WHEREAS, Dr. Talmadge T. Williams, for nearly 40 years, was a valued and distinguished public citizen of Arlington County, a visionary community leader and a trusted friend of many; and
WHEREAS, Dr. Williams held leadership roles in the Bluemont Civic Association and Ballston Partnership, served on the George Mason University School of Education Board and the Arlington Police Advisory Committee, and was active with the Arlington Democratic Committee; and
WHEREAS, Dr. Williams was dedicated to preserving Arlington’s rich cultural history highlighting those contributions made by the African American community, and was an advocate for the creation of a Black Heritage Museum as part of the Arlington Heritage Center concept; and
WHEREAS, Dr. Williams was dedicated to preserving the story of Freedman’s Village and having a marker placed on the Village’s actual site, Arlington County staff is committed to work with Arlington National Cemetery staff to achieve this goal, both to commemorate this important part of Arlington and American History and to honor the unwavering efforts of Dr. Williams to make the marker placement a reality; and
WHEREAS, Dr. Williams successfully worked with the Commonwealth of Virginia to have the reconstructed Washington Boulevard Bridge over Columbia Pike, to be completed in the fall of 2015, renamed “Freedman’s Village Bridge”; and
WHEREAS, Dr. Williams discovered artifacts in the slave quarters on the grounds of Arlington House and initiated the creation of the Freedman’s Village model by architectural students at Howard University, located today under glass in one of the slave houses at Arlington Cemetery; and
WHEREAS, Dr. Williams served as Co-Chair of the Arlington Bicentennial Task Force, set up by the County Board, to mark the 200thanniversary of Arlington’s incorporation into the District of Columbia; and
WHEREAS, Dr. Williams, as President of the Arlington Chapter of NAACP, worked tirelessly to assist those individuals and organizations in need, to bring people together, and to balance the scales of justice: and
WHEREAS, Dr. Williams was a native of Radford, Virginia, yet his commitment to Arlington County was complete and unequivocal;
NOW, THEREFORE, I, Jay Fisette, Chair of the County Board of Arlington, Virginia, do hereby proclaim October 18, 2014, as TRIBUTE DAY FOR DR. TALMADGE T. WILLIAMS in Arlington County in recognition of his life-long contributions to the people of Arlington County.