MISSISSIPPI LEGISLATURE
2015 Regular Session
To: Rules
By: Senator(s) Horhn, Jones, Jackson (11th), Norwood, Jordan, Butler (38th), Simmons (13th), Simmons (12th), Jackson (32nd), Butler (36th), Turner, Frazier, Blount, Montgomery, Stone
A CONCURRENT RESOLUTION EXTENDING THE CONDOLENCES OF THE LEGISLATURE TO THE SURVIVING FAMILY OF JACKSON, MISSISSIPPI, MEDICAL PIONEER AND CIVIL RIGHTS ICON DR. AARON SHIRLEY.
WHEREAS, Dr. Aaron Shirley, who broke a racial barrier at the University of Mississippi Medical Center in 1965 and founded the Jackson Medical Mall, passed away on November 27, 2014; and
WHEREAS, in 1993, Shirley was awarded a MacArthur Fellowship (also known as the "Genius Grant") for his pioneering approach to rural and urban health care. He received the Governor's Initiative for Volunteer Excellence (GIVE) Award in 2009. The Mississippi Medical and Surgical Association honored Dr. Shirley for changing the course of history at the University of Mississippi Medical Center, later naming his contributions to health and the community as The Shirley Society. By the mid-1990s he was working as the Director of the Jackson-Hinds Comprehensive Health Center (an institution he helped to establish in 1970) when he had a fateful lunch with his friend, former Mississippi Supreme Court Justice Reuben Anderson. Dr. Shirley, Reuben Anderson, Dr. Wallace Conerly and Dr. Ted Woodrell of UMC worked together to assemble the necessary partners and financing, which included $3 Million to purchase the building and $20 Million to pay for the required renovations. The first clinic, UMC's Ambulatory Care Clinic, opened in January 1997. The Medical Mall is now home to numerous clinics, medical support firms, city offices, classrooms and retail outlets. It was the first development of its kind and now serves as a national model for school-based clinics; and
WHEREAS, in 2013, Shirley was awarded the Herbert W. Nickens Award from the Association of American Medical Colleges. He was honored for his lifetime of service in support of diversity in medical education and the elimination of health disparities. "For all of his adult life, he was a courageous champion of civil rights and equal access to health services for African-Americans," said Dr. LouAnn Woodward, UMC's Associate Vice-Chancellor for Health Affairs and Vice-Dean of the School of Medicine; and
WHEREAS, originally from Gluckstadt, Dr. Shirley completed medical school and an internship in Tennessee before entering private practice in Vicksburg. He set his sights on a pediatric residence out of state, but was invited to apply for a training position at UMC by then Chair of Pediatrics, Dr. Blair E. Batson. He accepted, becoming the first African-American resident, and the first black learner in any program at UMC in 1965. He went on to serve as a Clinical Instructor in the Department of Pediatrics for more than 40 years. His career highlights include co-founding the Jackson-Hinds Comprehensive Health Center, which became a model for federally funded community health centers nationwide. He also developed the Jackson Medical Mall in partnership with Jackson State University, Tougaloo College and UMC; and
WHEREAS, Dr. Aaron Shirley was truly one of a kind. His great and good spirit and remarkable intellect enriched the lives of all of his colleagues and we pay tribute and cherish fondly the memory of this most public spirited citizen of Mississippi:
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE SENATE OF THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI, THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES CONCURRING THEREIN, That we do hereby extend the condolences of the Legislature to the surviving family of Jackson, Mississippi, medical pioneer and Civil Rights icon Dr. Aaron Shirley.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That this resolution be presented to the surviving family of Dr. Shirley, forwarded to the Board of Trustees of the Jackson-Hinds Comprehensive Health Center, and made available to the Capitol Press Corps.