Bill Text: VA HJR523 | 2025 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Commending the Buckhorn Volunteer Fire Department.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 2-0)
Status: (Passed) 2025-01-30 - Agreed to by Senate by voice vote [HJR523 Detail]
Download: Virginia-2025-HJR523-Introduced.html
2025 SESSION
INTRODUCED
25104707D
HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 523
Offered January 22, 2025
Commending the Buckhorn Volunteer Fire Department.
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Patron—Wright
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WHEREAS, for 60 years, the Buckhorn Volunteer Fire Department has safeguarded the lives and property of the members of the Buckhorn community in Mecklenburg County and cultivated a sense of fellowship through outreach efforts and beloved local events; and
WHEREAS, the Buckhorn Volunteer Fire Department traces its roots to early 1964 when a group of 22 residents of the Buckhorn area recognized the need for local fire service and formed a new department with Edward R. Thompson as president, Thomas C. Gordon as vice president, William W. Edwards as secretary, and Howard L. Hamlin as treasurer; and
WHEREAS, the original members of the Buckhorn Volunteer Fire Department were Eddie Callahan, Garland Creedle, William Edwards, Frank Gill, John Greene, Lawrence Greene, Thomas Gordon, Ryland Gwaltney, William Gwaltney, Derieux Hart, Howard Hamlin, John Hightower, Sr., Wesley Jones, Jr., Aubrey Lett, John Newman, Jr., Richard Robertson, Gerald Snead, Wayne Spake, John Stone, Aubrey Toombs, Reginald Thompson, Louis Thompson, Doris Whitten, and Lynn Wilkinson; and
WHEREAS, the members of the Buckhorn Volunteer Fire Department, many of whom were local farmers, erected a small cinder block building with two bays and converted a used oil truck into a pumper; the innovative and resourceful early members of the department acquired used equipment from other fire companies in the region and fought fires with whatever they could; and
WHEREAS, through generous community support, the Buckhorn Volunteer Fire Department purchased a Chevrolet tanker in 1965; the department hosted a wide range of fundraising events before a flash of inspiration by Louis Thompson led to the creation of its signature event, a stew fundraiser; and
WHEREAS, the original recipe for the Buckhorn Volunteer Fire Department's stew was provided by former chief John Greene, and stews were cooked in the late fall or winter when local farmers could donate ingredients; the department's current stew pot holds 100 gallons, and people from all over Mecklenburg County and even North Carolina vie for a spot on the “stew list” every year; and
WHEREAS, in the 1980s and 1990s, the Buckhorn Volunteer Fire Department continued to modernize its equipment and enhance its training procedures and techniques to better serve the community; and
WHEREAS, over the course of its history, the Buckhorn Volunteer Fire Department has benefited from the able leadership of five chiefs, Reginald Thompson, Wesley Jones, John Newman, Jr., John Greene, and Jimmy Callahan; and
WHEREAS, the current members of the Buckhorn Volunteer Fire Department—Justin Burch, Eddie Callahan, Jr., Jarrett Callahan, Jimmy Callahan, Louis Callahan, Ryan Callahan, Davis Cumbia, Carl Dean, Dwight Dean, Owen Dean, Grayson Early, Kevin Greene, Daniel Gwaltney, Robert Gwaltney, Thomas Gwaltney, Cody Mooney, Austin Puryear, Rick Puryear, Jr., Gary Robertson, Tyler Robertson, Barry Simmons, Jr., John Taylor, Mark Warren, Tucker Warren, Sterling Wilkinson, and Nathaniel Watson—strive to uphold the department's longstanding commitment to excellence and help make the Buckhorn community a safer place to live; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED by the House of Delegates, the Senate concurring, That the General Assembly hereby commend the Buckhorn Volunteer Fire Department on the occasion of its 60th anniversary; and, be it
RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the House of Delegates prepare a copy of this resolution for presentation to the Buckhorn Volunteer Fire Department as an expression of the General Assembly's admiration for the department's decades of outstanding service to the residents of Mecklenburg County.
