HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 412 Offered February 28, 2006 Celebrating the life of John Everett Greenbacker. ----------
Patrons-- Hogan, Dudley, Hurt and Marshall, D.W.; Senators: Hawkins and Ruff
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WHEREAS, John Everett Greenbacker, revered retired Navy captain, respected lawyer, and resident of Halifax, died on June 1, 2005, in South Boston; and

WHEREAS, John Greenbacker graduated from the United States Naval Academy in 1940 and served honorably for  29 years in the United States Navy; and

WHEREAS, John Greenbacker, a celebrated Navy captain, had seven commands at sea, and during World War II, served in every theater of naval combat, was awarded the Bronze Star with Combat V at the Battle of the Coral Sea, and was the last officer on deck of the carrier USS Yorktown that was sunk at the Battle of Midway in 1942; and

WHEREAS, Captain Greenbacker served the Navy as aide flag secretary for the commander of the Battleship-Cruiser Force, Atlantic; military personnel director for the Military Sea Transportation Service; director of the legislative branch and the policy division of the Bureau of Naval Personnel; operations and readiness officer for the Atlantic Fleet; and special assistant to the Chief of Naval Personnel; and

WHEREAS, John Greenbacker received a master’s degree in international relations from George Washington University, and in 1969 was awarded a law degree and master of laws from Georgetown University Law Center, where he served as note editor of the Georgetown Law Journal; and

WHEREAS, upon leaving the Navy, John Greenbacker was senior attorney and treasurer of Baltimore Gas and Electric Company; and

WHEREAS, John Greenbacker was a member of the Virginia, Maryland, and District of Columbia bars and practiced law in Halifax for 15 years; and

WHEREAS, John Greenbacker was an involved citizen in his community and was past president of the Halifax County Bar Association, the South Boston Rotary Club, the Halifax County YMCA, and the Union Ruritan Club, as well as a member of Post 99, American Legion; and

WHEREAS, John Greenbacker was a loving husband, father to four children, grandfather to five, and had two great-grandchildren; and

WHEREAS, John Greenbacker contributed greatly to the betterment of his country, community, and family; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED by the House of Delegates, the Senate concurring, That the General Assembly hereby note with great sadness the loss of a great patriot and naval hero, John Everett Greenbacker; 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 John Everett Greenbacker as an expression of the General Assembly's respect for his memory.