SEARCH SITE

VIRGINIA LAW PORTAL

SEARCHABLE DATABASES

ACROSS SESSIONS

Developed and maintained by the Division of Legislative Automated Systems.

2008 SESSION

084752724
HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 471
Offered February 25, 2008
Celebrating the life of Maxine Shelly Turner.
----------

Patrons-- Shannon, Albo, Amundson, Bouchard, Bulova, Caputo, Ebbin, Eisenberg, Englin, Hugo, Hull, Lewis, Marsden, Mathieson, Moran, Plum, Poisson, Scott, J.M., Sickles, Vanderhye and Watts; Senators: Petersen, Barker, Herring, Howell, Saslaw, Ticer and Whipple
----------

WHEREAS, Maxine Shelly Turner of Vienna, age 22, a promising and talented young woman who was pursuing her education and her dreams at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, died tragically on April 16, 2007, on the university campus in Blacksburg; and

WHEREAS, a native of Vienna and a graduate of James Madison High School, Maxine Turner was the vibrant and loving daughter of Paul and Susan Turner and the adoring sister of Anthony Turner; and

WHEREAS, Maxine Turner, often called "Max" by her close friends and family members, enjoyed life and had many interests, including taekwondo, rock music and swing dancing, and had a wide circle of friends including her sisters in Alpha Omega Epsilon, and she was especially devoted to her family; and

WHEREAS, tiny in stature at 5-feet, 1-inch tall, Maxine Turner possessed a sunny disposition and a lovely smile, and friends will remember that "Max believed in love, and Max was one of those rare people who was loved by everyone she met"; and

WHEREAS, a senior at Virginia Tech, Maxine Turner was a bright and studious chemical engineering major; having completed all of her required courses, she was looking forward to graduation and an exciting new job with W. L. Gore, the maker of Gore-Tex; and

WHEREAS, Maxine Turner was an active and enthusiastic member of Virginia Tech's chapter of Alpha Omega Epsilon, a professional engineering sorority, which she helped found along with fellow students in 2003; and

WHEREAS, Maxine Turner could have attended college at Carnegie Mellon or Johns Hopkins, but chose her beloved Virginia Tech, the rolling hills of the campus, the green grass of the drillfield, and the stone buildings that she thought looked like fairy-tale castles; and

WHEREAS, after graduation, Maxine Turner planned to get a black belt in taekwondo and adopt a miniature husky, and perhaps one day earn a doctoral degree, conduct research, and help make the world a better place; and

WHEREAS, Maxine Turner and her family were faithful members of the Church of the Holy Comforter in Vienna and supportive of the church's many missions in the community; and

WHEREAS, Maxine Turner will be greatly missed by her loving family, her numerous friends and neighbors in Vienna, and her many friends at Virginia Tech; and

WHEREAS, the citizens of the Commonwealth and the Virginia Tech community will fondly remember Maxine Turner and the 31 other victims that died at the Virginia Tech campus on April 16, 2007, and in all of their memories "We will continue to invent the future through our blood and tears and through all our sadness. . . .We will prevail,"—N. Giovanni; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED by the House of Delegates, the Senate concurring, That the General Assembly note with great sadness the tragic loss of a promising and gifted young woman and outstanding Virginian, Maxine Shelly Turner; 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 Maxine Shelly Turner as an expression of the General Assembly’s respect for her memory.