ENROLLED
2018 Third Extraordinary Session
HOUSE RESOLUTION NO. 13
BY REPRESENTATIVE COX
A RESOLUTION
To commend Pearl Payne upon the occasion of her one hundredth birthday.
WHEREAS, membership in the centenarians club is extremely rare, and much honor
is due to those who reach this milestone; on July 12, 2018, Pearl Payne will join this
exclusive club; and
WHEREAS, Pearl has lived a life of distinguished service to her community in
Natchitoches Parish; her service began in 1935 when, at the tender age of seventeen, she
graduated from Natchitoches Parish Training School and launched an esteemed teaching
career that spanned thirty-seven years; during the course of her teaching career, she also
advanced her own education, ultimately earning a masters plus thirty; and
WHEREAS, Pearl Payne retired from Northwestern State University Laboratory
School in 1972 and began a second career in counseling and housing management; always
active in the Natchitoches community, she was an early force in the Natchitoches Parish
Voters League, as an advocate for voter registration, and a charter member of the Ladies
Auxiliary; in 2008 she was among the first group of retirees to be recognized by the city as
Natchitoches Treasures; and
WHEREAS, Pearl was married for fifty-nine years to Lutrill Payne, Sr., and the
couple was active in desegregation efforts, including legal proceedings to force the
admission of African Americans to the Louisiana State University Graduate School; and
WHEREAS, at the heart of her life of service to the community is her faith, which
has been nurtured by North Star Baptist Church in Powhatan for over eighty-four years; she
was the church clerk for over forty years, started the first youth choir, and is still a regular
presence on Sundays and serves as the unofficial church historian; in honor and recognition
of decades of distinguished service to the church and to educating children, North Star
Baptist Church established the Pearl Payne Scholarship Fund in 1994; and
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WHEREAS, it is appropriate to commend Pearl Payne on the momentous occasion
of her one hundredth birthday and to take this opportunity to thank her for her tireless efforts
to make the world a better place.
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the House of Representatives of the
Legislature of Louisiana does hereby commend Pearl Payne upon the occasion of her one
hundredth birthday; does hereby add its hearty congratulations to the celebration of a full and
rich life and offer its sincerest gratitude for her countless contributions to the community in
Natchitoches Parish and beyond; and does hereby wish her full measures of health and many
happy days ahead.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a suitable copy of this Resolution be transmitted
to Pearl Payne.
SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
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