SENATE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 86 Celebrating the life of Emily Jane Hilscher.   Agreed to by the Senate, January 17, 2008 Agreed to by the House of Delegates, January 25, 2008  

WHEREAS, Emily Jane Hilscher, aged 18, a vibrant and gifted young woman who was pursuing her education and her dreams at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, died tragically on April 16, 2007, on the university campus in Blacksburg; and

WHEREAS, a resident of Woodville and a graduate of Rappahannock High School’s Class of 2006, Emily Hilscher was the devoted daughter of Eric and Elizabeth “Beth” Hilscher, the loving younger sister of Erica Marie Hilscher, and the granddaughter of Carl and Merle Hilscher and Gilman and Mary Carlson; she was also the special girlfriend of Karl Thornhill; and

WHEREAS, possessing a passion for wildlife and the outdoors, horses, and horseback riding, Emily Hilscher had a great respect and affinity for all things in nature, and animals seemed to sense her compassion and “were drawn to her like a magnet”; and

WHEREAS, while still in high school, Emily Hilscher’s love and nurturing of animals grew into career aspirations, and she especially enjoyed working at Rose Hill Veterinary Clinic in Woodville after school; and

WHEREAS, as a freshman at Virginia Tech, Emily Hilscher was an animal science major specializing in equine science, and she planned to return to her hometown to practice veterinary medicine after completing college and graduate school; and

WHEREAS, because of her generous and outgoing nature and her imaginative spirit, Emily Hilscher touched the lives of her immediate and close family members, her classmates, and her fellow citizens in her beloved Rappahannock community; and

WHEREAS, Emily Hilscher will be greatly missed by her loving family, her numerous friends and neighbors in Woodville, and her friends from Virginia Tech; and

WHEREAS, the citizens of the Commonwealth and the Virginia Tech community will fondly remember Emily Hilscher and the 31 other victims who died at the Virginia Tech campus on April 16, 2007, and in all of their memories, “We will continue to invent the future through our blood and tears and through all our sadness. . . .We will prevail," -- N. Giovanni; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED by the Senate, the House of Delegates concurring, That the General Assembly note with great sadness the tragic loss of a promising and talented young woman and outstanding Virginian, Emily Jane Hilscher; and, be it

RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the Senate prepare a copy of this resolution for presentation to the family of Emily Jane Hilscher as an expression of the General Assembly’s respect for her memory.

SENATE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 86 Offered January 9, 2008 Prefiled January 9, 2008 Celebrating the life of Emily Jane Hilscher. ---------- Patron-- Obenshain ----------

WHEREAS, Emily Jane Hilscher, aged 19, a vibrant and gifted young woman who was pursuing her education and her dreams at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, died tragically on April 16, 2007, on the university campus in Blacksburg; and

WHEREAS, a resident of Woodville and a graduate of Rappahannock High School's Class of 2006, Emily Hilscher was the devoted daughter of Eric and Elizabeth "Beth" Hilscher, the loving younger sister of Erica Marie Hilscher, and the granddaughter of Carl and Merle Hilscher and Gilman and Mary Carlson; she was also the special girlfriend of Karl Thornhill; and

WHEREAS, possessing a passion for wildlife and the outdoors, horses, and horseback riding, Emily Hilscher had a great respect and affinity for all things in nature, and animals seemed to sense her compassion and "were drawn to her like a magnet"; and

WHEREAS, while still in high school, Emily Hilscher's love and nurturing of animals grew into career aspirations, and she especially enjoyed working at Rose Hill Veterinary Clinic in Woodville after school; and

WHEREAS, as a freshman at Virginia Tech, Emily Hilscher was an animal science major specializing in equine science, and she planned to return to her hometown to practice veterinary medicine after completing college and graduate school; and

WHEREAS, because of her generous and outgoing nature and her imaginative spirit, Emily Hilscher touched the lives of her immediate and close family members, her classmates, and her fellow citizens in her beloved Rappahannock community; and

WHEREAS, Emily Hilscher will be greatly missed by her loving family, her numerous friends and neighbors in Woodville, and her friends from Virginia Tech; and

WHEREAS, the citizens of the Commonwealth and the Virginia Tech community will fondly remember Emily Hilscher and the 31 other victims that died at the Virginia Tech campus on April 16, 2007, and in all of their memories "We will continue to invent the future through our blood and tears and through all our sadness. . . .We will prevail," N. Giovanni; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED by the Senate, the House of Delegates concurring, That the General Assembly note with great sadness the tragic loss of a promising and talented young woman and outstanding Virginian, Emily Jane Hilscher; and, be it

RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the Senate prepare a copy of this resolution for presentation to the family of Emily Jane Hilscher as an expression of the General Assembly’s respect for her memory.