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2017 SESSION

17100280D
HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 994
Offered February 16, 2017
Celebrating the life of James Gordon Simmonds.
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Patrons-- Toscano; Senator: Deeds
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WHEREAS, James Gordon Simmonds of Charlottesville, a highly respected educator at the University of Virginia who inspired countless students to achieve their fullest potential, died on April 12, 2015; and

WHEREAS, after earning a doctoral degree from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and completing post-doctorate work at Harvard University, James “Jim” Gordon Simmonds joined the faculty of the University of Virginia as a member of the School of Engineering and Applied Science Department of Applied Mathematics and Computer Science in 1966; and

WHEREAS, Jim Simmonds made outstanding contributions to the field of higher education, authoring more than 120 papers and three books and completing a translation of an advanced text from French to English; and

WHEREAS, Jim Simmonds received several professional awards and honors throughout his career, including the Warner T. Koiter Medal from the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, and he was elected as a Fellow of the American Academy of Mechanics; and

WHEREAS, Jim Simmonds served the University of Virginia’s Jefferson Scholars Foundation as a member of its National Selection Committee from 1981 to 2015, creating a new mathematics and logic examination for each year’s finalists for more than 30 years; and

WHEREAS, Jim Simmonds was recognized with the Mac Wade Award from the School of Engineering in 1980, the University of Virginia Alumni Association’s Distinguished Professor Award in 1983, and professor emeritus status by the University of Virginia Board of Visitors upon his retirement in 1998; and

WHEREAS, Jim Simmonds also worked to strengthen and enhance the community through his involvement with many charitable organizations, and in 2001, he was recognized for his generous volunteer work by the Nature Conservancy of Virginia; and

WHEREAS, a devoted family man, Jim Simmonds will be fondly remembered and greatly missed by his beloved wife, Monique; children, Robin and Kathy, and their families; stepchildren, Gretchen, Marc, Patricia, and Kathy, and their families; and numerous other family members 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 Gordon Simmonds; 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 Gordon Simmonds as an expression of the General Assembly’s respect for his memory.