Bill Text: VA HR182 | 2020 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Commending Captain J. William Cofer.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 2-0)
Status: (Engrossed - Dead) 2020-03-07 - Agreed to by House by voice vote [HR182 Detail]
Download: Virginia-2020-HR182-Introduced.html
WHEREAS, Captain J. William Cofer of Virginia Beach has served the mariner community in the Commonwealth for more than two decades as president of the Virginia Pilot Association; and
WHEREAS, a native Virginian, William "Bill" Cofer is a graduate of Old Dominion University (ODU), where he served as the four-year captain of the sailing team and helped the program earn national recognition; he also served his alma mater as a member of the Old Dominion Athletic Foundation, ODU Sailing Afterguard, ODU Board of Visitors, and the Advisory Board of the Strome College of Business International Maritime Institute; and
WHEREAS, Bill Cofer was elected as president of the Virginia Pilot Association in 1998 and has ably represented the hardworking maritime pilots who guide ships through the busy waters around Hampton Roads every day; and
WHEREAS, in addition to serving as president of the Virginia Pilot Association for 22 years, Bill Cofer has volunteered his leadership and expertise to numerous other maritime organizations, including as president and chair of the Virginia Maritime Association and the Port of Virginia's representative on the Virginia Area Homeland Security Executive Committee; and
WHEREAS, in 2014, Bill Cofer was appointed to the Virginia Port Authority Board of Commissioners, where he has provided an important voice for working mariners; and
WHEREAS, Bill Cofer has also promoted and supported the Hampton Roads community through his involvement with Norfolk Festevents, Nauticus, and the Hampton Roads Navigation Summit; outside of his professional career, he has been active with community organizations like Urban Discovery Ministries of Norfolk and supported the Park Place School for children with learning disabilities; and
WHEREAS, among his many awards and accolades for his achievements, Bill Cofer received the Hampton Roads Commerce Builders Award in 2011 and the Distinguished Service Award from the Virginia Maritime Association in 2013; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED by the House of Delegates, That Captain J. William Cofer hereby be commended on the occasion of his retirement as president of the Virginia Pilot Association; and, be it
RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the House of Delegates prepare a copy of this resolution for presentation to Captain J. William Cofer as an expression of the House of Delegates' admiration for his years of outstanding service to mariners in the Commonwealth.
