WHEREAS, The Winchester Star, a newspaper of record that has served the Winchester community for more than 120 years, has been published by the Byrd family since 1897; and

WHEREAS, established in 1896 as The Star, the newspaper was sold to Richard E. Byrd in 1897, becoming the Winchester Evening Star and in 1980 The Winchester Star after the release of its first Saturday morning edition; and

WHEREAS, The Winchester Star reported on the seminal events of the 20th century, including the flight of the world's first aircraft, World Wars I and II, the Great Depression, the moon landing, and the fall of the Soviet Union, as well as stories of local import like the opening of Lord Fairfax Community College and the Shenandoah Conservatory; it has maintained its commitment to journalistic excellence into the new millennium; and

WHEREAS, under the leadership of the Byrd family, The Winchester Star has also pioneered new production methods such as the use of teletypesetter equipment, offset printing, and the now standard six-column format; and

WHEREAS, under the leadership of five generations of members of the Byrd family, The Winchester Star has fulfilled its mission to serve the community with the hard work and dedication of its writers, reporters, photographers, editors, advertising and circulation professionals, carriers and paperboys, pressmen and production workers, and many other full-time and part-time employees; and

WHEREAS, after the newspaper was sold to the Ogden Newspaper Company, The Winchester Star commemorated the end of an era and released its final edition published by the Byrd family in 2018; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED by the House of Delegates, That The Winchester Star hereby be commended for its more than 120 years of work to inform the Winchester residents of important local, state, national, and international news; and, be it

RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the House of Delegates prepare copies of this resolution for presentation to The Winchester Star and Thomas W. Byrd as an expression of the House of Delegates' admiration for the newspaper's legacy of contributions to the Winchester community.