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2001 SESSION

017744832
HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 851
Offered February 1, 2001
Commending Mary Christian.
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Patrons-- McClure, Abbitt, Albo, Almand, Amundson, Armstrong, Barlow, Baskerville, Bennett, Black, Blevins, Bloxom, Bolvin, Brink, Broman, Bryant, Byron, Callahan, Clement, Councill, Cox, Cranwell, Crittenden, Darner, Day, DeBoer, Deeds, Devolites, Diamonstein, Dickinson, Dillard, Drake, Dudley, Grayson, Griffith, Hall, Hamilton, Hargrove, Harris, Howell, Hull, Ingram, Jackson, Joannou, Johnson, Jones, D.C., Jones, J.C., Jones, S.C., Katzen, Keister, Kilgore, Landes, Larrabee, Louderback, Marshall, May, McDonnell, McEachin, McQuigg, Melvin, Moran, Morgan, Moss, Nixon, O'Bannon, O'Brien, Orrock, Parrish, Phillips, Plum, Pollard, Purkey, Putney, Rapp, Reid, Rhodes, Robinson, Rollison, Rust, Scott, Sherwood, Shuler, Spruill, Stump, Suit, Tata, Tate, Thomas, Van Landingham, Van Yahres, Wardrup, Ware, Watts, Weatherholtz, Welch, Wilkins, Williams, Woodrum and Wright
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WHEREAS, Delegate Mary Christian is being honored by Thomas Nelson Community College by the naming of the Dr. Mary Christian Auditorium in recognition of her public service and being a role model for our youth; and

WHEREAS, as a young divorced mother of three, Mary Christian worked in the laundry room at Hampton Institute and took adult education classes for advancement; and

WHEREAS, due to her outstanding work as a typist and secretary and her natural talent as a teacher, Mary Christian was encouraged to earn and did earn a bachelor's degree in education at the age of 31; and

WHEREAS, while being a mother and serving with distinction in a teaching position at Aberdeen Elementary School, Mary Christian earned a master's degree in speech and drama from Columbia University; and

WHEREAS, due to her outstanding teaching and academic abilities, Mary Christian became an instructor in the Department of Elementary Education at Hampton Institute and later at Michigan State University, where she received her doctorate in elementary education; and

WHEREAS, Mary Christian returned to Hampton University, where she was appointed to the position of Dean of the School of Education and where she retired as professor emeritus; and

WHEREAS, long active in civic affairs, Mary Christian ran in 1985 for the House of Delegates and became the first African-American elected to the General Assembly from Hampton; and

WHEREAS, Mary Christian is a highly respected and beloved leader in the General Assembly, is serving her seventh term in the House of Delegates, was the first African-American woman to serve as a committee chair, and now holds important positions on the Appropriations, Education, Conservation and Natural Resources, and Militia and Police Committees; and

WHEREAS, in addition to her devotion to her husband, children, grandchildren, and extended family members, Mary Christian is active in a wide range of community service and professional organizations, including the First Baptist Church, the Hampton Crusade for Voters, the Coalition of 100 Black Women, the Peninsula Girl Scout Council, the NAACP, the American Lung Association, the Peninsula Association of Sickle Cell Anemia, and the Virginia Board on Gifted Education; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED by the House of Delegates, the Senate concurring, That the General Assembly commend Mary Christian for her lengthy and outstanding public service and on the naming of the Dr. Mary Christian Auditorium at Thomas Nelson Community College; and, be it

RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the House of Delegates prepare a copy of this resolution for presentation to Mary Christian as an expression of the admiration of her colleagues in the General Assembly.