SEARCH SITE

VIRGINIA LAW PORTAL

SEARCHABLE DATABASES

ACROSS SESSIONS

Developed and maintained by the Division of Legislative Automated Systems.

2013 SESSION


HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 871
Celebrating the life of Rafael Fernando Madan, KHS, D.D.S.

 

Agreed to by the House of Delegates, February 15, 2013
Agreed to by the Senate, February 21, 2013

 

WHEREAS, Rafael Fernando Madan, KHS, D.D.S., an accomplished oral surgeon, devout Catholic, selfless missionary, and pillar of Fairfax County, died on October 31, 2012; and

WHEREAS, a native of Havana, Cuba, Rafael Madan graduated from La Salle College in Havana, earned a dental degree from the University of Havana, and completed postgraduate work at Tufts University in Boston, Massachusetts; and

WHEREAS, in 1954 Dr. Madan began a career in dentistry by serving as an educator at the University of Havana and as an oral surgeon at hospitals in the city; and

WHEREAS, after the communist Cuban Revolution, Dr. Madan and his family bravely escaped to the United States as political and religious refugees and settled in Fairfax County; and

WHEREAS, beginning in 1962, Dr. Madan operated his own private practice for over two decades and worked at several dental centers in the area; he retired in 1994 and had built a reputation as a highly skilled and compassionate dentist and oral surgeon throughout the Commonwealth; and

WHEREAS, as a loyal member of Saint Leo the Great Catholic Church in the City of Fairfax since 1963, Dr. Madan taught Spanish-language catechism to Hispanic members of the congregation, authored a Spanish catechetical dictionary, and served as the head usher for a number of years; and

WHEREAS, Dr. Madan lived his faith through his personal and professional actions; he served as a longtime member of the Knights of Columbus and provided free dental care and training to patients in Colombia and Honduras as a missionary in the 1970s and 1980s; and

WHEREAS, in 2002 the Vatican conferred upon Dr. Madan the rank of Knight in the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem for his outstanding spiritual and charitable works; his children also recognized his benevolent work, founding the Rafael Madan and Lilian Casas Foundation, an organization that provides charitable grants; and

WHEREAS, an enthusiastic community volunteer throughout his life, Dr. Madan was a member and leader of various social, religious, and medical organizations in Fairfax County; and

WHEREAS, a wise mentor and warmhearted caregiver, Dr. Madan dedicated his life to the service of others and left an indelible legacy of generosity and compassion to the community; and

WHEREAS, Dr. Madan will be greatly missed and lovingly remembered by his wife of 60 years, Lilian; children, Lilian, María, Alina, Gisela, Cecilia, Rafael, Ramón, Alicia, Amando, and Francisco, and their families; and many other family members and friends; 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 Rafael Fernando Madan, KHS, D.D.S., a respected oral surgeon, devout Catholic, caring volunteer, and irreplaceable member of the Fairfax County community; 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 Rafael Fernando Madan, KHS, D.D.S., as an expression of the General Assembly’s respect for his memory.