HLS 16RS-1416 ORIGINAL
2016 Regular Session
HOUSE RESOLUTION NO. 13
BY REPRESENTATIVES GLOVER, BAGLEY, CARMODY, HORTON, JENKINS,
MIKE JOHNSON, JIM MORRIS, NORTON, AND REYNOLDS
COMMENDATIONS: Commends the Reverend E. Edward Jones, Sr., upon his fifty-
seventh anniversary as pastor of Galilee Baptist Church in Shreveport
1 A RESOLUTION
2To commend the Reverend E. Edward Jones, Sr., of Galilee Baptist Church in Shreveport,
3 upon the momentous occasion of his fifty-seventh year pastoral anniversary.
4 WHEREAS, nationally renowned as a religious, social, and civil rights activist, the
5Reverend Dr. E. Edwards Jones, Sr., has labored for decades in the vineyard of the Lord to
6improve the lives of parishioners at Galilee Baptist Church in Shreveport; and
7 WHEREAS, a strong visionary, the Reverend Dr. Jones has built a faith-based
8community in the heart of downtown Shreveport that encompasses nearly forty acres and
9includes housing for senior citizens and low-income families, health care and schooling for
10disadvantaged children, and financial and spiritual support; and
11 WHEREAS, born into a foundation of faith, the Reverend Dr. Jones, Sr., is the son
12of Daisy and the Reverend David Jesse Jones, who pastored two churches and provided the
13spiritual training that provided the basis of his ministerial progeny; and
14 WHEREAS, in 1952, E. Edward Jones married Leslie M. Alexander and the fruit of
15this union has yielded four children: sons Deryl N. Jones and E. Edward Jones, II; daughters
16Carolyn N. Jones-Haygood and Donna N. Jones-Hassan; and nine grandchildren; and
17 WHEREAS, after graduation from Grambling State University, E. Edward Jones, Sr.,
18began a career as an educator by accepting the position of principal at Morehouse Parish
19School in 1952; he became a seventh- and eighth-grade teacher at the same school from
201953-1959, where he also coached basketball and softball; and it was during his employment
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HR NO. 13
1at Morehouse Parish School that E. Edward Jones, Sr., became a proponent for desegregation
2and equality for black youth; and
3 WHEREAS, the call of God was strong upon his life, and in 1959, he became a
4minister and was called to pastor Galilee Baptist Church; while serving as pastor, Rev.
5Jones, Sr., entered Bishop College and in 1961 earned a bachelor's degree in religion and
6philosophy; and
7 WHEREAS, highly influenced by the words of Dr. Martin Luther King., Jr., the
8Reverend Dr. Jones, Sr., developed a steadfast zeal for civil rights that has not diminished
9through the years; soon after hosting a visit by Dr. King to Galilee Baptist Church in 1962,
10the Reverend Dr. Jones, Sr., became a key figure in desegregating the Caddo Parish School
11District; and
12 WHEREAS, the Reverend Dr. Jones, Sr., served as president of the National Baptist
13Convention of America from 1985-2003, an organization composed of five thousand
14churches with a membership of approximately two and a half million African American
15Baptists; and
16 WHEREAS, with funding from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban
17Development, the Reverend Dr. Jones, Sr., built supportive living residences for the elderly
18and handicapped and has been president of these housing developments, Galilee Majestic
19Arms, Inc., and Galilee Eden Gardens, since 1985; and
20 WHEREAS, in 2004, the Reverend Dr. Jones, Sr., brought to fruition the low- and
21middle-income apartment complex known as Galilee City Apartments, and this complex is
22the genesis of a master plan that will include a wellness center, a charter school, and a
23business incubator center designed to revitalize the center of the city of Shreveport; and
24 WHEREAS, his counsel and advice are highly valued in many associations: the
25Reverend Dr. Jones, Sr., is a member of the NAACP and Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, which
26in 1986 honored him with the National Award for Outstanding Service; he is a board
27member of the Governor's Commission on Race Relations and Civil Rights, the Louisiana
28State University board of supervisors, and the Grambling State University Foundation; and
29 WHEREAS, the Reverend Dr. Jones, Sr., was named by Ebony magazine as one of
30the one hundred most influential black Americans from 1986 to 2003, was elected to the
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HR NO. 13
1Grambling State University Hall of Fame in 1986, the Northwest Louisiana Hall of Fame
2in 1992, and is the recipient of numerous honorary doctoral degrees; and
3 WHEREAS, it is fitting to laud the many accomplishments of this octogenarian who
4remains a vital and productive pastor beloved by his flock, and it is with great pride and
5honor that the members of the House of Representatives join in celebration with the
6congregation of Galilee Baptist Church and the city of Shreveport upon the fifty-seventh
7anniversary of the pastorship of the Reverend Dr. E. Edward Jones, Sr.
8 THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the House of Representatives of the
9Legislature of Louisiana does hereby commend the Reverend Dr. E. Edward Jones, Sr., for
10fifty-seven faithful years of pastoring Galilee Baptist Church; does hereby express well-
11deserved and heartiest congratulations to this long-time preacher of the Gospel; and does
12hereby extend best prayers and hopes for continued good health and happiness in the years
13to come.
14 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a suitable copy of this Resolution be transmitted
15to the Reverend Dr. E. Edward Jones, Sr.
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)]
HR 13 Original 2016 Regular Session Glover
Commends Rev. Dr. E. Edward Jones, Sr., upon his 57-year pastoral anniversary.
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