from 1986 to 1990, she was the President of the American Federation of Government Employees, has served as the President of the North Gulfport Civic Club, a member of the Harrison County Community Action Agency Board, a member of the Southern Mississippi Planning and Development District Board, a member of the Harrison/Hancock Foster Care Review Board, a member of the Harrison County Federation of Democratic Women, and as the State Director for Women in Government; and

WHEREAS, Representative Frances Fredericks has led and continues to lead a life of bravery in the face of challenge, sincerity in the face of apathy and honesty in the presence of deceit and treachery; and

WHEREAS, through it all, this extraordinary person who lives an extraordinary life has remained a phenomenal woman of integrity who seeks to improve the lives of others through positive example and hard work; and

WHEREAS, it is the policy of the House of Representatives to honor the legacy of one of our own, who has represented her district, this body and the people of this great state with honor and integrity:

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI, That we do hereby honor the legislative legacy of Representative Frances Fredericks, express gratitude for her many years of dedicated service to the people of the State of Mississippi and congratulate her upon her retirement from the Mississippi House of Representatives.

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