2001-2002 Bill 778: Mrs. Ernestine Jordan Stewart, Resolutions - South Carolina Legislature

1 BIL: 778 2 TYP: Concurrent Resolution CR 3 INB: Senate 4 IND: 20010817 5 PSP: Jackson 6 SPO: Jackson 7 DDN: l:\council\bills\gjk\20791sd01.doc 8 DPB: 20010828 9 SUB: Mrs. Ernestine Jordan Stewart, Resolutions 10 11 12 13 HST: 14 15 Body Date Action Description Com Leg Involved 16 ______17 Senate 20010828 Received from House 18 House 20010827 Introduced, adopted, returned 19 with concurrence 20 Senate 20010817 Introduced, adopted, sent to House 21 22 23 24 Versions of This Bill 25 26 27 28 29 TXT: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 A CONCURRENT RESOLUTION 10 11 TO CONGRATULATE MRS. ERNESTINE JORDAN 12 STEWART, A NATIVE OF CHARLOTTE, NORTH 13 CAROLINA, NOW RESIDING IN COLUMBIA, ON THE 14 OCCASION OF HER ONE HUNDREDTH BIRTHDAY ON 15 AUGUST 27, 2001. 16 17 Whereas, Mrs. Ernestine Jordan Stewart was born in Charlotte, 18 North Carolina, on August 27, 1901, to Hood and Mamie Jordan. 19 She is the oldest of nine children; and 20 21 Whereas, she received her early childhood education in the 22 elementary schools in Charlotte. Because there were no public 23 high schools for people of color in Charlotte, her father sent her to 24 high school at the Livingstone College in Salisbury, North 25 Carolina; and 26 27 Whereas, upon completion of her high school education, Ernestine 28 Jordan returned to Charlotte, where she began her public school 29 teaching career at the very youthful age of sixteen in Mecklenburg 30 County; and 31 32 Whereas, she taught in Charlotte for several years where she met 33 her husband to-be, Charles B. Stewart, a student at Johnson C. 34 Smith University. In 1928, she married Charles Stewart and both 35 moved to Carthage, North Carolina, where they both taught school 36 in the public school system; and 37 38 Whereas, in 1930, her husband, Charles Stewart was appointed to 39 a principalship in Bessemer City, North Carolina, where she taught 40 with him for ten years in a school later named for him. It was in 41 Bessemer City where Mrs. Stewart began to raise her family, 42 giving birth to four children, Ernestine, Charles Jr., Carolyn, and

1 [778] 1 1 Reginald. She is now blessed with ten grandchildren, twelve great 2 grandchildren, and two great-great grandchildren; and 3 4 Whereas, in August 1940, she again followed her husband, 5 Charles, who was appointed principal of Adkin High School in 6 Kinston, North Carolina. Mrs. Stewart worked as a teacher in 7 Kinston’s public schools teaching second and third grades at 8 Lincoln City Elementary School and Sampson Elementary School 9 both of which are now closed; and 10 11 Whereas, she continued her education at Johnson C. Smith 12 University, Hampton Institute, and was awarded her bachelor 13 degree in 1944 from Johnson C. Smith University. Mrs. Stewart 14 continued her education through extension courses from 15 Fayetteville State Teachers College and Shaw University. She 16 spent four summers at Columbia University in New York and was 17 awarded her Master’s Degree in Education in 1954 from that 18 institution. In 1960, she was the first African-American appointed 19 as a supervisor in the elementary schools of Kinston; and 20 21 Whereas, from her early childhood, Mrs. Stewart has been a 22 devout Christian. She joined the Gethsemane Methodist Church of 23 Charlotte as a child. Upon moving to Kinston, she followed her 24 husband, a Baptist, and joined the First Baptist Church were for 25 many years she taught adult Sunday school. Mrs. Stewart also 26 attended services at many of the local churches especially the 27 Methodist churches of the city; and 28 29 Whereas, her deep and abiding faith has sustained her well over 30 the years, and she speaks freely of her convictions and beliefs. She 31 has been a much sought after speaker at churches, religious, and 32 spiritual meetings. Her day begins with prayer, and she continues 33 her day with meditation and reading a voluminous amount of 34 spiritual and inspirational materials; and 35 36 Whereas, today Mrs. Stewart enjoys her weekly exercise class, 37 reading, and listening to spiritual music. For the past year, Mrs. 38 Stewart has been living with her daughter, Carolyn, in Columbia 39 where she has many friends, attends church every Sunday, and 40 twice weekly participates in an aerobics class affiliated with the 41 University of South Carolina School of Medicine; and 42

1 [778] 2 1 Whereas, the members of the General Assembly, by this 2 resolution, would like to extend their heartiest best wishes and 3 congratulations to this truly outstanding lady upon the occasion of 4 her one hundredth birthday. Now, therefore, 5 6 Be it resolved by the Senate, the House of Representatives 7 concurring: 8 9 That the members of the General Assembly congratulate Mrs. 10 Ernestine Jordan Stewart a native of Charlotte, North Carolina, 11 now residing in Columbia, on the occasion of her one hundredth 12 birthday on August 27, 2001, and extend to her best wishes for 13 many more to come. 14 15 Be it further resolved that a copy of this resolution be forwarded to 16 Mrs. Ernestine Jordan Stewart. 17 ----XX----

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