Changes

==Background==

==Background==

A native of Minden, Cornelius is one of five children of the late Sidney and Lucille Cornelius.<ref>''Minden Press-Herald'', March 6, 1990, p. 3.</ref> He graduated from the former historically black Webster High School in Minden, since incorporated into the [[Segregation|desegregated]] Minden High School. At one time, he resided in [[The Bronx]] [[borough]] of [[New York City]], where some of his children still live, and in [[Shreveport]], Louisiana,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.intelius.com/results.php?ReportType=1&qf=Joe&qmi=&qn=Cornelius&qcs=Minden%2C+LA&focusfirst=0|title=Joe Cornelius in Minden, LA|publisher=Intelius.com|accessdate=July 2, 2013}}</ref> where he was formerly employed as a technician by Benevolent Funeral Home. He owns Mr. Joe's Ice Cream truck delivery in Minden.<ref name=jcsr>{{cite web|url=http://www.zoominfo.com/p/Joe-Cornelius/49086080|title=Joe Cornelius Sr.|publisher=Zoominfo.com|accessdate=September 12, 2013}}</ref>

A native of Minden, Cornelius is one of five children of the late Sidney and Lucille Cornelius.<ref>''Minden Press-Herald'', March 6, 1990, p. 3.</ref> He graduated from the former historically black Webster High School in Minden, since incorporated into the [[Segregation|desegregated]] Minden High School. At one time, he resided in [[The Bronx]] [[borough]] of [[New York City]], where some of his children still live, and in [[Shreveport]], Louisiana,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.intelius.com/results.php?ReportType=1&qf=Joe&qmi=&qn=Cornelius&qcs=Minden%2C+LA&focusfirst=0|title=Joe Cornelius in Minden, LA|publisher=Intelius.com|accessdate=July 2, 2013}}</ref> where he was formerly employed as a technician by Benevolent Funeral Home. He owned Mr. Joe's Ice Cream truck delivery in Minden.<ref name=jcsr>{{cite web|url=http://www.zoominfo.com/p/Joe-Cornelius/49086080|title=Joe Cornelius Sr.|publisher=Zoominfo.com|accessdate=September 12, 2013}}</ref>

Cornelius has long been involved in such community affairs as the annual [[Christmas]] and [[Martin Luther King, Jr.]] parades, and Black History Month in February. He is a former president of the Minden High School Booster Club and chairman of the group Concerned Citizens of Minden, which raised funds to carry more than five hundred youth to area lakes for recreation. As a city council member, Cornelius worked for additional street lights, including the lighting of school zones; water and sewer projects, and local streets. He is a former deputy for the Webster Parish Sheriff's Office and a former member of the parish Office of Community Services. Cornelius is a past recipient of the  Distinguished Service Award presented by the Minden branch of the [[National Association for the Advancement of Colored People]]. In 1998, he received a humanitarian award from the Association of Black Social Workers for the North Louisiana Region.<ref name=jcsr/>

Cornelius has long been involved in such community affairs as the annual [[Christmas]] and [[Martin Luther King, Jr.]] parades, and Black History Month in February. He is a former president of the Minden High School Booster Club and chairman of the group Concerned Citizens of Minden, which raised funds to carry more than five hundred youth to area lakes for recreation. As a city council member, Cornelius worked for additional street lights, including the lighting of school zones; water and sewer projects, and local streets. He is a former deputy for the Webster Parish Sheriff's Office and a former member of the parish Office of Community Services. Cornelius is a past recipient of the  Distinguished Service Award presented by the Minden branch of the [[National Association for the Advancement of Colored People]]. In 1998, he received a humanitarian award from the Association of Black Social Workers for the North Louisiana Region.<ref name=jcsr/>