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2008 SESSION


HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 591
Commending Avicia Hooper Thorpe.

 

Agreed to by the House of Delegates, March 5, 2008
Agreed to by the Senate, March 6, 2008

 

WHEREAS, Avicia Hooper Thorpe is recognized for her outstanding career as an educator and her lifelong commitment to the community of Danville; and

WHEREAS, born in Danville on April 16, 1908, Avicia Hooper Thorpe will celebrate her 100th birthday with her family, friends, and many admirers in 2008; and

WHEREAS, Avicia Hooper Thorpe is the eighth of 15 children born to Priscilla and the Reverend Reuben Hooper; her father died when she was very young, and the family worked together to support themselves by income from her mother’s “taken-in laundry service” and her siblings’ odd jobs; and

WHEREAS, Avicia Thorpe graduated from the Pittsylvania Industrial School, which had only 11 grades, completed her 12th grade at the Presbyterian Industrial School, and earned a bachelor’s degree from Bluefield State College in 1933; and

WHEREAS, after graduation, Avicia Thorpe taught English first at John M. Langston High School and then at Westmoreland High School, rising to became the head of the Language Arts Department; and

WHEREAS, a wonderful role model for her students, Avicia Thorpe was continually mentoring her students though school clubs and activities, and she served as a sponsor for the Girl Reserves (now Y-Teens), Literary Club, Junior Red Cross, freshman class, student commencement, and Future Teachers of America; and

WHEREAS, Avicia Thorpe was involved in the Courtesy, Discipline, Senior Class Play, and Curriculum committees, as well as the Honor Society, Language Arts Club, and sponsorship of the junior and senior classes; and

WHEREAS, Avicia Thorpe was the founder of the school paper, The Langstonian, and worked diligently with its staff; and

WHEREAS, students fondly remember Mrs. Thorpe’s bulletin board, where every Monday morning she would post a thought-provoking quotation from the Bible or a famous quote by a philosopher or prominent figure; and

WHEREAS, as the widow of the late pastor of Trinity Baptist Church, the Reverend C. M. Thorpe, Avicia Thorpe has worked all her life in the church as organist, superintendent emeritus of her Sunday School, organizer and volunteer for the Cradle Roll and the Home Study Departments, and member and director of the choir; and

WHEREAS, Avicia Thorpe has worked tirelessly in numerous church auxiliaries and served as secretary for the Committee for the Centennial Celebration of the Cherrystone Missionary Baptist Association; and

WHEREAS, Avicia Thorpe is a life member of the NAACP and the National Council of Negro Women; a longtime member of the Five O-Clock Club, Ex-Basileus of the Alpha Phi Omega Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, a worthy matron of Lydia Chapter No. 74 of the Order of Eastern Star, and a member of various committees for the local and central YWCA; and

WHEREAS, after teaching for 33 years, Avicia Thorpe retired from education in 1966, but she has remained very active in her community and enjoys reading and occasionally writing poetry; and

WHEREAS, Avicia Thorpe has touched the lives of countless people, especially her family members and her beloved students, and her philosophy in life is “To render the greatest service I can to the greatest number of persons, so I can make the world a better place as a result of my having lived in it”; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED by the House of Delegates, the Senate concurring, That the General Assembly commend and congratulate Avicia Hooper Thorpe on her many contributions and outstanding service to the community of Danville; and, be it

RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the House of Delegates prepare a copy of this resolution for presentation to Avicia Hooper Thorpe as an expression of the General Assembly’s appreciation of her many accomplishments and best wishes for a joyful 100th birthday celebration.