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2000 SESSION

005466480
SENATE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 32
Offered January 12, 2000
Prefiled January 5, 2000
Commending Joseph H. Rose.
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Patron-- Miller, Y.B.
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WHEREAS, on June 12, 1999, the Doctor of Humane Letters degree was conferred on Joseph H. Rose by the New Hope Seminary of Baltimore, Maryland, in recognition of his remarkable career of service to the Hampton Roads community; and

WHEREAS, Joseph Rose, affectionately known to his many friends as Joe, was born in the Southampton County community of Ivor, graduated from Booker T. Washington High School in Norfolk, and earned his bachelor’s degree from Virginia State College (now University) in 1939; and

WHEREAS, Joseph Rose was a star athlete in college, was a member of Virginia State’s CIAA championship football team in 1938, and later coached football at what is now Norfolk State University; and

WHEREAS, Joseph Rose served in the United States Naval Shore Patrol in the Fifth Naval District, a unit that prompted the United States Navy to establish a training station in the Great Lakes, thus opening branches of the Navy to servicemen of color for the first time; and

WHEREAS, Joseph Rose was the founder and coach of the Brown Bombers, a semi-professional football team in Hampton Roads made up of former college players who were unable to break the racial barriers then in place in most of the professional sports leagues; and

WHEREAS, after establishing a successful plastering business, Joseph Rose served as athletic director for the Norfolk Recreation Department, organizing an assortment of teams in basketball, football, and baseball that ultimately involved 1,500 youth and adults; and

WHEREAS, Joseph Rose was also an influential member of the Church Street merchants of Norfolk, leading the organization’s efforts to revitalize and reestablish that commercial corridor; and

WHEREAS, still an impassioned and effective advocate at an age when most are long-since retired, Joseph Rose continues to serve the citizens of Hampton Roads and to effectively represent those who cannot help themselves; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED by the Senate, the House of Delegates concurring, That the General Assembly hereby commend Joseph H. Rose for his many years of commitment to the welfare of the citizens of Norfolk and Hampton Roads; and, be it

RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the Senate prepare a copy of this resolution for presentation to Joseph H. Rose as an expression of the General Assembly’s admiration and appreciation for his manifold contributions to the Norfolk community.