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2017 SESSION


HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 684
Commending Robert C. Vaughan III.

 

Agreed to by the House of Delegates, January 11, 2017
Agreed to by the Senate, January 12, 2017

 

WHEREAS, Robert C. Vaughan III, who has helped countless Virginians explore and understand the human experience as the founding president of the Virginia Foundation for the Humanities, retires in 2017 after 43 years of dedicated leadership and advocacy; and

WHEREAS, Robert Vaughan helped establish the Virginia Foundation for the Humanities in 1974 after studying English as a graduate student at the University of Virginia; he traveled throughout the Commonwealth with former University of Virginia President Edgar F. Shannon seeking diverse perspectives on what the fledgling organization could achieve; and

WHEREAS, what was originally intended as a five-month project grew into a legacy of innovative scholarship, and under Robert Vaughan’s leadership, the Virginia Foundation for the Humanities has become the largest and one of the most influential state humanities councils in the United States; and

WHEREAS, during Robert Vaughan’s tenure as president, the Virginia Foundation for the Humanities has produced more than 40,000 programs, including festivals, conferences, public radio programs, and digital resources, and it has contributed to more than 3,500 grant projects and 350 residential fellowships; and

WHEREAS, committed to diversity and inclusiveness in preserving the history of the Commonwealth, Robert Vaughan established programs focused on the contributions of women, African Americans, and immigrants in Virginia, and in 1987, the Virginia Foundation for the Humanities supported the first meeting of all state-recognized Native American tribes in Virginia since the 1600s; and

WHEREAS, as president of the Virginia Foundation for the Humanities, Robert Vaughan supported the creation of the Virginia Festival of the Book, the largest community book event in the Mid-Atlantic region, and the launch of Encyclopedia Virginia, an authoritative online resource on Virginia history and culture; and

WHEREAS, Robert Vaughan also oversaw the creation of the Virginia Folklife Program, the first and only program of its kind developed by a state humanities council, and the VFH Content Academies, programs to help teachers understand challenges faced by minority populations; and

WHEREAS, making use of technology, the Virginia Foundation for the Humanities is the only state humanities council to produce its own radio programs and podcasts, which reach listeners across the country and internationally, and it has partnered directly with Google to create virtual tours of historic sites using Google Street View; and

WHEREAS, in addition to making the Virginia Foundation for the Humanities a model for other state humanities councils, Robert Vaughan has also inspired students as a professor at the University of Virginia for 35 years, and he will continue to serve the community after his well-earned retirement from the foundation; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED by the House of Delegates, the Senate concurring, That the General Assembly hereby commend Robert C. Vaughan III on the occasion of his retirement as president of the Virginia Foundation for the Humanities; and, be it

RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the House of Delegates prepare a copy of this resolution for presentation to Robert C. Vaughan III as an expression of the General Assembly’s admiration for his contributions to cultural understanding and tireless work to strengthen the humanities in the Commonwealth and the United States.