MS HR53

House Resolution mourning the loss and commemorating the life of Mrs. Aurabelle Denise Mondy Caggins, who passed away March 2, 2016.

Mrs. Caggins had a 44-year teaching career spanning multiple schools including 33rd Avenue High School, Nichols High School, Gulfport High School, and Gulfport East High School.

She earned a bachelor's degree in home economics from Alcorn State University (1941) and a master's degree in home economics from Tuskegee University.

In 1985, Mrs. Caggins became the first African-American woman to seek the office of Gulfport Mayor and was later elected Harrison County Precinct Commissioner, serving for 12 years as the oldest elected official in Mississippi at age 87.

She served in leadership roles with Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, the National Council of Negro Women, the NAACP, and directed the National Council of Negro Women Day Care Center while instrumental in establishing the first Head Start Program in Gulfport.