2020 Regular Session ENROLLED
SENATE RESOLUTION NO. 4
BY SENATOR BOUDREAUX
A RESOLUTION
To express the sincere condolences of the Senate of the Legislature of Louisiana upon the
death of Audrey Mae Caudgest Simon, native of New Orleans, Louisiana, and a
long-time resident of Lafayette, Louisiana.
WHEREAS, Audrey Mae Caudgest was born in New Orleans on August 1, 1933, to
Hester and Thomas Caudgest and she died on January 25, 2020, with her family by her side
in Euless, Texas; and
WHEREAS, Audrey Caudgest was a graduate of H. C. Ross High School, an historic
school that opened its doors in 1893, in Crowley, Louisiana, and she went on to study at
Southern University in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, earning a bachelor of arts degree in
elementary education; and
WHEREAS, in 1953, Audrey Caudgest married her sweetheart, Clifton Maurice
Simon, and the couple had one child, a daughter, Vannessa; and
WHEREAS, continuing her education while maintaining her commitment to her
family and her students, Audrey Simon earned fifty postgraduate education hours at
Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge and Lamar University in Beaumont, Texas; and
WHEREAS, Mrs. Simon's teaching career began in 1955 in Tensas Parish and she
went on to devote thirty years to the students of Westside Elementary School in Scott,
Louisiana, before retiring from the Lafayette Parish School System as an award-winning
remedial reading specialist, having been recognized for her efforts, especially in working
with those struggling to master the task of reading; and
WHEREAS, in 1964, Mrs. Simon became a member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority,
Inc. and she served in several capacities in the Lafayette Alumnae Chapter, including
president from 1970 to 1975; and
WHEREAS, after retirement from her formal teaching career, in 1988, Audrey
Simon began her second career as a VISTA (Volunteers In Service To America) volunteer
for Big Brothers and Big Sisters of Acadiana, where she served as program director of
Empower II and as program director of the Foster Grandparent Program; and
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WHEREAS, in 1995, the Lafayette Mayor's Commission on the Needs of Women
named Audrey Simon as one of the "Women of Excellence"; and
WHEREAS, from 1999 to 2005, Mrs. Simon worked as director of ministries at her
church, Progressive Baptist Church in Lafayette; and
WHEREAS, also a focus of her life wherever Audrey Simon lived was her church,
beginning with Jefferson Baptist Church in Crowley where she was baptized, and this work
with her church was paramount in her life; and
WHEREAS, as an adult, Audrey Simon was unrelenting in her efforts to spread love
and the teachings of Christ through work in her local church, first at Progressive Baptist
Church in Lafayette, Christ Memorial Community Church in Hurst, Texas, and at St. John
Missionary Baptist Church in Euless, Texas, her final church home; and
WHEREAS, after residing in Lafayette for more than forty years, Audrey and Clifton
Simon moved to Hurst, Texas, to be near their daughter and her family; and
WHEREAS, Audrey Caudgest Simon leaves to cherish her memory, her devoted
husband of sixty-six years, Clifton Maurice Simon; her daughter and son-in-law, Vannessa
and Charles Nickson and their two sons, D'Andre Maurice Mullen and Jamal Keith Nickson;
and many other family members and friends; and
WHEREAS, Audrey Simon's life was one of love and service, to her husband and
daughter, her faith, her students, and her community, all benefitting from her tireless efforts
to improve the world into which she was born.
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Senate of the Legislature of Louisiana
does hereby express sincere condolences upon the death of Audrey Mae Caudgest Simon,
native of New Orleans, Louisiana, and a long-time resident of Lafayette, Louisiana.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a copy of this Resolution be transmitted to
Clifton Simon.
PRESIDENT OF THE SENATE
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