SENATE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 321 Offered January 10, 2007 Prefiled December 13, 2006 Celebrating the life of Sidney Franklin Ricks, Sr. ---------- Patron-- Locke ----------

WHEREAS, Sidney Franklin Ricks, Sr., of Hampton, a respected citizen and community supporter, died on April 25, 2006; and

WHEREAS, a native of North Carolina, Sidney Ricks was born on May 3, 1924, but lived most of his life in the Hampton Roads community; and

WHEREAS, Sidney Ricks attended Huntington High School, graduating in 1942, and soon after left for the Pacific Theater to serve his country during World War II as a proud member of the United States Army; and

WHEREAS, after completing his military duty, Sidney Ricks attended Saint Paul’s College in Lawrenceville, where he graduated as a member of the Invincible Class of 1950; and

WHEREAS, Sidney Ricks remained an enthusiastic member of the local and national Saint Paul’s College Alumni Associations; and

WHEREAS, during college, Sidney Ricks met his devoted wife, Eunice Smith Ricks, and the couple were married nearly 57 years and had three wonderful children, LaVerne, Carlton, and Sidney Jr.; and

WHEREAS, Sidney Ricks was employed at the Virginia School for the Deaf and Blind as a steam plant operator and then at NASA Langley Air Force Base, where he worked until his retirement; and

WHEREAS, concerned with the welfare of his fellow residents, Sidney Ricks was an active member of the Union Light Lodge No. 268 and the Wythe-Phoenix Improvement Association; and

WHEREAS, Sidney Ricks was a faithful member of Saint Augustine’s Episcopal Church, where he served as a trustee, participated in the Men’s Club, and supported the church's many missions in the community; and

WHEREAS, Sidney Ricks will be fondly remembered as a devoted husband, father, and grandfather and will be greatly missed by his loving family, including his five grandchildren, as well as his numerous friends and admirers; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED by the Senate, the House of Delegates concurring, That the General Assembly mourn the passing of a fine Virginian, Sidney Franklin Ricks, Sr.; and, be it

RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the Senate prepare a copy of this resolution for presentation to the family of Sidney Franklin Ricks, Sr., as an expression of the General Assembly’s respect for his memory.