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2000 SESSION

005092480
SENATE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 47
Offered January 12, 2000
Celebrating the life of Hortense Rollins Wells.
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Patron-- Miller, Y.B.
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WHEREAS, Hortense Rollins Wells, a retired administrator and supervisor in the Norfolk public schools and a dedicated community volunteer, died on April 28, 1999; and

WHEREAS, a native of Baltimore, Hortense Wells was raised and educated in Pennsylvania and New Jersey, earned her bachelor’s degree with highest honors from Bennett College and her master’s degree from the University of Pennsylvania, and pursued post-graduate training at Harvard, Columbia, Chicago, Cornell, and New York Universities; and

WHEREAS, a resident of Norfolk since 1945, Hortense Wells was a teacher and head guidance counselor at Smallwood Elementary School and Jacox Junior High School before becoming supervisor of elementary and junior high schools in 1955; and

WHEREAS, Hortense Wells was only the second African-American to become a supervisor or administrator in the Norfolk public schools; and

WHEREAS, later in her outstanding career, Hortense Wells served as coordinator of elementary education, director and educational planner of the Model City Education Program, and mentor to many teachers and administrators; and

WHEREAS, upon her retirement in 1973, Hortense Wells was appointed to the Norfolk School Board, where she served with distinction for nine years; and

WHEREAS, in 1998, Hortense Wells was honored for the role she played, at great personal risk, in providing books and instruction to African-American students when the massive resistance policies of Virginia mandated school closure rather than compliance with court-ordered integration; and

WHEREAS, Hortense Wells was also honored with citations from the National Conference of Christians and Jews and the Woman’s Auxiliary of Norfolk Community Hospital; and

WHEREAS, a dedicated community volunteer, Hortense Wells lent her time, talents and energy to a host of civic and charitable organizations, including the Voluntary Action Center, the Mayor’s Youth Commission, the Chrysler Museum of Art, the YWCA, and many others; and

WHEREAS, a woman of great accomplishment, dedication, and courage, Hortense Wells leaves a lasting legacy of service to the young people of Norfolk and the Commonwealth; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED by the Senate, the House of Delegates concurring, That the General Assembly mourn the passing of an exceptional Virginian, Hortense Rollins Wells; and, be it

RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the Senate prepare a copy of this resolution for presentation to the family of Hortense Rollins Wells as an expression of the high regard in which her memory is held by the members of the General Assembly.