WHEREAS, William Samuel Carnes, a respected builder, developer, and banker, died on January 5, 2010; and

WHEREAS, born in Eatonton, Georgia, on September 22, 1921, William Carnes moved to Chase City early in life; and

WHEREAS, William Carnes proudly served his country during World War II in the United States Army; he served in Guadalcanal, Iwo Jima, the Philippines, Guam, and Okinawa and was awarded the Silver Star, Bronze Star Medal, and two Purple Hearts for his heroic actions at Okinawa; and

WHEREAS, a devoted family man, William Carnes married the love of his life, Martha S. Carnes, and together they raised four wonderful children; and

WHEREAS, a hardworking man who took great pride in the quality of his work, William Carnes was president of W. S. Carnes, Inc., a family business of custom building and development in Richmond and surrounding counties for approximately 60 years; and

WHEREAS, William Carnes' developments included Salisbury, Meadowbrook, Indian Springs, Ranch Acres, Old Coach Hills, Meadowbrook Apartments, and Braxton Retirement community; he also built banks for Peoples Bank of Virginia, Peoples Bank of Chesterfield, and Dominion Bank; and

WHEREAS, William Carnes was involved in the formation of three local banks during his career; he was a founding director of Peoples Bank of Chesterfield; founding director and chairman of Peoples Bank of Virginia until it was sold to F & M Bank in 1998; and founding director/chairman of the second Peoples Bank of Virginia; and

WHEREAS, William Carnes was a founding member of Salisbury Corporation in 1956, a longstanding member of the Home Builders Association of Richmond and the Home Builders Association of Virginia for over 50 years, and member of the Salisbury Country Club and Retail Merchants Association; and

WHEREAS, William Carnes was an avid supporter of the Chesterfield County Fire Department, the Chesterfield County Police Department, and the Virginia State Police; and

WHEREAS, William Carnes loved his wife, children, grandchildren, friends, and work with an incredible passion and valued his many friendships as one of his greatest accomplishments; and

WHEREAS, William Carnes will be missed by his loving children Paul, John, Mark, and Teri and their families; his brother Neal and sister Polly and their families; and his numerous friends and admirers; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED by the Senate, the House of Delegates concurring, That the General Assembly mourn the loss of a respected businessman and outstanding Virginian, William Samuel Carnes; and, be it

RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the Senate prepare a copy of this resolution for presentation to the family of William Samuel Carnes as an expression of the General Assembly's respect for his memory.