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2021 SPECIAL SESSION I


HOUSE RESOLUTION NO. 532
Celebrating the life of William E. Quarles, Jr.

 

Agreed to by the House of Delegates, February 22, 2021

 

WHEREAS, in every county of the Commonwealth, especially in those that are rural, individuals arise to embody and represent the characteristics of their particular communities; and

WHEREAS, for Sandy Hook and the environs of Goochland County, such an individual was William E. Quarles, Jr., who passed away suddenly on February 3, 2021; and

WHEREAS, William Quarles was twice elected to the Goochland County Board of Supervisors and three times was chosen by his colleagues to serve as chair, in 2008, 2010, and 2011; and

WHEREAS, William Quarles had previously served for six years on the Goochland County Planning Commission, including two years as chair; and

WHEREAS, William Quarles returned to public office in 2019 when he was elected to the Goochland County School Board, representing the county’s District 2, long the seat of his home and community; and

WHEREAS, William, as he was referred to by all who knew him, was born on June 8, 1952, in Louisa County in a neighborhood that encompasses the portion of Goochland County in which he resided for his entire life; and

WHEREAS, William Quarles graduated from Goochland High School in 1970 and in 1974 earned a bachelor of science degree in chemistry and biology from Virginia Union University; and

WHEREAS, William Quarles began his professional career as a teacher in the public schools of the City of Richmond and Louisa County; and

WHEREAS, William and Ruth (née Bowles) Quarles were married in November of 1980 and became parents of two children, William Edward Quarles III, whose wife is Tameka Norris Quarles, and Christopher Jorel Quarles, as well as grandparents to Kara, Trinity, and Aiden Quarles; and

WHEREAS, shortly after his marriage, William Quarles began work for Dominion Virginia Power at the North Anna Nuclear Power Station, where he rose to become supervisor of nuclear chemistry and, later, a senior nuclear instructor of chemistry, and retired from the firm in 2011; and

WHEREAS, William Quarles was a longtime and integral member of the Goochland Democratic Committee, serving many years as co-chair; and

WHEREAS, William Quarles began his public service when he was appointed to the Goochland County Planning Commission, on which he served for six years, including two years as chair; and

WHEREAS, William Quarles devoted his energies to the Emergency Medical Advisory Board Workforce, the Capital Region Workforce Partnership Consortium, the James River Outdoors Recreation and Trails panel for Goochland and Powhatan Counties, as chair of the Telecommunications Committee for the Virginia Association of Counties, as chair of the Goochland Minority Committee (now called the Advisory Committee for Equity in Education), the Goochland Day Foundation, and the Goochland Pet Lovers; and

WHEREAS, in his devotion to public schooling, William Quarles cofounded the Goochland Education Foundation and served the foundation as vice president from 2008 to 2019 and as president from 2019 to 2020; and

WHEREAS, William Quarles enjoyed memberships in the local branch of the NAACP, the freemasons, and the Goochland-Powhatan Master Gardeners program; and

WHEREAS, William Quarles was the Democratic nominee for the Virginia House of Delegates from the 65th District in 2013; and

WHEREAS, in closing the many civic and public meetings he chaired, William Quarles would summon his fellow citizens to “SMILE” or “S, to Seek to understand before being understood; M, to Make the other person feel important; I, to remember It’s not about me; L, to listen twice as much as one speaks; and E, Enthusiastically and quickly to admit when you are wrong”; and

WHEREAS, in recognition of the many civic endeavors and accomplishments of William Quarles, the Goochland County ordered that the flag of Goochland be lowered to half-staff at all county buildings in tribute to the memory of a leader of the community; and

WHEREAS, on the passing of William Quarles, Karen Horn, the chair of the Goochland County School Board, remarked, “Mr. Quarles has served the people of Goochland in many ways over many years. This service most often included raising up the lives of children and supporting quality education for all. He used a gentle voice in this work, and he was always a gentleman”; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED, That the House of Delegates hereby note with great sadness the loss of William E. Quarles, Jr., and offer condolences to his family, friends, and the citizens of Goochland County; and, be it

RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the House of Delegates prepare a copy of this resolution for presentation to Ruth Bowles Quarles in appreciation and with admiration for the life, labors, and civic services of her late husband, William E. Quarles, Jr.