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TO CONGRATULATE JESSIERINE DAVIS BRIGHT OF COLLETON COUNTY ON THE OCCASION OF HER NINETY-FIFTH BIRTHDAY AND TO WISH HER A JOYOUS BIRTHDAY CELEBRATION AND MANY YEARS OF CONTINUED HAPPINESS.
Whereas, the members of the South Carolina Senate are delighted to learn that Jessierine Davis Bright of Colleton County will celebrate her ninety-fifth birthday on March 5, 2018; and
Whereas, born on March 5, 1923, in the first quarter of the twentieth century, she has witnessed many remarkable social changes, technological advancements, and international developments that have spanned the globe from that time into the second decade of the twenty-first century; and
Whereas, one of ten children born to Jimmy Rogers Davis and Julia "Dude" Davis, a young Jessierine attended Saint Peters CME Church in Walterboro, and she walked more than five miles each day to attend the segregated schools in Colleton; and
Whereas, although she was promoted to the sixth grade in the early 1930s, she dropped out to participate in caring for her family by cooking the family meals and taking on domestic jobs, while her brothers worked on the family cotton farms. An avid reader, she continued her education by reading advanced books; and
Whereas, on November 16, 1940, Jessierine Davis married her beloved husband, Herbert Garfield Bright. Together they reared nine exceptional children, and she dedicated herself to her family as a housewife and encouraged all of her children to complete their education; and
Whereas, the fruit of her encouragement is evident in the results: six of her children earned college degrees. The others worked in honorable careers that enabled them to retire. Three of the children have retired from the private sector, three served in and retired from the United States Army, and two are retired educators. The youngest practices law in Walterboro and serves as our colleague and friend in the South Carolina Senate, the second African-American female to do so; and
Whereas, Mrs. Bright is a devoted member and the Mother of Isaiah United Methodist Church, and her favorite hobbies always included gardening, canning, and cooking. She still works on quilts each day, making treasured gifts of them on special occasions for her children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren; and
Whereas, her love of travel has taken her to many parts of the nation, as well as to such destinations as the Bahamas, the French Riviera, and Paris, France; and
Whereas, without a license or formal training, Mrs. Bright has been a life-long teacher of mathematics through her example, not in a school classroom but in her home and community, by adding the values of love and hard work to her life; subtracting a can't-do attitude from her mind; multiplying these concepts in her home, church, and community; and dividing them among her nine children; and
Whereas, the South Carolina Senate is pleased to honor this daughter of South Carolina at the celebration of her ninety-fifth birthday, and the members join with her family and friends to salute her on reaching this extraordinary milestone. Now, therefore,
Be it resolved by the Senate:
That the members of the South Carolina Senate, by this resolution, congratulate Jessierine Davis Bright of Colleton County on the occasion of her ninety-fifth birthday and wish her a joyous birthday celebration and many years of continued happiness.
Be it further resolved that a copy of this resolution be provided to Jessierine Davis Bright.
This web page was last updated on March 1, 2018 at 11:26 AM