2020 -- H 8073

========

LC005437

========

     STATE OF RHODE ISLAND

IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY

JANUARY SESSION, A.D. 2020

____________

H O U S E   R E S O L U T I O N

EXPRESSING CONDOLENCES ON THE PASSING OF THE HONORABLE DOROTHY B.

EDWARDS

     Introduced By: Representatives Edwards, Canario, Donovan, Mattiello, and Shekarchi

     Date Introduced: June 18, 2020

     Referred To: House read and passed

     WHEREAS, It is with great sadness that this House has learned of the passing of Dorothy

B. Edwards, the beloved wife of the late Edwin Edwards, Jr., cherished mother of Debbi Pappas,

Cindy Edwards, Gary Edwards, and E. Branford Edwards, and a highly respected former State

Representative and Town Councilor for Portsmouth; and

     WHEREAS, Born in the City of Fall River, Mrs. Edwards was the daughter of George

and Esther Jackson; and

     WHEREAS, In 1966, against the odds, Mrs. Edwards successfully ran for her first

political office, as State Representative for District 94, a seat she held for seven terms; and

     WHEREAS, A staunch supporter of her District in Portsmouth, Representative Edwards

had “sponsored bills to study traffic patterns on the Mt. Hope Bridge, to authorize the town to

issue bonds for a new municipal complex, to establish a probate court, to resurface Park Avenue

(she lived in Island Park), to control subdivisions, to provide property tax exemptions for seniors

and veterans in Portsmouth, and more.” In addition, she was the prime sponsor on legislation

restoring the legal drinking age in the State back to 21 years old; and

     WHEREAS, In 1980, Representative Edwards retired from the General Assembly, but

never one to remain idle, she ran and was elected to the Portsmouth Town Council, serving as its

President during her second term; and

     WHEREAS, Upon her passing, the Town to which she gave so much of her life, honored

her memory and dedication with flags flown at half-mast; and

     WHEREAS, The most fitting tribute to Dorothy Edwards is a celebration of her life, a

life in which each and every day was lived fully. She brightened and enriched the lives of many

and she will be dearly missed and forever remembered; now, therefore be it

     RESOLVED, That this House of Representatives of the State of Rhode Island and

Providence Plantations hereby extends its deepest condolences on the passing of the Honorable

Dorothy B. Edwards; and be it further

     RESOLVED, That the Secretary of State be and hereby is authorized and directed to

transmit duly certified copies of this resolution to Debbi Pappas, Cindy Edwards, Gary Edwards,

and E. Branford Edwards.

========

LC005437

========

LC005437 - Page 2 of 2