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2020 SESSION


HOUSE RESOLUTION NO. 161
Commending Colin Campbell.

 

Agreed to by the House of Delegates, March 4, 2020
 

WHEREAS, Colin Campbell attended Cornell University and studied to be an attorney at Columbia University; he was employed on Wall Street and served as the chief executive officer of three major institutions over the course of more than 44 years; and

WHEREAS, Colin Campbell served as president of the prestigious Wesleyan University for 18 years, becoming the youngest president in the institution’s history when he assumed office at the age of 35; and

WHEREAS, in 1988, Colin Campbell was appointed as president and trustee of the Rockefeller Brothers Fund and oversaw 12 years of extraordinary growth as the organization’s endowment increased from $240 million to $800 million; and

WHEREAS, Colin Campbell led the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation from 2000 to 2014, directing the organization’s renewed efforts to enhance the conservation of one of America’s most prestigious and challenging historical sites; he currently serves as chairman emeritus; and

WHEREAS, Colin Campbell reaffirmed Colonial Williamsburg’s commitment to a history that connects the past to contemporary American life and citizenship by creating the “Revolutionary City,” which provides an opportunity for visitors to engage with political and social controversies experienced in colonial and revolutionary societies that still resonate today; and

WHEREAS, Governor Robert F. McDonnell recognized Colin Campbell as a leader in the field of history, interpretation, education, business, and preservation, and appointed him to the Fort Monroe Authority Board of Trustees in 2010 and reappointed him in 2012; and

WHEREAS, in June 2016, Governor Terence R. McAuliffe reaffirmed Colin Campbell's numerous contributions to the Fort Monroe Authority by reappointing him to a third term to its board of trustees; and

WHEREAS, during Colin Campbell’s three terms of office at the Fort Monroe Authority, his fellow trustees recognized him with the title of vice chairman and he accepted numerous responsibilities for activities, including board oversight of the Base Realignment and Closure Process (BRAC), becoming directly involved in the negotiations for the conveyance of the non-reversionary and reversionary lands to the Fort Monroe Authority; and

WHEREAS, the United States Army successfully transferred 312.75 acres of reversionary land to the Commonwealth on June 4, 2013; and

WHEREAS, Colin Campbell served on the Fort Monroe Authority Board of Trustees during a time when the Commonwealth and the United States Secretary of the Interior were contemplating the creation of a Fort Monroe unit of the National Park Service; it was eventually designated as a national monument by President Barrack Obama on November 1, 2011; and

WHEREAS, on August 25, 2015, the Commonwealth transferred 121.1 acres to the National Park Service for the creation of the Fort Monroe National Monument; and

WHEREAS, Colin Campbell subsequently represented the board of trustees in negotiations with the United States Army for the transfer of 83.188 acres of land through the Economic Development Conveyance; and

WHEREAS, during Colin Campbell’s tenure, the Fort Monroe Authority accepted responsibility for the operations of the Fort Monroe property, created a business model that successfully leases commercial and residential properties, and managed a growing museum presence on the property, including the creation of the first-ever Fort Monroe Visitor and Education Center; and

WHEREAS, the trustees with whom Colin Campbell served and the staff with whom he worked all came to rely on his great energy, calm presence, gentle sense of humor, sound judgment, and kindness as he promoted lively and productive dialogue in all interactions; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED by the House of Delegates, That Colin Campbell hereby be commended for his years of service to the Fort Monroe Authority; and, be it

RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the House of Delegates prepare a copy of this resolution for presentation to Colin Campbell as an expression of the House of Delegates’ admiration for his contributions to the preservation of the Commonwealth’s valuable historic resources.