Bill Text: VA HR258 | 2024 | Regular Session | Enrolled
Bill Title: Celebrating the life of Hulon L. Willis, Jr.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)
Status: (Passed) 2024-03-04 - Bill text as passed House (HR258ER) [HR258 Detail]
Download: Virginia-2024-HR258-Enrolled.html
WHEREAS, Hulon L. Willis, Jr., a distinguished corrections administrator and beloved member of the Commonwealth, died on January 16, 2024; and
WHEREAS, after growing up on the campus of what is now Virginia State University and graduating from Matoaca High School in Chesterfield County, where he was the first Black student body president in school history, Hulon Willis earned a bachelor's degree in sociology from The College of William & Mary (W&M) in 1977; and
WHEREAS, while still in college, Hulon Willis embarked on a career in corrections as a relief jailer with the Petersburg Sheriff's Office at the Petersburg City Jail; following his graduation, he returned to this position and shortly thereafter was promoted to correctional officer and deputy sheriff; and
WHEREAS, Hulon Willis later joined the Federal Bureau of Prisons as a correctional officer assigned to the Federal Correctional Institution in Petersburg, working in various capacities at the facility before resigning to attend graduate school at Howard University; and
WHEREAS, Hulon Willis received a master's degree in social work with a concentration in social service administration from Howard University in 1985 and that same year joined the former District of Columbia Board of Parole, serving first as a parole analyst and later as the director of administration; and
WHEREAS, Hulon Willis began a long tenure with the District of Columbia Department of Corrections in 1989, fulfilling various roles, including correctional administrator in community corrections, assistant institutional administrator, youth center superintendent, and contract administrator, before retiring in 2008; and
WHEREAS, in his retirement, Hulon Willis supported a number of criminal justice agencies in New Jersey, the Commonwealth, and Washington, D.C., as a consultant, compliance monitor, and program monitor, and he served most recently as assistant superintendent at the Caroline Detention Facility in Caroline County, holding the rank of lieutenant colonel; and
WHEREAS, Hulon Willis contributed to the advancement of his field as an adjunct professor at Howard University's School of Social Work and as a member of the American Correctional Association, American Jail Association, Council of Juvenile Justice Administrators, and National Association of Blacks in Criminal Justice; and
WHEREAS, a proud alumnus of W&M and Howard University, Hulon Willis was a devoted member of the Hulon Willis Association, a Black alumni association at W&M, which was named in honor of his father, Hulon Willis, Sr., the first Black student to attend W&M; and
WHEREAS, Hulon Willis will be fondly remembered and dearly missed by his daughter, Mica, and her family; his sister, Kimberley; and numerous other family members and friends; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That the House of Delegates hereby note with great sadness the loss of Hulon L. Willis, Jr., a man of exceptional integrity and strength whose dedication to service was an inspiration to all who knew him; 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 Hulon L. Willis, Jr., as an expression of the House of Delegates' respect for his memory.
