Bill Text: VA HJR59 | 2024 | Regular Session | Enrolled
Bill Title: Celebrating the life of the Honorable Victor Blake McKinney.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 1-0)
Status: (Passed) 2024-01-18 - Bill text as passed House and Senate (HJ59ER) [HJR59 Detail]
Download: Virginia-2024-HJR59-Enrolled.html
WHEREAS, the Honorable Victor Blake McKinney, an accomplished attorney and a retired judge of the 28th Judicial District of Virginia died on September 22, 2023; and
WHEREAS, born in Lawton, Oklahoma, Blake McKinney lived most of his life in Abingdon and graduated from Abingdon High School, where he set a school record for most passes caught in a season during his junior season on the football team; and
WHEREAS, having dreamed of becoming an attorney and a judge from a young age, Blake McKinney earned a bachelor's degree in political science from Emory and Henry College and a law degree from Mercer University; and
WHEREAS, Blake McKinney began his legal career working with a collections attorney, worked as a part-time prosecutor, then opened the firm McKinney and Moore with his friend Mike Moore in 1990; he subsequently became the sole practitioner of V. Blake McKinney, P.C., in 1996; and
WHEREAS, Blake McKinney achieved his lifelong goal in July 2012, when he was selected as a general district court judge of the 28th Judicial District of Virginia; he presided over the court with great fairness and wisdom and served the Commonwealth with integrity until his retirement in 2021; and
WHEREAS, outside of his career, Blake McKinney was a loyal fan of the University of Oklahoma football team and traveled to Oklahoma and around the country to watch several memorable games, including the Oklahoma Sooners' victory in the 2021 Cotton Bowl; and
WHEREAS, Blake McKinney was also an avid bicyclist who often rode the Creeper Trail between Abingdon and Damascus, often stopping at his cabin near Whitetop Laurel along the way; and
WHEREAS, Blake McKinney enjoyed fellowship and worship with the Abingdon community at Pleasant View United Methodist Church for more than 30 years; and
WHEREAS, predeceased by one son, Hunter, Blake McKinney will be fondly remembered and greatly missed by his loving wife, Suzanne; his children, Katie, Lynsey, and Alex, and their families; his mother, Phyllis; and numerous other 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 Victor Blake McKinney; 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 Victor Blake McKinney as an expression of the General Assembly's respect for his memory.
