ENROLLED
2015 Regular Session
HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOL UTION NO. 109
BY REPRESENTATIVES BURRELL, ABRAMSON, ADAMS, ANDERS, ARMES,
ARNOLD, BADON, BARRAS, BARROW, BERTHELOT, BILLIOT, STUART
BISHOP, WESLEY BISHOP, BOUIE, BROADWATER, BROWN, BURFORD,
HENRY BURNS, TIM BURNS, CARMODY, CARTER, CHANEY, CONNICK,
COX, CROMER, DANAHAY, DOVE, EDWARDS, FANNIN, FOIL, FRANKLIN,
GAINES, GAROFALO, GEYMANN, GISCLAIR, GUILLORY, GUINN, HALL,
HARRIS, HARRISON, HAVARD, HAZEL, HENRY, HENSGENS, HILL,
HODGES, HOFFMANN, HOLLIS, HONORE, HOWARD, HUNTER, HUVAL,
IVEY, JACKSON, JAMES, JEFFERSON, MIKE JOHNSON, ROBERT JOHNSON,
JONES, KLECKLEY, LAMBERT, NANCY LANDRY, TERRY LANDRY,
LEBAS, LEGER, LEOPOLD, LOPINTO, LORUSSO, MACK, MIGUEZ, MILLER,
MONTOUCET, MORENO, JAY MORRIS, JIM MORRIS, NORTON, ORTEGO,
OURSO, PEARSON, PIERRE, PONTI, POPE, PRICE, PUGH, PYLANT,
REYNOLDS, RICHARD, RITCHIE, ROBIDEAUX, SCHEXNAYDER,
SCHRODER, SEABAUGH, SHADOIN, SIMON, SMITH, ST. GERMAIN,
STOKES, TALBOT, THIBAUT, THIERRY, WHITNEY, ALFRED WILLIAMS,
PATRICK WILLIAMS, WILLMOTT, AND WOODRUFF AND SENATORS
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, TARVER, THOMPSON, WALSWORTH, WARD, AND WHITE
A CONCURRENT RESOL UTION
To express sincere and heartfelt condolences upon the death of Alphonse Jackson, Jr.,
former state representative and founding member of the Louisiana Legislative Black
Caucus.
WHEREAS, it is with deep regret and profound sorrow that the members of the
Legislature of Louisiana have learned of the death of former state representative Alphonse
Jackson, Jr. on Tuesday, December 23, 2014, at the age of eighty-seven; and
WHEREAS, born on November 27, 1927, in Shreveport, Alphonse Jackson, Jr. was
the son of the late Alphonse Jackson, Sr. and Mattie P. (Beaner) Jackson and was a widely
respected, admired, and beloved citizen of Louisiana; an intelligent and hard-working child
who excelled academically, Mr. Jackson spent summers working on his grandfather's farm
in Forbing and honed his entrepreneurial skills in Shady Grove at Beaner's Grocery and his
father's Phillips 66 Friendly Service Station; and
WHEREAS, after graduating from Central High School, Mr. Jackson attended
Southern University in Baton Rouge, where he was initiated into the Beta Sigma Chapter of
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Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc.; shortly after signing up for selective service, he was
drafted into the United States Army and served his country with valor both during and after
World War II; he was among the military personnel deployed to Hiroshima and Nagasaki
to engage in atomic cleanup operations; and
WHEREAS, following his honorable discharge from the Army, Mr. Jackson returned
to Southern University and earned a bachelor of arts degree in social studies, graduating with
honors in 1951; he matriculated to New York University, where he earned a master of arts
degree in secondary education administration; and
WHEREAS, Mr. Jackson began his professional career as a social studies and
English teacher at his alma mater, Central High School; later he became chair of the school's
social sciences department and eventually its principal; during his eighteen years as an
administrator, he also served as principal of Judson Elementary School; he was among the
first African American principals to be assigned to a predominantly white school during
desegregation in Caddo Parish, and in recognition of his excellence as an educator, he was
recognized as the Caddo Educator of the Year in 1960; and
WHEREAS, in 1962, Mr. Jackson received the Citizenship Education Award for
Civil Rights Leadership from the Louisiana Education Association (LEA) for his efforts to
promote equal educational opportunity and was later elected as the LEA president; in the
early 1970s, he was appointed to the Biracial Committee and continued his work on
desegregating Caddo schools and ending de jure segregation; President Richard Nixon and
the National Education Association sought his guidance on desegregation interventions and
successful educational strategies; and
WHEREAS, it was Mr. Jackson's passion for education that inspired his political
advocacy, and in 1972, he began his long and distinguished term of service in the Louisiana
House of Representatives as the first black legislator elected from Caddo Parish since
Reconstruction; during his tenure in the House, which spanned from 1972 until 1992, he
used every opportunity as an able and productive legislator to serve this state in an honorable
and dedicated manner; he served diligently on several committees, including as the chairman
of the House Committee on Health and Welfare and as a member of the House committees
