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2018 SESSION


HOUSE RESOLUTION NO. 151
Celebrating the life of the Honorable James H. Harvell III.

 

Agreed to by the House of Delegates, March 8, 2018

 

WHEREAS, the Honorable James H. Harvell III, a retired judge of the Newport News General District Court who made countless contributions to the community on and off the bench, died on October 8, 2017; and

WHEREAS, a lifelong resident of Newport News, James Harvell graduated from Warwick High School; he received a bachelor’s degree from Washington and Lee University and a law degree from the University of Virginia; and

WHEREAS, James Harvell served his country as a member of the United States Army Reserve for six years, including six months of active duty; after his honorable military service, he entered private practice in Newport News; and

WHEREAS, in 1972, James Harvell was appointed as a judge of the Newport News General District Court of the 7th Judicial District of Virginia, where he presided with great fairness and wisdom for more than 30 years; as a traffic court judge, he was many local residents’ only interaction with the legal system, and he made a point to treat everyone he encountered with dignity and respect; and

WHEREAS, during his time on the bench, James Harvell earned the admiration of attorneys and law-enforcement officers for his work ethic and attention to detail; in addition to managing his heavy case load, he proactively learned about technology like radar guns and red-light cameras, and he possessed an encyclopedic knowledge of the city’s intersections and traffic signs; and

WHEREAS, James Harvell was passionate about helping people struggling with alcohol abuse; he was a founding member of Peninsula Alcohol Safety Action Program and served on the board of directors of the Serenity House, a treatment and rehabilitation center; and

WHEREAS, after his well-earned retirement in 2004, James Harvell continued to serve as a substitute judge and offered his leadership to Christopher Newport University as a board member and president of the Lifelong Learning Society; and

WHEREAS, James Harvell enjoyed fellowship and worship with the community as a devout member of St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church, where he served on the vestry and taught Sunday school; and

WHEREAS, a man of great integrity, James Harvell served the residents of Newport News and the Commonwealth with the utmost dedication and distinction; and

WHEREAS, James Harvell will be fondly remembered and greatly missed by his wife of 58 years, Barbara; daughter, Laura, and her family, including his four beloved grandchildren, Christian, Frank, Ann Marie, and Emily; and numerous other family members, friends, and colleagues; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED, That the House of Delegates hereby note with great sadness the loss of the Honorable James H. Harvell III, a former judge and a highly admired member of the Newport News community; 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 the Honorable James H. Harvell III as an expression of the House of Delegates’ respect for his memory.