HJ410: Commending McArthur Myers.


HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 410
Commending McArthur Myers.

 

Agreed to by the House of Delegates, March 8, 2022
Agreed to by the Senate, March 9, 2022

 

WHEREAS, McArthur Myers, an esteemed advocate for historic preservation and the commemoration of African American contributions to the history of Alexandria, was inducted into the Living Legends of Alexandria Class of 2020 and will be honored with the award at an event in 2022; and

WHEREAS, McArthur Myers was among the first African American students to attend the former Prince Street Elementary School in Alexandria and helped to integrate the Alexandria Boys Club and a local Boy Scouts of America troop; and

WHEREAS, after graduating from the former T.C. Williams High School and earning a degree in administration of justice from American University, McArthur Myers devoted more than 40 years to the District of Columbia Department of Mental Health; and

WHEREAS, in 2012, McArthur Myers joined Universal Lodge No. 1, the Most Worshipful Prince Hall Grand Lodge of Virginia of the Free and Accepted Masons and the oldest Prince Hall lodge in the Commonwealth, and successfully petitioned the Virginia Department of Historic Resources to officially recognize the group with a historical marker in 2018; and

WHEREAS, McArthur Myers, who currently serves as the grand historian for Universal Lodge No. 1, became the first African American member of the George Washington Masonic National Memorial Association in 2016 and two years later arranged the first Prince Hall meeting to be held at the memorial in its history; and

WHEREAS, McArthur Myers has advocated tirelessly for historical markers to commemorate buildings that have been central to the African American community in Alexandria and to the history of the city, including Roberts Memorial United Methodist Church, Beulah Baptist Church, Third Baptist Church, and the Universal Lodge No. 1; and

WHEREAS, McArthur Myers’ historic preservation work has included involvement in the initiative to integrate the Freedom House Museum into the City of Alexandria’s museum system and to develop Alexandria’s African American Heritage Trail project; and

WHEREAS, in recognition of his dedication to the preservation and interpretation of Alexandria’s African American heritage, McArthur Myers received the Alexandria Archaeological Commission’s Ben Brenman Award for Archeology in 2019; and

WHEREAS, McArthur Myers has pursued his mission as a board member of the Alexandria Black History Museum and as a member of the Alexandria Society for the Preservation of Black Heritage, the Historic Alexandria Resources Commission, and the Equal Justice Initiative’s Community Remembrance Project; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED by the House of Delegates, the Senate concurring, That the General Assembly hereby commend McArthur Myers for being named a 2020 Living Legend of Alexandria; and, be it

RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the House of Delegates prepare a copy of this resolution for presentation to McArthur Myers as an expression of the General Assembly’s admiration for his contributions to the Commonwealth.

HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 410

Offered March 7, 2022
Commending McArthur Myers.
Patron-- Bennett-Parker

WHEREAS, McArthur Myers, an esteemed advocate for historic preservation and the commemoration of African American contributions to the history of Alexandria, was inducted into the Living Legends of Alexandria Class of 2020 and will be honored with the award at an event in 2022; and

WHEREAS, McArthur Myers was among the first African American students to attend the former Prince Street Elementary School in Alexandria and also helped to integrate the Alexandria Boys Club and a local Boy Scouts of America troop; and

WHEREAS, after graduating from the former T.C. Williams High School and earning a degree in administration of justice from American University, McArthur Myers devoted more than 40 years to the District of Columbia Department of Mental Health; and

WHEREAS, in 2012, McArthur Myers joined Universal Lodge No. 1, the Most Worshipful Prince Hall Grand Lodge of Virginia of the Free and Accepted Masons and the oldest Prince Hall lodge in the Commonwealth, and successfully petitioned the Virginia Department of Historic Resources to officially recognize the group with a historical marker in 2018; and

WHEREAS, McArthur Myers, who currently serves as the grand historian for Universal Lodge No. 1, became the first African American member of the George Washington Masonic National Memorial Association in 2016 and two years later arranged the first Prince Hall meeting to be held at the memorial in its history; and

WHEREAS, McArthur Myers has advocated tirelessly for historical markers to commemorate buildings that have been central to the African American community in Alexandria and to the history of the city, including Roberts Memorial United Methodist Church, Beulah Baptist Church, Third Baptist Church, and the Universal Lodge No. 1; and

WHEREAS, McArthur Myers’ historic preservation work has also included involvement in the initiative to integrate the Freedom House Museum into the City of Alexandria’s museum system and to develop Alexandria’s African American Heritage Trail project; and

WHEREAS, in recognition of his dedication to the preservation and interpretation of Alexandria’s African American heritage, McArthur Myers received the Alexandria Archaeological Commission’s Ben Brenman Award for Archeology in 2019; and

WHEREAS, McArthur Myers has also pursued his mission as a board member of the Alexandria Black History Museum and as a member of the Alexandria Society for the Preservation of Black Heritage, the Historic Alexandria Resources Commission, and the Equal Justice Initiative’s Community Remembrance Project; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED by the House of Delegates, the Senate concurring, That the General Assembly hereby commend McArthur Myers for being named a 2020 Living Legend of Alexandria; and, be it

RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the House of Delegates prepare a copy of this resolution for presentation to McArthur Myers as an expression of the General Assembly’s admiration for his contributions to the Commonwealth.