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Regular Session, 2013 ENROLLED
SENATE RESOLUTION NO. 105
BY SENATORS TARVER, ADLEY, ALARIO, ALLAIN, AMEDEE, APPEL, BROOME,
BROWN, BUFFINGTON, 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,
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 the Reverend Danny Mitchell, former state representative for Louisiana
House District No. 2.
WHEREAS, it is with great sadness and sorrow that the members of the Senate of
the Legislature of Louisiana have learned of the passing of Reverend Danny Mitchell of
Shreveport, on May 2, 2013, at the age of sixty-nine; and
WHEREAS, Reverend Mitchell, beloved husband of Yvonne Moore Mitchell, father
of six children and ten grandchildren, was an esteemed public servant who left an indelible
mark upon the lives of the citizens of Bossier and Caddo parishes; and
WHEREAS, in his early years, Reverend Mitchell developed an appreciation for the
rewards of diligence by working as a caddy at a country club and picking and chopping
cotton on a plantation; and
WHEREAS, he answered the first call to government service by enlisting in the
United States Air Force, where he served honorably from 1964 through 1968; and
WHEREAS, while in the military, Reverend Mitchell enrolled in the University of
Maryland and later completed his education at Southern University; and
WHEREAS, upon his discharge from the armed forces, he secured employment at
a clothing store in Shreveport, which he eventually bought, and he opened a second business
a short time later; and
WHEREAS, in 1976, Reverend Mitchell answered a different call, one to the
ministry of God's Word as a preacher and pastor, shepherding New Elizabeth Missionary
Baptist Church in Shreveport for many years; and SR NO. 105 ENROLLED
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WHEREAS, his second call to government service came when he ran for and won
the Louisiana House District No. 2 seat in 1992 and subsequently won reelection in 1996;
and
WHEREAS, Reverend Mitchell successfully carried out the concurrent duties of
legislator and pastor, and whether in the pulpit in Shreveport or at the state capitol in Baton
Rouge, he fought against crime, poverty, and the racial division that he had witnessed
throughout his life; and
WHEREAS, Reverend Mitchell's particular passion against gun crimes and violence
led his multiracial congregation to offer summer programs and job-finding aid to youth in
his district, which attracted the attention of Governor Edwin W. Edwards, who was the
keynote speaker at the eleventh year anniversary, in 1992, of Reverend Mitchell's pastorship
of New Elizabeth Missionary Baptist Church; and
WHEREAS, his death has left a tremendous void in his church and in the community
he served so well and has created a genuine sense of sorrow and loss in the many citizens
whose lives he touched.
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Senate of the Legislature of Louisiana
does hereby express sorrow upon the death of the Reverend Danny Mitchell and does hereby
extend sincere condolences to his family, congregation, and community.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a copy of this Resolution be transmitted to the
family of the Reverend Danny Mitchell.
PRESIDENT OF THE SENATE