House Resolution 127

(As Adopted by House)

A RESOLUTION COMMENDING THE LIFE OF CAROLINE DESAUSSURE "DESSIE" ANDERSON CAULFIELD AND EXPRESSING DEEPEST SYMPATHY TO HER FAMILY AND FRIENDS UPON HER PASSING.

WHEREAS, Caroline DeSaussure Anderson Caulfield, an award-winning poet of Water Valley, Mississippi, fondly known as "Dessie" by her family, friends and many admirers, died in her home on Monday, March 28, 2011, at the age of 94 years; and

WHEREAS, born in Centreville, Mississippi, on June 5, 1916, Mrs. Caulfield was the daughter of a Presbyterian minister, Oliver May Anderson, and Caroline DeSaussure Haman Anderson; and

WHEREAS, a 1934 graduate of Water Valley High School, Dessie Caulfield received her postsecondary education at Belhaven College, where, as a freshman, she joined the Belhaven Poetry Society and became a charter member of the Mississippi Poetry Society before graduating from the Jackson school in 1938; and

WHEREAS, after college, Mrs. Caulfield went to work for the Field-Cooperative Association in Jackson before moving to Washington, D.C., during the war to work for the Treasury Department and the General Accounting Office; and

WHEREAS, in 1945, Dessie was married by her father to James Barron Caulfield, a childhood friend she had met in church in the sixth grade, and ultimately, the couple made their home and raised their children in Water Valley; and

WHEREAS, Mrs. Caulfield, a member of the American Legion Ladies' Auxiliary, the Red Hat Ladies and the Literary Club, worked as clerk of the Selective Service System for many years, taught school for two years and also served as librarian for the Water Valley Public Library and Blackmur Library for several years; and

WHEREAS, a prolific and talented writer, Dessie, who served as President of the Mississippi Poetry Society in 1988-1989, received honors for her poetry at the local, state and national level throughout her life, including: twice winning the Chi Delta Award for best poem in a student publication while at Belhaven; winning numerous prizes and honors in competitions such as those sponsored by the Mississippi Poetry Society and the Mid-South Poetry Festival; being selected for the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Mississippi Poetry Society in 2005; and as recently as February 2011, being awarded the Edward B. Shearer, III, Award for Artistic Achievement from the Water Valley Arts Council; and

WHEREAS, in addition to co-editing the 75th anniversary anthology of the Mississippi Poetry Society, Magnolia Heart Strings, in 2002, Mrs. Caulfield published a book of poetry, Goblet of Dreams, in 1998, and a second book, Mother of My Love, is slated for publication this summer; and

WHEREAS, Dessie, a member of the Delta Branch of the National League of American Penwomen, also was affiliated with notable poetry groups all over the country, including the Poet's Study Group of Terra Haute, Indiana, the Poetry Society of New Hampshire and the Southern Poetry Association; and

WHEREAS, with faith and family always first in her life, Dessie was an active member of the First Presbyterian Church in Water Valley, where over the years she played the piano and directed the choir, taught Sunday School and served as President of the Women in the Church, and in 2000, Dessie was most appropriately honored by being selected for the Church Service Award from Belhaven College; and

WHEREAS, Dessie, who had many talents in addition to writing award-winning poetry, enjoyed singing and playing the piano as well as reading, working in her flowers, exercising, playing bridge and just being with friends; and

WHEREAS, as so well described by Winifred Hamrick Farrar, Poet Laureate of Mississippi from 1978 until her death in 2010, Dessie Caulfield was truly "a gentle spirit, who mingle[d] well her world of reality and imagination, and present[ed] it with clarity and perception."; and

WHEREAS, preceded in death by her devoted husband of 52 years, James Barron Caulfield, Sr., Mrs. Caulfield is survived by: a son, James Barron Caulfield, Jr.; two daughters, Mary Alice Patterson and Dorothy Helen Wiman; eight adoring grandchildren; and two great-grandsons and a soon-to-be-born great-granddaughter; and

WHEREAS, it is the policy of the House of Representatives to commend the life of talented Mississippians such as Caroline DeSaussure "Dessie" Anderson Caulfield, a poet who has truly made a significant and lasting contribution to the arts and whose inspirational works are a source of great pride and honor to the State of Mississippi:

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI, That we do hereby commend the life of award-winning poet, Caroline DeSaussure "Dessie" Anderson Caulfield, and express deepest sympathy to her family, friends and many admirers upon her passing.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That copies of this resolution be furnished to the family of Mrs. Dessie Caulfield and to the members of the Capitol Press Corps.