HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 5141 Offered August 28, 2006 Celebrating the life of Grace L. Tinsley. ---------- Patron-- Toscano ----------

WHEREAS, Grace L. Tinsley, a respected citizen, community activist, and the first black woman to serve on the Charlottesville School Board, died on August 9, 2006; and

WHEREAS, Grace Tinsley was educated and employed as a professional nurse, served on the Piedmont Virginia Community College Board, and retired in 1992 as the supervisor of city school nurses; and

WHEREAS, Grace Tinsley emerged as an effective and strong civic leader and guiding force for action, as well as reason, when appointed to the Charlottesville School Board in 1971 at a crucial time when the city was struggling with implementation of racial integration in public schools; and

WHEREAS, an articulate spokesperson for equal rights and an exceptional leader in the Charlottesville Democratic Party, Grace Tinsley was committed to the empowerment of her fellow citizens; and

WHEREAS, Grace Tinsley was a valuable leader in the Civil Rights Movement and fought passionately for quality education for all of Virginia's students; and

WHEREAS, over the years, Grace Tinsley was honored with numerous awards for her substantial contributions and remarkable achievements, including the Drewary J. Brown Award and its Bridge Builder recognition by the Charlottesville Democratic Party, the  Woman of the Year award by the Virginia Women's Forum, and the prestigious Martin Luther King Jr. Award for outstanding civic leadership; and

WHEREAS, Grace Tinsley diligently worked to establish a public defender’s office for Charlottesville and Albemarle County; and

WHEREAS, a dedicated public servant, Grace Tinsley touched the lives of countless citizens, especially young people, and will be fondly remembered for her excellent leadership on behalf of all of her neighbors in the Charlottesville community; and

WHEREAS, Grace Tinsley will be missed by her devoted husband, Robert, her beloved children, three grandchildren, and great-granddaughter, and her countless friends and admirers; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED by the House of Delegates, the Senate concurring, That the General Assembly mourn the passing of an outstanding Virginian, Grace L. Tinsley; 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 Grace L. Tinsley as an expression of the General Assembly’s respect for her memory.