2026 SESSION

INTRODUCED

26108512D

HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 254

Offered March 5, 2026

Celebrating the life of Harry Hudnall Ware III, M.D.

—————

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

—————

WHEREAS, Harry Hudnall Ware III, M.D, a respected leader in health care who helped the Virginia Women's Center in Richmond become one of the largest practices devoted solely to women's health in the Commonwealth, died on November 25, 2025; and

WHEREAS, Hudnall Ware was born to the late Harry Hudnall Ware, Jr., and Mary Warren Williams Ware in Richmond and grew up in an area of the Fan District known locally as “Little Williamsburg,” due to the concentration of his relatives on his mother's side in the Williams family; and

WHEREAS, Hudnall Ware graduated from St. Christopher's School and earned his bachelor's and medical degrees from the University of Virginia, where he was active in student life as secretary of the Student Council, co-captain of the swim team, and a member of St. Anthony Hall, the Seven Society, the IMP Society, and the T.I.L.K.A. Society; and

WHEREAS, for two summers during college, Hudnall Ware served in the Military Sea Transportation Service, now Military Sealift Command, and visited several ports of call in Europe and Africa, an experience that stoked his curiosity and left a lasting impression on him; and

WHEREAS, Hudnall Ware interned at what is now the Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine, then served as an assistant resident, chief resident, and instructor in obstetrics and gynecology at what is now Weill Cornell Medicine in New York from 1959 to 1964; and

WHEREAS, Hudnall Ware next served as a captain in the United States Army Medical Corps, stationed at Fort Carson, Colorado, then returned to Richmond to work as an obstetrician/gynecologist, achieving board certification in 1967 and recertification in 1980; and

WHEREAS, Hudnall Ware and his father cofounded the Virginia Women's Center, which has met the health care needs of generations of women since 1987; he also served as an attending physician at several area hospitals and was the chief of obstetrics and gynecology and a member of the Executive Committee at St. Mary's Hospital; and

WHEREAS, at a time when most practitioners of obstetrics and gynecology were men, Hudnall Ware focused on mentoring women in the profession and supported the hiring of female doctors to better meet his patients' needs; and

WHEREAS, after his well-earned retirement, Hudnall Ware volunteered at the Goochland Free Clinic and the CrossOver Healthcare Ministry, which honored him with its Compassionate Care Award in 2015; and

WHEREAS, outside of his career, Hudnall Ware supported the Richmond Rotary Club, never missing a meeting in 50 years, and was a life member of St. James's Episcopal Church, where he was a member of the vestry; he offered his leadership to several other boards and organizations and founded the Polar Bear Club at the Country Club of Virginia; and

WHEREAS, despite often working long hours, Hudnall Ware made it a priority to support and care for his family and always strived to be home in time for family dinners; and

WHEREAS, predeceased by one son, Hudnall IV, Hudnall Ware will be fondly remembered and greatly missed by his wife, Betty; his sons, William, John, Robert, and Samuel, and their families; his stepchildren, Ellen and John, and their families; and 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 Harry Hudnall Ware III, M.D.; 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 Harry Hudnall Ware III, M.D., as an expression of the General Assembly's respect for his memory.