Bill Text: VA HR140 | 2013 | Regular Session | Enrolled
Bill Title: Celebrating the life of Eugenia Weisman Evans.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 1-0)
Status: (Passed) 2013-01-25 - Bill text as passed House (HR140ER) [HR140 Detail]
Download: Virginia-2013-HR140-Enrolled.html
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WHEREAS, Eugenia Weisman Evans, a former professor at Shenandoah University and a talented pianist who leaves behind students around the world, died on December 25, 2012, at the age of 103; and WHEREAS, a native of Odessa, Ukraine, Eugenia "Genie" Evans showed such a natural talent at the piano by the age of four that her parents, Ousev and Sophia, arranged for her to study with Odessa's best professors; and WHEREAS, Genie Evans honed her talent and began to teach others at the age of 15 before moving with her mother to Prague to study at the prestigious Prague Conservatory; and WHEREAS, after receiving bachelor's and master's degrees, Genie Evans enchanted audiences as a concert pianist while continuing to teach, until circumstances in Europe led her and her mother to flee the continent on a refugee ship for America in 1940; and WHEREAS, Genie Evans rebuilt her life in Chicago, joining the faculty of the Chicago School of Music and resuming her career as a concert pianist; and WHEREAS, Genie Evans became an active citizen in her adopted country; she joined the Democratic Party, never missed an opportunity to vote, and was delighted to meet Hilary Clinton later in life as the former first lady campaigned; and WHEREAS, in 1942 Genie Evans married the polymer chemist Dr. Rudy Evans and the couple relocated to Winchester, where she joined the faculty of Shenandoah University; and WHEREAS, from 1963 until 2000, Genie Evans trained rising generations of musicians, providing them with the strict discipline of her European training in the Leschetizky method while also serving as a gracious mentor; and WHEREAS, in 1987 the Eugenia Evans Scholarship Fund at Shenandoah University was established to honor her many contributions and its inauguration was marked by a special concert, "A Tribute to Eugenia Evans," that featured musical performances from former students; and WHEREAS, after retiring from Shenandoah University with the title of professor emerita, Genie Evans relocated to Gastonia, North Carolina; and WHEREAS, Genie Evans continued to share her musical talents as a member of the faculty at the Gaston School of the Arts, where she co-authored a children's operetta entitled "Kittens" and taught until she was 102; and WHEREAS, a dynamic woman who lived a long and full life with great grace, passion, and determination, Genie Evans influenced a generation of musicians in the New World with her training and skill developed in the Old World; and WHEREAS, predeceased by her husband, Rudy, and son, Tommy, Genie Evans leaves behind to cherish her memory her daughter, Mary; two granddaughters, Maribeth and Becca, and their families; other family members and friends; and countless students whose lives were enriched by her teaching; now, therefore, be it RESOLVED, That the House of Delegates hereby note with great sadness the loss of a remarkable woman, Eugenia Weisman Evans; 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 Eugenia Weisman Evans as an expression of the House of Delegates' respect for her memory. |
