SR 166 — Celebrating the life of Dana Bertrand Hamel.

SESSION INTRODUCEDENROLLED 24108835D I SENATE RESOLUTION NO.

166 NE Offered March 7, 2024 Celebrating the life of Dana Bertrand Ham––––––––––Hamel. T Patrons––Hashmi, Bagby and Favola R –––––––––– WHEREAS, Dana Bertrand Hamel, an esteemed educator who guided the creation of the Virginia O Community College System, died on June 23, 2023;

andN DAgreed to by the Senate, March 8, 2024 R O WHEREAS, Dana HamelBertrand wasHamel, bornan inesteemed Rumford,educator Maine,who inguided 1923,the andcreation movedof tothe EastVirginia Conemaugh,Community Pennsylvania,College withSystem, hisdied familyon atJune a23, young2023; age;

and UL repairPennsylvania, werewith inhis highfamily demandat amonga theyoung localage; railroad and mine workers;

andereand, theirin skills1923, atand waCchmoved WHEREAS,to duringEast WorldConemaugh, WarL II,WHEREAS, Dana Hamel joinedhelped many young men of his generationfather inrun service E to the nationfamily asjewelry astore, memberwhere oftheir theskills Unitedat Stateswatch ArmyE Airrepair Forceswere andin deployedhigh todemand among the Pacificlocal Theaterrailroad asand amine chaplain'sworkers; assistant;

and D WHEREAS, afterduring hisWorld honorableWar militaryII, service, Dana Hamel returnedjoined tomany Pennsylvania,young marriedmen hisof wife, Shirley, and opened his owngeneration store,in Hamel'sservice Jewelers,D whicha hechaplain's operatedassistant; until his twin brother convinced him to enroll at Ashland College, now Ashland University, in Ohio;

andandf degreethe United States Army Air Forces and completeddeployed additionalto postgraduatethe studiesPacific inTheater psychology,as thenWHEREAS, subsequentlyafter completedhis ahonorable doctoratemilitary inservice, educationDana atHamel thereturned Universityto ofPennsylvania, Cincinnati,married cultivatinghis awife, passionShirley, forand higheropened educationhis thatown informedstore, theHamel's restJewelers, ofwhich he operated until his professionaltwin career;brother convinced him to enroll at Ashland College, now Ashland University, in Ohio;

and WHEREAS,degree Danaand Hamelcompleted taughtadditional managementpostgraduate forstudies General Motors in Dayton,psychology, Ohio,then untilsubsequently hecompleted becamea S thedoctorate deanin ofeducation students at the OhioUniversity Mechanicsof Institute,Cincinnati, thencultivating latera servedpassion asfor actinghigher presidenteducation ofthat 1heinformed institution after it became the Ohiorest College of Appliedhis Science;professional career;

and 6 WHEREAS, in 1963, Dana Hamel cametaught tomanagement thefor CommonwealthGeneral asMotors thein directorDayton, ofOhio, theuntil Roanokehe TecWHEREAS,became theR followinginstitution year,after Governorit Albertisbecame Harrisonthe selectedOhio DanaCollege Hamelof toApplied developScience; aversity;

andandved systemas acting president of technicalthe schoolsWHEREAS, throughoutin the1963, Commonwealth,Dana whichHamel quicklycame becameto the basisCommonwealth as the director of the Roanoke Technical Institute, a division of what is now Virginia CommunityPolytechnic CollegeInstitute System;and State University;

and WHEREAS, Danathe Hamel'sfollowing experienceyear, andGovernor expertiseAlbertis wereHarrison criticalselected toDana theHamel earlyto foundationdevelop ofa the Virginia Community College System,System; and he was proud to watch his successors take the system to greater heights year after year, changing the lives of generations of students for the better;

and WHEREAS,the inCommonwealth, 1984,which quickly became the basis of the WHEREAS, Dana HamelHamel's wasexperience calledand uponexpertise again,were thiscritical timeto bythe Governorearly Chuckfoundation Robb,of whothe 35Virginia whichCommunity College System, and he was instrumentalproud to watch his successors take the establishmentsystem ofto whatgreater isheights nowyear after year, changing the Thomaslives Jeffersonof Nationalgenerations Acceleratorves,of 36students Facility;for the better;

and 37asked WHEREAS,him Danato Hamelcreate inspiredand othersserve throughas histhe integrity,director humility,of unfailingthe optimism,Virginia andCenter /for 38Public enthusiasmand forPrivate theInitiatives, future,which demonstratedwas byinstrumental histo signaturethe phrase,establishment "It'sof awhat greatis daynow tothe beThomas aliveJefferson inNational theAccelerator 39Facility; Commonwealth";

and WHEREAS, Dana Hamel inspired others through his integrity, humility, unfailing optimism, and enthusiasm for the future, demonstrated by his signature phrase, "It's a great day to be alive in the ComWHEREAS, predeceased by his beloved wife of 61 years, Shirley, Dana Hamel will be fondly remembered and greatly missed by his children, Randy, Michelle, and April, and their families;

and numRESOLVED,numerous Thatother thefamily Senatemembers, offriends, Virginiaand herebycolleagues; note with great sadness the loss of Dana Bertrand Hamel, a distinguished servant-leader who reshaped higher education in the Commonwealth through his role in the establishment of the Virginia Community College System;

and,now, therefore, be it RESOLVEDRESOLVED, FURTHER, That the Clerk of the Senate prepare a copy of thisVirginia resolutionhereby fornote presentationwith togreat sadness the familyloss of Dana Bertrand Hamelrole asin anthe expressionestablishment of the SenateVirginia ofCommunity Virginia'sCollege respectSystem; for his memory.

and, be itmonwealth through his RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the Senate prepare a copy of this resolution for presentation to the family of Dana Bertrand Hamel as an expression of the Senate of Virginia's respect for his memory.