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2014 SESSION

14103404D
HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 117
Offered January 8, 2014
Commending Benjamin Walls.
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Patron-- O'Quinn
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WHEREAS, Benjamin Walls of Bristol is a professional photographer committed to showcasing the spectacular natural attractions found throughout the world, and who is equally supportive of the greater Bristol community; and

WHEREAS, as a conservationist, Benjamin Walls promotes and encourages awareness of the fragile and tenuous state of many of the planet’s extraordinary sights and wildlife, ceaselessly working to encourage preservation and positive change; and

WHEREAS, Benjamin Walls received his first camera when he was seven and immediately climbed a tree to photograph a dove tending her nest; his explorations continued, and he made his first trip abroad when he was in college; and

WHEREAS, during that trip, Benjamin Walls traveled and photographed in the Australian outback, the tropics of Indonesia, and New Zealand; that journey was the beginning of a lifelong quest to provide inspiration through his art and to help others to understand their role in preserving the world around them; and

WHEREAS, Benjamin Walls has traveled more than one million miles in the last decade; one of his recent excursions was to photograph the Bengal tigers of India, whose existence is threatened due to loss of habitat, deforestation, and poaching; and

WHEREAS, Benjamin Walls has won four international awards, and his work has been exhibited at many museums, including the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of Natural History and at the Natural History Museum in London; and

WHEREAS, Benjamin Walls is a strong supporter of Bristol; the restoration work he did on his photography gallery won a regional preservation award; he also helps with many charitable events, including Susan G. Komen for the Cure, Abuse Alternatives, Believe in Bristol, Crossroads Medical Mission, and Girls, Inc.; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED by the House of Delegates, the Senate concurring, That the General Assembly hereby commend Benjamin Walls for using his photographic talent and his business skills to promote conservation and charitable work at home and abroad; and, be it

RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the House of Delegates prepare a copy of this resolution for presentation to Benjamin Walls as an expression of the General Assembly’s respect and admiration for his endeavors to convey the earth’s majesty and to encourage conservation, charity, and support of the local and global community.