Bill Text: VA SJR2 | 2022 | Regular Session | Enrolled
Bill Title: Celebrating the life of George Millard Harvey, Sr.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 1-0)
Status: (Passed) 2022-01-17 - Bill text as passed Senate and House (SJ2ER) [SJR2 Detail]
Download: Virginia-2022-SJR2-Enrolled.html
WHEREAS, George Millard Harvey, Sr., a respected business owner who made many generous contributions to the Radford community, died on February 24, 2021; and
WHEREAS, born in West Virginia, George Harvey moved to Virginia at a young age and grew up in Montgomery County, where he attended Auburn High School in Riner, walking several miles to school every morning after waking up early to milk the cows on his family's farm; and
WHEREAS, after graduating in 1945, George Harvey joined the United States Army Air Corps and deployed to Fairbanks, Alaska; despite qualifying to apply for the United States Military Academy at West Point, he returned to Southwest Virginia and enrolled at the National Business College in Roanoke; and
WHEREAS, George Harvey began his career as the operator of a service station, then managed a Texaco distributor, and subsequently embarked upon a long and successful enterprise as an automobile dealer; and
WHEREAS, George Harvey became the co-owner of a General Motors Chevrolet dealership in Christiansburg in 1957 and purchased an Oldsmobile dealership the following year; he expanded to Radford by purchasing a Chevrolet-Oldsmobile-Cadillac dealership in 1959 and added a Pontiac-Buick dealership to his franchises in 1989; and
WHEREAS, in addition to providing outstanding customer service to generations of Southwest Virginia residents, George Harvey supported his employees through generous retirement and profit-sharing plans and was a trusted mentor who rewarded excellence and helped others achieve their fullest potential; and
WHEREAS, George Harvey was a member of the Virginia Automobile Dealers Association, the New River Dealers Association, the Radford Chamber of Commerce, and the Retail Merchants Association; he received a 1989 Time Magazine Quality Dealer Award for his commitment to excellence in his profession; and
WHEREAS, George Harvey further served his fellow residents as a real estate developer, overseeing the creation of several subdivisions, apartment complexes, and other projects to help the community grow; and
WHEREAS, George Harvey also offered his leadership and expertise to Southwest Virginia Health Services, Radford Community Hospital, and First & Merchants National Bank, among many other organizations; he inspired countless young men and women as the chair of the Business and Economics Department at Radford University and was instrumental in the establishment of the institution's business school; and
WHEREAS, George Harvey enjoyed fellowship and worship with the community as a member of the Presbyterian Church of Radford, where he served as an elder; and
WHEREAS, George Harvey will be fondly remembered and greatly missed by his wife of 61 years, Juanita; his children, George, Jr., Pamela, Tracy, Brad, and Ken, and their families; and numerous other family members and friends; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED by the Senate, the House of Delegates concurring, That the General Assembly hereby note with great sadness the loss of George Millard Harvey, Sr., a highly admired entrepreneur and community leader in Radford; and, be it
RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the Senate prepare a copy of this resolution for presentation to the family of George Millard Harvey, Sr., as an expression of the General Assembly's respect for his memory.
