<BillNo> <Sponsor>
HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION 153
By Jones J
HJR0153
003058
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A RESOLUTION to honor and commend Dr. Charles Kimbrough
for his outstanding community leadership.
WHEREAS, it is the pleasure of the members of this General Assembly to acknowledge
those venerable Tennesseans who were willing to sacrifice their personal safety to fight to
ensure the individual and collective freedom of oppressed groups across the nation; and
WHEREAS, one such distinguished individual is Dr. Charles Kimbrough, a civil rights
activist, former president of the Nashville branch of the NAACP, military veteran, retired
veterinarian, and minister; and
WHEREAS, born on June 24, 1927, in Prospect, Dr. Kimbrough grew up during the
height of the vicious and brutal Jim Crow South, relatively close to Pulaski, the birthplace of the
Ku Klux Klan. He learned early on from his family the value of hard work, perseverance, and
determination; and
WHEREAS, a veteran of the Korean War, Dr. Kimbrough traveled extensively while
enlisted in the armed forces and learned French while stationed in France. He earned a Purple
Heart, Medical Combat Award, and Bronze Star in 1950 for his bravery while serving; and
WHEREAS, following the conclusion of his military service, he used the GI Bill to attend
Tennessee Agricultural and Industrial State University, graduating in 1956 with honors and a
Bachelor of Science degree in Biology. Dr. Kimbrough went on to enroll in the Tuskegee
Institute, where he earned a Doctorate in Veterinary Medicine, becoming one of the first African
Americans to hold a license to practice veterinary medicine in the State of Tennessee; and
WHEREAS, as a member of the Civil Rights Movement in Tennessee, Dr. Kimbrough
introduced scores of African Americans to the NAACP and its mission to remove all barriers of
racial discrimination through democratic processes; and
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WHEREAS, he established and organized NAACP chapters in Sparta, Illinois (Randolph
County Branch); Dugoin, Illinois (Perry County Branch); Pulaski (Giles County Branch); and
Waverly (Waverly Branch); and
WHEREAS, Dr. Kimbrough served as president of the Nashville branch from 1973 to
1980, during which time he saw a surge in chapter membership. The increase in numbers at
the time assisted greatly in addressing civil rights issues within the local African-American
community; and
WHEREAS, Dr. Charles Kimbrough was also a devoted and compassionate minister,
who touched thousands of lives through his sermons. He and his wife, Dr. Blondell Strong
Kimbrough, also owned Bordeaux Realty Plus; and
WHEREAS, he is the proud father of son Reverend Adric Winters Kimbrough; special
sons Jeff Strong, Sanford Strong, and Jeffrey Brown; and daughter Gwenell Buchanan; and the
devoted grandfather of five grandchildren; and
WHEREAS, Dr. Charles Kimbrough truly embodies the volunteer spirit, and he has done
much to contribute to the well-being of his fellow citizens in various capacities; and
WHEREAS, Dr. Kimbrough is a public-spirited citizen of the highest order and most
worthy of our approbation; now, therefore,
BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE HUNDRED
FOURTEENTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF TENNESSEE, THE SENATE
CONCURRING, that we honor and commend Dr. Charles Kimbrough for his manifold
contributions to his fellow Tennesseans, extending our best wishes for continued success in all
his future endeavors.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that an appropriate copy of this resolution be prepared
for presentation with this final clause omitted from such copy and upon proper request made to
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the appropriate clerk, the language appearing immediately following the State seal appear
without House or Senate designation.