SEARCH SITE
VIRGINIA LAW PORTAL
- Code of Virginia
- Virginia Administrative Code
- Constitution of Virginia
- Charters
- Authorities
- Compacts
- Uncodified Acts
- RIS Users (account required)
SEARCHABLE DATABASES
- Bills & Resolutions
session legislation - Bill Summaries
session summaries - Reports to the General Assembly
House and Senate documents - Legislative Liaisons
State agency contacts
ACROSS SESSIONS
- Subject Index: Since 1995
- Bills & Resolutions: Since 1994
- Summaries: Since 1994
Developed and maintained by the Division of Legislative Automated Systems.
2003 SESSION
WHEREAS, Dr. John L. Howlette, Sr., a pioneering Richmond optometrist and exceptionally dedicated and effective civic leader, died on October 9, 2002; and
WHEREAS, a native of Richmond, John Howlette graduated from Armstrong High School, Virginia Union University, Howard University in Washington, D.C., and the Illinois College of Optometry in Chicago; and
WHEREAS, a major force in the effort to break down segregation in the City of Richmond, Dr. Howlette, the first African-American optometrist in Richmond and the second in Virginia, opened his practice in the City's Jackson Ward neighborhood in 1952; and
WHEREAS, a caring and professional optometrist, Dr. Howlette quickly became popular and successful, and he used his success to encourage other African Americans to enter the profession; and
WHEREAS, Dr. Howlette's efforts to secure better eye care for African-American patients expanded beyond Richmond when he became one of the organizers of the National Optometric Association, a group that now has more than 500 members; and
WHEREAS, assuming leadership roles in traditional professional organizations, Dr. Howlette served as president of the Richmond Optometric Society and the Virginia Optometric Association, which honored him as Optometrist of the Year in 1974; and
WHEREAS, in 2001 Dr. Howlette became the first Virginia optometrist to be inducted into the National Optometric Hall of Fame; and
WHEREAS, for 50 years a leader in the Jackson Ward community, Dr. Howlette founded the Jackson Ward Business Association, lobbied City Hall for development funding and better police protection for the neighborhood, and was instrumental in the building of the Jackson Center office building; and
WHEREAS, Dr. Howlette also served on the Richmond School Board from 1980 to 1986, was appointed to the Richmond Redevelopment and Housing Authority, and served on the boards of Richmond Renaissance, the Black History Museum and Cultural Center of Virginia, and the Virginia State College Foundation; and
WHEREAS, throughout a long and distinguished career, Dr. Howlette served the residents of Jackson Ward and the City of Richmond as a healer, mentor, role model, and community leader; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED by the House of Delegates, the Senate concurring, That the General Assembly note with great sadness the passing of an outstanding citizen of the Commonwealth, Dr. John L. Howlette, Sr.; and, be it
RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the House of Delegates prepare a copy of this resolution for presentation to the family of Dr. John L. Howlette, Sr., as an expression of the high regard in which his memory is held by the members of the General Assembly.