SENATE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 464

WHEREAS, Stanley C. Walker of Norfolk, a former senior member of the Senate of Virginia and one of the Senate's most dedicated and influential members, died on January 15, 2001; and

WHEREAS, a lifelong resident of Norfolk, Stanley Walker attended Maury High School, graduated from Fork Union Military Academy, and, at age 18, was sent to the European Theatre in World War II with an ordnance unit of the 82nd Airborne Division; and

WHEREAS, Stanley Walker's long and distinguished public service career began with his 1959 appointment to the Norfolk School Board, where he was a voice of moderation in the often perilous efforts to integrate the public schools; and

WHEREAS, with his school board experience the starting point for his lifelong dedication to public education, Stanley Walker was elected to the House of Delegates in 1963, moved to the Senate in 1971, and served there with great integrity, commitment, and effectiveness for 28 years; and

WHEREAS, during his long tenure in the Senate, Stanley Walker sponsored legislation that created the Virginia State Crime Commission, which he chaired for 13 years; that put guidance counselors in every elementary school in the Commonwealth; that required mandatory background checks for child day-care employees; and that secured dignity in legal proceedings for victims of sexual assault; and

WHEREAS, the themes represented by these measures-concern for the education of all children, sympathy for the innocent victims of crime, and championing the rights of the less fortunate-resonated throughout Stanley Walker's long and singularly successful career; and

WHEREAS, Stanley Walker chaired four different Senate committees, using these positions of influence to guard Virginia's system of public education, safeguard the rights of the mentally handicapped, and champion the interests of his Norfolk constituents; and

WHEREAS, toward the end of his career, Stanley Walker served as president pro tempore of the Senate and as co-chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, working assiduously and effectively to protect key interests in the often bruising annual budget negotiations; and

WHEREAS, Stanley Walker's soft-spoken and courtly demeanor masked a keen sense of humor and a passionate desire to do what was right for his constituents and for the Commonwealth; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED by the Senate, the House of Delegates concurring, That the General Assembly note with great sadness the loss of one of Virginia's most influential and compassionate legislators, Senator Stanley C. Walker; and, be it

RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the Senate prepare a copy of this resolution for presentation to the family of Senator Stanley C. Walker as an expression of the General Assembly's high regard for his lifetime of dedicated, progressive, and effective service to the citizens of Norfolk and the Commonwealth.

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