Wikipedia talk:Articles for deletion/Joanne Lyles White

Louisiana House of Representatives HR13, 2011 First Extraordinary Session: "WHEREAS, with the death of Mrs. White, Louisiana has lost one of her finest daughters, a deeply beloved individual who was known for her extraordinarily kind and generous spirit; and WHEREAS, although the death of Mrs. White has left a tremendous void in her community, her memory shall live forever in the minds and hearts of all who were blessed to know and love her. THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the House of Representatives of the Legislature of Louisiana does hereby express sincere and heartfelt condolences upon the death of Mrs. Joanne Lyles White of Alexandria, does hereby record for posterity her singular contributions and outstanding achievements, and does hereby express enduring appreciation for the pride and honor that this fine citizen will forever bring to the city of Alexandria, Rapides Parish, and the state of Louisiana."

Louisiana Legislature resolved that White was one of Louisiana's "finest daughters" and commended her work on behalf of the state, not just her hometown. White founded the Louisiana High School Speech League and Tournament of Champions. Hope House may have been awarded Presidential honor as organization, but White founded the organization.

Sojourner Truth award is not verified online, but White received Habitat for Humanity's "Living Legend" award in 2009 and was named Central Louisianan of the Year by Cenla Focus in 2007. Central Louisiana has a population of approximately 400,000.

White's sister Sue Eakin also is listed on Wikipedia.

Clean it up and include more references, but deletion would be inappropriate and disrespectful. — Preceding unsigned comment added by Atowner (talk • contribs) 01:52, 9 April 2011 (UTC)


 * Mrs. White obviously was well-respected and honored by her community, but what makes her different from thousands of other good people? And if Mrs. White was deserving of a Wikipdeia entry, why was it not created until after her obituary was published? Nothing against the good work she did, but I just don't think she has reached a level of notability. One of the criteria for Notability (people) is "The person has received a well-known and significant award or honor, or has been nominated for one several times." Other than the "1,000 points of Light" program, it is not clear if the awards noted are just local awards or national awards. Are there any mentions in reliable, independent publications outside of Louisiana?Wkharrisjr (talk) 03:12, 9 April 2011 (UTC)


 * " thousands of other good people" also have Wikipedia entries. Sometimes, the entire breadth of a person's accomplishments cannot be properly contextualized until after their death. That's why obituaries can be useful sources of information. Her obituary clearly implies that many of her awards were national commendations. This information was published by numerous newspapers and officially recognized by the Louisiana legislature. Apart from asking her family to provide photographic or scanned documentation of each and every award listed, it seems more than appropriate and respectful to trust in the integrity of the news reports and the narrative of her obituary and the Louisiana House resolution. The entry should be expanded to include additional citations, but deletion would be inappropriate and premature Atowner Atowner (talk) 05:48, 9 April 2011 (UTC)