ENROLLED
2016 Regular Session
HOUSE RESOLUTION NO. 13
BY REPRESENTATIVES GLOVER, BAGLEY, CARMODY, HORTON, JENKINS,
MIKE JOHNSON, JIM MORRIS, NORTON, AND REYNOLDS
A RESOLUTION
To commend the Reverend E. Edward Jones, Sr., of Galilee Baptist Church in Shreveport,
upon the momentous occasion of his fifty-seventh year pastoral anniversary.
WHEREAS, nationally renowned as a religious, social, and civil rights activist, the
Reverend Dr. E. Edwards Jones, Sr., has labored for decades in the vineyard of the Lord to
improve the lives of parishioners at Galilee Baptist Church in Shreveport; and
WHEREAS, a strong visionary, the Reverend Dr. Jones has built a faith-based
community in the heart of downtown Shreveport that encompasses nearly forty acres and
includes housing for senior citizens and low-income families, health care and schooling for
disadvantaged children, and financial and spiritual support; and
WHEREAS, born into a foundation of faith, the Reverend Dr. Jones, Sr., is the son
of Daisy and the Reverend David Jesse Jones, who pastored two churches and provided the
spiritual training that provided the basis of his ministerial progeny; and
WHEREAS, in 1952, E. Edward Jones married Leslie M. Alexander and the fruit of
this union has yielded four children: sons Deryl N. Jones and E. Edward Jones, II; daughters
Carolyn N. Jones-Haygood and Donna N. Jones-Hassan; and nine grandchildren; and
WHEREAS, after graduation from Grambling State University, E. Edward Jones, Sr.,
began a career as an educator by accepting the position of principal at Morehouse Parish
School in 1952; he became a seventh- and eighth-grade teacher at the same school from
1953-1959, where he also coached basketball and softball; and it was during his employment
at Morehouse Parish School that E. Edward Jones, Sr., became a proponent for desegregation
and equality for black youth; and
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WHEREAS, the call of God was strong upon his life, and in 1959, he became a
minister and was called to pastor Galilee Baptist Church; while serving as pastor, Rev.
Jones, Sr., entered Bishop College and in 1961 earned a bachelor's degree in religion and
philosophy; and
WHEREAS, highly influenced by the words of Dr. Martin Luther King., Jr., the
Reverend Dr. Jones, Sr., developed a steadfast zeal for civil rights that has not diminished
through the years; soon after hosting a visit by Dr. King to Galilee Baptist Church in 1962,
the Reverend Dr. Jones, Sr., became a key figure in desegregating the Caddo Parish School
District; and
WHEREAS, the Reverend Dr. Jones, Sr., served as president of the National Baptist
Convention of America from 1985-2003, an organization composed of five thousand
churches with a membership of approximately two and a half million African American
Baptists; and
WHEREAS, with funding from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban
Development, the Reverend Dr. Jones, Sr., built supportive living residences for the elderly
and handicapped and has been president of these housing developments, Galilee Majestic
Arms, Inc., and Galilee Eden Gardens, since 1985; and
WHEREAS, in 2004, the Reverend Dr. Jones, Sr., brought to fruition the low- and
middle-income apartment complex known as Galilee City Apartments, and this complex is
the genesis of a master plan that will include a wellness center, a charter school, and a
business incubator center designed to revitalize the center of the city of Shreveport; and
WHEREAS, his counsel and advice are highly valued in many associations: the
Reverend Dr. Jones, Sr., is a member of the NAACP and Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, which
in 1986 honored him with the National Award for Outstanding Service; he is a board
member of the Governor's Commission on Race Relations and Civil Rights, the Louisiana
State University board of supervisors, and the Grambling State University Foundation; and
WHEREAS, the Reverend Dr. Jones, Sr., was named by Ebony magazine as one of
the one hundred most influential black Americans from 1986 to 2003, was elected to the
Grambling State University Hall of Fame in 1986, the Northwest Louisiana Hall of Fame
in 1992, and is the recipient of numerous honorary doctoral degrees; and
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WHEREAS, it is fitting to laud the many accomplishments of this octogenarian who
remains a vital and productive pastor beloved by his flock, and it is with great pride and
honor that the members of the House of Representatives join in celebration with the
congregation of Galilee Baptist Church and the city of Shreveport upon the fifty-seventh
anniversary of the pastorship of the Reverend Dr. E. Edward Jones, Sr.
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the House of Representatives of the
Legislature of Louisiana does hereby commend the Reverend Dr. E. Edward Jones, Sr., for
fifty-seven faithful years of pastoring Galilee Baptist Church; does hereby express well-
deserved and heartiest congratulations to this long-time preacher of the Gospel; and does
hereby extend best prayers and hopes for continued good health and happiness in the years
to come.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a suitable copy of this Resolution be transmitted
to the Reverend Dr. E. Edward Jones, Sr.
SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
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