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2021 SPECIAL SESSION II


SENATE RESOLUTION NO. 707
Celebrating the life of Jereial Byron Fletcher.

 

Agreed to by the Senate, August 5, 2021

 

WHEREAS, Jereial Byron Fletcher of Bluefield, a longtime educator who inspired generations of students at Southwest Virginia Community College and was respected for his scholarship on the history and heritage of Appalachia, died on March 7, 2021; and

WHEREAS, born in Nickelsville, Jereial Fletcher grew up in Scott County, where his family roots run deep and where he began to cultivate his lifelong appreciation for history and the great outdoors; and

WHEREAS, Jereial Fletcher graduated from Berea College in Kentucky and began his teaching career at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (Virginia Tech) while pursuing a master’s degree from the institution; at that time, he also mentored high school students as a counselor with Upward Bound; and

WHEREAS, Jereial Fletcher completed additional postgraduate coursework at the University of Tennessee at Knoxville and Virginia Tech and served as an assistant professor of English at Bluefield College for four years before joining the faculty of Southwest Virginia Community College in 1984; and

WHEREAS, during his 37-year career at Southwest Virginia Community College, Jereial Fletcher served as an associate professor of English, the chair of the Humanities and Social Science Department, and the dean of mathematics, science, and health technologies; and

WHEREAS, Jereial Fletcher was a voracious reader who possessed a comprehensive understanding of British and American literature and could read Old and Middle English, French, Spanish, and Hebrew, but he was best known as an advocate and champion for Appalachian studies; and

WHEREAS, Jereial Fletcher was a fount of knowledge on the history, culture, linguistics, folklore, and geography of East Tennessee, Southwest Virginia, and especially Scott County; he was a founding member of the committee that created the Appalachian Heritage Writers Symposium and a trusted mentor to countless fellow scholars nationwide; and

WHEREAS, Jereial Fletcher will be fondly remembered and greatly missed by his wife of 43 years, Ramona; his daughter, Rachel; 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 Jereial Byron Fletcher, a respected educator who touched countless lives over the course of his distinguished career; and, be it

RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the Senate prepare a copy of this resolution for presentation to the family of Jereial Byron Fletcher as an expression of the Senate of Virginia’s respect for his memory.