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2011 SESSION

11105540D
HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 974
Offered February 21, 2011
Commending Benedictine High School in Richmond, Virginia, on the Occasion of the Centennial of its Founding.
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Patrons-- Janis, Lingamfelter, Loupassi, McClellan and Ware, R.L.
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WHEREAS, in 1911 a small band of visionary monks traveled from their mother house at Belmont Abbey in North Carolina with a mission to establish a center of learning and culture in Richmond, Virginia, in keeping with the centuries old traditions of the Order of Saint Benedict; and

WHEREAS, in order to meet the needs of the growing Roman Catholic community, the Benedictine Monks founded a Catholic high school for boys, based upon the popular and highly successful military academy model, which closely paralleled the order and stability of monastic life, and in which the military discipline of the drill field would translate into excellence on the athletic field, the laboratory, the classroom, and in life; and

WHEREAS, in 2011 this high school, originally known as Benedictine College, will celebrate the Centennial of its founding and its 100 years of continuous service to the Richmond Community as Benedictine High School; and

WHEREAS, as the only Catholic High School for boys in Richmond, Benedictine continues to focus on the formation of the "whole man" in both body and soul, by nourishing a love of Truth, fostering the life of virtue, and promoting a healthy life, while offering an affordable, world class, college preparatory academic curriculum, where over 90% of its graduates attend college, to all qualified young men in the community without regard to their race, color, ethnic background, national origin, or religion; and

WHEREAS, the legendary athletic program is an integral part of life at Benedictine, producing the legendary basketball program led by the late Virginia basketball legend Warren Rutledge, who during his 43 years as head coach amassed 949 wins, won numerous state championships, including 14 consecutive Virginia State Catholic titles in the 1970s and 1980s, and earned the title of the winningest coach in Virginia high school history, and eleventh in the nation; the school also produced hundreds of Division I collegiate athletes and sports legends such as football coach Bobby Ross, Detroit Pistons head coach John Kuester, and NFL offensive tackle Patrick Estes; and

WHEREAS, all Benedictine students are members of the Corps of Cadets Army JROTC program, a program which perennially earns the highest rating awarded by the Department of the Army, Honor Unit with Distinction; this honor allows the school to directly nominate candidates for appointment to the service academies or for an ROTC scholarship, which affords them unique opportunities to develop the skills and character necessary to be leaders in any chosen vocation, whether in the Armed Forces, government, or industry; and

WHEREAS, for almost a century, graduates of "Old B.C." have been at the forefront of the Richmond community, providing leadership in every area of endeavor, and include such prominent and noteworthy Virginians as the Honorable Rob Wittman, Member of Congress from the First District of Virginia; the Honorable Thomas J. Bliley, former Member of Congress from the Seventh District of Virginia; Delegate Scott Lingamfelter; Henrico Sheriff Mike Wade; Henrico Chief of Police Colonel Henry Stanley; and the late Frank Parater, one of the first graduates of Benedictine, who, in addition to being one of the first Virginians to earn the Eagle Scout Award, died while studying for the priesthood in Rome at age 23, and is now a candidate for sainthood whose cause is currently under review at the Vatican; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED by the House of Delegates, the Senate concurring, That the General Assembly hereby commend Benedictine High School in Richmond, Virginia, for a century of service to the youth of our Commonwealth and our nation, and for Benedictine’s commitment to producing exceptional young men of character and virtue for the past 100 years; and, be it

RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the House of Delegates prepare a copy of this resolution for presentation to the Headmaster of Benedictine and the Board of Trustees as an expression of the General Assembly’s gratitude for the organization’s commitment to building character and values in our youth.