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Regular Session, 2014
HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOLUTI ON NO. 206
BY REPRESENTATIVE HOFFMANN AND SENATOR WALSWORTH
CONDOLENCES: Expresses condolences upon the death of Evelyn Blackmon, former
state representative
A CONCURRENT RESOLUTI ON1
To express the condolences of the Legislature of Louisiana upon the death of former State2
Representative Evelyn Kinnison Blackmon of West Monroe.3
WHEREAS, with the death of former State Representative Evelyn Blackmon of West4
Monroe on Wednesday, May 21, 2014, Louisiana has lost a notable figure in the history of5
the Louisiana Legislature; and6
WHEREAS, Evelyn Blackmon was born in Standard, Louisiana, on November 2,7
1924, to Robert Samuel and Emma Horne Kinnison and attended public schools, including8
Olla-Standard and Crosley Elementary in West Monroe and Ouachita Parish High School,9
from which she graduated in 1942; and10
WHEREAS, on August 8, 1942, Evelyn married Dr. Edward S. Blackmon, Jr., an11
optometrist; they were married for sixty-eight years, until his death, and were the parents of12
two children, Dr. Larry Blackmon and Jan Blackmon Mattingly; and13
WHEREAS, when she was thirty-nine years old, Evelyn entered college at Northeast14
Louisiana University (now the University of Louisiana at Monroe) and earned a degree in15
business administration, and after graduation she established her own real estate agency,16
Evelyn Blackmon, Inc., which she operated for decades; and17
WHEREAS, Evelyn Blackmon was elected to the Louisiana House of18
Representatives in 1983 and served as State Representative for District 15 in Ouachita Parish19
from 1984 until 1988, having decided to run for the office while attending a legislative20 HLS 14RS-5733 ORIGINAL
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reception hosted by the Chamber of Commerce, at which then incumbent Shady Wall1
announced he was not going to run for reelection; and2
WHEREAS, as a legislator Evelyn Blackmon served on the House Committee on3
Ways and Means, the House Committee on Health and Welfare, the House Committee on4
Commerce, and the Joint Legislative Committee on Capital Outlay, and she was instrumental5
in legislation concerning the Agent Orange registry, licensing of daycare centers, care6
attendants, economic development, and in securing the I-20 Camp Road interchange; and7
WHEREAS, this unassuming woman achieved so many firsts that she may readily8
be characterized as a pioneer woman; she was the first woman graduate of the University of9
Louisiana at Monroe (then Northeast Louisiana University) College of Business10
Administration in Industrial Management (1967); the first woman in Louisiana to earn the11
prestigious Certified Commercial Investment Member Realtor designation (1974); the first12
woman to serve on the Louisiana Board of Commerce and Industry (1976); the first woman13
president in the sixty-year history of Louisiana Realtors Association (1978); the first woman14
elected to the Louisiana House of Representatives from Ouachita Parish District 15 (1984);15
and one of only five women elected to serve in the House when she was elected; and16
WHEREAS, as a realtor for over fifty years, Evelyn Blackmon's notable17
accomplishments included helping to secure the property that is the current site of the West18
Monroe Post Office and being instrumental in the acquisition of the Glenwood Mall to be19
innovatively used as a Medical Mall, and she took justified pride in helping families realize20
"The American Dream of Home Ownership"; and21
WHEREAS, before and after her legislative service, Evelyn Blackmon was very22
active in her community as evidenced by her being awarded the Northeast Louisiana23
University Golden Arrow Award in 1988, the Quota Woman of the Year in 1995, and the24
West Monroe/West Ouachita Chamber of Commerce A.O. Evans Award in 1996; she also25
served as a director of the Citizens' Advisory Board of the West Ouachita Industrial District,26
as president of the university alumni association and chair of the university's alumni fund;27
and she was a lifelong member of the First Baptist Church of West Monroe; and28 HLS 14RS-5733 ORIGINAL
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WHEREAS, Evelyn Blackmon was preceded in death by her parents, her husband,1
and her sister Dorothy Kinnison of West Monroe, and she is survived by her two children2
and by grandchildren and great grandchildren and a large extended family; and3
WHEREAS, Evelyn Kinnison Blackmon represented all that is good about4
Louisiana, for as her accomplishments attest, she was dedicated to her state, her community,5
her family, and her church.6
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Legislature of Louisiana does hereby7
express sincere condolences to the family and friends of former State Representative Evelyn8
Kinnison Blackmon upon her death and does record in the annals of Louisiana history, not9
only the effective service of Evelyn Blackmon to the people of her district and to the state10
of Louisiana, but also the special place this remarkable woman, who achieved so many firsts11
as a woman in business and government, will always have in the celebrated history of the12
Louisiana Legislature.13
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a copy of this Resolution be transmitted to the14
family of former State Representative Evelyn K. Blackmon.15
DIGEST
The digest printed below was prepared by House Legislative Services. It constitutes no part
of the legislative instrument. The keyword, one-liner, abstract, and digest do not constitute
part of the law or proof or indicia of legislative intent. [R.S. 1:13(B) and 24:177(E)]
Hoffmann HCR No. 206
Expresses the condolences of the legislature upon the death of former State Representative
Evelyn Kinnison Blackmon of West Monroe.