Bill Text: VA HJR906 | 2019 | Regular Session | Enrolled
Bill Title: Celebrating the life of James H. Bowles, M.D.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 1-0)
Status: (Passed) 2019-02-21 - Bill text as passed House and Senate (HJ906ER) [HJR906 Detail]
Download: Virginia-2019-HJR906-Enrolled.html
WHEREAS, the Virginian as servant to his neighbors and as bearer of his community's traditions is one of the principal cultural inheritances of all peoples of the Commonwealth; and
WHEREAS, the noble individual, to whom his neighbors look for wisdom, guidance, and assistance in the public affairs of their shared community, is, too, one of the cherished characteristics of many of Virginia's smaller, rural communities, even well into the 21st century; and
WHEREAS, James H. Bowles, M.D., a son of Goochland County, was such a noble man, servant to his community, and a leader in the civic affairs of his people during a long and distinguished life from which he passed on January 17, 2019, at 97 years of age; and
WHEREAS, James H. Bowles was born in Goochland in June 1921 and was reared amid the verdant fields and ancient woodlands of Pea Ridge and Caledonia in the county's western piedmont; and
WHEREAS, James H. Bowles was graduated from Central High School in the heart of his community in the Class of 1940, and subsequently attended Virginia Union University for two years; and
WHEREAS, during the latter half of World War II, James H. Bowles was employed in the civil service in both Pennsylvania and Hawaii, and while in Hawaii he enlisted in the United States Army, serving through 1946; and
WHEREAS, following the war, James H. Bowles continued his education at Virginia Union University, and was graduated with a bachelor's degree in 1948, whereupon he enrolled in Meharry Medical College, the first medical school in the South for African American students, and he was awarded the Doctor of Medicine degree in 1952; and
WHEREAS, after completing his internship, James H. Bowles—then and forever afterwards known throughout Goochland and Central Virginia as "Doctor Bowles"—returned, naturally, to the community of his birth, his ancestors, family, friends, and neighbors; and
WHEREAS, for well over half-a-century Dr. Bowles was the quintessential "country doctor," providing medical care for countless Goochland residents and for residents, too, of a wide area of Central and Southside Virginia; and
WHEREAS, as a scholar, medical doctor, veteran, and native son, Dr. Bowles was entrusted by his community with ever-larger civic responsibilities; and
WHEREAS, Dr. Bowles was for 37 years a servant of the Trustee Ministry of Emmaus Baptist Church, and his other civic endeavors included Goochland Recreational Center, Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Caledonia Masonic Lodge No. 240, the board of directors of Second Union Rosenwald School, the YMCA, ASLAH, Goochland Historical Society, and the Goochland Branch of the NAACP; and
WHEREAS, Dr. Bowles, as a man of rich political experience and wisdom, served—naturally in those times—on the Goochland County Democratic Committee, and the Goochland County Voters League, and in 1972 he was elected by the voters of District 2 to serve as their representative on the Goochland County Board of Supervisors, an office to which he would be elected for eight full terms spanning 32 years; and
WHEREAS, Dr. Bowles gave of his time and talents, too, to the Goochland County Planning Commission and to numerous boards of directors, including those for Henrico Doctors' Hospital, Senior Connections, the Richmond Medical Society, the Medical Society of Virginia, the Virginia Association of Counties, the Red Cross, and the Citizens Development Corporations; and
WHEREAS, James H. Bowles was, on December 29, 1945, married to Aretha Melton Bowles, and to her he remained devoted for 51 years, until she passed away in July of 1996; and
WHEREAS, James H. Bowles and his wife were the parents of six children (including James H. Bowles, M.D., who follows in his father's footsteps), and were blessed with 12 grandchildren, and eight great-grandchildren; and
WHEREAS, James H. Bowles was subsequently married to Jane Allen Bowles, who survives him; and
WHEREAS, the name of "Doctor Bowles" will remain sacred to the memory of generations of the people of Goochland County; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED by the House of Delegates, the Senate concurring, That the General Assembly pause to remember the life and legacy of one of the great sons and servants of the community of Goochland County; and, be it
RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the House of Delegates prepare a copy of this resolution for presentation to Dr. James H. Bowles, Jr., and to his siblings, as an expression of the gratitude of the entire General Assembly for the life, accomplishments, and legacy of Dr. James H. Bowles of Goochland.
