WHEREAS, Lucy Martin Harmon, a devoted educator who touched countless lives in the Salem area and throughout the Commonwealth, died on May 6, 2013; and

WHEREAS, a native of Pulaski, Lucy Harmon attended the Tuskegee Institute in Alabama, where she studied under George Washington Carver, and earned a bachelor's degree from Bluefield State College and a master's degree from Columbia University; and

WHEREAS, Lucy Harmon and her husband, Chauncey, actively supported the early civil rights movement; the couple sought equal pay for African American teachers and led efforts to build a new high school for African American students in Pulaski; and

WHEREAS, throughout a 40-year career in education, Lucy Harmon prepared the youth of the Commonwealth for higher education, careers, and responsible citizenship, teaching at schools in Blacksburg, Pulaski, Wytheville, and Salem; and

WHEREAS, a kind but firm teacher, Lucy Harmon encouraged her students to achieve excellence and become caring, active members of their communities; over the years, she mentored many students who became leaders in their fields throughout the Commonwealth and the United States; and

WHEREAS, following her well-earned retirement in 1980, Lucy Harmon and her husband led efforts to restore George Washington Carver's name to the G. W. Carver Elementary School in Salem, which had been renamed Salem Intermediate, and preserve the original site of the school; and

WHEREAS, Lucy Harmon also worked to enhance the community by donating her time and wise leadership to numerous civic and service organizations, and she enjoyed fellowship and worship as an active member of First Baptist Church of Salem; and

WHEREAS, predeceased by her loving husband of 52 years, Chauncey, Lucy Harmon will be fondly remembered and greatly missed by her children, Marylen and Chauncey, Jr., 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 Lucy Martin Harmon, an educator and an iconic leader in the Salem community; 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 Lucy Martin Harmon as an expression of the General Assembly's respect for her memory.