HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 269 Offered January 23, 2008 Celebrating the life of Lee Campbell Tait. ---------- Patron-- Hall ----------

WHEREAS, Lee Campbell Tait of Richmond, a respected citizen and longtime senior vice president with the former Chesapeake and Potomac Telephone Company, died on December 27, 2007; and

WHEREAS, Lee Campbell Tait was born in 1919 in Fitchburg, Massachusetts, graduated from Virginia Polytechnic and State Institute in 1941 with a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering and service as a regimental commander of the university’s Corps of Cadets, and earned a master’s degree in industrial management from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology; and

WHEREAS, Lee Campbell Tait served his country during World War II as a lieutenant colonel in the United States Army stationed in Europe and North Africa from 1941 to 1946, and he was awarded the Bronze Star and the French Croix de Guerre and named an honorary officer of the Order of the British Empire; and

WHEREAS, Lee Campbell Tait began his career at Chesapeake and Potomac Telephone Company in Richmond in 1941, and after a leave of absence to serve in the military, he rose rapidly through the management ranks with positions in engineering, traffic, finance, and general operations in various locations in Virginia, Washington, D.C., Charleston, West Virginia, and New York; and

WHEREAS, returning to Richmond in 1970, Lee Campbell Tait retired following a distinguished 43-year career as a senior vice president for the company in 1984; and

WHEREAS, a great supporter of Virginia Tech, Lee Campbell Tait received the university's highest alumni award, the William H. Ruffner Medal, in recognition of his outstanding service and excellent leadership as president of the Virginia Tech Alumni Association and rector of the Board of Visitors; and

WHEREAS, dedicated to the well-being of his community, Lee Campbell Tait gave his time and talents to numerous civic and professional organizations over the years, as a member and chair of the National Alliance of Businessmen for the Richmond Metropolitan Area, Richmond Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce, Virginia Foundation for Independent Colleges, and Richmond United Givers Fund Drive and as a member of the boards of Shenandoah Life Insurance Company, Southern Bank & Trust Company, Richmond YMCA, Richmond Symphony, and Science Museum of Virginia; and

WHEREAS, Lee Campbell Tait was also an active member of the Richmond Rotary Club, Forum Club, Country Club of Virginia, Sons of the Revolution, Commonwealth Club, Virginia Business Council, and Financial Executive Institute; and

WHEREAS, always willing to help his fellow citizens in need, Lee Campbell Tait was a faithful member of the River Road Presbyterian Church and was supportive of the church's many missions in the community; and

WHEREAS, Lee Campbell Tait will be fondly remembered as a generous community benefactor and devoted family man and greatly missed by his loving wife of 61 years, Hazel Caldwell; his son Raymond C. Tait and three daughters Deborah Grover, Maryanne Hill, and Betti Garber and their wonderful families, especially his four beloved grandchildren, Leigh Kelly, Sarah Deshields, Morgan Lee, and Jordan Caldwell; his numerous other family members; and his many friends and admirers in the Richmond community; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED by the House of Delegates, the Senate concurring, That the General Assembly note with great sadness the passing of an outstanding Virginian, Lee Campbell Tait; 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 Lee Campbell Tait as an expression of the General Assembly’s respect for his memory.