2020 -- H 8112 | |
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LC005488 | |
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STATE OF RHODE ISLAND | |
IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY | |
JANUARY SESSION, A.D. 2020 | |
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H O U S E R E S O L U T I O N | |
EXTENDING DEEPEST SYMPATHY ON THE PASSING OF THE HONORABLE PAUL L. | |
GAINES, SR., THE FIRST AFRICAN AMERICAN MAYOR IN NEW ENGLAND | |
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Introduced By: Representatives Abney, Carson, Ranglin-Vassell, Williams, and Hull | |
Date Introduced: July 16, 2020 | |
Referred To: House read and passed | |
1 | WHEREAS, It is with utmost sadness that this House has learned of the passing of the |
2 | Honorable Paul L. Gaines, Sr., beloved husband of Jo Eva Johnson Gaines, and cherished father |
3 | of Jena Gaines, Patricia Gaines and her husband, Michael Dean, Paulajo Gaines and her husband, |
4 | the Honorable William White, Jr., and Paul Gaines, Jr. He was also the very proud grandfather of |
5 | Zachary Gaines Mays and Nicolas Gaines Mays; and |
6 | WHEREAS, Born in Newport, Mr. Gaines was a son of the late Pauline and Albert |
7 | Gaines, and the brother of the late Albert Jr., William, Robert, Margaret and Estelle. He attended |
8 | Newport's public schools and earned his Bachelor’s degree in Education at Xavier University of |
9 | Louisiana; and |
10 | WHEREAS, From 1955 through 1957, Mr. Gaines served our country with honor with |
11 | the Second Armored Division of the United States Army in Europe. Upon discharge, he served in |
12 | the Army Reserves for four years, and in 1968, continued his education, earning a Master’s |
13 | degree in Counseling from Bridgewater State College; and |
14 | WHEREAS, For almost a decade, Mr. Gaines taught social studies, health, and physical |
15 | education at Thompson Junior High School and later, taught history at Rogers High School where |
16 | he was also the assistant and ultimately the head basketball coach. In 1968, he became assistant |
17 | to the President for minority affairs and affirmative action at Bridgewater State College, retiring |
18 | in 1996 after a 37-year career in education; and |
19 | WHEREAS, Mr. Gaines began his long and illustrious association with politics in 1968, |
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1 | when he was appointed to the Newport School Committee to fill an unexpired term. Appealing to |
2 | a broad political spectrum, he was subsequently elected to a full term and in 1977, he successfully |
3 | ran for the Newport City Council, becoming the first African American elected to the Council |
4 | since the turn of the century; and |
5 | WHEREAS, Earning the respect of his fellow councilors, Mr. Gaines was elected Chair |
6 | and Mayor of Newport in September of 1981, conferring him with the distinction of becoming the |
7 | first African American Mayor in New England; and |
8 | WHEREAS, Throughout his lifetime, Paul Gaines continuously recognized and |
9 | embraced his responsibility to give back. During his tenure as Chair of the Committee for the |
10 | Renovation of Patriots’ Park in Portsmouth, he oversaw the construction of a monument for the |
11 | First Rhode Island Regiment (“the Black Regiment”) that fought in the Revolutionary War. His |
12 | public service also included election to the Rhode Island Constitutional Convention, and serving |
13 | as a member of the Advisory Council of the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights, the Rhode Island |
14 | Ethics Commission, the Board of Trustees of St. Michael’s Country Day School, the Newport |
15 | Historical Society, the Newport Public Schools Equity in Education Committee, and the Newport |
16 | Canvassing Authority, where he was also named Chair, to name but a few of his many |
17 | commitments and endeavors; and |
18 | WHEREAS, For his devotion to the our State, various organizations bestowed Paul |
19 | Gaines was with a plethora of awards and honors. Upon his retirement from education, the Afro- |
20 | American Alumni Society established the Paul L. Gaines Scholarship. He was also inducted into |
21 | the Newport Sports Hall of Fame, delivered the keynote address at the 58th Annual Reading of |
22 | the George Washington Letter to the Congregation of Touro Synagogue in Newport, and received |
23 | the Living the Dream Award of the Martin Luther King Jr. State Holiday Commission; and |
24 | WHEREAS, Paul Gaines was a dedicated public official whose upright and noble life |
25 | was a standard of emulation for us all, and his social and political conscience transformed and |
26 | enriched the quality of life for many Rhode Islanders; now, therefore be it |
27 | RESOLVED, That this House of Representatives of the State of Rhode Island hereby |
28 | extends its deepest condolences on the passing of the Honorable Paul L. Gaines, Sr.; and be it |
29 | further |
30 | RESOLVED, That the Secretary of State be and hereby is authorized and directed to |
31 | transmit a duly certified copy of this resolution to Mrs. Jo Eva Johnson Gaines and Family. |
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LC005488 | |
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