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2017 SESSION
WHEREAS, Oliver Rodney Hunt Singleton, who was a champion for minority-owned small businesses in Richmond as the longtime president and chief executive officer of the Metropolitan Business League, died on April 13, 2016; and
WHEREAS, a native of Norfolk, Oliver Singleton graduated from the University of Virginia, where he became the first African American member of the esteemed Z Society; and
WHEREAS, Oliver Singleton relocated to Richmond in the 1970s and worked for the Medical College of Virginia before embarking on a career in finance; he was the first African American stockbroker at Merrill Lynch in Richmond and worked for several other firms; and
WHEREAS, later in life, Oliver Singleton worked diligently to strengthen and enhance the Richmond community and the Commonwealth; he served as deputy director of the Virginia Department of Minority Business Enterprise, as chair of the Richmond Redevelopment and Housing Authority, and as an interim member of the Richmond City Council; and
WHEREAS, in 2003, Oliver Singleton became president and chief executive officer of the Metropolitan Business League, a longstanding nonprofit organization dedicated to minority business development; and
WHEREAS, during his tenure with the Metropolitan Business League, Oliver Singleton oversaw 150 businesses annually; he routinely created benefit packages for the employees of member businesses, drafted business plans, held seminars, and served as a trusted mentor to countless Richmond entrepreneurs; and
WHEREAS, Oliver Singleton earned many awards and accolades for his good work, including the Virginia Minority Business Champion of 2010 award from the United States Small Business Association and the 2011 Economic Empowerment Award from the Richmond NAACP; and
WHEREAS, Oliver Singleton enjoyed fellowship and worship with the community as a devout member of St. John’s African Methodist Episcopal Church in Norfolk in his youth and lived his faith through his actions throughout his life; and
WHEREAS, a devoted family man, Oliver Singleton will be fondly remembered and greatly missed by his wife, Rose; children, Rachel, Hunt, and Christine, and numerous other family members and friends; 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 Oliver Rodney Hunt Singleton, a businessman who helped energize the Richmond community and created new opportunities for minority entrepreneurs; and, be it
RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the Senate prepare a copy of this resolution for presentation to the family of Oliver Rodney Hunt Singleton as an expression of the General Assembly’s respect for his memory.