2025 SESSION
ENROLLED
HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 718
Commending the McGaheysville Volunteer Fire Company, Inc.
Agreed to by the House of Delegates, February 18, 2025
Agreed to by the Senate, February 20, 2025
WHEREAS, for 60 years, the McGaheysville Volunteer Fire Company, Inc., has safeguarded the lives and property of the residents of McGaheysville and enriched local life through outreach programs and community events; and
WHEREAS, the McGaheysville Volunteer Fire Company was organized on March 16, 1965, with Richard Magalis as president, Hollis Johnson as vice president, Stanley Hulvey as chief, and Melvin Atkins, Elmer Breeden, Clarence Gooden, C.O. Hensley, Odell Hensley, Wayne Hensley, and M.J. Stover, Sr., as officers; and
WHEREAS, in 1966, members of the McGaheysville Volunteer Fire Company and other local volunteers built the original fire station on one half acre of land donated by the Mahan family; the company subsequently purchased an additional seven acres to expand the property; and
WHEREAS, the McGaheysville Volunteer Fire Company's first fire apparatus was a 1952 fuel oil delivery truck purchased from the Rockingham Petroleum Co-op and converted into a 1200-gallon tanker; the company purchased an additional truck and a pumper before its first major call for service to battle a fire at McGaheysville Elementary School on January 7, 1968; and
WHEREAS, over the next decades, the McGaheysville Volunteer Fire Company was ably led by fire chiefs Earl Hensley, Sr., Earl Hensley, Jr., and Todd Breeden, all of whom worked to ensure that the members of the department have access to the best possible training and modern equipment; and
WHEREAS, the McGaheysville Volunteer Fire Company cultivated strong bonds with the community by hosting a long-running bingo night fundraiser until the COVID-19 pandemic; since that time, the company has organized chicken dinners and soup events to stay engaged with members of the public and generate support; and
WHEREAS, in 2022, the McGaheysville Volunteer Fire Company broke ground on a new facility with a commercial kitchen and space for fundraisers and other community events; and
WHEREAS, the McGaheysville Volunteer Fire Company commemorated its 60th anniversary by revitalizing its memorial area to better honor the achievements of past generations of its courageous and hardworking firefighters; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED by the House of Delegates, the Senate concurring, That the General Assembly hereby commend the McGaheysville Volunteer Fire Company, Inc., on the occasion of its 60th anniversary; and, be it
RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the House of Delegates prepare a copy of this resolution for presentation to the McGaheysville Volunteer Fire Company, Inc., as an expression of the General Assembly's admiration for its legacy of service and contributions to the McGaheysville community.