House Resolution 155

A RESOLUTION MOURNING THE LOSS AND CELEBRATING THE LIFE AND LEGACY OF REVEREND DR. DONALD ELLIS WILDMON, FOUNDER OF THE AMERICAN FAMILY ASSOCIATION, AND EXPRESSING SINCEREST SYMPATHY TO HIS FAMILY AND FRIENDS UPON HIS PASSING.

WHEREAS, Reverend Dr. Donald Ellis Wildmon, the founder of American Family Association (AFA) who is aptly described as a preacher of righteousness, visionary, valiant leader and cultural warrior, departed this earthly life on December 28, 2023, at the age of 85, and entered into glory to be with the Lord; and

WHEREAS, Reverend Dr. Wildmon, who was affectionally referred to as "Brother Don" by many who loved and knew him, was born in Dumas, Mississippi, on January 18, 1938, to his loving parents, Ellis and Bernice Wildmon; and

WHEREAS, reared with knowing the importance of earning an education, Reverend Dr. Wildmon graduated from Ripley High School in 1956 before graduating from Millsaps College in 1960; and

WHEREAS, a true patriarch, Reverend Wildmon served in the United States Army's Special Services from 1961 to 1963, and after his service and accepting his calling from the Lord, he was ordained as a minister of the United Methodist Church in 1964 and furthered his education when he earned a Master of Divinity from Emory University's Candler School of Theology in 1965; and

WHEREAS, notably, Reverend Dr. Wildmon also held honorary doctorates from Asbury College and Wesley Biblical Seminary, and he served the United Methodist Church as pastor and was appointed to churches in Mathiston, Iuka, Tupelo, Southaven, Mississippi and Cartersville, Georgia; and

WHEREAS, in 1977, Reverend Dr. Wildmon left the pastoral ministry and founded National Federal for Decency, which later became AFA, and this grassroot organization had its genesis in combatting television programming that promoted promiscuity, pornography, violence, profanity or Christian bigotry; and

WHEREAS, with Reverend Dr. Wildmon's national influence and his ability to generate grassroots activism, he led numerous successful campaigns to help guide major corporate sponsors away from indecent programming, leading them to change their advertising policies; and

WHEREAS, Reverend Dr. Wildmon, a bold preacher of righteousness, began the American Family Radio network in 1991, which soon grew to nearly 200 radio stations and became known nationally as one of the country's most influential Christian watchdog organizations; and

WHEREAS, Reverend Dr. Wildmon appeared on numerous national television shows, such as The Phil Donahue Show and NBC's Meet the Press, and was featured in the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, USA Today, Time, Newsweek, People and TV Guide; and

WHEREAS, together with Paul Weyrich, chairman of the Free Congress Foundation, Reverend Dr. Wildmon started the Arlington Group in 2002, a coalition of leaders of prominent Christian conservative organizations in the United States established for the purpose of developing and executing national grassroots strategies to protect the traditional institution of marriage, foster respect for innocent human life, restrain judicial activism, and act on other moral issues of concern, which became one of Washington's most powerful conservative groups, and the first effective combination of the major religious right organizations to stem the tide of the cultural decline of our nation; and

WHEREAS, throughout his 33 years as head of the AFA, which is now led by his son, Tim Wildmon, Reverend Dr. Wildmon, who was truly a humble man, received national awards for his commitment to traditional values; and

WHEREAS, Reverend Dr. Wildmon was recognized along with fellow conservative Karl Rove in 2004 by Advertising Age magazine as among "10 Who Made a Mark on Marketing"; and

WHEREAS, in 2009, and 2010 respectively, Reverend Dr. Wildmon was selected as one of the Conservative Hall of Fame Lifetime Contribution Finalists at the Weyrich Awards Dinner, and at the Values Voter Summit, he received the James C. Dobson Values and Leadership Award, due to his work to promote family values and awareness of our country's Judeo-Christian heritage; and

WHEREAS, also, in 2010, Reverend Dr. Wildmon was a recipient of the Daniel Webster Award from the Florida Family Council for his life of service and ministry to Christian families; and

WHEREAS, Reverend Dr. Wildmon, in 2013, was honored by Vision America with the Daniel Award for his decades-long battle for morality that inspired millions, whereafter the Daniel Award was called the Don Wildmon Award, honoring pastors for bravery in the public square; and

WHEREAS, in 2014, Reverend Dr. Wildmon was honored by Friend Ships, a ministry which uses ships to transport donated supplies and medicine to needy countries, with the Friend Ships Humanitarian Award for his lifetime of achievements and in honor of the "dreams, visions and accomplishments of this man of God who has stayed the course" in building an impactful ministry; and

WHEREAS, in 2017, Reverend Dr. Wildmon was named the recipient of the National Religious Broadcasters Hall of Fame Award, which was presented at the NRB International Christian Media Convention; and

WHEREAS, although Reverend Dr. Wildmon made a huge impact on the national scene, he was an active member and avid supporter of the church he helped found in 1977, Lee Acres United Methodist Church, now Cornerstone UMC; and

WHEREAS, in 2003, Reverend Dr. Wildmon received the Dickson Award, which honored pastors who greatly influenced the life or lives of their sponsor; and

WHEREAS, in 2004, Reverend Dr. Wildmon received the "In God We Trust" Award at Sandtown UMC "in recognition of The Daniel Webster Award from the Florida Family Council for his service to God and Country – an example of faith and commitment to family values that embodies our national motto in public service"; and

WHEREAS, in 2008, Reverend Dr. Wildmon was the recipient of the John Wesley Christian Statesman Award from Riverside Independent Methodist Church in Flowood, Mississippi, and was recognized as a "Pro-lifer of the Year" by Right to Life of Jackson, Mississippi; and

WHEREAS, Reverend Dr. Wildmon authored 22 books and his great passion for travel abroad led him to guide over 30 tours to the Holy Land and Western Europe; and

WHEREAS, the memories of Reverend Dr. Wildmon will continue to flourish in the hearts and minds of his loved ones, some of whom include: his lovely wife of 62 years, Lynda Bennett Wildmon; four children: Tim Wildmon (Alison); Angela Wildmon; Donna Wildmon Clement (Neal), and Mark Wildmon (Virginia), all of Tupelo; one sister, Louise Yancey (Mike) of Memphis, Tennessee; six grandchildren: Wriley Wildmon Freeman (Wil); Wesley Wildmon (Chelsea); Neal Clement (Samantha); Walker Wildmon (Lexie); Drew Clement (Briley); Blake Clement; eleven great-grandchildren: Abbi Freeman, Hardin Davis, Emerson Anne Davis, Bennett Wildmon, Landry Wildmon, Anna Wesley Wildmon, Luke Wildmon, Samuel Wildmon, Andrew Wildmon, Isaac Wildmon, all of Tupelo, and Alden Clement of Franklin; his sister-in-law Tamra Durham (Larry) of Tupelo and brother-in-law Kelly Bennett (Tessie) of Belmont, Mississippi; and a host of other relatives and dear friends; and

WHEREAS, it is the policy of the House of Representatives to pay tribute to one of the legendary leaders of American conservatism, Reverend Dr. Donald Ellis Wildmon, whose powerful leadership will continue to have a lasting impact for generations to come:

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI, That we do hereby mourn the loss and commemorate the life and legacy of Reverend Dr. Donald Ellis Wildmon, and express sincerest sympathy to his family and friends upon his passing.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That copies of this resolution be furnished to the family of Reverend Dr. Donald Ellis Wildmon and to the members of the Capitol Press Corps.