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2006 SESSION

063799544
HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 236
Offered January 26, 2006
Commending Judge Jane Pritchard Becker Delbridge.
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Patrons-- Watts, Albo, Amundson, Bulova, Callahan, Caputo, Hull, Marsden, Moran, Plum, Rust, Scott, J.M., Shannon and Sickles; Senators: Cuccinelli, Devolites Davis, Howell, O'Brien, Puller, Saslaw, Ticer and Whipple
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WHEREAS, Jane Pritchard Becker Delbridge, judge of the Juvenile and Domestic Relations District Court of Fairfax County, retired after 23 years of outstanding public service to the citizens of Fairfax County; and

WHEREAS, Jane Delbridge was born and grew up in Bluefield, West Virginia, where her parents owned and operated radio station WVOW; and

WHEREAS, Jane Delbridge graduated from West Virginia University with a degree in political science and broadcasting and earned a degree in law from The Catholic University of America in 1973; and

WHEREAS, Jane Delbridge lived in Washington, D.C., worked for the Federal Communications Commission and later for the law firm of McKenna, Wilkinson, and Kittner, which represented the American Broadcasting Network; and

WHEREAS, Jane Delbridge moved to Virginia and for a decade worked in a private practice specializing in family law; and

WHEREAS, on March 3, 1983, Judge Delbridge was elected to the Juvenile and Domestic Relations District Court of Fairfax County; and

WHEREAS, dedicated to improving the quality of life for all children, Judge Delbridge helped to establish Fairfax County’s Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) program which trains volunteers who are appointed by the court to support and advocate for neglected and abused children; and

WHEREAS, for four years, Judge Delbridge served as the chief judge of the Fairfax Juvenile and Domestic Relations Court, known as the Family Court of Record for two years, and during that time, heard 25 percent of the county’s divorce cases in addition to cases concerning families; and

WHEREAS, committed to the young people of Fairfax County, Judge Delbridge served as a member of the board of advisors of Project Opportunity, the county’s first school program for pregnant and parenting teens; and

WHEREAS, since 2003, Judge Delbridge served as the judge of Fairfax County’s pilot Drug Court for teenagers which was established after a year and a half of study and planning by a multi-agency drug court task force; and

WHEREAS, Judge Delbridge is an active member of numerous civic and professional organizations, including the Soroptimist International of Woodbridge, the Fairfax Bar Association, and the Virginia, District, and National Associations of Women Judges, and is a dedicated member of All Saints Episcopal Church, Sharon Chapel; and

WHEREAS, Judge Delbridge served the Fairfax County courts with dignity, profound wisdom, and compassion, and is greatly respected for her fairness as well as her sensitivity and concern for the well-being of the families and children of the Commonwealth; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED by the House of Delegates, the Senate concurring, That the General Assembly commend Judge Jane Pritchard Becker Delbridge for her 23 years of outstanding service to the citizens of Fairfax County; and, be it

RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the House of Delegates prepare a copy of this resolution for presentation to Judge Jane Pritchard Becker Delbridge as an expression of the General Assembly’s best wishes for a joyful and fulfilling retirement.