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2016 SESSION

16104600D
HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 249
Offered February 5, 2016
Commending Mary Jo Browning.
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Patrons-- Freitas and Webert; Senator: Reeves
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WHEREAS, Mary Jo Browning, an exemplary and tireless community volunteer in Culpeper County, was named the 2015 L. B. Henretty Memorial Outstanding Citizen of the Year by the Culpeper Chamber of Commerce; and

WHEREAS, Mary Jo Browning has made a positive and lasting impact in education, historic preservation, tourism, culture, the church community, and other important areas of the Culpeper County community; and

WHEREAS, in the years before kindergarten programs were established in public school systems, Mary Jo Browning served on the board and was treasurer of a kindergarten in Culpeper whose pupils came from families who could not afford private education; and

WHEREAS, in the mid-1970s, Mary Jo Browning became head librarian at Culpeper County Junior High School and also helped implement—and was the first leader of—the school’s talented and gifted program; she took students on trips around the Commonwealth and to Washington, D.C., so they could learn more about the region’s rich history and culture; and

WHEREAS, after receiving a master’s degree in social work, Mary Jo Browning became a patient advocate and director of discharge planning at Fauquier Hospital; with care and compassion, she assisted patients and helped them navigate an often confusing health care system; and

WHEREAS, Mary Jo Browning’s love of history has been a hallmark of her community service; she has helped save some of the oldest buildings in Culpeper County, including the A. P. Hill Building in downtown Culpeper, which was the boyhood home of the Confederate general, and she also helped preserve historic Little Fork Church, a Colonial landmark; and

WHEREAS, because of her desire to keep Culpeper County’s past alive, Mary Jo Browning wrote Historic Culpeper, a well-regarded book about historic homes in the county, and over the years she has published many articles about the area’s storied history; and

WHEREAS, Mary Jo Browning has been involved with the Museum of Culpeper History for many years and is a popular volunteer tour guide for groups visiting Culpeper; she also is a member of the board of the Friends of Cedar Mountain Battlefield, Inc.; and

WHEREAS, other community organizations that have benefited from Mary Jo Browning’s dedication and involvement include St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church, Habitat for Humanity of Culpeper County, the Bluemont Concert series, Hospice of the Rapidan, and many other groups in Culpeper County; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED by the House of Delegates, the Senate concurring, That the General Assembly hereby commend Mary Jo Browning, who has selflessly worked for the betterment of Culpeper County and its people, for being named the 2015 L. B. Henretty Memorial Outstanding Citizen of the Year by the Culpeper Chamber of Commerce; and, be it

RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the House of Delegates prepare a copy of this resolution for presentation to Mary Jo Browning as an expression of the General Assembly’s congratulations and admiration for her enthusiastic and tireless work on behalf of the people of Culpeper County and the Commonwealth.