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2009 SESSION



HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 622
Celebrating the life of Dr. Charles Lewis Baird, Jr.

 

Agreed to by the House of Delegates, January 16, 2009
Agreed to by the Senate, January 22, 2009

 

WHEREAS, Charles Lewis Baird, Jr., M.D., respected citizen and admired cardiologist and pioneer in outpatient heart catheterization, died on August 30, 2008; and

WHEREAS, a Richmond native son, Charles Lewis "Lew" Baird was born on August 7, 1931, the son of a military doctor; he moved with his family 23 times in 23 years and attended 14 different schools before graduating from John Muir High School in Pasadena, California; and

WHEREAS, like his father, Lew Baird aspired to a career in medicine; he earned a bachelor's degree from the University of Richmond and graduated in 1957 from the Medical College of Virginia, now Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine; and

WHEREAS, Dr. Baird interned at his alma mater in internal medicine and then received a cardiovascular fellowship from the Cleveland Clinic to train under Dr. F. Mason Sones, Jr., a pioneer in selective coronary angiography; and

WHEREAS, following his father, Dr. Baird also served his country as a physician in the United States Army before becoming the director of medical education at Watts Hospital in Durham, North Carolina; and

WHEREAS, Dr. Kinloch Nelson brought Dr. Baird to the cardiology department at the Medical College of Virginia, where the young and talented physician was instrumental in starting the institution's acclaimed Coronary Intensive Care Unit; and

WHEREAS, in 1972 Dr. Baird founded the Virginia Heart Institute, the nation's first outpatient cardiac catheterization laboratory, which was a model for early detection and medical management of coronary artery disease; and

WHEREAS, always concerned with the well-being of his fellow citizens, Dr. Baird was a faithful member of St. Paul's Episcopal Church in Richmond and active in the church's many missions in the community; and

WHEREAS, Lew Baird will be fondly remembered for his dedication to his profession and his devotion to his family and will be greatly missed by his wife of 46 years, Jane Biery Baird; his wonderful children, Paul Lewis, Elizabeth, Anne, and Todd and their families, including his three grandchildren; numerous other loving family members and friends; and his colleagues across the country; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED by the House of Delegates, the Senate concurring, That the General Assembly mourn the passing of an outstanding physician and fine Virginian, Dr. Charles Lewis Baird, Jr.; 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 Dr. Charles Lewis Baird, Jr., as an expression of the General Assembly’s respect for his memory.