Bill Text: VA HR434 | 2023 | Regular Session | Enrolled
Bill Title: Celebrating the life of Alphonso Hugo Bowers, Jr.
Spectrum: Strong Partisan Bill (Democrat 12-1)
Status: (Passed) 2023-02-24 - Bill text as passed House (HR434ER) [HR434 Detail]
Download: Virginia-2023-HR434-Enrolled.html
WHEREAS, Alphonso Hugo Bowers, Jr., an experienced and highly admired contractor who promoted the inclusion of Black-owned businesses in government building projects, died on December 10, 2022; and
WHEREAS, a native of Clarksville, Alphonso "Al" Hugo Bowers, Jr., acquired sound knowledge of construction and valuable skills from his father, a carpenter, and his grandfather, a brick mason; and
WHEREAS, Al Bowers graduated from Virginia Union University, where he excelled in mathematics, was a member of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, and helped lead the golf team to three Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association conference championships in the 1960s; and
WHEREAS, after college, Al Bowers worked for Burlington Industries as a computer analyst; he met his wife, Marva, in North Carolina in 1972 and ultimately changed his career to construction after they built a house together; in 1975, he started a construction firm in Greensboro that was one of the first Black-owned companies to undertake a subdivision project in the area; and
WHEREAS, Al Bowers and his family moved to Richmond in 1992; he worked at a car dealership for a time before returning to construction along with three of his children, operating several businesses under Bowers Family Enterprises, LLC; and
WHEREAS, among many significant projects, Al Bowers developed the 70-home subdivision known as Randolph West for the Richmond Redevelopment and Housing Authority in 2005; at the time, it was the largest project the agency had ever awarded to a Black-owned company; and
WHEREAS, throughout his career, Al Bowers strove to ensure that other Black-owned businesses received subcontracts, and he promoted the importance of diversity and inclusion in the construction field as a member of the Central Virginia Business and Construction Association and the Black Business Alliance of Virginia; and
WHEREAS, in 2014, Al Bowers served on a task force organized by Governor Robert F. McDonnell to study and recommend solutions to increase the inclusion of Black-owned businesses in state construction contracts; and
WHEREAS, Al Bowers will be fondly remembered and greatly missed by his wife, Marva; his children, Farrah, Alphonso III, Dawn, Sean, Travis, Julian, Laio, and Katina, and their families; his mother, Virginia; 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 Alphonso Hugo Bowers, Jr., a highly respected leader in the construction industry who made many contributions to the Richmond community; 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 Alphonso Hugo Bowers, Jr., as an expression of the House of Delegates' respect for his memory.
