HJ 320 — Celebrating the life of Walter Spears Claytor, D.D.S.

SESSION INTRODUCEDENROLLED 24107309D I HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION NO.

320 NE Offered March 1, 2024 Celebrating the life of Walter Spears Cla––––––––––S.Claytor, D.D.S.

TN Patrons––Rasoul,Agreed Anthony,to Clark,by Green,the Hope,House Keys-Gamarra,of LopezDelegates, andMarch Martinez;5, 2024 R Agreed to by the Senate, March 7, 2024 O WHEREAS, Walter Spears Claytor, D.D.S., an honorable veteran, esteemed dentist, accomplished L advWHEREAS, Walter Claytor earned a doctoral degree in dental surgery from Meharry Medical;

Senators:and L College School of Dentistry in 1948, the same year that his father, Dr.

BoyskR,John Ebbin,B. Favola and Salim –––––––––– O WHEREAS, Walter Spears Claytor, D.D.S., an honorable veteran, esteemed dentist, accomplishedD advocate for justice, and beloved member of the Roanoke community, died on January 1, 2024;

andClaytor, WHEREAS,Sr., Walteropened ClaytortheE earned a doctoral degree in dental surgery from Meharry Medical U Claytor Memorial Clinic to serve the predominantly Black community in the Roanoke neighborhood ofnedof the Gainsboro;

and ED WHEREAS, Walter Claytor opened a private practice in the Claytor Memorial Clinic alongside his father and siblings in 1949, where he would provide quality and compassionate care to his patients until his retirement in 1994;

andficer of the 39th Medical H WHEREAS, Walter Claytor also worked as a dentist and in various leadership positions at the 3 Burrell Memorial Hospital in Roanoke, working tirelessly to address the dental needs of indigent 0 children and others in the Gainsboro neighborhood while improving the hospital's financial stanHing;standing;

andandR WHEREAS, in recognition of his leadership and expertise, Walter Claytor was appointed by 3 Governor Linwood Holton to serve on the Virginia Board of Dental Examiners in 1970, the first B0ackBlack person to hold such a position in the southern states;

he also held a number of leadership positions in theWHEREAS, beginning in the 1970s,Old WalterDominion ClaytorDental ledSociety, effortswhich topresented protecthim thewith valueits ofPresident's theAward Claytorin Memorial2007; Clinic and other properties against the urban renewal initiatives of the Roanoke Redevelopment and Housing Authority;

and WHEREAS, beginning in the 1970s, Walter Claytor led efforts to protect the value of the Claytor Redevelopment and Housing Authority;

and WHEREAS, a lifetime member of the NAACP and the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC), Walter Claytor advocated passionately for helping young people and for reducing gun violence 34 in WHEREAS,the guidedcommunity, throughoutleading histhe lifeSCLC byto hispresent faith, Walter Claytor enjoyed worship and fellowship 35 with his community at Fifth Avenue Presbyterian Church in Roanoke, which honored him with its ManDrum 36Major offor theJustice YearAward; award in 2003;

andandviolence /WHEREAS, 37guided WHEREAS,throughout his life by his faith, Walter Claytor wasenjoyed marriedworship toand fellowship with his lovingcommunity wife,at Eiko,Fifth andAvenue theyPresbyterian hadChurch threein children,Roanoke, Kaye,which 38honored David,him andwith Mark;its Man of the Year award in 2003;

heand willWHEREAS, beWalter fondlyClaytor rememberedwas andmarried dearlyto missedhis byloving numerouswife, familyEiko, members and they had three children, Kaye, friends;

now, therefore, be ititndly remembered and dearly missed by numerous family members and RESOLVED by the House of Delegates, the Senate concurring, That the General Assembly hereby note with great sadness the loss of Walter Spears Claytor, D.D.S., a pillar of the Gainsboro neighborhood of Roanoke whose courage, dedication, and service made an outsized impact on countless lives;livRESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the House of Delegates prepare a copy of this resolution for presentation to the family of Walter Spears Claytor, D.D.S., as an expression of the General Assembly's respect for his memory.

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 Walter Spears Claytor, D.D.S., as an expression of the General Assembly's respect for his memory.