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2011 SPECIAL SESSION I


HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 5050
Celebrating the life of Paul Eulalius Sullivan.

 

Agreed to by the House of Delegates, July 29, 2011
Agreed to by the Senate, July 29, 2011

 

WHEREAS, Paul Eulalius Sullivan, a retired intelligence analyst and community supporter who brought a groundbreaking civil rights suit to the United States Supreme Court in the 1960s, died on March 14, 2011; and

WHEREAS, the son of Irish immigrants, Paul Sullivan spent his youth in Boston, attending an Augustinian Seminary in New York in his late teens before enlisting in the United States Navy and proudly serving his country in San Diego during World War II; and

WHEREAS, Paul Sullivan attended Georgetown University on the GI Bill, graduating from its School of Foreign Service before embarking on a career with the federal government that would span more than three decades; and

WHEREAS, a gifted linguist, Paul Sullivan was an intelligence analyst for various agencies, including the National Security Agency and the Defense Intelligence Agency, where he made many valuable contributions; and

WHEREAS, possessed of a generous and caring heart and strong sense of fairness, Paul Sullivan lived a life marked by service to his country, community, friends, and family; and

WHEREAS, in the 1960s, Paul Sullivan owned a rental home in his neighborhood subdivision in the Mount Vernon area of Fairfax County that included use of the community swimming pool; when he leased the house to a United States Department of Agriculture employee and his family who were black, the neighborhood association advised him that the black family could not use the swimming pool; and

WHEREAS, a man of great integrity, Paul Sullivan protested the decision and attempted to gather support from local neighbors; as a result, he and his family were barred from use of the community swimming pool as well and received numerous threats; and

WHEREAS, Paul Sullivan took legal action that eventually resulted in a landmark case before the United States Supreme Court in 1969 that was decided in his favor and set a precedent for other neighborhood associations and resulted in the desegregation of hundreds of community pools across the United States; and

WHEREAS, throughout his life, Paul Sullivan generously shared his time and resources with those around him, delivering for Meals on Wheels, serving as a Eucharistic Minister at the Alexandria City Jail, tutoring adults for literacy, and preparing and serving meals at St. Joseph Catholic Church; and

WHEREAS, as an adult, Paul Sullivan returned to his Irish roots, visiting Ireland and immersing himself in the language, becoming proficient enough to teach at Hagerstown Community College; and

WHEREAS, dear to Paul Sullivan’s heart was his beloved family and friends with whom he cherished spending time; he particularly enjoyed cooking for them as they shared their lives with him; and

WHEREAS, predeceased by his children, Sean, Furey, and Brigid, Paul Sullivan will be fondly remembered and greatly missed by his wife of 61 years, Flora; surviving children, Chela, Isa, Maire, Lola, and Monica and their families; and numerous other family members, friends, and admirers; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED by the House of Delegates, the Senate concurring, That the General Assembly hereby note with great sadness the loss of an admired citizen and outstanding Virginian, Paul Eulalius Sullivan; 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 Paul Eulalius Sullivan as an expression of the General Assembly’s respect for his memory.