WHEREAS, the Democratic Party of Virginia recognizes and celebrates the talents, wisdom, and dedication of Mary Ann Hovis, and
WHEREAS, Mary Ann Hovis was born in Smyth County, Virginia on August 4th, 1943 and spent much of her life in the Commonwealth, eventually settling with her husband Bob in Oakton, Virginia;
WHEREAS Mary Ann was the daughter of the Honorable W. Pat Jennings, a WWII veteran who later served as a US Congressman from the 9th Congressional District of Virginia from 1955-1967 and had the political courage to stand up to the Byrd machine and support the Voting Rights Act, which cost him his seat in Congress;
WHEREAS, Mary Ann attended Radford University from 1961 to 1965 and after graduating applied her considerable talents to the betterment of that public institution through her service on a number of boards and commissions including serving on their Board of Visitors for 8 years and for two terms as Rector of Radford and was honored for her contributions to her alma mater with the University’s Outstanding Service Award in 1995 and their Lifetime Achievement Award in 2000;
WHEREAS Mary Ann served for many years as a reliable and dedicated member of the Fairfax County Democratic Committee, including serving on their leadership as Vice Chair, Finance and as Chair;
WHEREAS Mary Ann was an outstanding and beloved member of the 10th Congressional District Democratic Committee who served as Co-Chair of the Fundraising Committee before stepping up to serve as Vice Chair;
WHEREAS Mary Ann served on the Board of Directors of Emerge Virginia, an organization dedicated to helping train women to run for political office as Democrats, many of whom have gone on to have distinguished careers as candidates and public servants in Northern Virginia and throughout the Commonwealth;
WHEREAS Mary Ann helped launch and served as Chair of the Pat Jennings Project at the Democratic Party of Virginia, a project dedicated to helping recruit and train Democrats to run for office “from the courthouse to the statehouse to the White House”;
WHEREAS Mary Ann opened her home on countless occasions to assist Democratic campaigns with meet & greets or fundraisers and was a true friend and confidant to many of Virginia’s Democratic candidates and elected officials;
WHEREAS Mary Ann’s impact will be felt for years to come through the generation of Democratic activists she mentored, guided, and inspired;
AND WHEREAS Mary Ann passed away on August 26th, 2017 and is deeply missed throughout the Democratic community,
THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the Democratic Party of Virginia honors Mary Ann Hovis for her life, her accomplishments, and her vast contributions to the Democratic Party and extends its deepest condolences to her family.