Bill Text: VA HJR453 | 2020 | Regular Session | Enrolled
Bill Title: Celebrating the life of Elaine E. Thompson.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)
Status: (Passed) 2020-03-05 - Bill text as passed House and Senate (HJ453ER) [HJR453 Detail]
Download: Virginia-2020-HJR453-Enrolled.html
WHEREAS, Elaine E. Thompson, an educator, author, and historian who touched many lives in the Loudoun County community, died on October 9, 2016; and
WHEREAS, born in Purcellville, Elaine Thompson attended Hampton University, from which she earned bachelor's and master's degrees; and
WHEREAS, Elaine Thompson pursued a career in education and taught English in Talbot County Public Schools in Maryland; after her well-earned retirement, she returned to the Commonwealth in the 1980s and lived in Hamilton; and
WHEREAS, Elaine Thompson was a prolific researcher of local African American history and authored many books and articles on the subject, including In the Watchfires: The Loudoun County Emancipation Association, 1890–1971, and contributed to the two-volume book, The Essence of a People; and
WHEREAS, Elaine Thompson helped secure a historical highway marker at the Emancipation Grounds in Purcellville, which was dedicated in 2000, and served as chair of the Emancipation Day celebration in 2008; and
WHEREAS, among her many notable achievements, Elaine Thompson was a founding member of the Black History Committee at Balch Library and donated her great-great-great-grandfather's freedom certificate to the National Museum of African American History and Culture; and
WHEREAS, in February 2020, the Loudoun County School Board voted to name one of its newest elementary schools in Elaine Thompson's honor in recognition of her legacy of contributions to Loudoun County and the preservation of African American history; and
WHEREAS, Elaine Thompson is 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 Elaine E. Thompson; 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 Elaine E. Thompson as an expression of the General Assembly's respect for her memory.