Bill Text: VA HR550 | 2020 | 1st Special Session | Enrolled


Bill Title: Celebrating the life of Nathaniel Thomas Connally, Jr., M.D.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 22-0)

Status: (Passed) 2020-08-28 - Bill text as passed House (HR550ER) [HR550 Detail]

Download: Virginia-2020-HR550-Enrolled.html

HOUSE RESOLUTION NO. 550
Celebrating the life of Nathaniel Thomas Connally, Jr., M.D.

 

Agreed to by the House of Delegates, August 28, 2020

 

WHEREAS, Nathaniel Thomas Connally, Jr., M.D., an accomplished physician admired for his tireless commitment to caring for others, died on April 2, 2020; and

WHEREAS, born in Norfolk, Thomas Connally graduated from Matthew Fontaine Maury High School before attending the University of Virginia, where he earned both his bachelor and medical degrees; and

WHEREAS, a budding leader as an undergraduate at the University of Virginia, Thomas Connally was president of the Student Council and the Zeta Psi fraternity and a member of various honorary and social groups, including the Raven Society, the IMP Society, and the Eli Banana Ribbon Society; and

WHEREAS, Thomas Connally began his medical career with the United States Public Health Service at the National Institutes of Health and later completed his medical residency at the University of Virginia Hospital, earning the distinction of chief resident in his final year; and

WHEREAS, an internist for over three decades in Washington, D.C., Thomas Connally provided care to Supreme Court Justices, members of the United States Congress, and other prominent individuals in the nation's capital; and

WHEREAS, as an indication of his stature among leaders in Washington, D.C., when Justice William O. Douglas suffered a stroke while vacationing in the Bahamas in 1974, Thomas Connally was tasked by President Gerald Ford to safely escort the justice home; and

WHEREAS, Thomas Connally was named the American Society of Internal Medicine's "Young Internist of the Year" for 1975–1976 and served on the organization's Board of Trustees from 1978 to 1984; and

WHEREAS, a natural-born leader dedicated to sharing his medical expertise with future generations of doctors, Thomas Connally served both on the clinical faculty at the Georgetown University Medical School from 1977 to 2000 and as chief of medicine at Sibley Memorial Hospital in Washington, D.C., in the 1990s; and

WHEREAS, a member of the University of Virginia's prestigious Seven Society, Thomas Connally served two terms on his alma mater's Board of Visitors following appointments by Governors Gerald L. Baliles and L. Douglas Wilder; and

WHEREAS, Thomas Connally's legacy at the University of Virginia endures through the N. Thomas Connally Professorship in Clinical Excellence, an endowed professorship that was created by his former patients as an expression of gratitude for his care and service; and

WHEREAS, in retirement, Thomas Connally made invaluable contributions to the Arlington Free Clinic, where he served as medical director from 2005–2010; he also authored The Third Third: A Physician's Guide to a Healthy, Happy, Longer Life, helping fellow retirees maintain their health and lead fulfilling lives; and

WHEREAS, Thomas Connally was a member of the Board of Directors of CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield and gave freely of his time teaching courses in medicine and health care policy through Arlington's Encore Learning program; and

WHEREAS, a longtime supporter of the Democratic Party, Thomas Connally was a precinct captain in Arlington and served as a delegate to the 2004 Democratic National Convention; and

WHEREAS, in recognition of their efforts to promote human rights in their community, Thomas Connally and his wife, the Honorable Julia A. Connally, were recipients of Arlington County's James B. Hunter Award in 2010; and

WHEREAS, Thomas Connally will be dearly remembered and fondly missed by his loving wife, Julia; his children, Nathaniel Thomas III, Anne, and Katherine, and their families; 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 Nathaniel Thomas Connally, Jr., M.D., a physician who devoted his life to the well-being of others; 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 Nathaniel Thomas Connally, Jr., M.D., as an expression of the House of Delegates' respect for his memory.

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