SEARCH SITE

VIRGINIA LAW PORTAL

SEARCHABLE DATABASES

ACROSS SESSIONS

Developed and maintained by the Division of Legislative Automated Systems.

2017 SESSION


HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 613
Celebrating the life of James Hunter Talbott, Sr.

 

Agreed to by the House of Delegates, January 13, 2017
Agreed to by the Senate, January 19, 2017

 

WHEREAS, James Hunter Talbott, Sr., of Mt. Sidney, a beloved longtime physical education teacher in Staunton known to generations of students as “Coach T,” died on November 13, 2016; and

WHEREAS, a son of Raleigh and Audrey Talbott, Hunter Talbott was born in Pittsylvania County and reared in Dillwyn, and when he became of age he proudly served in the United States Air Force; and

WHEREAS, after leaving the Air Force in 1953, Hunter Talbott became a department store manager in Dillwyn and then landed a job at Leggett department store, now Belk, in Staunton; and

WHEREAS, when he was not working during summers in the 1950s, Hunter “Tiger” Talbott pitched for the Staunton Braves baseball team, and many people enjoyed watching his wicked windup; and

WHEREAS, Hunter Talbott enrolled at Richmond Professional Institute, now Virginia Commonwealth University, and after graduating with a degree in education he got his first teaching job in Augusta County; later he earned a master’s degree from the University of Virginia; and

WHEREAS, in the late 1960s, Hunter Talbott went to work at Shelburne Middle School in Staunton, where he would teach physical education for 30 years before retiring in 1999; and

WHEREAS, Hunter Talbott, or “Coach T” as he was affectionately called by his students, was best known for coaching baseball and gymnastics, and teaching kids how to march and square dance in physical education classes; and

WHEREAS, even after “retiring,” Hunter Talbott spent 11 years as a substitute teacher at Riverheads High School and Robert E. Lee High School, where the school track is named after him, and taught gymnastics for the YMCA and at Fort Defiance High School; and

WHEREAS, Hunter Talbott’s first love was teaching children, but when he was not in the gym or the classroom he was growing some of Augusta County’s best tomatoes, sharing fresh eggs with neighbors, and enjoying playing with his dogs, cats, and chickens; and

WHEREAS, throughout his life there was hardly a person who met Hunter Talbott who did not come to love him; he influenced the lives of hundreds of students in Staunton and Augusta County, who treasure their memories of “Coach T” today; and

WHEREAS, preceded in death by his son, Kerry, Hunter Talbott will be fondly remembered and greatly missed by his wife of 57 years, Sara; their children, Sherry and Kip, and their families; and many other relatives and friends; 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 James Hunter Talbott, Sr., a beloved former physical education teacher and coach in Staunton and Augusta County; 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 James Hunter Talbott, Sr., as an expression of the General Assembly’s respect for his memory.