HR 9003B 2003
1	House Resolution
2	A resolution honoring the memory of Judge Wilkie D.
3	Ferguson, Jr.
4
5	WHEREAS, Wilkie Demeritte Ferguson, Jr., son of Bahamian
6	parents, was born in Miami on May 11, 1938, received his
7	undergraduate degree from Florida Agricultural and Mechanical
8	University, and served as an officer in the United States Army
9	before earning a law degree from Howard University School of Law
10	in 1968 and launching a legal career as a staff attorney for the
11	Legal Services of Greater Miami, Inc., and
12	WHEREAS, in a succession of judicial appointments beginning
13	in 1973, Judge Ferguson rose from the Court of Industrial Claims
14	to become the first black jurist on the Miami-Dade Circuit Court
15	and, thereafter, on Florida's Third District Court of Appeal
16	before he was appointed in 1993 to the United States District
17	Court for the Southern District of Florida, South Florida's
18	second black to hold a federal judgeship, and
19	WHEREAS, described as a pioneering jurist and crusading
20	rights activist whose soft-spoken, even-handed courtroom manner
21	cloaked a fierce sense of justice for the underdog, Judge
22	Ferguson is remembered for his first landmark case, in which he
23	found that blacks were systematically excluded from juries of
24	their peers, and is credited with significant rulings that have
25	vastly improved the quality of life for thousands of disabled
26	Florida residents, and
27	WHEREAS, Judge Ferguson, who was active in numerous
28	professional associations, the recipient of many prestigious
29	awards and honors, and, with his wife, Betty, involved in
30	community campaigns and charitable events, is spoken of as "a
31	gentle man . . . a very kindly man" and a judge "whose life of
32	public service exemplifies the standard for all citizens," and
33	WHEREAS, on June 9, 2003, Judge Wilkie D. Ferguson, Jr.,
34	quietly and with customary dignity surrendered in his battle
35	against leukemia, having fought a good fight that has left
36	countless Floridians in his debt, NOW, THEREFORE,
37
38	Be It Resolved by the House of Representatives of the State of
39	Florida:
40
41	That the House of Representatives, with immense pride mixed
42	with extreme sadness, honors the memory of an outstanding
43	citizen and extends its sincere sympathy to the family, friends,
44	and associates of Judge Wilkie D. Ferguson, Jr.
45	BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that copies of this resolution be
46	presented to wife Betty Tucker Ferguson, daughter Tawnicia
47	Ferguson-Rowan, and son Wilkie D. Ferguson III as a tangible
48	token of the sentiments expressed herein.