2019 Regular Session ENROLLED
SENATE RESOLUTION NO. 85
BY SENATOR JOHNS
A RESOLUTION
To commend and congratulate Robert Gambrell "Bobby" Jones upon the celebration of his
eightieth birthday.
WHEREAS, Robert Gambrell "Bobby" Jones was born on May 9, 1939, to Sam
Houston Jones and the former Louise Gambrell Boyer; and
WHEREAS, Bobby Jones was a year old when his father became the forty-sixth
governor of Louisiana in 1940 and he therefore spent his early childhood years in the
governor's mansion in Baton Rouge; and
WHEREAS, the Joneses returned to Lake Charles in 1944 so Bobby grew up in Lake
Charles, graduating from Lake Charles High School in 1956; and
WHEREAS, following a year at LSU, Bobby Jones obtained a Bachelor of Science
in Chemical Engineering from Tulane University in New Orleans in 1960 and was then
accepted into the MBA program at Harvard University in Boston, Massachusetts; and
WHEREAS, in 1961, he wed his high school sweetheart, the former Sarah Quinn,
also from Lake Charles; he received his MBA in 1962, and the couple returned to Lake
Charles to work in the brokerage business; and
WHEREAS, in the summer of 1962, Bobby Jones joined regional brokerage firm
Kohlmeyer & Company in its Lake Charles office, which was later absorbed by Thomson
McKinnon Securities, then became Prudential Securities, then Wachovia Securities, and now
Wells Fargo Advisors; and
WHEREAS, nevertheless, he has had the same home phone number and work phone
number since 1962; and
WHEREAS, Bobby Jones, at twenty-eight, was elected to the Louisiana House of
Representatives in the 1967-1968 election cycle, one of five Democrats in an at-large
delegation from Calcasieu and Cameron parishes, and became a leader of the group dubbed
by the media as the "Young Turks", a group of House members who worked to bring about
reform and legislative independence at the Louisiana House of Representatives; and
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WHEREAS, Bobby was appointed to the Board of First Federal Savings and Loan
in 1968 and he continues to serve today as chairman of the Investment Committee; and
WHEREAS, in 1972, Rutgers University's Institute of Politics named Jones one of
the two best state legislators in the nation and was also named the Lake Charles "Man of the
Year"; and
WHEREAS, he left the House of Representatives after a single term when he was
elected to the Senate for the 1972-1976 term; and
WHEREAS, Governor Treen appointed Bobby Jones to the Louisiana Racing
Commission, on which he served from 1980 to 1984; and
WHEREAS, from 2008 to 2014, he served on the Louisiana Gaming Control Board
by appointment from Governor Bobby Jindal; and
WHEREAS, the success of the state of Louisiana, the strength of our communities,
and the overall vitality of American society depend in great measure upon people like Bobby
Jones, an exceptional gentleman and an inspiration to all; and
WHEREAS, Bobby Jones merits a special measure of commendation for his singular
contributions and his exemplary accomplishments as he is lauded and recognized on the
historic celebration of the eight extraordinary decades during which he has graced Louisiana
and the world with his presence.
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Senate of the Legislature of Louisiana
does hereby commend and congratulate Robert Gambrell "Bobby" Jones upon the occasion
of his eightieth birthday, recognize that he exemplifies all that is good about Louisiana,
record the extraordinary life he has lived in the eight decades since his birth, express
enduring gratitude for the singular contributions he has made to his family, friends,
community, and state, and does hereby extend to him every good wish for continued
happiness in the years to come.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a copy of this Resolution be transmitted to
Robert Gambrell "Bobby" Jones.
PRESIDENT OF THE SENATE
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