HJ998: Commending Charles Edward Wood.
WHEREAS, Charles Edward Wood of Richmond, a respected citizen and a dedicated postal worker for over 30 years celebrated his 100th birthday in 2007; and
WHEREAS, Charles Wood was born in Richmond on January 17, 1907; worked at Chambers Pharmacy, the neighborhood drug store, after school beginning at 11 years old to help with family expenses; graduated from Armstrong High School; and earned a biology degree from Virginia Union University with the hopes of one day becoming a pharmacist; and
WHEREAS, after college, Charles Wood decided to see the world, and he traveled to New York to look for a job during the bleak years of the Depression; and
WHEREAS, Charles Wood worked for a catering company, and while in the city, he joined Abysinnia Baptist Church, where he met and was inspired to make the most of his life by the remarkable Adam Clayton Powell, Jr., who was the assistant pastor of the church at the time; and
WHEREAS, Charles Wood persevered during difficult times and went to work as a stock clerk on 7th Avenue in the Fashion District, as well as traveled to Detroit and joined the Ford Motor Company as one of the first African-Americans to work on the company’s assembly line; and
WHEREAS, after gaining work experience at diverse jobs, Charles Wood returned to Richmond and took a job at Thalhimer’s Department Store as coordinator for the building and maintenance department; and
WHEREAS, in 1942, Charles Wood was drafted and assigned to the Army Air Corp, where he attained the rank of staff sergeant as the chief clerk of the base post office at Smoker Hill Army Air Field in Salina, Kansas; and
WHEREAS, honorably discharged in 1946, Charles Wood returned home to Richmond and married the late Mary Jane Carter on June 19, 1948, and the couple enjoyed a happy life together for 53 years; and
WHEREAS, abandoning his dream of becoming a pharmacist, Charles Wood joined the United States Postal Service, where he worked for 33 years, retiring on June 30, 1974; and
WHEREAS, a great mentor and role model for young people, Charles Wood worked the postal route in Oregon Hill for 20 years, befriending all of its residents, especially the teachers and students, who would visit him at the post office to tour its operations; and
WHEREAS, Charles Wood has been a faithful member of Moore Street Missionary Baptist Church since May 1919, becoming a deacon in 1978, and retiring as deacon emeritus; he is now a resident at Manor Care Stratford Hall in the Assisted Living Facility, where he enjoys visiting with his neighbors and attending religious services; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED by the House of Delegates, the Senate concurring, That the General Assembly commend and congratulate a fine Virginian, Charles Edward Wood, for his longtime service to the citizens of Oregon Hill and his community; and, be it
RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the House of Delegates prepare a copy of this resolution for presentation to Charles Edward Wood as an expression of the General Assembly’s best wishes on his 100th birthday.