Bill Text: VA SJR233 | 2020 | Regular Session | Enrolled
Bill Title: Celebrating the life of James Dwight Livingston.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 1-0)
Status: (Passed) 2020-03-07 - Bill text as passed Senate and House (SJ233ER) [SJR233 Detail]
Download: Virginia-2020-SJR233-Enrolled.html
WHEREAS, James Dwight Livingston, beloved educator and esteemed vintner of the Fredericksburg community, died on November 29, 2019; and
WHEREAS, as a librarian and educator at Quantico High School and Neabsco Elementary School in Woodbridge, James "Jim" Livingston had a profound influence on countless young minds, inspiring in them a love for learning and preparing them to lead successful, fulfilling lives; and
WHEREAS, since college, Jim Livingston was passionate about making wine; his experience producing wine in his dormitory bathtub at East Tennessee State University would prove vital when passage of the Virginia Farm Winery Act in 1975 ushered in a new chapter for the Virginia wine industry; and
WHEREAS, initially involved as a member of the Virginia Vineyards Association, Jim Livingston became an expert of vinification by studying under renowned winemaker Jacques Recht, reading every publication available on the subject, and learning through trial and error while planting vines for several local vineyards; and
WHEREAS, with this expertise, he established the first commercial vineyard in Stafford in 1981 and then Hartwood Winery in Fredericksburg in 1989, which for the past 30 years has provided fine Virginia wine and charming ambiance to countless visitors; and
WHEREAS, the Fredericksburg Area Wine Festival and the Grape and Grains Trail are two endeavors cofounded by Jim Livingston that have been an important part of the Virginia wine industry's growth over the past several years; and
WHEREAS, for the years of mentorship and assistance he provided other Virginia vintners, and the outstanding success Hartwood Winery has enjoyed for three decades, Jim Livingston is recognized as a pioneer of the Virginia wine industry; and
WHEREAS, Jim Livingston will be dearly remembered and sorely missed by his wife, Beverly, 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 James Dwight Livingston, passionate educator and trailblazing vintner of the Fredericksburg community; and, be it
RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the Senate prepare a copy of this resolution for presentation to the family of James Dwight Livingston as an expression of the General Assembly's respect for his memory.
