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2010 SESSION


HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 139
Celebrating the life of M. Catherine Wiant.

 

Agreed to by the House of Delegates, January 15, 2010
Agreed to by the Senate, January 21, 2010

 

WHEREAS, M. Catherine Wiant, a beloved and dedicated Falls Church educator and community activist, died July 2, 2009; and

WHEREAS, a native of Duluth, Minnesota, M. Catherine “Cay” Wiant was born on November 19, 1944, and spent her youth in California; and

WHEREAS, Cay Wiant received a bachelor’s degree in literature from San Jose State College, a postgraduate education certificate from the University of Denver, and a master’s degree in writing from George Mason University; and

WHEREAS, a lifelong educator, Cay Wiant began her career teaching seventh-grade English in Wyoming and New York before moving to the Falls Church area; and

WHEREAS, Cay Wiant completed graduate research at Athens University and Anatolia College in Greece and researched comparative mythology in Asia; she developed curricula on comparative mythologies and myth origins for the Washington International School in Washington, D.C.; and

WHEREAS, a gifted storyteller, Cay Wiant worked for several years presenting shows at various schools, museums, and art stages in the Washington, D.C., area before returning to teaching; and

WHEREAS, Cay Wiant’s innovative and fun spirit made her a popular gifted education resource teacher at Thomas Jefferson Elementary School and English and writing teacher at George Mason Middle and High Schools; and

WHEREAS, passionate about education, Cay Wiant was president of the Falls Church Education Association for nearly 10 years, where she frequently advocated for salary and benefit increases for school employees; and

WHEREAS, after her retirement, Cay Wiant continued to inspire and educate others, serving as a volunteer teacher at the Falls Church education nonprofit Creative Cauldron, where she taught writing; she also completed a draft of her first novel; and

WHEREAS, in 2003 the Washington Post Educational Foundation awarded Cay Wiant the prestigious Agnes Meyer Outstanding Teacher Award in recognition for her lifetime of teaching excellence; and

WHEREAS, Cay Wiant generously gave of her time and talents in the community, serving on numerous community boards and advisory groups, including the Falls Church Village Improvement and Preservation Society, Society for Values in Higher Education, Northern Virginia Writing project at George Mason University, and the Falls Church League of Women Voters; she also sang in the Falls Church Presbyterian Church choir and was a deacon at the church; and

WHEREAS, Cay Wiant will be greatly missed by her loving husband, Jon; daughter, Meg; son, Edward; and numerous other family members and friends; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED by the House of Delegates, the Senate concurring, That the General Assembly mourn the passing of a beloved educator and outstanding Virginian, M. Catherine Wiant; 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 M. Catherine Wiant as an expression of the General Assembly’s respect for her memory.