2025 SESSION
ENROLLED
SENATE RESOLUTION NO. 279
Commending Phillip C. Stone.
Agreed to by the Senate, February 20, 2025
WHEREAS, in January 2025, Phillip C. Stone of Stone Law Group, PLC, in Harrisonburg and the founder of Rockingham County's Lincoln Day Ceremony, was selected by the Abraham Lincoln Association as a winner of the prestigious Lincoln Lawyer Award for his contributions to the legal field and promotion of the life and legacy of President Abraham Lincoln; and
WHEREAS, the Abraham Lincoln Association was formed in 1908 to commemorate what would have been President Abraham Lincoln's 100th birthday and has evolved to become the premier nonprofit organization supporting scholarship on the nation's 16th president; and
WHEREAS, on February 12, 1976, Phillip Stone cofounded the Lincoln Day Ceremony at the Lincoln Homestead in Rockingham County to highlight the Lincoln family's connections to the Harrisonburg and Rockingham County communities, and he has been an active participant in the event for its entire history; and
WHEREAS, Phillip Stone has ensured that the Lincoln Day Ceremony has been held every year, rain or shine, since 1976 and celebrated the 50th anniversary of the event in 2025; and
WHEREAS, a past president of Bridgewater College and Sweet Briar College, Phillip Stone also founded the Lincoln Society of Virginia, which has enhanced the Lincoln Day Ceremony's programs and provides year-round research and information about President Abraham Lincoln's life, works, and significance to American history; and
WHEREAS, the Abraham Lincoln Association's Lincoln Lawyer Award is awarded infrequently and only to individuals of the highest character who reflect the ideals of President Abraham Lincoln and have advanced the study of his life; and
WHEREAS, as founder of both the Lincoln Day Ceremony and the Lincoln Society of Virginia, Phillip Stone has helped thousands of people learn more about the legacy of President Abraham Lincoln; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED by the Senate of Virginia, That Phillip C. Stone, esteemed winner of the Lincoln Lawyer Award, hereby be commended on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of Harrisonburg's Lincoln Day Ceremony; and, be it
RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the Senate prepare a copy of this resolution for presentation to Phillip C. Stone as an expression of the Senate of Virginia's admiration for his tireless work to preserve the history and heritage of the Commonwealth and the United States.