Bill Text: VA HJR320 | 2024 | Regular Session | Enrolled
Bill Title: Celebrating the life of Walter Spears Claytor, D.D.S.
Spectrum: Moderate Partisan Bill (Democrat 7-1)
Status: (Passed) 2024-03-07 - Bill text as passed House and Senate (HJ320ER) [HJR320 Detail]
Download: Virginia-2024-HJR320-Enrolled.html
WHEREAS, Walter Spears Claytor, D.D.S., an honorable veteran, esteemed dentist, accomplished advocate for justice, and beloved member of the Roanoke community, died on January 1, 2024; and
WHEREAS, Walter Claytor earned a doctoral degree in dental surgery from Meharry Medical College School of Dentistry in 1948, the same year that his father, Dr. John B. Claytor, Sr., opened the Claytor Memorial Clinic to serve the predominantly Black community in the Roanoke neighborhood of Gainsboro; and
WHEREAS, Walter Claytor opened a private practice in the Claytor Memorial Clinic alongside his father and siblings in 1949, where he would provide quality and compassionate care to his patients until his retirement in 1994; and
WHEREAS, Walter Claytor interrupted his dental practice from 1951 to 1953 as he served his country with honor and distinction as a member of the United States Air Force, attaining the rank of captain in the Alaskan Air Command and serving as the commanding officer of the 39th Medical Group's alert at Elmendorf Air Force Base in Anchorage, Alaska; and
WHEREAS, Walter Claytor also worked as a dentist and in various leadership positions at the Burrell Memorial Hospital in Roanoke, working tirelessly to address the dental needs of indigent children and others in the Gainsboro neighborhood while improving the hospital's financial standing; and
WHEREAS, in recognition of his leadership and expertise, Walter Claytor was appointed by Governor Linwood Holton to serve on the Virginia Board of Dental Examiners in 1970, the first Black person to hold such a position in the southern states; he also held a number of leadership positions in the Old Dominion Dental Society, which presented him with its President's Award in 2007; and
WHEREAS, beginning in the 1970s, Walter Claytor led efforts to protect the value of the Claytor Memorial Clinic and other properties against the urban renewal initiatives of the Roanoke Redevelopment and Housing Authority; his success in court in the 2000s would ultimately transform property laws in the Commonwealth, limiting the power of government to seize private land under eminent domain; and
WHEREAS, a lifetime member of the NAACP and the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC), Walter Claytor advocated passionately for helping young people and for reducing gun violence in the community, leading the SCLC to present him with its Drum Major for Justice Award; and
WHEREAS, guided throughout his life by his faith, Walter Claytor enjoyed worship and fellowship with his community at Fifth Avenue Presbyterian Church in Roanoke, which honored him with its Man of the Year award in 2003; and
WHEREAS, Walter Claytor was married to his loving wife, Eiko, and they had three children, Kaye, David, and Mark; he will be fondly remembered and dearly missed by numerous family members and friends; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED by the House of Delegates, the Senate concurring, That the General Assembly hereby note with great sadness the loss of Walter Spears Claytor, D.D.S., a pillar of the Gainsboro neighborhood of Roanoke whose courage, dedication, and service made an outsized impact on countless lives; and, be it
RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the House of Delegates prepare a copy of this resolution for presentation to the family of Walter Spears Claytor, D.D.S., as an expression of the General Assembly's respect for his memory.
