GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF NORTH CAROLINA

SESSION 1991

S	1 

SENATE JOINT RESOLUTION 236

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Sponsors: Senators Cooper; Allran, Ballance, Barnes, Basnight, Blackmon, Block, Bryan, Carpenter, Carter, Cochrane, Conder, Daniel, Daughtry, Forrester, Goldston, Hartsell, Hunt, Hyde, Johnson, Kaplan, Kincaid, Lee, Martin of Pitt, Martin of Guilford, Marvin, Murphy, Odom, Parnell, Perdue, Plexico, Plyler, Pollard, Raynor, Richardson, Royall, Sands, Seymour, Shaw, Sherron, Simpson, Smith, Soles, Speed, Staton, Tally, Walker, Ward, Warren, and Winner.

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Referred to:  Rules and Operation of the Senate.

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March 14, 1991

A JOINT RESOLUTION HONORING THE LIFE AND MEMORY OF JAMES EARL "JIM”EZZELL, JR., LATE MEMBER OF THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY.
Whereas, James Earl "Jim”Ezzell, Jr. was born in Rocky Mount on September 6, 1936, to James Earl and Edith Batchelor Ezzell; and
Whereas, despite a birth defect that limited his coordination so that he had to use crutches to walk, James Earl "Jim”Ezzell, Jr. graduated from Rocky Mount Senior High School in 1956 and Wake Forest University, where he received a BA in 1960 and a LLD in 1963; and
Whereas, James Earl "Jim”Ezzell, Jr. was an outstanding attorney in Rocky Mount; and
Whereas, James Earl "Jim”Ezzell, Jr. served as Solicitor of Recorders Court from 1964 until 1968 and as a district court judge from 1980 until 1983; and
Whereas, James Earl "Jim”Ezzell, Jr. served with honor and distinction in the General Assembly, serving in the House of Representatives from 1977 until 1980 and in the Senate from 1985 until his death in 1991; and
Whereas, during his service in the General Assembly, James Earl "Jim”Ezzell, Jr. was chair of the Constitution Committee and vice-chair of the Human Resources Committee, and was a member of the Appropriations Committee; the Appropriations Committee on Human Resources; the Banks and Thrift Institutions Committee; the Base Budget Committee; the Insurance Committee; the Judiciary I Committee; and the Rules and Operations of the Senate Committee; and
Whereas, James Earl "Jim”Ezzell, Jr. was a member of several professional and fraternal organizations, including the North Carolina Bar Association, the Masons, and the Shriners; and
Whereas, James Earl "Jim”Ezzell, Jr. was a faithful member of the Englewood Baptist Church; and
Whereas, James Earl "Jim”Ezzell, Jr. died on January 30, 1991, shortly after taking the oath of office in the Senate of the 1991 General Assembly; and
Whereas, James Earl "Jim”Ezzell, Jr. is survived by his wife, Patsy Wall Ezzell, and his children, Mark Ezzell, James Ezzell, III, and Stanton Ezzell; and
Whereas, with the untimely death of James Earl "Jim”Ezzell, Jr., his family, his community, the General Assembly, and the State of North Carolina lost a loved one, friend, and colleague who was greatly admired and respected; and
Whereas, all who knew James Earl "Jim”Ezzell, Jr. will miss his great sense of humor, sharp legal mind, and story-telling abilities;
Now, therefore, be it resolved by the Senate, the House of Representatives concurring:
Section 1.  The General Assembly wishes to honor the life and memory of James Earl "Jim”Ezzell, Jr.
Sec. 2.  The General Assembly wishes to express its sympathy to the family of James Earl "Jim”Ezzell, Jr.
Sec. 3.  The Secretary of State shall transmit a certified copy of this resolution to the family of James Earl "Jim”Ezzell, Jr.
Sec. 4.  This resolution is effective upon ratification.