00:00 a certified copy of this resolution to the family of Edward Ed Walter Jones section four this resolution is effective upon gratification. representative Wray please state your purpose. to speak on the resolution. gentleman's recognized to debate the resolution. thank you Mr speaker and members of the house ladies and gentlemen I'm just a simple guy from Northampton county you barely ever see me get up on the house floor and speak that's how I operate people'd run their mouths all the time that's fine I'm just a simple guy just like Ed Jones I never wear a bow-tie I've worn a bow-tie three times in my life I wore it last year in honor of my friend when he was here I wore one the second time the day they buried my friend and I wore one today Christmas time my wife I have twin boys will be 16 this week Christmas time I got two presents from my family from my wife and my two boys one of them was a picture of Ed Jones and this bow-tie that was very special and very dear to me we have a lot of freshmen members that are here lot of democrats more republicans than democrats but let me tell you you heard the resolution Ed Jones was a simple man that came from the Ashford community when he was a African american and he'd come a long way Ed was very dear to me in your life in your lifetime you meet friends throughout your whole life you can always count them on one hand the ones that you can really call through thick and thin in the day that my friend [??] to God was one day that I lost one of my good friends throughout the general assembly we all here just a passing just making a difference Ed Jones never saw skin color he never saw age we were in a group of people and some children to decide he would go to the children instead of speaking to the voters that's just the kind of gentleman Ed was I came in 2005 Ed came in 2005 John Hall passed away John Hall sat in seat 60 right here and Ed came as on April 6 is my birthday and I had a fundraiser back in [??] and Ed went back as a house member from [??] county and his first vote was on the North Carolina lottery and that was a special day for him because he was one of the deciding votes here in the state house and so Ed and I started becoming friends and we would talk and we would talk on the road and next thing you know as years go by Ed senator [??] was re-elected Ed was re-elected in the house and senator [??] passed away it was unique in North Carolina we had a state senator and a state house member pass within a week or two of each other and so I'd involved in politics and Ed said well I want you to be the senator I said Ed I don't wanna be a senator I said I want you to be a senator and Ed said well I want you to be the senator and so congressman Butterfield called from Washimgton and said look I'mma fly down to [??] airport to meet you and senator Jones I said you know you stay in Washington we got this under control and so Ed and I talked and I said look Ed I'm a young man I got my life ahead of me I said you know you [??] older than I am but he always joked about that but Ed was truly as fitting for him to be a senator to represent the people of the district that he represented Ed was a highway patrolman and he represented that part of the state and so Ed [??] a lot of the people so it was just a better fit for him but I represented Northampton [??] county and a lot of times Ed would be down further down east and I would be [??] county and we call each other on the phone where're you at I'm [??] so where you at but we had great memories and we had a lot of good times we talked about our family and that's one thing as a young man Ed bestowed upon me about how important your family is politics is a great thing you help a lot of people that can't help themselves but family is one of the most important things I've always known that I've got two special boys just like everybody else [??] children and grandchildren no matter what but Ed was so look you need to get home to your family you know don't worry about that you know I said Ed I need to go there he said no.. 05:00