Bill Text: VA SJR476 | 2019 | Regular Session | Enrolled
Bill Title: Celebrating the life of Bettie Woodson Weaver.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 1-0)
Status: (Passed) 2019-04-03 - Bill text as passed Senate and House (SJ476ER) [SJR476 Detail]
Download: Virginia-2019-SJR476-Enrolled.html
WHEREAS, Bettie Woodson Weaver, a consummate educator who enriched the learning process with her kindness, creativity, and unparalleled commitment to her students, died on June 14, 2018; and
WHEREAS, born in Midlothian in 1920, Bettie Weaver was a witness to the seminal events of the 20th century; she gained her passion for learning from her grandmother, who entertained her young granddaughter with family stories and vivid history lessons; and
WHEREAS, Bettie Weaver graduated from John Marshall High School and earned a bachelor's degree from Westhampton College; she began her career in education at Manchester High School in Chesterfield County in 1941; and
WHEREAS, during World War II, Bettie Weaver lived in North Carolina, Texas, Oklahoma, and Kentucky before returning to Chesterfield County, where she and her husband, Albert, restored her family's historic home, Aetna Hill; and
WHEREAS, Bettie Weaver taught at Midlothian High School from 1946 to 1951, until her own children were born, then worked with Chesterfield County to document historic homes, churches, and buildings in the area for the Historic American Buildings Survey; and
WHEREAS, Bettie Weaver was also commissioned by the Chesterfield County Board of Supervisors to write a book on the history of the County, later served on the County's bicentennial committee, and helped develop the Chesterfield County Museum and Magnolia Grange; and
WHEREAS, Bettie Weaver returned to teaching at Midlothian High School in 1966 and subsequently joined Watkins Elementary School, where she worked until her well-earned retirement in 1981; and
WHEREAS, Bettie Weaver infused her lessons with unique perspectives and opportunities, such as field trips to a nearby coal mine, where she connected local history to early American industry, architecture, and environmental studies; she relished opportunities to teach students about the beauty of the natural world, especially her favorite animal, the bluebird; and
WHEREAS, in 1994, Bettie Weaver Elementary School was named in her honor, with the Bettie Weaver Bluebird as the school mascot; her legacy lives on in the many students who have passed through the school's doors, as well as the thousands of students she herself inspired to become inquisitive lifelong learners and engaged leaders in their professions and communities; and
WHEREAS, predeceased by her husband, Albert, Bettie Weaver will be fondly remembered and greatly missed by her children, Bettie and George, and their families; and by 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 Bettie Woodson Weaver; and, be it
RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the Senate prepare a copy of this resolution for presentation to the family of Bettie Woodson Weaver as an expression of the General Assembly's respect for her memory.
