Bill Text: VA HJR938 | 2019 | Regular Session | Enrolled


Bill Title: Commending Kurt Rose.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)

Status: (Passed) 2019-02-21 - Bill text as passed House and Senate (HJ938ER) [HJR938 Detail]

Download: Virginia-2019-HJR938-Enrolled.html

HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 938
Celebrating the life of Ralph McKinley Dillow, Jr.

Agreed to by the House of Delegates, February 17, 2017
Agreed to by the Senate, February 22, 2017

WHEREAS, Ralph McKinley Dillow, Jr., a Purple Heart recipient, highly respected attorney, and beloved member of the Bristol community, died on October 15, 2016; and

WHEREAS, a son of Ralph and Mary Virginia Dillow, Ralph Dillow grew up in Bristol and graduated from Virginia High School, where he was a cheerleader and "Mr. Virginia High"; and

WHEREAS, upon graduation from high school, Ralph Dillow enlisted in the United States Army and served in the 25th Infantry Division as a demolitions expert during the Korean War; he was awarded a Purple Heart for injuries he sustained when a Jeep he was riding in drove over a land mine; and

WHEREAS, Ralph Dillow finished his service in the United States Army teaching English while stationed in Japan, then he returned to the United States and attended King College in Bristol, Tennessee, on the GI Bill, graduating in 1956 with a degree in history; and

WHEREAS, after Ralph Dillow graduated from the University of Richmond School of Law in 1958, he returned to Bristol, where he practiced law until February 2016; since 1983, he practiced at the firm Dillow & Esposito, where his daughter, Faith Esposito, was his law partner; and

WHEREAS, Ralph Dillow served as a substitute judge in the early years of his law career; he was highly respected in the legal community, known for his fierce courtroom demeanor and equally respectful demeanor to everyone he met; and

WHEREAS, Ralph Dillow was honored by the Virginia State Bar for 50 years of practice in 2009, and he served the Virginia State Bar in various positions over the years and was a past president of the Bristol Bar Association; and

WHEREAS, Ralph Dillow loved being active in his community, whether it was as a member of the Bristol School Board from 1977 to 1983 or serving on the boards of directors of the Boys & Girls Club of Bristol and the Bristol Ballet Company; and

WHEREAS, Ralph Dillow was the definition of a true southern gentleman, known for his kindness, keen wit, raucous sense of humor, and love of Alabama Crimson Tide football; and

WHEREAS, known as "Rim" to his friends and "Pops" to his 14 grandchildren, Ralph Dillow had an adventurous spirit and loved to travel, especially to his favorite fishing hole at Elephant Lake, Ontario, Canada, and his favorite beach at Pawleys Island, South Carolina; and

WHEREAS, Ralph Dillow valued education and lifelong learning, and lived every day as an example to his children and grandchildren, to whom he passed down his compassion for the human condition and happy outlook on life; and

WHEREAS, Ralph Dillow will be fondly remembered and greatly missed by his wife of 60 years, Betty; his children, Faith, Sumer, Beth, Julie, Noel, and Ralph, and their families; and a vast number of relatives 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 Ralph McKinley Dillow, Jr., a Purple Heart recipient, highly respected attorney, and beloved member of the Bristol community; 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 Ralph McKinley Dillow, Jr., as an expression of the General Assembly's respect for his memory.

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