Bill Text: VA HJR343 | 2024 | Regular Session | Enrolled
Bill Title: Commending G. Kenneth Morgan.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)
Status: (Passed) 2024-03-07 - Bill text as passed House and Senate (HJ343ER) [HJR343 Detail]
Download: Virginia-2024-HJR343-Enrolled.html
WHEREAS, G. Kenneth Morgan was born on December 2, 1947, in Farmville, where he graduated from Prince Edward Academy; he received an undergraduate degree from the University of Richmond and a master's degree in adult education from Virginia Commonwealth University; and
WHEREAS, G. Kenneth "Ken" Morgan began his involvement with volunteer rescue squads in August 1964 as a junior member of the Emergency Squad in Crewe, later known as the Nottoway County Emergency Squad, and attended a convention in 1965 in Natural Bridge, where he was elected as a junior association officer; and
WHEREAS, in late 1966, Ken Morgan joined the Tuckahoe Junior Volunteer Rescue Squad in Richmond, serving as the resident dispatcher from November 1967 to June 1970, residing in the squad building while he attended college; he became a member of the senior squad in December of 1968 and served in numerous officer positions, until, at the age of 25, he became president of the squad; and
WHEREAS, Ken Morgan was elected as the Virginia Association of Volunteer Rescue Squads (VAVRS) District Three vice president in 1971, and at the age of 27, he became president of VAVRS; he also served as secretary, vice president, and historian; and
WHEREAS, in 1975, while serving as vice president of VAVRS, Ken Morgan worked with Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University on the creation of the VAVRS Rescue College, which is now in its 49th year; and
WHEREAS, Ken Morgan's experience as a volunteer rescue squad member led to his career in the emergency medical services (EMS) field; while a student at the University of Richmond, he began employment in the St. Mary's Hospital Emergency Department, where he was part of the original CPR training team of the American Heart Association, which had a federally funded grant to expand CPR training throughout the Commonwealth; and
WHEREAS, in 1970, Ken Morgan was hired by the American Heart Association and was responsible for all educational programs in Virginia, including early CPR training for hospital and EMS personnel, and he and a team of volunteer instructors traveled the Commonwealth certifying CPR instructors; and
WHEREAS, in 1979, Ken Morgan was promoted by the American Heart Association, and after several moves, relocated to Chapel Hill, North Carolina, in 1982 as the state executive director; and
WHEREAS, while in Virginia, Ken Morgan served as CPR instructor trainer for the American Red Cross, as an adjunct faculty member in the Anesthesiology Department of the Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine, and was the first non-physician vice chair of the Virginia State EMS Advisory Board; and
WHEREAS, following his move to Chapel Hill, Ken Morgan became a member of Rotary International, where he served in numerous elected and appointed positions, including as one of the members of the Rotary International Board of Directors from 2004 to 2006; and
WHEREAS, Ken Morgan maintained his involvement with VAVRS, returning to many of its conventions; he was elected a VAVRS Life Member in September 1979, inducted as a member of the Virginia Life Saving and Rescue Hall of Fame in September 2011, and served nine months as the interim assistant executive director of VAVRS in 2020; and
WHEREAS, Ken Morgan and his wife, Winnie, have one daughter, Rebecca, and four grandchildren; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED by the House of Delegates, the Senate concurring, That the General Assembly hereby commend G. Kenneth Morgan for his dedication to his fellow members of the emergency medical services community and those to whom he taught life-saving measures over the years; and, be it
RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the House of Delegates prepare a copy of this resolution for presentation to G. Kenneth Morgan as an expression of the General Assembly's admiration for his contributions to the field of emergency medical services and the Commonwealth.
