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Regular Session, 2011 ENROLLED
SENATE RESOLUTION NO. 33
BY SENATOR DORSEY
A RESOLUTION
To express the sincere and heartfelt condolences of the Senate upon the death of Henry
Louis "Dickie" Thurman, Jr., and to pay tribute to his significant contributions to the
Southern University's School of Architecture and Engineering.
WHEREAS, it is with deep regret and profound sorrow that the members of the
Senate of the Legislature of Louisiana have learned of the death of Henry Louis "Dickie"
Thurman, Jr., who died on April 10, 2011, at the age of eighty-four; and
WHEREAS, Henry Louis "Dickie" Thurman, Jr., was born in Lawrenceville,
Virginia, to Henry L. Sr., and Helen Frey Thurman, and was a resident of Baton Rouge,
Louisiana; and
WHEREAS, he had a life-long commitment to the education and betterment of
students and through his hard work and dedication nurtured the hearts and minds of all those
who had the honor of learning from him while he served as a professor and the first dean of
Southern's School of Architecture and Engineering; and
WHEREAS, he was proud of the number of African American architects and
draftsmen he inspired and became successful in their respective fields; and
WHEREAS, educated at the Hampton Institute, now Hampton University in Virginia,
where he received his bachelor's of science degree in architectural engineering, a master's
of science degree from the University of Illinois and went on later to study further at the
University of Colorado, University of Wisconsin, UCLA and LSU; and
WHEREAS, an honorable man with tremendous vision and determination, he
became the first African American to become a registered architect in the state of Louisiana,
a true legacy of which his family can be proud; and
WHEREAS, Henry Louis "Dickie" Thurman, Jr., a leader in every sense of the word
and a pillar of strength and goodness in his community, will forever be remembered for his
meaningful involvement in the Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc., where he was a lifetime
member; and SR NO. 33 ENROLLED
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WHEREAS, in every endeavor, whether in architecture, in the community or in his
private life shared with family and friends, he always offered a one hundred percent effort
which everyone knew and understood to be a habit of a lifetime; and
WHEREAS, Henry Louis "Dickie" Thurman, Jr., is survived by son and daughter-in-
law, Henry Louis Thurman III and Natalie Broussard Thurman, sisters, Avis Thurman Watts
and husband Emerson, of Clinton, Maryland, and Audrey E. Thurman of Washington, D.C.,
nephew, Alexander Emerson Watts, of Maryland, six godchildren as well as a host of other
relatives and friends; and
WHEREAS, it is with great sorrow and sadness that the citizens of Louisiana have
learned of the death of Henry Louis "Dickie" Thurman, Jr., and though his death has left a
tremendous void, that special light which beamed within him and inspired not only a joy of
life but also a delight in the possibilities of life, raised the spirits of everyone around him and
will continue to shine through his memory and live on in the hearts and minds of all those
whose lives he touched.
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Senate of the Legislature of Louisiana
hereby expresses the sincere and heartfelt condolences of the Senate to the family of Henry
Louis "Dickie" Thurman, Jr., upon his death and does hereby pay tribute to his significant
achievements in architecture and in his community.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a copy of this Resolution be transmitted to the
family of Henry Louis "Dickie" Thurman, Jr.
PRESIDENT OF THE SENATE