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2005 SESSION


HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 807
Commending Flora Davis Crittenden, former member of the House of Delegates of Virginia.

 

Agreed to by the House of Delegates, January 28, 2005
Agreed to by the Senate, February 3, 2005

 

WHEREAS, Flora Davis Crittenden, a native of Brooklyn, New York, graduated from the former Huntington High School in Newport News, received her undergraduate degree from Virginia State University, and her master of science degree from Indiana University; and

WHEREAS, Flora Crittenden continued her education with post-graduate study in advanced Guidance Theory at the University of Louisville, and currently is a licensed professional counselor in Virginia; and

WHEREAS, prior to becoming a public servant, Flora Crittenden worked for 32 years in the Newport News Public Schools, during which time she assumed the duties of classroom teacher, extracurricular activity sponsor, department head, guidance counselor, and guidance director; and

WHEREAS, Delegate Crittenden contributed to molding thousands of students into model citizens and successful leaders and professionals through her labor of love as a teacher, mentor, and exemplary leader; and

WHEREAS, Flora Crittenden, elected to public office in 1986, started as a member of the Newport News City Council; and

WHEREAS, appointed to the Peninsula Transportation District Commission in 1988, Flora Crittenden, during her 12-year tenure, became a chairperson and vice chairperson of the Commission and served as a member of the Commission's Ad Hoc Committee for four years, in which she helped to plan the merger of the Peninsula Transportation District Commission and the Tidewater Regional Transit Commission, resulting in the creation of the Hampton Roads Transit; and

WHEREAS, Flora Crittenden also gave of her time and talents as a member of the Office of Human Affairs Board of Directors, the Newport News Transportation and Safety Commission, the Library Board of Trustees, and the 1990 Census Committee, which she chaired; and

WHEREAS, as a member of the House of Delegates from the 95th House District, Flora Crittenden faithfully served and enthusiastically contributed to the deliberations and work of the House Committees on Education, Privileges and Elections, Chesapeake and Its Tributaries, Transportation, and Rules; and

WHEREAS, an active member of and church historian for Trinity Baptist Church, Delegate Crittenden, a strong advocate for youth, established an educational after-school program and a full-day summer program for latchkey children at Trinity Baptist Church in Newport News, and founded "Strive," a nonprofit organization designed to help youth pursue positive alternatives in life and to provide them with cultural experiences, which will prepare them for success in higher education and postsecondary training; and

WHEREAS, Delegate Crittenden devotes many hours to community service through her participation in the Virginia Peninsula Food Bank; the Newport News Alliance for Youth; the Crime Partnership Oversight Committee; the Pinochle Bugs; the Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority; the Newport News Youth Prevention Committee, which she chairs; as a life member and past president of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP); as a hearing officer for the NAACP Legal Redress Committee; and as a member of the Boards of Directors of the Newsome House Foundation, the C. Waldo Scott Center for Hope, Project Discovery of Virginia, and the Flora D. Crittenden Foundation; and

WHEREAS, recognized for her contributions to education and the community, Delegate Crittenden is the recipient of many awards and honors, among them Outstanding Contribution by a Public Official by the Virginia Association of Public Transit Officials, Dedication and Service to the City of Newport News by the Human Rights Commission of the City of Newport News, Outstanding Contribution by a Public Official by the Hampton Roads Public Transportation Alliance, Outstanding Service to Mankind by the NAACP's Virginia State Conference, Citizen of the Year by the Omega Psi Phi Fraternity's Alpha Alpha Chapter, Commitment to Providing Access to Primary Health Care for Medically Underserved Citizens by the Virginia Primary Care Association, the Humanitarian Award by the National Conference  of Community and Justice, and Inductee to the Virginia State University Wall of Fame; and

WHEREAS, of all the honors bestowed upon Flora Crittenden, the most prestigious was the renaming of George Washington Carver High School in Newport News where she worked for 32 years as the Flora D. Crittenden Middle School, a magnet school for mathematics and science; and

WHEREAS, the renaming of George Washington Carver High School is particularly poignant as one of her relatives led the fight for a comprehensive high school for African Americans in the early 1940s that resulted in the opening of the school, a testament to her family's long history of service and community leadership; and

WHEREAS, courteous, kind, unpretentious, patient, compassionate, diligent, and a woman of great intellect and refinement, Flora Crittenden disarmed disagreeable individuals with her quiet unassuming manner, winning the admiration and respect of everyone she encountered; and

WHEREAS, Flora Davis Crittenden embraced and exemplified the qualities of a "servant-leader," and the halls of power boast of a kinder, gentler ambience as a result of her presence and service to the people of the Commonwealth; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED by the House of Delegates, the Senate concurring, That the General Assembly hereby commend Flora Davis Crittenden, former member of the House of Delegates of Virginia; and, be it

RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the House of Delegates prepare a copy of this resolution for presentation to Flora Davis Crittenden, "servant-leader," as an expression of the General Assembly's esteem and appreciation for her many years of service to the Commonwealth.