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2020 SPECIAL SESSION I

20201250D
SENATE RESOLUTION NO. 565
Offered October 7, 2020
Celebrating the life of Lois Saunier Hornsby.
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Patrons-- Norment and Mason
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WHEREAS, Lois Saunier Hornsby, longtime community activist and education advocate who was a guiding light in the Williamsburg community over the past half century, died on August 26, 2020; and

WHEREAS, Lois Hornsby grew up in Richmond and graduated from Mary Washington College, where her role leading a well-traveled vocal trio would foretell a lifetime dedicated to the promotion of the arts; and

WHEREAS, settling in Williamsburg to raise a family, Lois Hornsby helped establish the local Head Start program in the 1960s and later chaired several Parent Teacher Association councils, working particularly to improve minority student achievement throughout Williamsburg-James City County Public Schools; and

WHEREAS, Lois Hornsby was a founding member of All Together Williamsburg, an organization that has spearheaded diversity awareness initiatives and other educational programs in the community for the past 25 years; and

WHEREAS, with a brilliance for leveraging the arts to unite people, Lois Hornsby was an active supporter of the international arts program Up With People and formed a youth musical group called Sing Out Williamsburg, which inspired students with its songs about patriotism, morality, and racial equality; and

WHEREAS, Lois Hornsby was integral to the founding of Williamsburg’s Virginia Shakespeare Festival at The College of William & Mary, which in 2013 was designated as the official Shakespeare Festival of the Commonwealth; and

WHEREAS, through her work with Campus Ministries United and the Christian Science college organization at The College of William & Mary, untold students benefitted from Lois Hornsby’s spiritual guidance over the years; and

WHEREAS, Lois Hornsby’s boundless optimism and drive also led her to support a plethora of local civic organizations, including the Cultural Alliance of Hampton Roads, the NAACP of Williamsburg, the Williamsburg Clergy Fellowship, and many others; and

WHEREAS, in celebration of her remarkable achievements in the areas of education, social justice, and the arts, Lois Hornsby has been honored by several prominent community and civic organizations, including the Daughters of the American Revolution, the NAACP, Church Women United, WHRO Public Media, and the Williamsburg Chamber of Commerce; and

WHEREAS, Lois Hornsby was notably the recipient of both the Prentis Award and the Algernon Sydney Sullivan Award from The College of William & Mary, two of the institution’s most prestigious service awards; and

WHEREAS, in recognition of her outsized impact on Williamsburg-James City County Public Schools, the newly constructed Lois S. Hornsby Middle School in Williamsburg was named in her honor in 2010, preserving her legacy for generations to come; and

WHEREAS, guided throughout her life by her deep and abiding faith, Lois Hornsby enjoyed worship and fellowship with her community at First Church of Christ, Scientist in Williamsburg for many years; and

WHEREAS, preceded in death by her loving husband, Robert, Lois Hornsby will be dearly remembered and fondly missed by her children, Robert, Bruce, and Jonathan, and their families; and numerous other family members and friends; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED, That the Senate of Virginia hereby note with great sadness the loss of Lois Saunier Hornsby, a beloved community advocate who fought passionately for public education, racial reconciliation, and the arts in Williamsburg and James City County; and, be it

RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the Senate prepare a copy of this resolution for presentation to the family of Lois Saunier Hornsby as an expression of the Senate of Virginia’s respect for her memory.