HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 903 Offered February 13, 2007 Commending the Valentines, Virginia, Post Office on the occasion of its 120th anniversary. ---------- Patron-- Wright ----------

WHEREAS, the Commonwealth’s popular tourism slogan, “Virginia is for Lovers,” is celebrated in a unique and romantic way each February at the Valentines, Virginia, Post Office, which will be 120 years old in 2007; and

WHEREAS, over the years, Valentines, Virginia, Post Office workers have imprinted the “Valentines, Virginia” postal marking on Valentine’s Day cards from thousands of sweethearts from all over the state, the country, and several foreign countries, who want their cards embellished with the official Valentines postmark that can only be obtained from the Commonwealth’s special post office of love; and

WHEREAS, established in 1887, the Valentines, Virginia, Post Office was originally located in the Valentine Family Store, in the southern part of Brunswick County, and named after first Postmaster William Henry Valentine, who served in the small rural post office until his death in 1911; and

WHEREAS, Emma Rawlings Valentine took over the post from 1911 to 1914, when it passed to son, Herbert E. Valentine, and then to another son, Lewis Valentine, who carried on the family tradition; and

WHEREAS, Robert J. Clary continued to serve faithfully as postmaster of the Valentines, Virginia, Post Office when it was moved in 1924 to his store about a mile down the road from the original location, and after his retirement, William R. Wright and then Denise Evans followed in the post; and

WHEREAS, approximately 188 million Valentine’s Day cards are exchanged annually, making the holiday the second most popular greeting-card-giving occasion, and though only a fraction of these cards are mailed and routed through the Valentines, Virginia, Post Office it is still quite a bustling place near February 14th, handling very special cards from young lovers and the young at heart; and

WHEREAS, the 1995 Love Stamp was first issued by the United States Postal Service on February 1, 1995, at the Valentines, Virginia, Post Office; and

WHEREAS, many happy elementary school children have mailed their Valentines from the Valentines, Virginia, Post Office, which has also hosted many weddings and other special events; and

WHEREAS, in 2006, the Valentines, Virginia, Post Office was an appropriate rest stop on the Bike—Virginia Tour de Love; and

WHEREAS, the Valentines, Virginia, Post Office makes Valentine’s Day fun for children, families, romantics, and collectors, making good on the sentiment that “Virginia is for Lovers”; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED by the House of Delegates, the Senate concurring, That the General Assembly commend and congratulate the Valentines, Virginia, Post Office on the occasion of its 120th anniversary; and, be it

RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the House of Delegates prepare a copy of this resolution for presentation to the current postmaster, Kathryn A. Fajna, as an expression of the General Assembly’s appreciation of the Valentines, Virginia, Post Office’s labor of love in celebration of Valentine’s Day and its longtime service to the Commonwealth.