Page 1 of 3
Regular Session, 2012 ENROLLED
SENATE RESOLUTION NO. 173
BY SENATORS BUFFINGTON, ADLEY, ALARIO, ALLAIN, AMEDEE, APPEL,
BROOME, BROWN, CHABERT, CLAITOR, CORTEZ, CROWE,
DONAHUE, DORSEY-COLOMB, ERDEY, GALLOT, GUILLORY,
HEITMEIER, JOHNS, KOSTELKA, LAFLEUR, LONG, MARTINY,
MILLS, MORRELL, MORRISH , MURRAY, NEVERS, PEACOCK,
PERRY, PETERSON, RISER, GARY SMITH, JOHN SMITH,
TARVER, THOMPSON, WALSWORTH, WARD AND WHI TE
A RESOLUTION
To express the sincere condolences of the Senate of the Legislature of Louisiana upon the
death of Roosevelt Smalley of Keithville.
WHEREAS, it is with deep regret and profound sorrow that the citizens of the state
of Louisiana learned of the death of Roosevelt Smalley on May 28, 2012, at the age of
seventy; and
WHEREAS, Mr. Smalley was born in Shreveport and attended school in Caddo
Parish before completing the Army Food Service and Leadership and Management School
at Fort Sam Houston in San Antonio, Texas; and
WHEREAS, he later attended school at Ft. Carson and at Boulder University in
Colorado; and
WHEREAS, in 1961, he began serving on the negotiating team for Retail Clerks
Union 210 of the Local A & P Tea Company; and
WHEREAS, he served as the union representative for United Food & Commercial
Workers Union Local 210 and as the executive assistant to the president and local union
chief executive officer from 1969 until his retirement in December, 1998; and
WHEREAS, Mr. Smalley was a distinguished union organizer and was successful
in bringing union representation to over ten thousand workers; and
WHEREAS, he successfully negotiated numerous union contracts and resolved
thousands of worker grievances during his twenty-eight year career; and
WHEREAS, Mr. Smalley served as Army Food Service Mess Sergeant for the 114
th
Evacuation Hospital in 1975 and later retired from Army 409 Medical Unit as food service
sergeant; and
WHEREAS, he served on numerous civic organizations including the past president SR NO. 173 ENROLLED
Page 2 of 3
of the Louisiana A. Philip Randolph Institute, the past president of the Shreveport A. Philip
Randolph Institute, and as a former board member of the Caddo Council on Aging, the
National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, and the Caddo Community
Action Agency; and
WHEREAS, he utilized his life experience and his expertise to serve as a member
of the board of directors of several trade and civic organizations, including the Coalition of
Black Trade Unions, the Louisiana AFL-CIO; the Shreveport Workforce Investment Board,
the Coordinating and Development CROP Board, the United Way, and the North Caddo
Industrial Board; and
WHEREAS, prior to his passing, he served on the Louisiana AFL-CIO Executive
Board as a district vice president from District 8 and as president of the Central Trades and
Labor Council of Northwest Louisiana; and
WHEREAS, Mr. Smalley was a lifelong advocate for justice, civil rights, and trade
unionism; and
WHEREAS, to recognize Mr. Smalley for his years of dedicated service to union
members throughout Louisiana, he was inducted into the Louisiana AFL-CIO Hall of Fame
in March; and
WHEREAS, Roosevelt Smalley was a man of wisdom who used his talents, integrity,
and passion to change his community and state for the better, especially for working men
and women, the poor, and the disadvantaged; and
WHEREAS, upon his death, the world lost a unique individual who left an indelible
mark upon the lives of all who knew him; and
WHEREAS, because of his numerous accomplishments in public and private life,
the death of Roosevelt Smalley has left a void in the community and has created a genuine
sense of profound sorrow in his family and friends; and
WHEREAS, the memory of Roosevelt Smalley will remain eternal in the hearts and
minds of his family, friends, and all of those whose lives he touched and who loved him.
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Senate of the Legislature of Louisiana
does hereby express its heartfelt condolences upon the death of Roosevelt Smalley, does
hereby recognize and record for posterity his accomplishments and contributions, and does SR NO. 173 ENROLLED
Page 3 of 3
hereby extend enduring appreciation for the pride and honor that he will forever bring to his
family, friends, community, and the state of Louisiana.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a copy of this Resolution be transmitted to the
family of Roosevelt Smalley.
PRESIDENT OF THE SENATE