MISSISSIPPI LEGISLATURE
2013 Regular Session
To: Rules
By: Representatives Rogers (14th), Beckett, Chism, Holland, Huddleston (15th), Turner
A CONCURRENT RESOLUTION COMMENDING AND CONGRATULATING DR. MARY ELLIS PACE UPON BEING NAMED "BEST WOMAN" IN LEE COUNTY BY THE LEE COUNTY COURIER'S ANNUAL READERS' POLL.
WHEREAS, after all votes were tabulated and the results finalized, it was announced that longtime Tupelo resident and Lee County's "Best Woman" for 2012 is Dr. Mary Ellis Pace, a New Albany native and internist with Tupelo Medical Group; and
WHEREAS, the annual Lee County Courier "Best of" list winners are arrived at by counting ballots submitted by readers, and it comes as no shock how one becomes so stricken with awe by just how nice Dr. Pace is, which is a proven contributing factor to why she garnered the most votes in the category; and
WHEREAS, not limited to service in her professional capacity, Dr. Pace is an elder at the First Presbyterian Church, and for the past three years, she has been part of an annual medical mission to Guatemala; and
WHEREAS, the past President of the University of Mississippi Medical Center Medical Alumni Association, Dr. Pace attended medical school there after earning an undergraduate degree at the University of Mississippi, and upon completing medical school, at the time when only ten percent of medical students were women, she served a couple of years in the United States Navy, attaining the rank of Lieutenant Commander at Camp Pendleton in California; and
WHEREAS, a veteran of periodical and journalistic recognition, Dr. Pace was named one of Mississippi's 50 Leading Business Women in 2005 by the Mississippi Business Journal, the "Healthcare Hero" Spirit of Women Award in 2009 and the Physicians Recognition Award by the American Medical Association; and
WHEREAS, a member of the Board of Directors for the Community Development Foundation and advisory board member of Renasant Bank, Dr. Pace's professional memberships include: Phi Kappa Phi, Paul Harris Fellow — The Rotary Club of Tupelo, American Board of Internal Medicine, Northeast Mississippi Medical Society, Mississippi State Medical Association, American Medical Association, American College of Physicians — Governor's Council and the International Society for Clinical Densitometry; and
WHEREAS, board certified by the American Board of Internal Medicine and certified as a clinic densitometrist by the International Society for Clinical Densitometry, Dr. Pace has worked at Tupelo's Internal Medicine Associates, the Veterans Administration Medical Center in Jackson and was founder and director of the Osteoporosis Evaluation Clinic at North Mississippi Medical Center Women's Hospital; and
WHEREAS, having been affiliated with Tupelo Medical Group since 1999, she enjoys working with New Expectations for Women In Mississippi, a group under the CREATE Foundation umbrella that "tries to promote new options for women's professional, educational and personal growth."; and
WHEREAS, inspired to pursue a career in medicine by her father, Dr. David Ellis, who is 93 and now retired from his New Albany family practice, Dr. Pace has been supported in her professional endeavors by her husband and gastroenterologist, Dr. Sam Pace, sons, David and Gordon, and three grandchildren; and
WHEREAS, it is the policy of this Legislature to commend the great strides and professional accomplishments of such esteemed individuals of Dr. Pace's selfless caliber:
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI, THE SENATE CONCURRING THEREIN, That we do hereby commend and congratulate Dr. Mary Ellis Pace upon being named "Best Woman" in Lee County by The Lee County Courier's annual readers' poll and extend best wishes for continued success in all of her future endeavors.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That copies of this resolution be furnished to Dr. Mary Pace and to the members of the Capitol Press Corps.