Bill Text: VA SJR141 | 2024 | Regular Session | Enrolled
Bill Title: Celebrating the life of the Honorable George James Kostel.
Spectrum: Bipartisan Bill
Status: (Passed) 2024-03-01 - Bill text as passed Senate and House (SJ141ER) [SJR141 Detail]
Download: Virginia-2024-SJR141-Enrolled.html
WHEREAS, the Honorable George James Kostel, a lifelong resident of Clifton Forge, respected attorney, and dedicated public servant who helped guide the creation of the Virginia Community College System as a member of the House of Delegates, died on June 21, 2023; and
WHEREAS, George Kostel attended Clifton Forge High School and Fork Union Military Academy, then received a bachelor's degree from Hampden-Sydney College, where he earned the prestigious Gammon Cup award for character, scholarship, and athletic ability; and
WHEREAS, George Kostel continued his education at the Washington and Lee University School of Law, then served the nation as an officer in the Judge Advocate General's Corps of the United States Marine Corps for two years; he returned to Clifton Forge and worked as an attorney until his well-earned retirement in 1997; and
WHEREAS, desirous to be of further service to the residents of Clifton Forge and the Commonwealth, George Kostel ran for and was elected to the House of Delegates in 1963; he represented the residents of District 6 until 1971, introducing and supporting many important pieces of legislation to benefit all Virginians; and
WHEREAS, among his proudest achievements, George Kostel was a member of the House Committee on Education and a co-patron of the bill that created the Virginia Community College System during the 1966 Session of the General Assembly; the Clifton Forge-Covington Branch of the Virginia Polytechnic Institute, now known as Mountain Gateway Community College, was one of the original branch colleges included in the nascent college system; and
WHEREAS, in 1983, George Kostel made additional contributions to higher education in the Commonwealth when he was appointed to the State Board of Community Colleges by Governor Charles Robb, and in 1985, he was elected as chair of the board; and
WHEREAS, thanks to the support of visionary leaders like George Kostel, the Virginia Community College System has become a hub of excellence and innovation that has provided an outstanding education to hundreds of thousands of students across the Commonwealth; and
WHEREAS, in addition, George Kostel offered his leadership and expertise to the joint committee between Alleghany Memorial Hospital and Emmett Memorial Hospital that studied health care needs in the Alleghany Highlands, leading to the creation of Alleghany Regional Hospital; and
WHEREAS, George Kostel subsequently served as the first president of the board of directors for Alleghany Regional Hospital, guiding the institution through its financing and construction phases, as well as its early years of operation; and
WHEREAS, George Kostel also enjoyed a long association with the First National Bank of Clifton Forge; he began serving as board chair in 1968, became president in 1997, and later oversaw the sale of the bank to MainStreet Bank; and
WHEREAS, a man of deep faith, George Kostel enjoyed fellowship and worship with the Clifton Forge community as a lifelong member of St. Andrew's Episcopal Church, where he first enrolled as a member of the choir in 1937 and retired as a member of the vestry in 2019; and
WHEREAS, George Kostel will be fondly remembered and greatly missed by his wife of 60 years, Helen; his children, Mary, Elizabeth, and David, and their families; and numerous other family members, friends, and colleagues on both sides of the aisle; 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 George James Kostel, a highly admired attorney and public servant from Clifton Forge; 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 George James Kostel as an expression of the General Assembly's respect for his memory.
