[Congressional Record Volume 159, Number 95 (Friday, June 28, 2013)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E991-E992]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                   HONORING MAYOR WILLIE JAMES JONES

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. BENNIE G. THOMPSON

                             of mississippi

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, June 27, 2013

  Mr. THOMPSON of Mississippi. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor a 
remarkable civil servant, Mayor Willie James Jones. The Honorable Mayor 
Willie J. Jones is a resident of Coahoma, Mississippi and he is 
affectionately known to many as Mayor W.J. Jones.
  He has devoted his entire adult life providing selfless service, 
energy and resources to ensure that others fare well. When Mayor Jones 
initially came to the tiny town of Coahoma, Mississippi, many of its 
residents lived in two room shacks with no indoor plumbing. As Mayor of 
the town of Coahoma since 1981, and one of the longest running tenures 
in the State of Mississippi, he has launched multiple efforts to 
improve the living conditions of its residents and revitalize the 
community. Under his leadership and armed with the motto of ``Go and 
Grow'', the community began to change. Today, with a cadre consisting 
of concerned World Vision, Habitat for Humanity, and volunteer 
residents, over half the town's families now live in HUD approved two, 
three, or four bedroom homes.
  Mayor Jones skillfully led a coalition composed of Coahoma Utilities, 
Coahoma Community Development Corporation, and Coahoma Habitat for 
Humanity to pull the community together. In addition, through Mayor 
Jones' lobbying efforts, the Town of Coahoma has been the beneficiary 
of federal funding for a sewage system to replace open sewers and a 
well and water tank to improve its drinking supply. Because of these 
efforts, Mayor Jones has been honored by the Mississippi Conference of 
Black Mayors.
  In addition to improving the living conditions of the town, Mayor 
Jones has a dedicated interest in the education of all. After 
graduating Rust College in 1954 and serving two years in the U.S. Army, 
Mayor Jones and his wife, Vivian Virginia Moore, moved to the 
Mississippi Delta and worked in the Coahoma County School system for 40 
years before retiring in 1996. He has a vested interest in education. 
In 1956, he was among those fighting for equal salaries for all 
educators, for equal school funding and for equal treatment in use of 
public facilities.
  While serving as principal of Hull Elementary and Jonestown Middle 
Schools he saw that all students were clothed and fed in addition to 
receiving an education. For his contributions toward making the 1966 
merger of the National Education Association (NEA) and the Black 
American Teachers Association a success, Jones was recognized in 2006 
at the 40 Year Merger Anniversary Celebration. On the college level he 
promotes access to higher education for students of all ethnicities. He 
received the 1990 Rust College Alumnus of the Year and has received 
annual Outstanding Contribution Appreciation Awards at his alma mater 
since 1997.
  In 1996, as an educator, human and civil rights activist, Jones was 
among only a dozen veteran educators recognized nationwide and honored 
by the National Education Association at its annual Human and Civil 
Rights dinner. He was presented the H. Council Trenholm Memorial Award 
for his efforts to free the education system of inequities based on 
race and his leadership in advancing intergroup understanding within 
the education profession. On the state level the Mississippi 
Association of Educators (MAE) has presented him with the Lifetime 
Achievement Award, the MAE Humanized Education Award and the 1996 
Member of the Year Award.

[[Page E992]]

  Through the years as a community servant, Mayor Jones has served as 
Chairman of Diversified March of Dimes, Chairman and Member of the 
Board of Directors of Coahoma Opportunities, Inc., President of Third 
District Teachers Association and North Delta Uniserv-MAE, and 
Representative of the Board Scouts of America. He is also affiliated 
with NAACP; Tri-County Workforce Alliance Board of Directors, 
Mississippi Delta Council for Farm Workers, Inc., local, state and 
national education associations, the Mississippi Conference of Black 
Mayors, the National Conference of Black Mayors, the Mississippi 
Municipal League, and the Mississippi Black Caucus of Local Elected 
Officials.
  Despite his many achievements, affiliations and recognition, Mayor 
Jones' focus remains the town of Coahoma. He is currently working on a 
drainage and street improvement project with federal and state support. 
He believes that the largest room in the world is the room of 
improvement and is continuously seeking ways and funds to improve the 
quality of life for his citizens in all areas--educationally, 
economically and socially.
  Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in recognizing Mayor W.J. 
Jones for his dedication to serving others.

                          ____________________