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1997 SESSION

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SENATE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 397 On the death of Harry L. Coomes.

Agreed to by the Senate, February 20, 1997 Agreed to by the House of Delegates, February 21, 1997

WHEREAS, Harry L. Coomes, a 49-year veteran of the Abingdon Town Council and the longest-serving elected official in the Commonwealth, died on October 17, 1996; and

WHEREAS, a native of Grayson County, Harry Coomes, a retired accountant, served on the Abingdon Town Council from his first election in 1948 until his death; and

WHEREAS, during Harry Coomes' tenure on the Town Council, Abingdon has grown from a small town of about 3,000 citizens to a prosperous, progressive center for the arts with a population exceeding 8,000; and

WHEREAS, the Town of Abingdon is now a regional cultural center, boasting such attractions as the Barter Theatre, the Virginia Highlands Festival, and the William King Regional Arts Center; and

WHEREAS, Harry Coomes' financial acumen, his innate conservatism, and his remarkable talent for seeing all sides of a controversy have helped to guide the Town of Abingdon to its current prosperity; and

WHEREAS, a leader in his community in many ways, Harry Coomes contributed his time and talents to many church, civic, and social organizations, touching, to some degree, the lives of all of Abingdon's citizens; and

WHEREAS, throughout the decades of change and growth, the citizens of Abingdon relied on Harry Coomes for honest, intelligent, and fiscally sound leadership; and

WHEREAS, Harry Coomes repaid his constituents for their loyalty, serving the Town of Abingdon with great distinction, unquestioned integrity, and exceptional vision for nearly a half-century; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED by the Senate, the House of Delegates concurring, That the General Assembly mourn the loss of an extraordinary public servant and true Virginia gentleman, Harry L. Coomes; and, be it

RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the Senate prepare a copy of this resolution for presentation to the family of Harry L. Coomes as an expression of the great respect in which his memory is held by the members of the General Assembly and the citizens of Abingdon.