23106535D
SENATE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 412
Offered February 20, 2023
Celebrating the life of Lavel Tyler Davis, Jr.
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Patrons-- Deeds, Barker, Boysko, Favola, Hanger, Hashmi, Howell, Reeves, Rouse, Ruff, Saslaw, Spruill and Vogel; Delegates: Carr, Filler-Corn, Guzman, Hope, Kory, Lopez, Maldonado, Rasoul, Shin, Simonds, Ware, Watts and Willett
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WHEREAS, Lavel Tyler Davis, Jr., a beloved son, brother, and friend and a highly admired member of the University of Virginia community, died on November 13, 2022; and

WHEREAS, Tyler Davis grew up in Ridgeville, South Carolina and graduated from Woodland High School, where he was a standout member of the football, soccer, basketball, and track team; and

WHEREAS, Tyler Davis was recruited to play as a wide receiver for the University of Virginia Cavaliers and had an exceptional season as a freshman in 2020; he caught 20 passes for 515 yards and five touchdowns, and he was ranked second in the nation in yards per reception with 25.8; and

WHEREAS, injured during the 2021 season, Tyler Davis returned to the football field in 2022 as a member of the Come Back Player of the Year watch list and had recorded 16 catches for 372 yards and two touchdowns; and

WHEREAS, Tyler Davis was wise beyond his years and inspired others through his compassion, kindness, humility, and commitment to excellence on and off the football field; and

WHEREAS, Tyler Davis hoped to pursue a career in professional football, and the University of Virginia posthumously conferred to him a bachelor's degree in African American and African Studies; and

WHEREAS, Tyler Davis strove to enhance community life on campus and throughout the Charlottesville area as a member of the Groundskeepers, an outreach group that focused on addressing racial and social justice by building unity and mutual respect; and

WHEREAS, in the course of his service with the Groundskeepers, Tyler Davis helped produce a training video for incoming students and local law-enforcement officers, which remains in use; and

WHEREAS, Tyler Davis will be fondly remembered and greatly missed by his parents, Thaddeus and Fallom; his sister, Taniya; his brother, Teigan; and numerous other family members, friends, and teammates; 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 Lavel Tyler Davis, Jr.; and, be it

RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the Senate prepare a copy of this resolution for presentation to the family of Lavel Tyler Davis, Jr., as an expression of the General Assembly's respect for his memory.