Resolution
LANC Board of Directors
Resolution Regarding Willie C. Dawson
March 26, 2010
WHEREAS, Willie C. Dawson began his legal career with the Legal Aid
Society of Northwest North Carolina in Winston Salem, and served as
a managing attorney in that office from 1976 to 1981;
WHEREAS, Willie C. Dawson accepted the challenge to establish one of
the first legal services programs in rural Eastern North Carolina in
1981 and exhibited great personal courage and made many sacrifices
to become the Executive Director of Pamlico Sound Legal Services,
Inc. (now the New Bern and Greenville Offices of Legal Aid of North
Carolina) in order to provide legal representation to the poor in a
ten county service area;
WHEREAS, Willie C. Dawson was at the forefront of developing an
integrated perspective to address poverty in the communities served
by Pamlico Sound Legal Services by not only representing individual
clients but also by assisting community organizations dedicated to
improving local economies and helping clients escape the cycle of
poverty;
WHEREAS, Willie C. Dawson was a co-founder of the Community
Reinvestment Act movement in North Carolina in the mid 1980s and
established a memorandum of understanding between Legal Services of
North Carolina and three major banks in NC to create the Community
Reinvestment Association of North Carolina, (CRANC) to advocate for
fairer lending practices to the poor that has lead to agreements
totaling more than $40 billion in mortgages, small business lending
and community development investments for low wealth communities.
WHEREAS, Willie C. Dawson established the North Carolina Legal
Services Community Economic Development Task Force to educate and
encourage legal services attorneys to represent organizations
seeking to improve their communities;
WHEREAS, Willie C. Dawson was instrumental in organizing the Eastern
North Carolina Disaster Relief Conference in September 1999 in
response to the horrific flood damage caused by Hurricane Floyd to
bring relief to the victims of the hurricane which devastated an
already struggling part of our state;
WHEREAS, Willie C. Dawson faithfully served as an initial member of
the Board of Directors of Legal Aid of North Carolina, providing
wisdom and leadership to help guide the organization in its infancy;
WHEREAS, Willie C. Dawson was a respected colleague and friend who
made significant contributions to the delivery of legal services to
the vulnerable and the underrepresented in rural Eastern North
Carolina and throughout the state;
WHEREAS, Willie C. Dawson was a giant of the statewide legal
services community with an unfailing dedication and commitment to
the ideals of equal justice and a generous spirit and compassion,
inspiring not only his staff but countless legal services attorneys
and others to follow in his footsteps;
WHEREAS, Willie C. Dawson, a loving husband and proud father,
battled health problems for many years but continued to aggressively
defend the rights of the poor, to work to improve the communities in
which they live, and to provide friendship, sage guidance and great
inspiration to his staff and other legal aid advocates throughout
the state;
NOW THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that we honor Willie C. Dawson for
his wisdom, tireless advocacy and genuine compassion for others as
we express our deepest sympathies to his family and friends at his
untimely passing on March 9, 2010.
BE IT RESOLVED FURTHER, that Legal Aid of North Carolina memorialize
in its official minutes this record and tribute to Willie C. Dawson
for his outstanding dedication and service to this organization and
his important contributions to social justice.
The Undersigned Chair of the Board of Legal Aid of North Carolina,
Inc. certifies that the above action and resolution was duly
approved and adopted by the Board on the date set forth above.
March 26, 2010__
____________________________________
Date
Lisa Morgan, Director, Chair of the Board
March 26, 2010__
____________________________________
Date
Phillip Leigh, Director, Secretary of the Board
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Mission Statement
Legal Aid of North Carolina is a statewide, nonprofit law firm that
provides free legal services in civil matters to low-income people in
order to ensure equal access to justice and to remove legal barriers
to economic opportunity.