on Appropriations, Education, and Judiciary; and
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WHEREAS, Mr. Jackson was elected as a delegate to the Louisiana Constitutional
Convention of 1973, and as chairman of the Committee on Bill of Rights and Elections, he
worked with other delegates to craft the Louisiana Constitution of 1974; in 1977, he was one
of ten founding members of the Louisiana Legislative Black Caucus and ultimately served
with distinction as the dean of the caucus; and
WHEREAS, in the private sector, Mr. Jackson was president of Jackson, Nicholson
and Associates, where he coordinated political campaigns and planned public relations and
marketing programs, and after his departure from the legislature, he worked as a public
affairs consultant for the Hurst Group, a public relations and government affairs firm; and
WHEREAS, throughout his life, Mr. Jackson was active in his Baptist faith; he was
baptized at the Springfield Baptist Church and later united with the Avenue Baptist Church,
where he taught Sunday school; in later years, he united with the Zion Baptist Church until
he became a member of Shiloh Missionary Baptist Church; and
WHEREAS, Mr. Jackson lent his time and service to several organizations, including
as a former member and past president of the Delta Upsilon Lambda Chapter of Alpha Phi
Alpha Fraternity, Inc., and as a Life Member of the National Association for the
Advancement of Colored People and the LEA; and
WHEREAS, Mr. Jackson was recognized on numerous occasions for his singular
contributions and accomplishments, including having the Alphonse Jackson, Jr. Early
Childhood Center in Shreveport named in his honor, receiving the Friend of Education
Award from the Louisiana Association of Educators, and being designated by The
Shreveport Times as one of most influential people of Northwest Louisiana in the twentieth
century; and
WHEREAS, Mr. Jackson was the kind of citizen who represents what is good about
Louisiana, a man of wisdom who used his talents, integrity, and passion for his home state
to change Louisiana for the better; he was a distinguished member, as Tom Brokaw wrote
in his book, The Greatest Generation, of "a generation that, by and large, made no demands
of homage from those who followed and prospered economically, politically, and culturally
because of its sacrifices ... a generation of towering achievement and modest demeanor ...
the greatest generation any society has ever produced"; and
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WHEREAS, Mr. Jackson is survived by his wife of twenty-one years, Glenda Hurst
Jackson; his daughters, former state legislator Lydia P. Jackson and Angela E. Jackson; his
stepdaughter, Andrea M. Archie; his grandson, Jacobi D. Glenn; his sister, Olive "Ollie"
Gibson; his father-in-law, Norbert Hurst; his former wife, Rubye H. Jackson, the mother of
Lydia and Angela; two goddaughters, Kelesha T. Martin, and Sallie Singleton; and numerous
nieces and nephews who loved their "Uncle Jack"; he was preceded in death by his
grandparents, Anola and Sam Beaner; his parents, Mattie and Alphonse Jackson, Sr.; his
brother, Samuel L. Jackson; his sisters, Shirley Jackson Minor and Gloria G. Jackson; and
his stepson, James R. Archie II; and
WHEREAS, with the death of Mr. Jackson, the state has lost one of her finest sons,
a man who has left an indelible mark on the minds and hearts of all who knew and loved
him, including the members of the House family, all of whom mourn the loss of this
wonderful man who served this institution, this state, and his nation so well; he leaves a rich
and unique legacy and is greatly missed by all whose lives he touched through his
unwavering dedication to public service and to his fellow citizens.
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Legislature of Louisiana does hereby
express sincere and heartfelt condolences upon the death of Alphonse Jackson, Jr., former
state representative and founding member of the Louisiana Legislative Black Caucus, does
hereby recognize and record for posterity his notable accomplishments and singular
contributions during his twenty-year tenure as a distinguished member of the Louisiana
House of Representatives, and does hereby extend enduring appreciation for the pride and
honor that this wonderful man will forever bring to his family, his community, his state, and
the United States of America.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a suitable copy of this Resolution be transmitted
to the family of Alphonse Jackson, Jr.
SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
PRESIDENT OF THE SENATE
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