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1997 SESSION


SENATE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 403
Honoring Mrs. Hilda Hensley, mother of legendary country music singer Patsy Cline, on the 40th anniversary of Patsy Cline's appearance on the nationally televised Arthur Godfrey Show.

Agreed to by the Senate, February 17, 1997
Agreed to by the House of Delegates, February 17, 1997

WHEREAS, Patsy Cline, Virginia's most famous country music star, was born Virginia Patterson Hensley at the Winchester Memorial Hospital on September 8, 1932; and

WHEREAS, the daughter of Hilda Virginia Patterson and Samuel Lawrence Hensley, Patsy Cline began her singing career on Winchester radio station WINC on Saturday mornings; and

WHEREAS, Patsy Cline displayed her musical skills at Winchester's Palace Theater; and

WHEREAS, a student at Handley High School in Winchester, Patsy Cline dropped out to support her family by working at Winchester's Greyhound Bus Terminal and at Gaunt's drugstore; and

WHEREAS, by 1956, Patsy Cline was a star on the Washington, D.C., Saturday Night Town and Country Jamboree television show and appeared in many Shenandoah Apple Blossom Grand Feature Parades; and

WHEREAS, Patsy Cline burst onto the national music scene on January 21, 1957, with her triumphant appearance on the Arthur Godfrey Show in Nashville; and

WHEREAS, Patsy became a national celebrity by singing many great songs, such as "Walking After Midnight," "Sweet Dreams of You," "Crazy," "I Fall to Pieces," "So Wrong," "Back in Baby's Arms," "She's Got You," and "Leavin' on My Mind"; and

WHEREAS, married to Charlie Dick of Winchester in 1957, Patsy Cline enjoyed an unparalleled country music career until her tragic death in a plane crash in Tennessee on March 5, 1963; and

WHEREAS, her brilliant musical career cut short, Patsy Cline nonetheless remains as one of country music's greatest stars, remembered with fondness by her legion of fans in Winchester, the Commonwealth, and the nation; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED by the Senate, the House of Delegates concurring, That the General Assembly hereby commemorate a defining moment in the musical career of Winchester's Patsy Cline: her breakthrough appearance 40 years ago on the Arthur Godfrey Show in 1957; and, be it

RESOLVED FURTHER, That the General Assembly encourage the citizens of the Commonwealth to rediscover the brilliance of Patsy Cline through her many recordings, which serve as a reminder of her enduring musical legacy; and, be it

RESOLVED FINALLY, That the General Assembly express sincere appreciation to the mother of Patsy Cline, Mrs. Hilda Hensley, for perpetuating the glorious memory of her daughter.