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2007 SESSION

076782525
HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 922
Offered February 15, 2007
Celebrating the life of Hovey S. Dabney.
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Patrons-- Toscano and Bell; Senator: Deeds
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WHEREAS, Hovey S. Dabney, a prominent banker and former rector of the University of Virginia, died on February 9, 2007; and

WHEREAS, Hovey Dabney was born in Charlottesville on September 18, 1923, to Whythe and Mabelle Dabney and, except for the two years he served in the United States Air Force, he lived there his entire life; and

WHEREAS, during World War II, Hovey Dabney was a B-17 radio operator with the 15th Air Force stationed in Italy, and on his first combat mission, his aircraft was shot down and he landed behind enemy lines; he escaped through German and Russian lines and made it back to an American camp three months later; and

WHEREAS, Hovey Dabney went on to complete 24 more combat missions during the war and was awarded the Purple Heart; and

WHEREAS, following the war, Hovey Dabney enrolled at the University of Virginia, where he studied political science as an undergraduate and earned a law degree in 1949; and

WHEREAS, Hovey Dabney began a distinguished career in banking when he joined National Bank and Trust Company following his graduation from law school, and in 1963 he became president of the bank; and

WHEREAS, under the leadership of Hovey Dabney, National Bank, which later changed its name to Jefferson Bankshares, grew from five branches with assets of $10 million to 90 branches with assets of $1.8 billion in 1993, and in the late 1990s, it was acquired by Wachovia; and

WHEREAS, in addition to his exemplary professional life, Hovey Dabney dedicated a great deal of time and energy to various civic and community organizations; he was a member of Charlottesville's school board and electoral board in the 1960s and was chairman of the local Chamber of Commerce; and

WHEREAS, Hovey Dabney was particularly devoted to his alma mater, serving on the University of Virginia Board of Visitors from 1990 to 1998, as the university rector from 1992 to 1998, and as chairman of the university's Health Services Foundation, which he helped establish; and

WHEREAS, always ready to take on a challenge, Hovey Dabney served his profession, his community, and his country with great wisdom, enthusiasm, and commitment; and

WHEREAS, Hovey Dabney will be fondly remembered and greatly missed by his wife of 59 years, Patricia; their three children and eight grandchildren; and many other family members, friends, and supporters in the Charlottesville community; 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 Hovey S. Dabney, an outstanding civic leader and a fine Virginian; 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 Hovey S. Dabney as an expression of the General Assembly's respect for his memory.