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2018 SESSION


HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 341
Celebrating the life of Thomas R. Wolanin.

 

Agreed to by the House of Delegates, March 2, 2018
Agreed to by the Senate, March 6, 2018

 

WHEREAS, Thomas R. Wolanin of Arlington, a champion for higher education who made many contributions to the Commonwealth and the United States as a professor and a civil servant, died on April 2, 2017; and

WHEREAS, a native of Detroit, Michigan, Thomas Wolanin graduated from Osborn High School and earned a scholarship to attend Oberlin College in Ohio, graduating magna cum laude with highest honors; he then received two fellowships to attend Harvard University, where he earned a doctorate; and

WHEREAS, Thomas Wolanin enjoyed a long and fulfilling career as a professor at Oberlin College, the University of Wisconsin-Madison, The George Washington University, and the Warsaw School of Social and Economic Studies; he served as an administrator at New York University and was a guest lecturer at more than 20 institutions; and

WHEREAS, Thomas Wolanin also worked as a congressional aide for 17 years, and as a first generation college student, he took a special interest in programs to help families pursue higher education; he played a crucial staff role in reauthorizations of the Higher Education Act in 1972, 1976, 1980, 1986, and 1992 and was the architect of several federal grant and loan programs for students; and

WHEREAS, in 1993, Thomas Wolanin was appointed by President William J. Clinton as the Deputy Assistant Secretary for Legislation and Congressional Affairs in the Department of Education and served in that position for three years; and

WHEREAS, an accomplished world traveler, Thomas Wolanin visited 42 countries in his life, including Malta, Mozambique, Georgia, Cuba, and Kyrgyzstan, for both business and pleasure; he made eight trips to Poland, maintaining a special connection to the homeland of his grandparents; and

WHEREAS, Thomas Wolanin finished his career as a consultant with the Institute for Higher Education Policy; throughout his career, he published four books, eight monographs, and more than 60 articles and reviews on American government, higher education, and the history of Poland; and

WHEREAS, Thomas Wolanin will be fondly remembered and greatly missed by his wife, Donna Christian; his children, Peter and Andrew, 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 Thomas R. Wolanin, a respected educator, higher education consultant, and civil servant; 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 Thomas R. Wolanin as an expression of the General Assembly’s respect for his memory.