GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF NORTH CAROLINA
1991 SESSION
RATIFIED BILL

RESOLUTION 7
HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION 266

A JOINT RESOLUTION HONORING THE LIFE AND SERVICES OF THOMAS JACKSON WHITE, JR., FORMER MEMBER OF THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY.

Whereas, there have been those among us, says the writer of the Book of Ecclesiasticus, "who have left a name behind them, that their praises might be reported." Such a man was Thomas Jackson White, Jr.; and
Whereas, Thomas Jackson White, Jr. was born in Cabarrus County on March 6, 1903, and was educated at North Carolina State College of Agriculture and Engineering and the Law School of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill; and
Whereas, as an attorney-at-law, Thomas Jackson White, Jr. developed and maintained through six decades a successful civil and criminal practice in the State and federal courts of eastern North Carolina; and
Whereas, Thomas Jackson White, Jr. was elected an officer of local and State bar organizations and a Fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers; and
Whereas, for a quarter of a century, Thomas Jackson White, Jr. served his adopted county of Lenoir as County Attorney; and
Whereas, Thomas Jackson White, Jr., a life-long sportsman, strove to secure for the public the pleasures of field and stream that so delighted him, and to that end he led in the creation by the 1947 General Assembly of the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission, of which he served as a member and first Chairman; and
Whereas, it was in the legislative arena, where Thomas Jackson White, Jr. served as a member of the North Carolina House of Representatives from 1952 to 1958 and of the North Carolina Senate from 1960 to 1968, that he attained statewide recognition and his most rewarding opportunities for public leadership; and
Whereas, to every legislative task he undertook, Thomas Jackson White, Jr. brought the studious habits of a lifetime and the skills of an able advocate that made him a stalwart friend or formidable foe; and
Whereas, Thomas Jackson White, Jr. knew and relished the uses of power, fairly exercised, in the service of causes that claimed his dedication; and
Whereas, in the vital realm of state finance, Thomas Jackson White, Jr. performed most constructively as Chairman of the Senate Finance Committee in the 1961 Session, as Chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee in the 1963, 1965, and 1967 Sessions, as a member of the Advisory Budget Commission in the 1961 Session, and as Chairman of the Advisory Budget Commission in the 1963, 1965, 1967, 1969, and 1971 Sessions; and
Whereas, legislative and legal skills caused Thomas Jackson White, Jr.'s services to be called into requisition often by the Governor, who asked him to serve on State study commissions, including those dealing with the reorganization of State government and the restructuring of higher education; and
Whereas, for many years after his retirement from the General Assembly, Thomas Jackson White, Jr. continued to be a familiar presence in the State Legislative Building as an effective lobbyist; and
Whereas, as a devoted alumnus of two of the constituent institutions of The University of North Carolina, Thomas Jackson White, Jr. served the University as a member of the former Board of Trustees of The University of North Carolina from 1965 to 1971 and its Executive Committee from 1967 to 1971 and as a member of the Board of Governors of The University of North Carolina and its preparatory Planning Committee from 1971 to 1977, when he played a major part in the organization and initiation of the University in its present form; and
Whereas, Thomas Jackson White, Jr.'s most enduring monuments are the State Legislative Building and the North Carolina Museum of Art Building; and
Whereas, his experience as a member of the House of Representatives of 1953, 1955, and 1957 convinced Thomas Jackson White, Jr. that the historic State Capitol of North Carolina was no longer adequate to meet the space needs of a modern legislature; and
Whereas, Thomas Jackson White, Jr. did not seek reelection in 1958, and instead spent the legislative session of 1959 successfully advocating among his former colleagues the cause of a new building for the General Assembly and, as a result of his efforts, the initial appropriation for the State Legislative Building was made in 1959; and
Whereas, from 1959 until completion of that building, Thomas Jackson White, Jr. made it his concern as Chairman of the State Legislative Building Commission to see that the State got a first-class building to accommodate the General Assembly adequately; and
Whereas, while it is probable that the General Assembly would in time have concluded on its own that new facilities for its use were necessary, the fact that those facilities were provided in time for use by the General Assembly of 1963 and that they were so well suited to their purpose can be credited to the zeal and effectiveness with which Thomas Jackson White, Jr. pursued that objective; and
Whereas, when the General Assembly determined in 1967 to erect a new structure for the North Carolina Museum of Art, Governor Dan K. Moore wisely turned to Thomas Jackson White, Jr. to chair the Museum of Art Building Commission; and
Whereas, from the beginning to the completion of that project in 1983, Thomas Jackson White, Jr. pursued with his usual thoroughness and determination the tasks of public and private fund-raising and location and design of the Art Museum Building; and
Whereas, generations of North Carolinians who will never know his name will benefit from these two constructive legacies by Thomas Jackson White, Jr. to his fellow citizens; and
Whereas, to his several fraternal organizations and to the Episcopal Church, Thomas Jackson White, Jr. gave loyal support; and
Whereas, as a proud and steadfast Democrat all his life, Thomas Jackson White, Jr. served his party faithfully and effectively in all weathers; and
Whereas, Thomas Jackson White, Jr., citizen of North Carolina, died on February 5, 1991, bringing to an end his long and constructive life; and
Whereas, Thomas Jackson White, Jr. is survived by his wife, Virginia Edwards White, and four children, Thomas Jackson White III, Isabell White Davis, Virginia Turley Paulsen, and Sarah Ellen White Archie; and
Whereas, it is the desire of the General Assembly to take note of Thomas Jackson White, Jr.'s achievements and pay tribute to his life and services;

Now, therefore, be it resolved by the House of Representatives, the Senate concurring:

Section 1.  The General Assembly recognizes Thomas Jackson White, Jr. for public services as legislator, civic leader, builder of public monuments, and citizen, for his qualities of diligence and devotion in the service of the public, for his love of the State of North Carolina and his readiness to serve its citizens, and for his inestimable qualities as an individual and a friend, the General Assembly of North Carolina records its recognition and profound thanks.
Sec. 2.  The General Assembly expresses its deepest sympathy to the family of Thomas Jackson White, Jr. for the loss of this distinguished citizen.
Sec. 3.  The Secretary of State shall transmit certified copies of this resolution to the widow and children of Thomas Jackson White, Jr.
Sec. 4.  This resolution is effective upon ratification.
In the General Assembly read three times and ratified this the 19th day of March, 1991.

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	James C. Gardner
	President of the Senate

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	Daniel Blue, Jr.
	Speaker of the House of Representatives