House Resolution 60

A RESOLUTION MOURNING THE LOSS AND COMMEMORATING THE LIFE AND LEGACY OF COACH JOHN W. DICKERSON, JR.

WHEREAS, "To everything there is a season, and time to every purpose under the Heaven," and as such on January 19, 2015, the grand architect of the universe, the immaculate author and finisher of our soul's destiny, summoned the mortal presence of dearly beloved, Coach John W. Dickerson, Jr., to eternal rest, as he has made life's final transition from earthly travailing to heavenly reward, rendering great sorrow and loss to his family and friends; and

WHEREAS, the State of Mississippi and the City of Columbus, Mississippi, lost a wonderful friend, community leader and legendary coach with the passing of Coach Dickerson, who was born in Columbus, Mississippi, to the late John W. Dickerson, Sr., and Osie M. Jones Dickerson on March 9, 1928; and

WHEREAS, the son of a Memphis Town grocery store owner, the athletic Coach Dickerson attended Union Elementary School and graduated from Union Academy High School, where he lettered for three years in baseball and football, before furthering his education at Clark College and Jackson State University, where he also lettered in baseball and football; and

WHEREAS, upon graduating from Mississippi Industrial College in Holly Springs, Mississippi, with a bachelor of science degree and letters in baseball and football as both a player and a coach, the cherub-faced young man with a hoarse voice embarked on the journey that would become his historically successful coaching career; and

WHEREAS, described by all who knew him as an incredible individual, throughout his paramount career, Coach Dickerson was more than just a remarkable coach and educator: he was a leader and role model that instilled character in an untold number of young people and played a quiet, but important role in integration; and

WHEREAS, Hunt High School, Amory High School, Lee High School and what is now Mississippi Valley State University each benefitted from the unrivaled skill and competence Coach Dickerson provided to their athletic programs, as success overflowed from the fields of each one and tales of his accomplishments still echo throughout the halls and across the bleachers with the beginning of each new season; and

WHEREAS, under his leadership and guidance at Hunt High School, the football team compiled an impressive 27-2-1 record, and the baseball team won two Little Six Conference Championships; and

WHEREAS, a young defensive end named Robert Smith, now mayor of Columbus, Mississippi, attributes all of his achievements and his college education to the selfless influence of Coach Dickerson, who encouraged Smith to persevere through the heat and long practices that are associated with the game of football, as it would pave the way for Smith to attend college, and to ensure Smith's commitment to the Hunt High School football team and moreover, his education, the coach offered motivation and exuberant counsel as he drove Smith home each fall evening after football practice; and

WHEREAS, during Coach Dickerson's tenure at Amory High School, his game-changing plays and brilliant strategic mind guided the football team to a 22-game winning streak; and

WHEREAS, even the opponents of Coach Dickerson's teams idolized the legendary coach, as he constantly demanded respect from all who encountered him within the confines of the end zones; and

WHEREAS, while former players and opponents remember Coach Dickerson's success and driving personality, Billy Brewer, who coached alongside him at Lee High School in the early 1970s, recalls the calming presence the renowned coach provided in the summer of 1970 when the predominantly African-American Hunt High School integrated with Lee High School, and Coach Dickerson, the head coach at Hunt High School, joined Coach Brewer's football coaching staff at Lee High School; and

WHEREAS, the introduction of Coach Dickerson's players from Hunt High School to the Lee High School football team was effortless and uneventful, and Coach Brewer credited the tranquility to the moral integrity and discipline Coach Dickerson engrained into his high caliber athletes, as the extraordinary contribution he and the players from Hunt High School made to Lee High School was evidenced by that special Lee High School football team's undefeated (9-0) record; and

WHEREAS, Lee High School was superbly coached and inspired by Coach Dickerson, who broadened the players' knowledge of the game and refined their skills in execution, and the trophy from his historical first season at Lee High School sits in City Hall and reminds visitors who stop in just to gaze at its splendor of the legacy of superior play and true sportsmanship forged by the tenacious and undaunted spirit of Coach Dickerson; and

WHEREAS, always eager to help the younger generation, Coach Dickerson had an unwavering passion for educating and coaching, and despite his retirement from football and the whitening of his beard, he would attend Columbus High School football practices, as his blazing love, ignited at a very young age, for the smell of green grass, the rasp of a coach's voice and the spiral of a pigskin on a crisp fall night simply could not be extinguished; and

WHEREAS, when Coach Dickerson was not occupied molding the minds of the younger generation or drawing up new routes and trick plays for his football teams, he was a committed member of St. James United Methodist Church, T.P. Harris Elk Lodge #1495 and Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity; and

WHEREAS, though he has traversed the river of life to reunite with those who answered God's summons to life eternal and now beckon his arrival to the celestial shores of Heaven's grandeur, the legacy of Coach Dickerson's memory will continue to refresh the hearts and fond memories of his beloved survivors: wife, Emmittean Dickerson; daughters, Lupino, Octavia and Felita; two grandchildren; one great-grandchild; and a host of other relatives and friends; and

WHEREAS, it is the policy of the House of Representatives to acknowledge the selflessness and benevolence of educators such as Coach Dickerson, who radiated excellence and inspired all those who had the opportunity to know him and experience his greatness:

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI, That we do hereby mourn the loss and commemorate the life and legacy of Coach John W. Dickerson, Jr., and extend sincere and deepest sympathy to his family and friends upon his passing.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That copies of this resolution be furnished to the family of Coach John W. Dickerson, Jr., and to the members of the Capitol Press Corps.