SEARCH SITE

VIRGINIA LAW PORTAL

SEARCHABLE DATABASES

ACROSS SESSIONS

Developed and maintained by the Division of Legislative Automated Systems.

2020 SESSION

20106915D
HOUSE RESOLUTION NO. 88
Offered February 18, 2020
Celebrating the life of Donald Arthur Bagshaw.
----------
Patron-- Brewer
----------

WHEREAS, Donald Arthur Bagshaw, an active and engaged community member and civic leader beloved throughout the Tri-Cities area, died on January 17, 2020; and

WHEREAS, born in Hollidaysburg, Pennsylvania, Donald “Don” Arthur Bagshaw was an avid musician who performed in several distinguished ensembles in his youth, including the Pennsylvania FFA Band, the Penn State University Blue Band, and the Penn State University ROTC Band; and

WHEREAS, studying vocational agriculture in high school and animal husbandry at Penn State University, Don Bagshaw worked briefly as a dairy herdsman and milk tester, maintaining production records for farms throughout Berks County, Pennsylvania; and

WHEREAS, drafted into the United States Army in 1958 and obtaining the rank of staff sergeant, Don Bagshaw served with the 392nd Army Band in Fort Lee, followed by a period with the 80th Division United States Army Reserves Band, before his discharge in 1967; and

WHEREAS, Don Bagshaw spent his professional career with the Virginia American Water Company as the Hopewell District’s operations superintendent and distribution and loss control manager, retiring in 1999 after nearly four decades with the utility company; and

WHEREAS, an avid sportsman, Don Bagshaw coached a USSSA Class A women’s softball team to a 13th-place finish in the league’s world tournament in 1976 and won several medals at the Virginia Commonwealth Games’ bowling competitions over the years, earning a place in the Appomattox River District Bowling Association’s Bowling Hall of Fame in 2013; and

WHEREAS, several fraternal and professional organizations benefited from Don Bagshaw’s membership over the years, including the Hopewell Moose Lodge #1472, the Hopewell American Legion Post 146, and the American Water Works Association; and

WHEREAS, dedicated to serving his community and helping others, Don Bagshaw was involved with several Ruritan clubs, including clubs in City Point, where he was a charter member and treasurer; Disputanta, where he served as both president and vice president; and Prince George County, in 2007, he was recognized as a Distinguished Ruritan Member by Ruritan National for his many contributions to the organization over the years; and

WHEREAS, valued for his wisdom and good sense, Don Bagshaw served several civic organizations and government agencies, including the South Centre Corridors Resource Conservation & Development Council, the Prince George County Extension Leadership Council, the Virginia Cooperative Extension Leadership Council, and the James River Soil & Water Conservation District; and

WHEREAS, for 40 years, Don Bagshaw was essential to the safety and security of the Counties of Prince George and Surry and the City of Hopewell as the Virginia Department of Emergency Management’s radiological monitoring instructor and radiological defense officer; and

WHEREAS, a former member of the Virginia Emergency Management Association and the board of directors of the Virginia Safety Association, Don Bagshaw was a charter member of the Hopewell Industrial Safety Council, now known as the Hopewell Local Emergency Planning Committee; and

WHEREAS, Don Bagshaw will be fondly remembered and dearly missed by his wife of 35 years, Mary; his children, John, Shel, Lori, and Teresa, and their families; and numerous other family members and friends; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED, That the House of Delegates hereby note with great sadness the loss of Donald Arthur Bagshaw, who touched countless lives in the Tri-Cities area as a civic leader, safety expert, and friend; 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 Donald Arthur Bagshaw as an expression of the House of Delegates’ respect for his memory.