Bill Text: VA HJR191 | 2018 | Regular Session | Enrolled
Bill Title: Commending Lee Wilson Palmer.
Spectrum: Slight Partisan Bill (Democrat 8-3)
Status: (Passed) 2018-02-15 - Bill text as passed House and Senate (HJ191ER) [HJR191 Detail]
Download: Virginia-2018-HJR191-Enrolled.html
WHEREAS, Lee Wilson Palmer of New Alexandria, a distinguished veteran and a highly admired restauranteur who has made many contributions to the Northern Virginia community, celebrated his 100th birthday in 2017; and
WHEREAS, born on December 24, 1917, Lee Palmer grew up in Wytheville and married his childhood friend, Mary Page Trinkle, in 1940; the couple have two grown children, Jim and Elizabeth, as well as six grandchildren and two great-grandchildren; and
WHEREAS, Lee Palmer honorably served the nation as a member of the United States Army from 1944 to 1946 and saw some of the fiercest action of the war, participating in the Battle of Anzio, the Liberation of Rome, and the Battle of the Bulge; he witnessed the horrors of the Nazi regime firsthand when he helped liberate the Dachau concentration camp; and
WHEREAS, after his honorable military service, Lee Palmer returned home to the Commonwealth and found work on the night shift at the Penn-Daw Motor Hotel and became manager of the Penn-Daw dining room in 1947; and
WHEREAS, at the time, the Penn-Daw restaurant was a favorite meeting place of Alexandria's business leaders and government officials, and Lee Palmer served many high-profile guests, including baseball star Joe DiMaggio and former first lady Edith Wilson; and
WHEREAS, during the Civil Rights Movement, Lee Palmer made the Penn-Daw restaurant a pioneer of integration as one of the first restaurants in the area to have black waiters and white waitresses working side by side, earning the admiration of his staff and the community; and
WHEREAS, in 1968, Lee Palmer became manager of the Old Club Restaurant, a local institution with historical connections to George Washington; he became owner in 1976 and helped the club thrive for another decade with his characteristic work ethic and charm; and
WHEREAS, Lee Palmer finished his career in the restaurant business with the Dixie Pig, a neighborhood favorite on Route 1 with a devoted following; he served as an assistant manager and was responsible for menus and ordering food; and
WHEREAS, Lee Palmer is also a 35-year member and past president of the Kiwanis Club of Mount Vernon, and he still supports his fellow club members as chaplain; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED by the House of Delegates, the Senate concurring, That the General Assembly hereby commend Lee Wilson Palmer on the occasion of his 100th birthday; and, be it
RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the House of Delegates prepare a copy of this resolution for presentation to Lee Wilson Palmer as an expression of the General Assembly's admiration for his contributions to the community and best wishes.
