IN THE COUNTY LEGISLATURE OF JACKSON COUNTY, MISSOURI
Title
A RESOLUTION honoring the life and achievements of Reverend Wallace S. Hartsfield, Sr.
Intro
RESOLUTION NO. 20363, February 3, 2020
INTRODUCED BY Ronald E. Finley, Theresa Cass Galvin, Dan Tarwater III, Jalen Anderson, Crystal Williams, Tony Miller, Scott Burnett, Charlie Franklin, and Jeanie Lauer, County Legislators
Body
WHEREAS, Rev. Wallace S. Hartsfield, Sr., a dedicated civil rights leader, community activist, and pastor in Kansas City, passed away January 23, 2020; and,
WHEREAS, Rev. Hartsfield was born in 1929 in Atlanta, Georgia, and grew up in Jacksonville, Florida; and,
WHEREAS, Rev. Hartsfield served a tour of duty in the United States Armed Forces and entered Clark College in Atlanta, Georgia, where he earned a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Elementary Education; and,
WHEREAS, Rev. Hartsfield graduated from Gammon Theological Seminary with Bachelor’s and Master’s of Divinity Degrees; and,
WHEREAS, Rev. Hartsfield served as Senior Pastor of Metropolitan Missionary Baptist Church of Kansas City, MO, from 1962 until 1968 and from 1972 until his retirement in 2008; and,
WHEREAS, Rev. Hartsfield held leadership positions with many organizations including as Chairman of the Congress of National Black Churches, President of the General Baptist State Convention for Missouri, Kansas, and Nebraska, Vice President-at-Large of the National Baptist Convention of America, Inc., Commissioner of the Missouri Highway and Transportation Commission, member of the Municipal Judicial Commission for Jackson County, and Executive Board member of the Jazz District Redevelopment Corporation; and,
WHEREAS, Rev. Hartsfield was an organizer of Operation PUSH and PUSH Excel and was one of the organizers for developing the Linwood Shopping Center; and,
WHEREAS, Rev. Hartsfield was the founder of the Concerned Clergy and a founder of the Baptist Ministers Union; and,
WHEREAS, Rev. Hartsfield mentored several politicians, including Alan Wheat, Rev. Emanuel Cleaver, and Bruce R. Watkins; and,
WHEREAS, Rev. Hartsfield was known for his advocacy of the marginalized and disadvantaged in our community and was affectionately known as The Godfather of Ministers; and,
WHEREAS, Rev. Hartsfield was married to the former Matilda Hopkins of Brunswick, Georgia, and was the father of four children, Pamela Faith, Danise Hope, Ruby Love, and Wallace S. Hartsfield, II; and,
WHEREAS, services for Rev. Hartsfield will be held at 11:00 a.m., on February 7, 2020, at Macedonia Baptist Church; now therefore,
BE IT RESOLVED by the County Legislature of Jackson County, Missouri, that the Legislature hereby recognizes the life and extraordinary achievements of Reverend Wallace S. Hartsfield, Sr., and extends its deepest sympathy to his family and friends.
Effective Date: This Resolution shall be effective immediately upon its passage by a majority of the Legislature.
APPROVED AS TO FORM:
____________________________ ______________________________
Chief Deputy County Counselor County Counselor
Certificate of Passage
I hereby certify that the attached resolution, Resolution No. 20363 of February 3, 2020, was duly passed on February 3, 2020 by the Jackson County Legislature. The votes thereon were as follows:
Yeas ______9_________ Nays ______0________
Abstaining ____0_____ Absent _____0_______
________________________ ____________________________
Date Mary Jo Spino, Clerk of Legislature