House Resolution 14

(As Adopted by House)

A RESOLUTION COMMENDING FRANCES FREDERICKS FOR HER MANY YEARS OF OUTSTANDING AND DEDICATED SERVICE TO THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI UPON BEING HONORED DURING THE "BLACK AND WHITE AFFAIR" HOSTED BY THE HARRISON COUNTY DEMOCRATIC PARTY ON JANUARY 22, 2011.

WHEREAS, the distinguished gentle-lady, Honorable Representative Frances Fredericks, of the Mississippi House of Representatives, on the brink of completing 21 years of consecutive service as a member of the House from District 119 during the 2011 Regular Session of the Mississippi Legislature, will be honored by the Harrison County Democratic Party during its "Black and White Affair" on Saturday, January 22, 2011; and

WHEREAS, Representative Frances Fredericks has been blessed with an extraordinary life, and as the eldest of eight children born to the late Percy and Alice Manning, she has always lived a life of leading by example and in service to others; and

WHEREAS, having grown up in Picayune, Mississippi, where she graduated from George Washington Carver High School, she later fulfilled her dream of becoming a nurse when she graduated from St. Mary's School of Nursing in Kansas City, Missouri; and

WHEREAS, as it was divinely purposed for her life, to encounter and fall in love with an individual equally as committed to the service of mankind, as was her niche, she was united in marriage to Isiah Fredericks, Sr., and their union was blessed with four children: Don, Yolonda, Isiah Jr., and Alvin; six grandchildren and eleven great-grandchildren; and

WHEREAS, Representative Fredericks picked up and continued to bear the mantle of public service, when the unexpected passing of her husband, her immediate predecessor of public service as Representative of House District 119, left the seat vacant; and

WHEREAS, surprising those unsuspecting individuals by seeking election to the seat, on June 5, 1990, in her first attempt to seek election to a public office, she won election to the House of Representatives with 59% of the vote against three male candidates in a special election, was reelected in a 1992 special election held pursuant to redistricting, with an overwhelming 81% of the vote, and has since remained unopposed in her four bids for reelection; and

WHEREAS, during her tenure as a legislator she has served on the following committees: Ways and Means, Judiciary B, Corrections, Public Health, Local and Private, Medicaid, and the Select Committee on Poverty, and for the term beginning with the 2008 Regular Session of the Legislature, as chairperson of the Marine Resources Committee; and

WHEREAS, familiar with public service long before her election, Representative Fredericks had been previously appointed to the court-ordered Harrison County School System Biracial Committee; served as President of the Harrison County Chapter of the National Council of Negro Women, of which she is a life member; as well as being active in the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, of which she is also a life member; and

WHEREAS, from 1986 to 1990, she was the President of the American Federation of Government Employees, has served as the President of the North Gulfport Civic Club, a member of the Harrison County Community Action Agency Board, a member of the Southern Mississippi Planning and Development District Board, a member of the Harrison/Hancock Foster Care Review Board, a member of the Harrison County Federation of Democratic Women, and served as the State Director for Women in Government; and

WHEREAS, Representative Fredericks has always been active in her community and dedicated to improving the quality of life for all citizens, evidenced by her passionate advocacy for children, the elderly, the underserved and the overlooked people in her community; and

WHEREAS, most admired for her unselfishness and willingness to serve, Representative Fredericks is also a pillar of strength and courage, having had to rely heavily on her faith as she persevered after the loss of her husband and each of her three sons; and

WHEREAS, a member of St. John Baptist Church where she enjoys teaching Sunday School, Representative Fredericks, who bases the foundation on which she has lived her life upon the scriptural passage of John 1:1, is a sports enthusiast, and watches football, baseball, basketball, golf, tennis and any other sport; and

WHEREAS, an honor of this magnitude bestowed upon a member of our cherished family of legislators is an honor to the entire House of Representatives, for neither of us alone is an island, but we work collectively and collaboratively to accomplish the needs of this state and its many citizens who entrust us to represent their greater interest:

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI, That we do hereby commend our friend, colleague and leader, Representative Frances Fredericks for her many years of outstanding and dedicated service to the people of the State of Mississippi upon being honored during the "Black and White Affair" hosted by the Harrison County Democratic Party on January 22, 2011, and extend best wishes for continued success and confidence in the leadership she will provide in all of her new endeavors.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That copies of this resolution be furnished to Representative Fredericks, the Harrison County Democratic Party and to the members of the Capitol Press Corps.