Bill Text: VA HJR119 | 2018 | Regular Session | Enrolled
Bill Title: Celebrating the life of L. Stanley Willis.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 3-0)
Status: (Passed) 2018-01-18 - Bill text as passed House and Senate (HJ119ER) [HJR119 Detail]
Download: Virginia-2018-HJR119-Enrolled.html
WHEREAS, L. Stanley Willis, a highly admired educator who touched the lives of countless young men and women as a professor at the University of Virginia's College at Wise, died on October 24, 2017; and
WHEREAS, after he received a bachelor's degree from Hampden Sydney College, Stanley Willis honorably served his country in the United States Armed Forces and then earned a doctoral degree from the University of Virginia; and
WHEREAS, Stanley Willis briefly taught at Stephen F. Austin State University in Texas, then returned home to the Commonwealth as the chair of the history department at the Clinch Valley College, now known as the University of Virginia's College at Wise; and
WHEREAS, in addition to teaching history, Stanley Willis also served as dean of students and chair of the Faculty Council over the course of his 30-year career with the college; after his well-earned retirement, he continued to serve the college community as the president of the Poor Farm Society; and
WHEREAS, Stanley Willis was both an effective student advisor and an engaging professor who helped students from all backgrounds acquire critical thinking skills and achieve academic excellence; and
WHEREAS, as a final gift to the College at Wise and its students, Stanley Willis bequeathed 40 acres of mixed woodland for use as an environmental laboratory where students and faculty can conduct research or simply enjoy the sights and sounds of the natural world; and
WHEREAS, Stanley Willis will be fondly remembered and greatly missed by his wife, Barbara; daughter, Elizabeth; and numerous other family members, friends, and former students; 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 L. Stanley Willis, a consummate educator who made lasting contributions to the University of Virginia's College at Wise; 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 L. Stanley Willis as an expression of the General Assembly's respect for his memory.
