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2012 SESSION


HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 518
Commemorating the life of Oscar Scott Woody.

 

Agreed to by the House of Delegates, March 7, 2012
Agreed to by the Senate, March 10, 2012

 

WHEREAS, Oscar Scott Woody of Clifton perished on board the RMS Titanic on April 15, 1912; and

WHEREAS, a member of The Most Worshipful Grand Lodge of Ancient, Free & Accepted Masons of the Commonwealth of Virginia, Oscar Scott Woody was raised to the sublime degree of Master Mason in Acacia Lodge No. 16 A.F. & A.M. in Clifton on August 30, 1903; and

WHEREAS, in April of 1912, Oscar Scott Woody, an employee of the United States Postal Service, was assigned to work onboard the White Star Line’s “unsinkable ship,” the RMS Titanic; and

WHEREAS, on April 15, 1912, Oscar Scott Woody celebrated his 44th birthday with colleagues hours before the RMS Titanic hit an iceberg and sank, becoming one of the greatest peacetime maritime disasters and claiming the lives of 1,517 people; and

WHEREAS, as the mighty ship sank, Oscar Scott Woody and four other sea post clerks struggled to save 3,423 sacks of registered mail by dragging them to the upper decks for safety in the vain hope of transferring them to another ship despite urging from crew members to leave their work; and

WHEREAS, Oscar Scott Woody and the four other clerks perished that fateful night; and

WHEREAS, Oscar Scott Woody’s body was discovered over a week later and buried at sea; recovered from his body was the dues card for Acacia Lodge No. 16 A.F. & A.M., which is now on display at the Grand Lodge of Virginia museum; and

WHEREAS, the heroism of Oscar Scott Woody was commemorated by President George W. Bush, who signed a bill designating the United States Postal Service facility at 223 South Main Street in Roxboro, North Carolina, as the Oscar Scott Woody Post Office Building; and

WHEREAS, the United States Congress, the Governor of North Carolina, and various municipalities, including the Town of Clifton, have proclaimed April 15 as Oscar Scott Woody Day; and

WHEREAS, April 15, 2012, marks the 100th anniversary of the passing of Oscar Scott Woody and the sinking of the RMS Titanic; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED by the House of Delegates, the Senate concurring, That the General Assembly hereby commemorate the life of Oscar Scott Woody on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of his passing; and, be it

RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the House of Delegates prepare a copy of this resolution for presentation to Acacia Lodge No. 16 A.F. & A.M. as an expression of the General Assembly’s admiration and respect for Oscar Scott Woody’s steadfastness in peril.