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2004 SESSION

047801408
HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 210
Offered January 14, 2004
Prefiled January 14, 2004
Celebrating the life of Mary B. Wade.
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Patron-- McDougle
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WHEREAS, Mary B. Wade of Richmond, a dynamic and exceptionally effective advocate for Virginia's Indian tribes, died on April 18, 2003; and

WHEREAS, a native of West Virginia, Mary Wade became aware of her Monacan Indian heritage as an adult and became deeply involved in tribal activities and Indian issues; and

WHEREAS, Mary Wade was twice appointed secretary to the Virginia Council on Indians, by Governors George Allen and James Gilmore, and was active on the council's Committee on Religious Rights of Indian Inmates; and

WHEREAS, Mary Wade became involved in Indian issues before the legislature, often appearing before General Assembly committees to aid the passage of such legislation as the reinstatement of Virginia tribes' rights to hunt and fish without a license and the design and introduction of a license plate to commemorate Virginia's Indian heritage; and

WHEREAS, on a larger stage, Mary Wade was active in the efforts of six Virginia tribes to gain federal recognition, leading the effort to gain passage of a General Assembly resolution in favor of the move and working with Congressman James Moran on the needed federal legislation; and

WHEREAS, in support of the effort on the federal level, Mary Wade was instrumental in the establishment of the Virginia Indian Tribal Alliance for Life (VITAL), which she served as founding president; and

WHEREAS, also the Monacan representative to the United Indians of Virginia, Mary Wade devoted endless energy and passion to the betterment of the lives of Indians across the Commonwealth; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED by the House of Delegates, the Senate concurring, That the General Assembly hereby note with great sadness the loss of an energetic, resourceful, and exceptionally dedicated advocate, Mary B. Wade; 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 Mary B. Wade as an expression of the high regard in which her memory is held by the members of the General Assembly.