HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 266 Offered January 21, 2008 Commending Jon Fried. ---------- Patrons-- Bell, Landes and Toscano ----------

WHEREAS, Jon Fried of Crozet, is recognized for his dedication to the Special Olympics and the sport of tennis and his exemplary performance in Shanghai, China, in the 2007 Special Olympics Summer Games; and

WHEREAS, a committed athlete and true sportsman, Jon Fried won a gold medal in the double match finals and a bronze medal in the single match finals at the Special Olympics World Summer Games in China, which was held from October 2 - 11, 2007, and attended by 7,500 athletes from 160 countries around the world; and

WHEREAS, Jon Fried attended the Institutes for the Achievement of Human Potential in Philadelphia, a nonprofit educational organization that serves parents and children and provides programs and conducts research in the field of brain development; and

WHEREAS, in 1982, Jon Fried moved to Innisfree Village, located in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains in Albemarle County, where his parents, Barbara and Mark Fried, were among a group of parents who founded the residential community for adults with mental disabilities in 1971; and

WHEREAS, with discipline and determination, Jon Fried first began playing tennis when he was 10 years old and started seriously competing at the sport on the tennis courts at Innisfree Village; and

WHEREAS, Jon Fried entered his first world class tennis competition during the Ninth Special Olympics in New Haven, Connecticut, and won a gold medal in singles play; and

WHEREAS, a shining ambassador for the United States, the Commonwealth, and his hometown of Crozet, Jon Fried exudes warmth and kindness and is a great mentor and role model for his fellow athletes; and

WHEREAS, for more than a decade, Jon Fried has been ranked among the top three Special Olympians in the world and has served as one of the finest ambassadors the Special Olympics organization has ever had; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED by the House of Delegates, the Senate concurring, That the General Assembly commend and congratulate Jon Fried on his outstanding Special Olympics tennis career and his inspirational performance in Shanghai, China, in the 2007 Special Olympics Summer Games; and, be it

RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the House of Delegates prepare a copy of this resolution for presentation to Jon Fried as an expression of the General Assembly’s appreciation of his talent and his commitment to the Special Olympics, his fellow athletes, and the sport of tennis.