Bill Text: VA HJR787 | 2023 | Regular Session | Enrolled
Bill Title: Celebrating the life of Charles Kirtland.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)
Status: (Passed) 2023-02-23 - Bill text as passed House and Senate (HJ787ER) [HJR787 Detail]
Download: Virginia-2023-HJR787-Enrolled.html
WHEREAS, Charles Kirtland, an accomplished restaurateur and advocate and a beloved member of the Hampton Roads community, died in January 2023; and
WHEREAS, Charles Kirtland was born in San Antonio, Texas, to a United States Naval family and had lived in Bermuda, Illinois, California, Texas, and the Commonwealth before ultimately settling in Norfolk in 2007; and
WHEREAS, Charles Kirtland was a successful entrepreneur, having gone from bartending to becoming the principal owner at Gershwin's, a fine dining restaurant in downtown Norfolk; and
WHEREAS, Charles Kirtland was the chair of the board of directors at the LGBT Life Center in Norfolk, where he worked tirelessly to empower the LGBTQIA+ community and all people affected by human immunodeficiency virus by promoting health and wellness, strengthening families and communities, and providing transformative education and advocacy; and
WHEREAS, Charles Kirtland was a founding member of the Stonewall Sports league in Norfolk, an LGBTQIA+, community-based, nonprofit sports organization founded in 2010 that strives to raise funds for local nonprofit organizations through organized sports; and
WHEREAS, Charles Kirtland was a longtime volunteer and sponsor of Hampton Roads Pride and a staunch advocate for LGBTQIA+ equality; and
WHEREAS, Charles Kirtland will be fondly remembered and dearly missed by numerous 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 Charles Kirtland, a cherished member of the Hampton Roads community whose kindness and generosity touched countless lives; 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 Charles Kirtland as an expression of the General Assembly's respect for his memory.