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Regular Session, 2014
HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOLUTI ON NO. 139
BY REPRESENTATIVE JEFFERSON AND SENATOR GALLOT
A CONCURRENT RESOLUTI ON1
To commend the Wayne family on setting the record for the most family members to2
graduate from the same university.3
WHEREAS, the Waynes, with roots in Marion, Louisiana, have had eighty-six4
family members attend Grambling University from the 1940s to the present, which includes5
six generations; fifty-two of those have earned degrees; and6
WHEREAS, Hattie Wayne of Dallas, Texas, submitted the claim to Guinness World7
Records in August 2013, and the claim was accepted in October 2013; and8
WHEREAS, the family has since received significant and diverse media exposure,9
including the Washington Times, The Advocate, bet.com, the Tom Joyner Foundation, and10
HBCU Digest, a news resource for historically black colleges and universities; and11
WHEREAS, Hattie Wayne graduated from Grambling University in 1971 and went12
on to become the first African-American to earn a Master of Fine Arts degree from Southern13
Methodist University, and she now owns her own public relations and advertising business;14
and15
WHEREAS, Mary Will-Johnikin is a Grambling graduate and professor at Sullivan16
University in Louisville, Kentucky, and her daughter, Dr. Micean Johnikin is a pediatric17
cardiologist; and18
WHEREAS, Shirley Wayne is a Grambling graduate with a degree in music19
education; her brother Ralph Wayne earned a physical education degree at Grambling and20
played football under legendary coach Eddie Robinson; and Ralph's son, Reggie, graduated21
from the University of Miami and won a Super Bowl with the Indianapolis Colts; and22
WHEREAS, Leola Wayne Taylor is a seventy-seven-year-old retired educator in23
Chicago who graduated from Grambling in the 1950s and is the family's oldest living24
graduate of the university; and25 ENROLLEDHCR NO. 139
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WHEREAS, the Guinness verification process is extensive and involves submitting1
numerous supporting documents, including birth certificates and Grambling records, that2
university administrators must verify.3
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Legislature of Louisiana does hereby4
commend the Wayne family on their achievements in education and for setting the record5
for the most family members to graduate from the same university.6
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a suitable copy of this Resolution be transmitted7
to the Wayne family.8
SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATI VES
PRESIDENT OF THE SENATE