WHEREAS, the Honorable William Pierce Hay, Jr., a judge of the 10th Judicial District of Virginia and an active member of the Prince Edward County community, died on April 15, 2015; and

WHEREAS, William "Billy" Hay was raised in Richmond, where his family had deep roots, and graduated from John Marshall High School; he attended Hampden-Sydney College on an athletic scholarship and was a standout member of the football and baseball teams, earning a place in the college's Athletic Hall of Fame; and

WHEREAS, Billy Hay joined many of the other young men of his generation in service to the nation during World War II as a member of the United States Navy and United States Marine Corps, serving two tours as a bomber pilot; and

WHEREAS, after the war, Billy Hay returned to the Commonwealth and earned a law degree from the University of Virginia; he practiced law in Farmville while serving as an assistant coach at his alma mater; and

WHEREAS, in 1956, Billy Hay was appointed as a judge of the Prince Edward County General District Court in the 10th Judicial District of Virginia, where he presided with great fairness and wisdom for more than 40 years; he also presided over courts in Lunenburg and Charlotte Counties until his well-earned retirement in 1998; and

WHEREAS, working to strengthen and enhance the Prince Edward County community, Billy Hay was a well-known member of many civic and service organizations, and he enjoyed fellowship and worship at Johns Memorial Episcopal Church; and

WHEREAS, Billy Hay will be fondly remembered and greatly 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 the Honorable William Pierce Hay, Jr., a respected judge and community leader in Prince Edward County; 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 the Honorable William Pierce Hay, Jr., as an expression of the General Assembly's respect for his memory.