Bill Text: VA SJR211 | 2024 | Regular Session | Enrolled
Bill Title: Celebrating the life of the Honorable Anne Jackson Gregory Rhodes.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 2-0)
Status: (Passed) 2024-03-07 - Bill text as passed Senate and House (SJ211ER) [SJR211 Detail]
Download: Virginia-2024-SJR211-Enrolled.html
WHEREAS, the Honorable Anne Jackson Gregory Rhodes, an active community leader who proudly represented the residents of Richmond in the House of Delegates for a decade, died on October 5, 2023; and
WHEREAS, Anne "Panny" Rhodes grew up in Durham, North Carolina, where she attended Durham Academy and Durham High School; and
WHEREAS, Panny Rhodes first came to Richmond as a boarding student at St. Catherine's School in 1958 and remained an active alumna of the school throughout her life; and
WHEREAS, Panny Rhodes was an Angier B. Duke Scholar at Duke University and moved to Baltimore to work for the Martin Marietta Corporation after graduation; she ultimately worked for several defense firms and was one of the few prominent women in the field at the time; and
WHEREAS, after briefly living in Indiana, Panny Rhodes returned to Richmond, where she spent the rest of her life and was a highly engaged member of the community, offering her leadership and expertise to many civic organizations; and
WHEREAS, Panny Rhodes served as chair of the Board of Governors of the Community Foundation of Richmond, the Metropolitan Business League, the Richmond Community Services Board, and the United Way Services Board; and
WHEREAS, desirous to be of further service to her community and the Commonwealth, Panny Rhodes ran for and was elected to the House of Delegates and served five terms from 1992 to 2002; and
WHEREAS, Panny Rhodes introduced and supported many important pieces of legislation to benefit the residents of her district and all Virginians; she was a champion for women's issues and a passionate advocate for strengthening public education, broadening access to health care, and responsible tax reform; and
WHEREAS, Panny Rhodes was an ardent supporter of Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) and was a founding trustee of the VCU School of Engineering Foundation; after her service as a state legislator, she was appointed to the VCU Board of Visitors in 2003, reappointed in 2007, and served as rector from 2009 to 2011; and
WHEREAS, among many awards and accolades for her personal and professional achievements, Panny Rhodes received the Outstanding Woman of Richmond award from the YWCA in 1990, the Legislator of the Year award from the Virginia Interfaith Center for Public Policy in 1998, and the Distinguished Alumna Award from St. Catherine's School in 2015; and
WHEREAS, Panny Rhodes will be fondly remembered and greatly missed by her husband of 58 years, Jim; her children, Tom and Annie, and their families; and numerous other family members and friends; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED by the Senate, the House of Delegates concurring, That the General Assembly hereby note with great sadness the loss of the Honorable Anne Jackson Gregory Rhodes; and, be it
RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the Senate prepare a copy of this resolution for presentation to the family of the Honorable Anne Jackson Gregory Rhodes as an expression of the General Assembly's respect for her memory.
