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2022 SESSION

22106748D
HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 374
Offered March 4, 2022
Celebrating the life of the Reverend Woodrow M. Brown, Jr.
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Patrons-- Price, Mullin, Simonds and Ward; Senators: Locke and Mason
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WHEREAS, the Reverend Woodrow M. Brown, Jr., a highly respected religious leader and trailblazing public servant, died on December 2, 2021; and

WHEREAS, the Reverend Woodrow “Woody” M. Brown, Jr., was born in Lynchburg and moved with his family to Newport News, where he graduated from Huntington High School; and

WHEREAS, Woody Brown continued his education at the Hampton Institute and the Virginia Theological Seminary, and he served his country as a member of the United States Army, earning a Purple Heart during his deployment to Vietnam; and

WHEREAS, after his honorable military service, Woody Brown answered the call to the ministry and served as assistant pastor of First Baptist Church East End in Newport News under the leadership of his father, the Reverend Woodrow M. Brown, Sr.; and

WHEREAS, desirous to be of further service to the community, Woody Brown ran for the Newport News City Council and became the first African American man elected to the council in 1984; he earned admiration as an approachable and compassionate leader who worked diligently to support his constituents; and

WHEREAS, Woody Brown became senior pastor of First Baptist Church East End from 1985 to 2000 and helped the congregation grow in faith and better serve the community; he established The Family Life Center, founded The Way, Inc., and represented the region as a member of American Baptist Churches USA; and

WHEREAS, Woody Brown will be fondly remembered and greatly missed by his wife, Elaine; his sons, Woodrow and Robert, and their families; and numerous other family members and friends; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED by the House of Delegates, the Senate concurring, That the General Assembly hereby note with great sadness the loss of the Reverend Woodrow M. Brown, Jr., a religious leader and former member of the Newport News City Council; 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 Reverend Woodrow M. Brown, Jr., as an expression of the General Assembly’s respect for his memory.