2026 SESSION

INTRODUCED

26108378D

HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 218

Offered March 3, 2026

Celebrating the life of John Wendell Martin, Ph.D.

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Patrons—Carr, Cousins, McQuinn and Willett; Senators: Bagby and VanValkenburg

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WHEREAS, John Wendell Martin, Ph.D., a respected counselor, therapist, and clinical director, intrepid traveler, and beloved member of the Richmond community, died on November 28, 2024; and

WHEREAS, after graduating from Thomas Jefferson High School in Richmond in 1970, John Martin earned a bachelor's degree from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University in 1974, a master of social work degree from Tulane University in 1975, and a doctoral degree from Florida State University in 1980; and

WHEREAS, John Martin served in many distinguished roles as a licensed professional counselor, including as a therapist at Western Tidewater Mental Health Center; clinical director at Fayette Community Mental Health Center in Uniontown, Pennsylvania; counselor and assistant professor at the University of Virginia; clinical counselor at Hospice of Tacoma in Washington state; and in private practice in Richmond; and

WHEREAS, John Martin advanced the field of licensed professional counseling and ensured the readiness of aspiring counselors as an oral examiner on the Virginia Board of Professional Counselors; and

WHEREAS, John Martin was an avid traveler, hiker, and biker whose notable achievements included visiting all 50 states by the age of 50; summiting Mount Denali in Alaska, Mount Washington in New Hampshire, the Grand Teton in Wyoming, and Mounts Adams, Hood, and Rainier in the Pacific Northwest; and trekking to the Mount Everest base camp through the Khumbu region of Nepal; and

WHEREAS, John Martin will be fondly remembered and dearly missed by his loving wife, Mary, and by numerous other 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 John Wendell Martin, Ph.D., a cherished member of the Richmond community whose kindness and generosity touched 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 John Wendell Martin, Ph.D., as an expression of the General Assembly's respect for his memory.