SLS 15RS-3811 ORIGINAL 2015 Regular Session SENATE RESOLUTION NO. 211 BY SENATOR LONG COMMENDATIONS. Commends Jerry Pierce for fifty years of service at Northwestern State University of Louisiana. 1 A RESOLUTION 2 To commend and congratulate Jerry Pierce for fifty years of service at Northwestern State 3 University of Louisiana. 4 WHEREAS, Jerry Pierce has served a long and distinguished career of fifty years at 5 Northwestern State University of Louisiana (NSU) and has been for many the public face 6 of the university; and 7 WHEREAS, he began his career in journalism while in high school, where he served 8 on the Springhill Press and served as a correspondent for wire services, daily newspapers, 9 and weekly papers in Natchitoches and Coushatta, Louisiana; and 10 WHEREAS, himself a graduate of NSU, Mr. Pierce began his career at the Times- 11 Picayune in 1961, and quickly became the paper's executive sports editor; and 12 WHEREAS, he returned to his alma mater in 1965, to serve as sports information 13 director, and for the next fifty years, he would serve in several positions at NSU, including 14 sports information director, news bureau director, and his current position as Vice President 15 of External Affairs; and 16 WHEREAS, as a member of the NSU faculty, he has written over ten thousand 17 stories and articles for the Natchitoches Times and other publications, some of which were 18 anthologized in "Prayer Meetings and Pink Flamingos", which was published by the Page 1 of 2 SR NO. 211 SLS 15RS-3811 ORIGINAL 1 Association of Electric Cooperatives in 2002; and 2 WHEREAS, he was instrumental in bringing the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame to 3 Natchitoches in the 1970's and served as the director of that program for over two decades; 4 and 5 WHEREAS, he is the recipient of numerous awards and accolades, including the 6 Mac Russo Award for Distinguished Service to the Louisiana Sports Writers Association, 7 the Natchitoches Mayor's Award for Community Service, the American Legion's 8 Natchitoches Parish Man of the Year Award, the Natchitoches Parish Chamber of 9 Commerce's President's Award, and the City of Natchitoches Achievement Appreciation 10 Award; and 11 WHEREAS, during his long and successful career, Jerry Pierce has shown himself 12 to be a giving and caring member of his community, a dedicated journalist, a loving 13 husband, and an inspiration to the many students and faculty at NSU whose lives he has 14 touched. 15 THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Senate of the Legislature of Louisiana 16 does hereby commend and congratulate Jerry Pierce for fifty years of dedicated service to 17 Northwestern State University of Louisiana. 18 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a copy of this Resolution be transmitted to Jerry 19 Pierce. The original instrument and the following digest, which constitutes no part of the legislative instrument, were prepared by McHenry Lee. DIGEST SR 211 Original 2015 Regular Session Long Commends Jerry Pierce for 50 years of service at NSU. Page 2 of 2