SENATE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 503 Offered February 14, 2007 Celebrating the life and work of William H. Moses, Jr. ---------- Patron-- Locke ----------

WHEREAS, William H. Moses, Jr., a talented architect and dedicated teacher, was the father of the architecture program at Hampton Institute, now Hampton University; and

WHEREAS, William Moses was born in Cumberland County on August 20, 1901, and his family moved a number of times during his childhood, finally settling in Philadelphia when he was in high school; and

WHEREAS, William Moses graduated from Pennsylvania State University in 1933 with a bachelor's degree in architecture, and in 1934, he joined the faculty at Hampton Institute to teach architectural drafting, becoming the first formally educated African American architect to join the faculty; and

WHEREAS, in 1938, William Moses won a design competition for Virginia's exhibit at the 1939 World's Fair in New York, but when competition organizers discovered he was black, his design was discarded; and

WHEREAS, due to the steadfast efforts of William Moses, in the 1940s Hampton Institute saw the establishment of a four-year curriculum in architectural design, a five-year curriculum in architecture, and a five-year curriculum in building construction and engineering, and in 1969, the overall architecture program received accreditation; and

WHEREAS, William Moses was chairman of the architecture program at Hampton Institute from 1947 to 1965, and after retiring in 1967, he continued teaching as an adjunct for several years; he died in 1991 and was buried in the historic Hampton University cemetery; and

WHEREAS, in addition to his academic career, William Moses was a practicing architect, and he designed many residences, schools, and commercial buildings throughout his career such as the Peoples Building and Loan Association Bank (1937) and the Colonial Tavern (1938), both in Hampton Roads; and

WHEREAS, William Moses also worked frequently with architect Charles Russell and civil engineer Benson Dutton, and the trio collaborated to produce many notable buildings in Hampton Roads and Newport News including the Whittaker Memorial Hospital (1942), the Madeline Foreman residence (1943), the Butler Oak Park War Housing (1944), the Dr. John A. Singletary residence (1945), and the First Baptist Church Home for the Aged (1948); and

WHEREAS, dedicated to his profession and his community, William Moses was an active member of the National Technical Association, the National Builders Association, the Elks Lodge in Phoebus, Virginia, and the Omega Psi Phi fraternity, and he served as president of the Hampton chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED by the Senate, the House of Delegates concurring, That the General Assembly hereby celebrate the life and work of William H. Moses, Jr., who overcame obstacles to achieve great distinction in his career and opened doors for countless others; and, be it

RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the Senate prepare a copy of this resolution for presentation to the family of William H. Moses, Jr. as an expression of the General Assembly's admiration for his outstanding achievements.