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2014 SESSION


SENATE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 167
Celebrating the life of The Right Honorable Margaret Hilda, Baroness Thatcher, L.G., O.M., P.C., F.R.S.
 
Agreed to by the Senate, February 27, 2014
Agreed to by the House of Delegates, March 3, 2014
 

WHEREAS, The Right Honorable Margaret Hilda, Baroness Thatcher, L.G., O.M., P.C., F.R.S., the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1979 until 1990 and an honorary citizen of the Commonwealth who served as the 21st Chancellor of The College of William and Mary, died on April 8, 2013; and

WHEREAS, an influential world leader possessed of an indomitable spirit, The Lady Thatcher, known as the “Iron Lady,” made history as the first female prime minister of the United Kingdom and provided unyielding support on the world stage in the victorious effort to end the Cold War; and

WHEREAS, The Lady Thatcher forged strong ties with the Commonwealth as she received honorary citizenship from the Virginia General Assembly in 1998 and served as The College of William and Mary’s first female chancellor from 1993 until 2000; and

WHEREAS, at her investiture as Chancellor at The College of William and Mary’s 1994 Charter Day ceremony, The Lady Thatcher remarked, “It would be hard to think of a place that better exemplifies the relationship between Britain and America, not only in name but in moral purpose”; and

WHEREAS, The Lady Thatcher spoke at The College of William and Mary’s 1997 commencement and described her great joy on the occasion because of the bond between the school and the United Kingdom; and

WHEREAS, during her farewell remarks at The College of William and Mary’s 2000 Charter Day ceremony, The Lady Thatcher stated, “My friends, the principles which this great college upholds, and which Jefferson articulated in his writings, are ones to be preserved and fought for—not only for our two countries, but for the wider world”; and

WHEREAS, The Lady Thatcher later noted about her service as chancellor that “Altogether it has been a momentous seven years and a privilege to be part of the history of the College of William & Mary”; and

WHEREAS, in 2001, The Lady Thatcher returned to The College of William and Mary for the dedication of her official portrait as chancellor, which has been exhibited around the world and features her wearing the academic regalia newly redesigned in honor of the school’s tercentenary; the portrait now prominently hangs in the Sir Christopher Wren Building at the school; and

WHEREAS, during that same trip in 2001, The Lady Thatcher was named an honorary member of the Class of 2001; she led the class as its first member to ring the bell of the Sir Christopher Wren Building, a longstanding school tradition; and

WHEREAS, in 2003, The Lady Thatcher shared with then College of William and Mary President Tim Sullivan, “I have so many cherished memories of William and Mary over the years—of the faculty and especially the students—and will always look back on my time as Chancellor with great happiness”; and

WHEREAS, The Lady Thatcher made an indelible mark on the Commonwealth as Chancellor of The College of William and Mary and proclaimed her strong ties to the former British colony during a stirring address before the full Virginia General Assembly in 1995, when she declared, “in spirit I am a Virginian”; and

WHEREAS, a visionary stateswoman whose life and accomplishments will be long remembered, The Lady Thatcher championed liberty at home and abroad and enhanced the worldwide reputation of her beloved country during her service as Prime Minister; 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 The Right Honorable Margaret Hilda, Baroness Thatcher, L.G., O.M., P.C., F.R.S.; and, be it

RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the Senate prepare a copy of this resolution for presentation to the family of The Right Honorable Margaret Hilda, Baroness Thatcher, L.G., O.M., P.C., F.R.S., as an expression of the General Assembly’s profound respect for her memory, admiration for her many accomplishments, and gratitude for her service to The College of William and Mary.