[Congressional Record Volume 160, Number 82 (Thursday, May 29, 2014)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E868]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                    HONORING HARRIETT MARTIN STOKES

                                  _____
                                 

                        HON. H. MORGAN GRIFFITH

                              of virginia

                    in the house of representatives

                         Thursday, May 29, 2014

  Mr. GRIFFITH of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, I submit these remarks in 
honor of Harriett Martin Stokes, a proud native of Salem, Virginia, who 
passed away on May 18, 2014. Harriett, who was born on June 21, 1914, 
would have turned 100 on the longest day of the year--the first day of 
summer.
  Harriett graduated from Salem High School in 1931, was one of the 
first women to graduate from Roanoke College, and also earned degrees 
from the Richmond Professional Institute and the Chicago School of 
Design. She served as an elementary school teacher during World War II, 
also teaching art in her home and serving local hospitals as an artist-
in-residence. Harriett helped to start the Virginia Watercolor Society, 
was an original member of the Roanoke Valley Sidewalk Art Show, and 
coordinated Art in the Alley which, for forty years, highlighted many 
local artists and was a hot spot for collectors of art.
  An active member of the Salem community, Harriett was a lifelong 
member of St. Paul's Episcopal Church. She was inducted into the Salem 
Alumni Hall of Fame in 1997, and among her other awards are the Walter 
Biggs Award for Cultural Achievement, the Distinguished Alumni Award 
from Roanoke College, and the Perry Kendig Individual Artist Award.
  Harriett is survived by her three sons: Clay Stokes and wife Janice 
of Canton, Georgia, Dr. Robert D. Stokes of Paoli, Pennsylvania, and 
Dr. William Stokes and wife Mary Ellen of Roanoke; two grandchildren; a 
great-grandchild; and many adoring nieces, nephews, and devoted 
friends.
  Harriett's legacy and love for family, neighbors, church, and 
community will live on not only in her beautiful art--some of which 
remains on display in homes, businesses, and schools throughout the 
Roanoke Valley--but also in the continuing work of the many artists she 
mentored and influenced throughout her lifetime. My thoughts and 
prayers go out to Harriett's family and loved ones.

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