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2023 SESSION


SENATE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 383
Celebrating the life of Ellalee Fountain Flowers.

 

Agreed to by the Senate, February 22, 2023
Agreed to by the House of Delegates, February 23, 2023

 

WHEREAS, Ellalee Fountain Flowers, an esteemed educator at Richmond Public Schools, professor at Virginia Union University, and beloved member of the Richmond community, died on May 15, 2022; and

WHEREAS, Ellalee Flowers grew up in the Jackson Ward neighborhood of Richmond and excelled academically in her youth, graduating at the top of her class from Armstrong High School in 1939 at the age of 15; and

WHEREAS, Ellalee Flowers earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration from what is now Virginia State University in 1943, where she once again graduated at the top of her class and was a member of the Alpha Eta Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc.; and

WHEREAS, Ellalee Flowers began her career in the president’s office of Southern Aid Life Insurance Company, which was the first Black-owned insurance company in the nation; she later earned a master’s degree in education from Columbia University in 1947, which was paid for by the Commonwealth pursuant to the Dovell Act of 1935 at a time when Virginia’s institutions of higher education were still segregated; and

WHEREAS, in 1945, Ellalee Flowers began teaching business courses at Maggie L. Walker High School, formerly of Richmond Public Schools (RPS), where she contributed greatly to the success of countless young people; she would ultimately become head of the school’s business department before retiring from RPS in 1979; and

WHEREAS, Ellalee Flowers subsequently took a faculty position in the Sydney Lewis School of Business at Virginia Union University, working tirelessly for the benefit of her students until her retirement in 1987; and

WHEREAS, Ellalee Flowers was a passionate educator who, in addition to her roles at Maggie L. Walker High School and Virginia Union University, also found time to teach night school for adults and to instruct elementary school students; and

WHEREAS, Ellalee Flowers was an 80-year member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., actively serving in its Richmond Alumnae chapter for many years, including as chair of its Habitat for Humanity and political awareness committees; and

WHEREAS, Ellalee Flowers devoted herself to the fight for racial and social justice as a lifelong member of the NAACP, serving as secretary of the Richmond branch of the organization; and

WHEREAS, guided throughout her life by her faith, Ellalee Flowers enjoyed worship and fellowship with her community at Ebenezer Baptist Church in Richmond from an early age; and

WHEREAS, preceded in death by her husband, Stafford, Ellalee Flowers will be fondly remembered and dearly missed by her children, Jan and Gary; and by numerous other family members and friends; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED by the Senate, the House of Delegates concurring, That the General Assembly hereby note with great sadness the loss of Ellalee Fountain Flowers, a cherished member of the Richmond community whose efforts as an educator and in other endeavors inspired all who knew her; and, be it

RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the Senate prepare a copy of this resolution for presentation to the family of Ellalee Fountain Flowers as an expression of the General Assembly’s respect for her memory.