MISSISSIPPI LEGISLATURE
2011 1st Extraordinary Session
To: Rules
By: Senator(s) Blount, Chassaniol, Collins, Dawkins, Fillingane, Frazier, Hopson, Hyde-Smith, Jackson (32nd), Michel
A CONCURRENT RESOLUTION MOURNING THE LOSS OF RESPECTED MISSISSIPPI ARTIST MIRIAM WEEMS OF JACKSON, MISSISSIPPI.
WHEREAS, the Mississippi art community is mourning the loss of painter Miriam Weems, who passed away on Saturday, August 20, 2011. The 69-year-old Jackson Artist was known for her colorful Mississippi landscapes; and
WHEREAS, Miriam Weems graduated from Murrah High School in 1959 and received degrees in French and Fine Arts from the University of Mississippi where she graduated in 1963. Her collection of works are depicted in a book entitled Mostly Mississippi; and
WHEREAS, Miriam was an artist of note. Her paintings reflect her happy spirit and love of color — the brighter and more vivid the better! She was the featured artist for many organizations and her paintings are prized by all who own them. Miriam provided the art for the Christmas Cards of Senator Thad Cockran on several occasions as well as Chancellor Robert Khayat of Ole Miss. She was the featured artist for the Art for Heart Gala in 2001 and she was selected to provide the poster for Jubilee Jam; and
WHEREAS, Miriam was born in Greenwood, Mississippi, on November 24, 1941. She attended the Jackson Public Schools and graduated from Murrah High School in 1959. After a year at Agnes Scott College, she transferred to the University of Mississippi where she graduated in 1963. At Ole Miss, she was a member of Chi Omega Sorority, a Campus Favorite, Commander of Angel Flight, President of Mortar Board, and Vice President of the Associated Women Students, among many other honors. In 2004, she was the special honoree at the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation Celebrity Monopoly Gala which raised $117,000. She was a founding board member of the State Chapter of the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation; and
WHEREAS, in Jackson, she was Queen of the Junior League Carnival Ball in 1963 and in 2004 was named Sustainer of the Year by the Junior League. She worked tirelessly for the Animal Rescue League in Jackson and founded the Oxford Animal Rescue League. She was also the recipient of the Goodwill Industries Volunteer Services Award. She served on the New Stage Board (chairing benefits and art shows), the Friends of the Library Board (again chairing benefits), the Laurel Park Committee, and the Board of the Jackson Ole Miss Alumni Association. She was also an enthusiastic member of the Belhaven House and Garden Club as well as The Monday Club. Miriam was one of the great characters of Jackson. The front porch of the home where she and her husband, Tommy, lived was a famous gathering spot. She brought a beam of light into every crowd; and
WHEREAS, Miriam recognized and rewarded people who are kind to animals by a scholarship endowment at the University of Mississippi, the $25,000 Miriam W. Weems Pet Lovers Scholarship Endowment. Scholarship recipients are full-time students in the College of Liberal Arts who have a history of caring for unwanted or abused dogs or cats. Miriam helped establish the Oxford Lafayette Humane Society in the 1970s, when she lived in Oxford; and
WHEREAS, she is survived by her husband, Tommy Weems; sons, Sam D. Knowlton III of Oxford and Richard Baxter Wilson Knowlton of Little Rock, Arkansas; step-children, Kelly Weems Wollfarth of Mandeville, Louisiana, Davis Weems Mitchell of Atlanta, Georgia, and Caroline Weems Rushing of Aspen, Colorado; brother, Richard B. Wilson, Jr., and his wife, Lester Senter Wilson, of Jackson; sister-in-law, Betty Clarkson, also of Jackson; and brother-in-law, Bob Weems, of Oxford; and
WHEREAS, among Weems' private collectors are President and Mrs. George H.W. Bush, Senator and Mrs. Thad Cockran, former U.S. Representative Chip Pickering and Leisha Pickering, and Mr. and Mrs. Archie Manning; and she is most remembered for the joy that is so evident in her art:
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE SENATE OF THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI, THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES CONCURRING THEREIN, That we do hereby mourn the loss and commend the life and contributions of respected Mississippi Artist Miriam Weems of Jackson, Mississippi, and extend our sympathy to her surviving family.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That this resolution be presented to the surviving family of Miriam Weems, forwarded to the Chancellor of the University of Mississippi and made available to the Capitol Press Corps.