Bill Text: VA HJR95 | 2022 | Regular Session | Enrolled
Bill Title: Celebrating the life of Paul Allen Duncan.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 2-0)
Status: (Passed) 2022-01-20 - Bill text as passed House and Senate (HJ95ER) [HJR95 Detail]
Download: Virginia-2022-HJR95-Enrolled.html
WHEREAS, Paul Allen Duncan, a respected entrepreneur who served the New River Valley community as an automobile dealer for more than 53 years, died on March 12, 2017; and
WHEREAS, Paul Duncan grew up in Montgomery County and learned the value of hard work and responsibility at a young age; he bought, repaired, and sold bicycles in the 1940s and subsequently worked as a door-to-door salesman; and
WHEREAS, in 1956, Paul Duncan began selling used cars from a gas station in Christiansburg; over the next few years, he acquired Studebaker and Mercury franchises, then opened Holiday Ford, named for the refurbished Holiday Inn sign he used as the dealership's marquee; and
WHEREAS, Paul Duncan and his sons established University Motors in 1972, Hokie Honda in 1977, and Franklin Ford Mercury in 1988; and
WHEREAS, Paul Duncan was a highly respected member of his profession and served on the Executive Board of the Virginia Automobile Dealers Association; he earned recognition from Ford for his longevity in the industry and was selected as Blacksburg's 1987 Citizen of the Year for his many contributions to the community; and
WHEREAS, in 2015, New River Community College presented its first honorary degree to Paul Duncan to recognize his business acumen and commitment to service; and
WHEREAS, outside of his career in the automotive industry, Paul Duncan offered his leadership and expertise to the National Bank of Blacksburg as an executive board member; and
WHEREAS, Paul Duncan is fondly remembered and greatly missed by his wife, Dianne; his children, Gary, Gerald, David, and Martha, and their families; 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 Paul Allen Duncan, a highly admired entrepreneur and community leader; 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 Paul Allen Duncan as an expression of the General Assembly's respect for his memory.
