WHEREAS, William Bruce Wingo, a champion for the preservation of the Commonwealth's natural and historic resources and a true Virginia gentleman, died on June 2, 2020; and

WHEREAS, a native of Norfolk, Bruce Wingo graduated from Maury High School and attended Greensboro College; he served in the United States Army National Guard and the United States Army Reserve for more than two decades and volunteered with law enforcement in Chesterfield County for many years, becoming president of the Virginia Auxiliary Police Association; and

WHEREAS, after serving the Commonwealth as a member of the clerk's offices for both the Virginia House of Delegates and the Senate of Virginia and a member of the Virginia Chamber of Commerce, Bruce Wingo was selected as executive director of the Virginia Railway Association; and

WHEREAS, Bruce Wingo offered his expertise to many historical societies and became the resident vice president of government relations for Virginia for the Norfolk Southern Corporation; and

WHEREAS, during his long tenure with the Department of Conservation and Historic Resources, now the Department of Conservation and Recreation, Bruce Wingo enabled and encouraged countless Virginians to enjoy the Commonwealth's historical sites, parks, and other outdoor spaces; and

WHEREAS, from 1988 through 1991, Bruce Wingo served on the Outdoor Recreation Advisory Board, overseeing programs related to Recreational Trail Grants, Land and Water Conservation Act Grants, Recreational Access Road Grants, and Virginia Outdoor Fund Grants; and

WHEREAS, beginning in 1991, Bruce Wingo served for 12 years as chair of the Virginia Board of Conservation and Recreation, providing exceptional stewardship of Virginia's natural and recreational resources; and

WHEREAS, Bruce Wingo's leadership was instrumental in the acquisition of bonds and other funding to support a major restoration of the Department of Conservation and Recreation's existing facilities and unparalleled expansion to new lands and facilities; and

WHEREAS, Bruce Wingo was a founding member of the Wildlife Foundation of Virginia and served on the organization's board from 1997 until the time of his passing; and

WHEREAS, from 1999 through 2003, Bruce Wingo served on the Chippokes Plantation Farm Foundation, which administers the Farm and Forestry Museum of the Chippokes Plantation State Park; and

WHEREAS, Bruce Wingo played a vital role in securing several gifts from the Norfolk Southern Corporation to the Commonwealth, including property at Staunton River Battlefield Park and Natural Tunnel State Park, and the entire 57-mile trail known as the New River Trail State Park, which now attracts more than one million visitors per year; and

WHEREAS, Bruce Wingo will be fondly remembered and greatly missed by his daughter, Sarah, and her family, 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 William Bruce Wingo, who made numerous contributions to the preservation of Virginia's natural and cultural resources; 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 William Bruce Wingo as an expression of the House of Delegates' respect for his memory.