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2016 SESSION
16104008DWHEREAS, Roy C. Kinsey, Jr., a skilled pilot and a respected businessman in Roanoke who helped design and create the Mill Mountain Star, a cherished landmark in the community, died on November 23, 2015; and
WHEREAS, Roy Kinsey learned the value of hard work and responsibility at a young age, growing up on his family’s dairy farm; while working on the farm, he learned how to improvise and create unique solutions to problems, skills he proudly passed on to his children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren; and
WHEREAS, desirous to be of service to his country, Roy Kinsey joined many of the other young men of his generation as a member of the United States Army Air Corps during World War II; he trained more than 100 combat pilots as a flight instructor and later helped veteran pilots reintegrate into society by training them on civilian aircraft; and
WHEREAS, Roy Kinsey served the Roanoke community as the operator of his family’s sign business; the company installed the first neon sign in Central Virginia and completed hundreds of projects in the region; and
WHEREAS, in 1949 at the request of the Roanoke Merchants Association, Roy Kinsey helped create the Mill Mountain Star, an 88.5-foot tall, freestanding star, that uses more than 2,000 feet of neon tubing; Roy Kinsey personally maintained the star for many years, often changing the color of the neon from white to red after a traffic-related death in the city; and
WHEREAS, the Mill Mountain Star remains a feat of engineering and is a welcoming beacon to visitors and a symbol of excellence in the City of Roanoke; Roy Kinsey’s creation was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1999; and
WHEREAS, Roy Kinsey was a member of the Acorn Flying Club and the Roanoke Country Club; he was an avid golfer and tennis player, and he and his late wife, Mary, traveled to every state in the United States and every continent except Antarctica; and
WHEREAS, a man who lived his faith through his actions, Roy Kinsey enjoyed fellowship and worship with the community as a member of Calvary Baptist Church, where he helped design one of the country’s first human Christmas trees; and
WHEREAS, Roy Kinsey will be fondly remembered and greatly missed by his children, Mary and Roy III, and their families and numerous other family members, friends, and colleagues; 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 Roy C. Kinsey, Jr., a pilot and businessman who left an indelible mark on the Roanoke community as the creator of the Mill Mountain Star; and, be it
RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the Senate prepare a copy of this resolution for presentation to the family of Roy C. Kinsey, Jr., as an expression of the General Assembly’s respect for his memory.