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2005 SESSION

059300312
HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 775
Offered January 18, 2005
On the death of Robert Mallory Freeman.
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Patrons-- Hall, Baskerville, Bland, Cox, Ingram, Janis, Jones, D.C., Marrs, McDougle, Miles, Nixon, O'Bannon, Reid and Ware, R.L.; Senators: Lambert, Marsh, Martin, Stosch and Watkins
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WHEREAS, Robert Mallory Freeman of Richmond, retired chairman and chief executive officer of Signet Banking Corporation and a widely respected Richmond community leader, died on May 26, 2004; and

WHEREAS, a native of Richmond, Robert Freeman attended St. Christopher's School and graduated from Douglas Freeman High School and the University of Virginia; and

WHEREAS, at the age of 30, Robert Freeman became a vice president with the Bank of Virginia, and six years later, he was president and chief executive officer of the Bank of Virginia, which became Signet Bank in 1986; and

WHEREAS, in 1989 Robert Freeman took on the duties of chief executive officer of Signet, adding the role of chairman the following year, and led the bank with great skill and integrity until his retirement in 1996; and

WHEREAS, among Robert Freeman's accomplishments was the successful establishment of Signet's credit card operations as a separate entity, Capitol One Financial Corporation, now the largest nongovernmental employer in the Richmond area; and

WHEREAS, in addition to his successful banking career, Robert Freeman was well-known and respected for his leadership of numerous community, environmental, and educational organizations; and

WHEREAS, Robert Freeman was vice chairman of the Chesapeake Bay Foundation and the Tredegar National Civil War Foundation, a former president of the Maymont Foundation, and held leadership positions with the Virginia Environmental Endowment, the Rice Center for Environmental Life Sciences, and the Virginia Institute of Marine Science Council; and

WHEREAS, Robert Freeman was a former vice chairman of the Medical College of Virginia Hospitals Authority, a former trustee of the Virginia Historical Society, and a former chairman of United Way of Greater Richmond and Richmond Renaissance; and

WHEREAS, throughout a life of significant professional and civic achievement, Robert Freeman earned a reputation as one of Virginia's most dynamic, successful, and respected banking leaders; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED by the House of Delegates, the Senate concurring, That the General Assembly hereby note with sadness the passing of an exceptional Virginian, Robert Mallory Freeman; 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 Robert Mallory Freeman as an expression of the respect in which his memory is held by the members of the General Assembly.