Bill Text: VA HJR261 | 2022 | Regular Session | Enrolled
Bill Title: Commending the Reverend Daniel Webster Edwards.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)
Status: (Passed) 2022-03-03 - Bill text as passed House and Senate (HJ261ER) [HJR261 Detail]
Download: Virginia-2022-HJR261-Enrolled.html
WHEREAS, the Reverend Daniel Webster Edwards, a respected spiritual leader and a lifelong resident of Dinwiddie County who has made numerous contributions to his community, celebrated his 100th birthday in 2021; and
WHEREAS, born on May 1, 1921, Daniel Edwards was the youngest child of Algienon and Delia Edwards; he learned the value of hard work and responsibility at a young age while working on the family's farm and attended Dinwiddie Normal and Industrial, then the only high school for Black students in the county; and
WHEREAS, Daniel Edwards continued his education at Virginia State University, from which he earned a barber's license, and Virginia Union University School of Theology; and
WHEREAS, Daniel Edwards retired from Central State Hospital after 26 years, earning a certificate of appreciation for his outstanding service; and
WHEREAS, Daniel Edwards raised tobacco, corn, and soybeans on his farm for three decades, and he served the community as a barber for 70 years, owning his own barber shop for most of that time; and
WHEREAS, a man of deep and abiding faith, Daniel Edwards joined Little Zion Baptist Church in Carson as a child and held numerous leadership positions over the course of his life, including chair of the deacon board, superintendent of the Sunday school, member of the senior choir, and founder of the congregation's first vacation Bible school, and he currently serves as an associate pastor; and
WHEREAS, Daniel Edwards was ordained as a minister at Little Zion Baptist Church in 1994 and subsequently became an assistant pastor at Bethany Baptist Church in Kenbridge; in 2000, he was selected as pastor of Starlight Baptist Church in Kenbridge and drove the 120-mile round trip from Dinwiddie to serve the community until his retirement in 2009; and
WHEREAS, Daniel Edwards was a member of the Dinwiddie Branch of the NAACP for 40 years and served as a two-term president of the Dinwiddie Civic League, and for many years, he has generously volunteered to drive seniors in the community to grocery stores or doctor appointments; and
WHEREAS, Daniel Edwards and his late wife, Marion, raised two children, Joan Smith and Ronald Edwards, and worked diligently to impart to them a strong commitment to service and care for the community; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED by the House of Delegates, the Senate concurring, That the General Assembly hereby commend the Reverend Daniel Webster Edwards 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 the Reverend Daniel Webster Edwards as an expression of the General Assembly's best wishes and admiration for his personal and professional achievements.
