Bill Text: VA HR315 | 2024 | Regular Session | Enrolled
Bill Title: Commending the Honorable Kenneth R. Plum.
Spectrum: Moderate Partisan Bill (Democrat 8-2)
Status: (Passed) 2024-03-05 - Bill text as passed House (HR315ER) [HR315 Detail]
Download: Virginia-2024-HR315-Enrolled.html
WHEREAS, the Honorable Kenneth R. Plum, one of the longest-serving members of the Virginia House of Delegates in the history of the body, who represented the residents of parts of Fairfax County with distinction for 44 years, retired from public office in 2024; and
WHEREAS, a native of Shenandoah, Kenneth "Ken" R. Plum graduated from what is now Old Dominion University and earned a master's degree in education from the University of Virginia; and
WHEREAS, Ken Plum pursued a long and fulfilling career as an educator, joining Fairfax County Public Schools in 1965; over the course of his 31-year career, he worked as a teacher, assistant coordinator of adult and community education, director of instruction, and director of adult and community education; and
WHEREAS, under Ken Plum's leadership, the adult education program at Fairfax County Public Schools became one of the largest such programs in the nation, and the Plum Center for Lifelong Learning was named in his honor; and
WHEREAS, desirous to be of further service to his community and the Commonwealth, Ken Plum ran for and was elected to the Virginia House of Delegates for one term from 1978 to 1980, then returned to the Virginia House of Delegates in 1982 and represented part of Fairfax County, including all of Reston, until his retirement in 2024; and
WHEREAS, Ken Plum finished his career as the longest-serving member of the Virginia House of Delegates and the second longest-serving delegate in the history of the body; and
WHEREAS, during his tenure as a state legislator Ken Plum introduced and supported numerous important pieces of legislation to benefit his district and all Virginians in the areas of transportation, conservation, education, health care, human rights, and economic development; and
WHEREAS, Ken Plum offered his expertise to the committees on Appropriations and Public Safety and served as chair of the Agriculture, Chesapeake and Natural Resources Committee and the Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission; he was the founding chair of the Communications, Innovation and Technology Committee and the Joint Commission on Technology and Science; and
WHEREAS, in 1989, Ken Plum founded the Dulles Corridor Rail Association, which successfully advocated for a 12-mile extension of the Washington Metro to connect the dynamic technology corridor and residential communities in Northern Virginia with the Washington Dulles International Airport and Washington, D.C.; and
WHEREAS, Ken Plum also served as chair of the Virginia Democratic Party from 1998 to 2000 and was honored by the Virginia House of Delegates as the chair emeritus of the House Democratic Caucus; and
WHEREAS, Ken Plum volunteered his wise leadership to the Virginia Literacy Foundation as a charter member of its board of directors and helped preserve the Commonwealth's history and heritage as a former chair of the Jamestown-Yorktown Foundation and former member of the board of trustees of the American Frontier Culture Museum of Virginia; and
WHEREAS, Ken Plum earned countless awards and accolades for his wide range of accomplishments and commitment to servant-leadership; he served the residents of Fairfax County and the Commonwealth with the utmost integrity and dedication, leaving an indelible legacy of excellence to the community; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED by the House of Delegates, That the Honorable Kenneth R. Plum hereby be commended for his decades of contributions to Virginians on the occasion of his retirement as a member of the House of Delegates; and, be it
RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the House of Delegates prepare a copy of this resolution for presentation to the Honorable Kenneth R. Plum as an expression of the House of Delegates' admiration for his long legacy of service to the residents of Northern Virginia and the Commonwealth as a whole.
