HOUSE RESOLUTION NO. 69 Offered February 21, 2007 Celebrating the life of Herbert V. Kelly, Sr. ---------- Patrons-- BaCote, Hamilton, Oder, Rapp and Ward ----------

WHEREAS, Herbert V. Kelly, Sr., a well-known Newport News lawyer and community leader, died on February 19, 2007, at his home; and

WHEREAS, Herbert Kelly was born on February 14, 1920, in Valentine, Virginia, and grew up in Williamsburg where his father, William H. Kelly, was the chief of police; and

WHEREAS, Herbert Kelly earned his undergraduate and law degrees from the College of William and Mary; and after graduating from law school in 1942, he served in the United States Army Air Force during World War II; and

WHEREAS, following his discharge from the military, Herbert Kelly joined the law firm of Jones and Jones, which would later become Jones, Blechman, Woltz & Kelly, P.C.; and at the time of his death, he was still practicing and was the president and senior partner of the firm; and

WHEREAS, dedicated to his profession, Herbert Kelly was a fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers and the Virginia Law Foundation, a member and past president of the Newport News Bar Association, and a member of the Virginia Bar Association and the Virginia State Bar Council; and

WHEREAS, in addition to his distinguished, 60-year career as an attorney, Herbert Kelly was an exceptional community leader, serving on numerous boards and donating time and money to a wide range of nonprofit organizations; and

WHEREAS, Herbert Kelly was past president of the Newport News Rotary Club, the Peninsula Sports Club, the Peninsula Council of the Boy Scouts of America, the Greater Peninsula NOW board, and the James River Country Club; and he was past campaign chairman of the Peninsula United Fund and a former member of the national board of the United Community Funds and Councils of America; and

WHEREAS, Herbert Kelly was also a member of the Board of Advisors of the Virginia Living Museum, chairman of the board of Riverside Regional Medical Center, and a member of the Riverside Health System board; and

WHEREAS, passionate about equal rights for all, in 1992, Herbert Kelly co-founded, with McKinley Price, People to People, a community group dedicated to improving race relations by establishing a positive dialogue among blacks and whites on racial issues; and

WHEREAS, devoted to his alma mater, Herbert Kelly was a member of the Board of Visitors of the College of William and Mary from 1976 to 1984, serving as rector from 1983 to 1984; and in 1987, he received the Alumni Medallion for service and loyalty from the William and Mary Alumni Society; and

WHEREAS, Herbert Kelly took on the challenges of his work and his community service with great intelligence, thoroughness, and energy; and while his presence will be greatly missed, the legacy of his many contributions will live on; and

WHEREAS, Herbert Kelly will be fondly remembered and keenly missed by his wife of 58 years, Beverly Elizabeth Peebles Kelly, their children and grandchildren, and many other devoted family members, friends, and supporters in the Newport News community; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED, That the House of Delegates hereby note with great sadness the loss of Herbert V. Kelly, Sr., an outstanding community leader and a fine Virginian; 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 Herbert V. Kelly, Sr. as an expression of the House of Delegates' respect for his memory.