SENATE RESOLUTION NO. 58 Offered February 22, 2007 Celebrating the life of Herbert Valentine Kelly, Sr. ---------- Patrons-- Williams, Norment, Deeds and Locke ----------

WHEREAS, Herbert Valentine Kelly, Sr. of Newport News, a respected attorney and an influential leader in the community, died on February 19, 2007; and

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

WHEREAS, Herbert Kelly attended the College of William and Mary, earning an undergraduate degree in 1941 and a law degree in 1942; and

WHEREAS, after graduating from law school, Herbert Kelly served in World War II with the United States Army Air Force and was discharged as a captain in November 1946; and

WHEREAS, in 1946, Herbert Kelly joined the law firm of Jones and Jones, whose name was changed to Jones, Blechman, Woltz & Kelly, P.C. after he and another lawyer became partners, and he eventually became 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 many different 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, an avid proponent of equal rights, Herbert Kelly may have been most passionate about People to People, a community group he co-founded in 1991 with McKinley Price that is dedicated to improving race relations through 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 tackled the challenges of his work and his community service with great intelligence and energy, and the legacy of his many contributions will endure; 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 Senate of Virginia hereby note with great sadness the loss of Herbert Valentine Kelly, Sr., a pillar of the community and a fine Virginian; and, be it

RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the Senate prepare a copy of this resolution for presentation to the family of Herbert Valentine Kelly, Sr. as an expression of the Senate's respect for his memory.