House Resolution 132

A RESOLUTION COMMENDING THE LIFE, LEGACY AND SERVICE OF RENOWNED LOCAL TV PERSONALITY, JOBIE MARTIN, AND EXPRESSING DEEPEST SYMPATHY TO HIS FAMILY AND FRIENDS UPON HIS PASSING.

WHEREAS, groundbreaking media figure, Jobie Martin, born in Hattiesburg, Mississippi, on July 16, 1919, and having grown up in Gulfport, departed this earthly life on Saturday, March 26, 2011, at the age of 93, to enter into eternal rest with his Heavenly Father, rendering great sorrow and loss to his family and friends; and

WHEREAS, with early training from the Worsham College of Mortuary Science, Martin used his training to land a job as an assistant pathologist, and he also received degrees at the Chicago Conservatory of Music in voice and piano, and after winning first prize on a talent show, he got a job singing on the radio until he was drafted into the United States Army during World War II, which led to a tour with the Army Band as a vocal soloist; and

WHEREAS, upon his army discharge Martin returned to Mississippi to help family, working as an airport porter, whose smooth voice drew the attention of his superiors, who promoted him to announcing the airport's flights over a loudspeaker before he was transitioned to sell ads to Black businessmen; and

WHEREAS, his personality and mellifluous voice served Martin and his employers so successfully that he was hired for the same work at Jackson's WOKJ and, soon went to work at a radio station in Memphis, where he auditioned for and gained an on-air disc jockey's job for eight months before he was spun back to Jackson; and

WHEREAS, settling in as a disc jockey at WOKJ, Jobie Martin, known as the "Loud Mouth of the South," entered Jackson State College in 1960, where he acquired the name, "Flash," while playing football for the Tigers at 35 years of age, and earned a bachelor of science degree in education in 1963; and

WHEREAS, Martin is best known for being an entrepreneur and radio and television personality in the 1960s and 1970s in Jackson, with a variety show, entitled, "The Jobie Martin Show," which aired on WAPT and WLBT, marking an era in history as the first African American in Mississippi to host a commercial TV program in addition to running two restaurants, Valerie's and Jobie's Fried Chicken Restaurant; and

WHEREAS, as a media personality he interviewed influential African-American entertainers and athletes such as Bill Cosby, Mahalia Jackson, James Brown, Nat King Cole, Mohammed Ali and Joe Lewis in the 1970s, and promoted JSU sports programs and athletes on his shows; and

WHEREAS, an educator by learned profession, Mr. Martin taught school at Westside Elementary in Hinds County, and even in his late 80s was still imparting his wisdom and life's history as an assistant teacher at Chastain Middle School, where he sometimes worked more than 40 hours per week; and

WHEREAS, noted for his spoken philosophical signature, "Go straight ahead," Mr. Martin was always a jovial spirit, as indicated by a story told to the press after having lived temporarily in a senior citizens home after the passing of his wife of 40 years, Martin recounted, "I stayed up there three months, smelling that liniment and Ben-Gay, and one morning the office lady came by and said, 'Mr. Martin, you know we lost two last night.' This was a 12-story building, a big place, I was living on the 10th floor, and I said, Well, I'll help you find them. She said, 'I mean they died, Mr. Martin.' I called my daughter and said, Listen, send me a real estate agent over here quick and I bought me a condominium and left out of that nursing home running."; and

WHEREAS, for his notable contributions in education and entertainment and for bringing great acclaim and esteem to the State of Mississippi, Jobie was honored with several commendations, which have included: induction into the Jackson State University Alumni Association Hall of Fame; L.T. Smith Lifetime Achievement Award, Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, Mu Sigma Chapter; Living Legend Award, Jackson State University National Alumni Association; and recognized as Mississippi's 2007 Outstanding Older Worker; and

WHEREAS, though he has traversed the river of life to now stand on heaven's celestial shores, the legacy of his memory will continue to thrive in the lives of his loving children and grandchildren; and

WHEREAS, it is the policy of the House of Representatives to commend the life of such an iconic giant of a man as Mr. Martin, whose life was by no means ordinary, but extraordinary by a characterization of an individual who immersed himself in the selfless giving of himself to the service of mankind:

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI, That we do hereby commend the life, legacy and service of renowned TV personality, Jobie Martin, and express deepest sympathy to his family and friends upon his passing.

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