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2012 SESSION

12100817D
SENATE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 54
Offered January 11, 2012
Prefiled January 10, 2012
Celebrating the life of Cynthia Bentley Collings Andrews.
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Patron-- Norment
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WHEREAS, Cynthia Bentley Collings Andrews of Hampton, the widow of former state Senator Hunter Andrews and a widely respected supporter of efforts to study and preserve the natural splendors of the Commonwealth, died on September 5, 2011; and

WHEREAS, a native of Ohio, Cynthia Andrews graduated from St. Catherine’s School in Richmond before receiving her undergraduate degree from Hollins College; and

WHEREAS, Cynthia Andrews supported her husband in his career and public service while also raising their two children, Bentley Robinson Andrews and the late H. Booker Andrews, Jr., and taking part in civic and community affairs; and

WHEREAS, countless state government officials and legislators had the distinct pleasure of meeting Cynthia Andrews and admiring the graciousness, intelligence, and conviviality of the wife of one of the Commonwealth’s most influential leaders; and

WHEREAS, Cynthia Andrews possessed a deep and abiding love and appreciation for the Commonwealth’s great beauties and natural heritage and became a passionate advocate for their study and preservation; and

WHEREAS, as a board member of the Junior Nature Museum, now the Virginia Living Museum, Cynthia Andrews worked alongside other board members and museum administration to develop a unique institution that provides visitors the opportunity to experience the great diversity of habitats and wildlife that the Commonwealth offers; and

WHEREAS, living in close proximity to the Chesapeake Bay and Atlantic Ocean, Cynthia Andrews appreciated the variety of aquatic life and complexity of the ecosystems contained in these bodies of water and as a board member of the Virginia Institute of Marine Science, provided thoughtful insight and support as the organization grew to become one of the nation’s top centers for oceanic and estuarine research and education; and

WHEREAS, as a two-term president of the Nature Conservancy of Virginia, Cynthia Andrews strove to preserve thousands of acres of land across the Commonwealth so that a wide range of plants and animals would have the natural habitats needed for survival; and

WHEREAS, as a member of the Board of Trustees of the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts appointed by Governor Godwin in 1975 and reappointed by Governor Dalton in 1980, she was a strong advocate of the Museum’s statewide arts education as well as rural and urban outreach efforts; and

WHEREAS, Cynthia Andrews enjoyed affiliations with other social and civic organizations and was a member of St. John’s Episcopal Church, where she participated in worship, fellowship, and service; and

WHEREAS, predeceased by her husband and son, Cynthia Andrews will be greatly missed by her daughter Bentley Robinson Andrews; grandsons, Hunter and Cabell Perrot; and numerous other family members, friends, and admirers; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED by the Senate, the House of Delegates concurring, That the General Assembly hereby note with great sadness the loss of a remarkable woman and influential advocate for the preservation of the Commonwealth’s natural heritage, Cynthia Bentley Collings Andrews; and, be it

RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the Senate prepare a copy of this resolution for presentation to the family of Cynthia Bentley Collings Andrews as an expression of the General Assembly’s respect for her memory.