[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 127 (Thursday, September 10, 2009)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E2233]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                    TRIBUTE TO JUDGE RICHARD S. BRAY

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. J. RANDY FORBES

                              of virginia

                    in the house of representatives

                      Thursday, September 10, 2009

  Mr. FORBES. Madam Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to Judge 
Richard S. Bray, who has received the distinct honor of being named 
Chesapeake's First Citizen for 2009.
  Judge Bray has tirelessly championed a myriad of charitable causes in 
Chesapeake, throughout Hampton Roads, and all of Virginia. His 
exemplary service to his community has contributed greatly to the lives 
of those living and working in Chesapeake.
  Born and raised in Portsmouth, Virginia, Judge Bray is a 1964 
graduate of Woodrow Wilson High School, a 1968 graduate of Randolph-
Macon College, and a 1971 graduate of the Marshall-Wythe School of Law 
at the College of William and Mary. After serving as a law clerk to 
Virginia Supreme Court Chief Justice Lawrence W. I'Anson, Judge Bray 
founded his own law firm in 1975, which became Bray and Whitehurst. 
Judge Bray practiced law in Chesapeake until 1989. He was then selected 
by the General Assembly as a judge of the Court of Virginia's Third 
Judicial Circuit, where he served with distinction for two years before 
being elected as a Judge of the Court of Appeals of Virginia. Judge 
Bray's exemplary judicial service to the Court of Appeals lasted over a 
decade until his retirement in 2002.
  Since 2002, Judge Bray has served as the President and CEO of the 
Beazley Foundation, Inc. The Beazley Foundation is a philanthropic 
beacon that champions educational, charitable, and religious causes in 
the Hampton Roads area and beyond. In 2008 alone, the Beazley 
Foundation provided $3.7 million in grants for scholarships and other 
charitable community services. Through the Foundation, Judge Bray has 
touched the lives of countless Virginians, such as the thousands who 
have received health care through the Chesapeake Care Free Clinic, 
which offers health care services to those who cannot afford care on 
their own.
  In addition to his leadership on the Beazley Foundation, Judge Bray 
also presently serves as a Director of Towne Bank, the Chesapeake 
Alliance, and the Virginia State Fair. He has also served on the 
Virginia Marine Resources Commission, as Director of the People's Bank 
of Chesapeake, and as the founding Chairman of the Board of Directors 
for Greenbriar Country Club.
  Judge Bray embodies the noble ideals of volunteerism, community 
spirit, and local investment. His efforts have done much to improve 
Chesapeake and the lives of the people within it. Please join me in 
heartfelt congratulations to Judge Bray for the well-deserved honor of 
being named Chesapeake's First Citizen.

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