WHEREAS, Lela Babb Burden, who is 109 years old, is an extraordinary woman who has lived a long and full life; and WHEREAS, a native of Southampton County, Lela Burden was born in 1903, when Theodore Roosevelt was president and the price of a stamp was two cents; and WHEREAS, at the age of four, Lela Burden moved to Monticello Avenue in Norfolk, where she was raised by her aunt and uncle; she attended school on Queen Street, which later became Brambleton Avenue; and WHEREAS, Lela Burden helped her aunt with her work as a housekeeper and a babysitter and enjoyed socializing with friends and dancing in her free time; and WHEREAS, when she was 20, Lela Burden married French Burden, a railroad worker; and WHEREAS, Lela Burden has a remarkable memory, recalling her uncle delivering meat by horse and wagon to local businesses, riding in a friend's Ford Model T, and the rationing of food and alcohol in the 1930s; and WHEREAS, in her 90s, Lela Burden decided to "spend the money she'd worked hard for all her life," visiting Philadelphia with a senior citizens club, cruising to Jamaica and the Bahamas, and traveling to Niagara Falls and Canada; and WHEREAS, a resident of Lake Taylor Transitional Care Hospital in Norfolk, Lela Burden enjoys shopping at the mall, trips to the zoo, and bingo and stays abreast of current events; and WHEREAS, Lela Burden has seen many changes in society and the world over the past 109 years and serves as an inspiring role model to all as she strives to live life to its fullest; now, therefore, be it RESOLVED by the House of Delegates, That Lela Babb Burden hereby be commended on the occasion of her visit to the Virginia House of Delegates on February 21, 2013, at the age of 109; and, be it RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the House of Delegates prepare a copy of this resolution for presentation to Lela Babb Burden as an expression of the House of Delegates' congratulations and admiration for her extraordinarily long and well-lived life. |