A house RESOLUTION

TO CONGRATULATE Mae Esther Fields OF Chesterfield COUNTY ON THE OCCASION OF HER ninetieTH BIRTHDAY AND TO WISH HER A JOYOUS BIRTHDAY CELEBRATION AND MANY YEARS OF CONTINUED service, HEALTH, AND HAPPINESS.

Whereas, the members of the South Carolina House of Representatives are delighted to learn that Mae Esther Fields of Chesterfield County will celebrate her ninetieth birthday on April 1, 2024; and

Whereas, born on April 1, 1934, in the first half of the twentieth century, she has witnessed the many remarkable social changes, technological advancements, and international developments that have spanned the globe from that time into the first quarter of the twenty-first century; and

Whereas, Ms. Fields was the second of twelve children born to Mary Elizabeth Gattison, and she was reared by her aunt, the late Christine Gattison Fountain; and

Whereas, she attended Darlington County public schools when segregation was still in existence until the eighth grade, but she quit school when her mother died in order to help care for her younger siblings; and

Whereas, without a license or formal training, Ms. Fields taught a sort of mathematics through her example, not in a school classroom but in her community, when she added the values of love and hard work to her life; subtracted a can't-do attitude from her mind; multiplied these concepts in her home, her church, and her community; and divided them among her children; and

Whereas, she has worked faithfully for the Town of Patrick serving on the Beautification Committee, of which she is currently the chairperson. A dedicated member of the Patrick Pine Straw Committee, she assists with the community Arbor Day celebration every year; and

Whereas, a devoted member of the Patrick Senior Quilters, Ms. Fields formerly served as a member of the Council on Aging for over fifteen years. Before Covid, she was dedicated to delivering Christmas dinners annually to the elderly in the community, and for some time she was over the youth in the community for a job program that was grant funded during the summer; and

Whereas, as a faithful member of the Morning Star Baptist Church, she serves the congregation on the Missionary Board, and she is recognized as the mother of the church; and

Whereas, Ms. Fields worked at the Delta Mills in Wallace for more than twenty years with perfect attendance, and she retired in 1996 following the death of her youngest child; and

Whereas, she gave birth to nine children, of whom seven are still living. She has been blessed with the affection of sixteen loving grandchildren and five bonus grandchildren. She has seen the continuation of her loving family legacy in thirty great-grandchildren; and

Whereas, the members of the South Carolina House of Representatives are pleased to honor this daughter of South Carolina at the celebration of her ninetieth birthday and join with her family and friends in congratulating her on reaching this extraordinary milestone. Now, therefore,

Be it resolved by the House of Representatives:

That the members of the South Carolina House of Representatives, by this resolution, congratulate  Mae Esther Fields of Chesterfield County on the occasion of her ninetieth birthday and wish her a joyous birthday celebration and many years of continued service, health, and happiness.

Be it further resolved that a copy of this resolution be presented to Mae Esther Fields.

----XX----