A JOINT RESOLUTION honoring the life and memory of frank W. ballance, jr., former member of the general assembly.
Whereas, Frank W. Ballance, Jr., was born on a farm in Windsor, North Carolina on February 15, 1942, to Frank Winston Ballance and Alice Eason Ballance; and
Whereas, Frank W. Ballance, Jr., earned a bachelor's degree and a law degree from North Carolina Central University; and
Whereas, after law school, Frank W. Ballance, Jr., spent a year as a librarian and professor at the South Carolina State College (now South Carolina State University) before moving to Warrenton, North Carolina to practice law; and
Whereas, Frank W. Ballance, Jr., was a member of the North Carolina General Assembly, serving two terms in the House of Representatives between 1983 and 1986 and seven terms in the Senate between 1989 and 2002; and
Whereas, during his tenure in the Senate, Frank W. Ballance, Jr., contributed in many capacities, including as a member of the Committees on Appropriations, Commerce, Insurance, State and Local Government, Ways and Means, as cochair of the Committees on Appropriations on Justice and Public Safety and Judiciary II, and as Deputy President Pro Tempore from 1997 to 2002; and
Whereas, in 2003, Frank W. Ballance, Jr., began serving in Congress as a member of the United States House of Representatives, representing the 1st Congressional District and serving as a member of the Agriculture and Small Business Committees, which term he was unable to complete; and
Whereas, Frank W. Ballance, Jr., held numerous civic and political positions, including past chair of the 1st Congressional District Democratic Party, first vice‑chair of the North Carolina Democratic Party, president of the Warren County Branch of the NAACP, and a member of the Boards of Trustees of Elizabeth City State University and North Carolina Central University; and
Whereas, Frank W. Ballance, Jr., received several awards and recognitions, including: "Lawyer of the Year" from the North Carolina Academy of Trial Lawyers in 1996, "Friend of the Working Man" Labor Award from the AFL‑CIO in 2000, and "Legislator of the Year" from the North Carolina Housing Coalition in 2001; and
Whereas, Frank W. Ballance, Jr., served in the North Carolina National Guard in 1968 and in the Reserves until 1971; and
Whereas, Frank W. Ballance, Jr., was a member of Greenwood Baptist Church of Warrenton and served as chair of the Deacon Board; and
Whereas, Frank W. Ballance, Jr., died on February 22, 2019, at the age of 77; and
Whereas, Frank W. Ballance, Jr., leaves to cherish his memory his wife, Bernadine Smallwood Ballance, and four children, Garey M. Ballance, Angela Ballance Mebane, Valerie Ballance Harmon, and Rhonda Yarborough; Now, therefore,
Be it resolved by the Senate, the House of Representatives concurring:
SECTION 1.  The General Assembly honors the life of Frank W. Ballance, Jr., and expresses appreciation for the service he rendered his community, State, and nation.
SECTION 2.  The General Assembly extends its deepest sympathy to the family of Frank W. Ballance, Jr., for the loss of a beloved family member.
SECTION 3.  The Secretary of State shall transmit a certified copy of this resolution to the family of Frank W. Ballance, Jr.
SECTION 4.  This resolution is effective upon ratification.