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2008 SESSION

085118796
HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 27
Offered January 9, 2008
Prefiled December 14, 2007
Designating February 14, in 2008 and in each succeeding year, as Valentines, Virginia Day in the Commonwealth.
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Patron-- Wright
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Referred to Committee on Rules
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WHEREAS, each year the Commonwealth’s popular tourism slogan, “Virginia is for Lovers,” is celebrated on February 14 in a unique and romantic way at the Valentines, Virginia, Post Office in Brunswick County; and

WHEREAS, the Valentines, Virginia, Post Office was established in 1887 in the Valentine Family Store, located in the southern part of Brunswick County, and named after first Postmaster William Henry Valentine, who served in the small rural post office until his death in 1911; and

WHEREAS, Emma Rawlings Valentine took over the post from 1911 to 1914, then it passed to son, Herbert B. Valentine, and then to another son, Lewis Valentine, who carried on the family tradition; and

WHEREAS, Robert J. Clary served as postmaster of the Valentines, Virginia, Post Office when it moved in 1924 to his store about a mile down the road from the original location, and after his retirement, William R. Wright and then Denise Evans followed in the post; and

WHEREAS, Valentines, Virginia, Post Office employees have imprinted the “Valentines, Virginia” postal marking on thousands of Valentine’s Day cards sent by loved ones from all over the state, the country, and around the globe, who want their cards embellished with the official Valentines postmark that can only be obtained from the Commonwealth’s special post office of love; and

WHEREAS, approximately 188 million cards are exchanged annually on Valentine’s Day, making the holiday the second most popular greeting card-giving occasion, and the valentines that are mailed and routed through the Valentines, Virginia, Post Office, are special keepsakes for young lovers and the young at heart; and

WHEREAS, the 1995 Love Stamp was first issued by the United States Postal Service on February 1, 1995, at the Valentines, Virginia, Post Office; and

WHEREAS, in 2006, the Valentines, Virginia, Post Office served as an official rest stop on the Bike—Virginia Tour de Love; and

WHEREAS, the Valentines, Virginia, Post Office and its unique service has been a highlight of February 14 in numerous magazines and newspapers articles over the years, as well as shared by families in Virginia and across the nation in Valentines Day features on local and national television; and

WHEREAS, the residents of a vast number of communities throughout the Commonwealth have historically depended on the services of the state's small rural post offices, which are dwindling in number, and the Valentines, Virginia, Post Office preserves a long tradition of outstanding service to the United States Postal Service and the citizens of Virginia on February 14 and every day of the year; and

WHEREAS, the citizens of Valentines, Virginia, are immensely proud of the role that the Valentines, Virginia, Post Office provides in making Valentine’s Day a special day for countless children, families, romantics, and collectors; now, therefore, be

RESOLVED by the House of Delegates, the Senate concurring, That the General Assembly designate February 14, in 2008 and each succeeding year, as Valentines, Virginia Day in the Commonwealth; and, be it

RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the House of Delegates post the designation of this day on the General Assembly's website.