Bill Text: VA SJR376 | 2019 | Regular Session | Enrolled
Bill Title: Celebrating the life of Edmund John Kelly.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 1-0)
Status: (Passed) 2019-04-03 - Bill text as passed Senate and House (SJ376ER) [SJR376 Detail]
Download: Virginia-2019-SJR376-Enrolled.html
WHEREAS, Edmund John Kelly, a respected and highly decorated Virginia State Police lieutenant, died on December 17, 2018; and
WHEREAS, Edmund John "EJ" Kelly was born in Falls Church and spent much of his childhood overseas, growing up the son of a highly regarded foreign service officer; and
WHEREAS, after moving back to the United States, EJ Kelly attended middle school in Virginia and high school in Malvern, Pennsylvania, where he was a sought-after, three-sport, varsity letterman; he was recruited by several universities for both baseball and football before agreeing to accept a full scholarship to play strong safety for Kent State University; and
WHEREAS, EJ Kelly's passion for athletics and supreme knowledge of the game earned many accolades for the team and eventually earned him an assistant coaching position while he was finishing his degree; he graduated from Kent State University in 1993 with a bachelor of arts degree in criminology and justice studies; and
WHEREAS, EJ Kelly worked briefly for the International Association of Chiefs of Police, the Arlington Police Department, and the Federal Bureau of Prisons before deciding to apply to the Virginia State Police Academy; and
WHEREAS, EJ Kelly was the Honor Graduate, graduating first in his class at the Academy, and was placed into service in Northern Virginia; throughout his 23 years of service, he served the Commonwealth and the nation as a trooper, investigator, member of the bomb squad, and special agent assigned to the federal Drug Enforcement Agency, Washington Divisional Office, High Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas Task Force, participating in and eventually leading teams of law-enforcement officials from Virginia and various federal agencies; and
WHEREAS, for all his efforts EJ Kelly was awarded 24 medals, commendations, and awards from the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Virginia State Police, the Drug Enforcement Agency, the State of Maryland, the District of Columbia, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and others; most recently he was awarded the 2017 United States Attorney General's Award for Distinguished Service in Policing and named first runner up for the national Trooper of the Year in 2018; and
WHEREAS, EJ Kelly continued to enjoy athletics throughout his life and imparted that joy, skill, and discipline to his young family; and
WHEREAS, EJ Kelly will be fondly remembered and greatly missed by his mother, Virginia; wife, Katie; children, Patrick and McKenna; and numerous other family 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 Edmund John Kelly, a respected and highly decorated Virginia State Police lieutenant; and, be it
RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the Senate prepare a copy of this resolution for presentation to the family of Edmund John Kelly as an expression of the General Assembly's respect for his memory.
