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2016 SESSION


HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 374
Celebrating the life of Francis Harrison Fife.

 

Agreed to by the House of Delegates, March 4, 2016
Agreed to by the Senate, March 10, 2016

 

WHEREAS, Francis Harrison Fife, a highly admired former Mayor of Charlottesville, a devoted community leader who worked to enhance the quality of life of all his fellow residents, and a true Virginia gentleman, died on October 16, 2015; and

WHEREAS, a native of Charlottesville, Francis Fife graduated from the University of Virginia, then joined many of the other young men of his generation in service to his country during World War II; and

WHEREAS, after his honorable military service and graduate studies at Rutgers University, Francis Fife returned home to Charlottesville to champion the causes of civil rights and safe and affordable housing in the 1950s and 1960s; and

WHEREAS, Francis Fife worked for nearly 50 years to create safe and affordable housing in Charlottesville by partnering with others to establish the Charlottesville Housing Foundation, expanding the scope of the organization to a regional mission through a merger creating the Piedmont Housing Alliance, where he advocated for integrated and sustainable communities; and

WHEREAS, desirous to be of further service to the community, Francis Fife ran for and was elected to the Charlottesville City Council; he served on the council for eight years, including two years as mayor; and

WHEREAS, Francis Fife founded and served as president of the Rivanna Trails Foundation, which creates and protects trails and footpaths throughout the Rivanna watershed area; and

WHEREAS, Francis Fife also served on the Virginia Department of Housing and Community Development Board, the Board of Commissioners of the Virginia Housing Development Authority, and the Virginia Community Development Corporation, furthering state-wide the cause of safe and affordable housing through program development and testimonies to the General Assembly; and

WHEREAS, known for his humility and sense of fairness, Francis Fife was a determined and analytical leader who always stood up for his values regarding equity, the environment, citizen participation in government, and for anyone in need; he received the Charlottesville Regional Chamber of Commerce Paul Goodloe McIntire Award, the Martin Luther King Jr. Community Service Award, and the Drewary J. Brown Community Bridge Builder Award, and was named to the Virginia Housing Coalition Hall of Fame for his service, and multiple sites in Charlottesville are named in his or his family’s honor; and

WHEREAS, Francis Fife will be fondly remembered and greatly missed by his wife, Nancy O’Brien, and his family, friends, and colleagues; 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 Francis Harrison Fife, a respected public servant and community leader who touched countless lives in Charlottesville and throughout the Commonwealth; 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 Francis Harrison Fife as an expression of the General Assembly’s respect for his memory.