2026 SESSION
ENROLLED
HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 218
Celebrating the life of John Wendell Martin, Ph.D.
Agreed to by the House of Delegates, March 9, 2026
Agreed to by the Senate, March 11, 2026
WHEREAS, John Wendell Martin, Ph.D., a respected counselor, therapist, and clinical director, intrepid traveler, and beloved member of the Richmond community, died on November 28, 2024; and
WHEREAS, after graduating from Thomas Jefferson High School in Richmond in 1970, John Martin earned a bachelor's degree from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University in 1974, a master of social work degree from Tulane University in 1975, and a doctoral degree from Florida State University in 1980; and
WHEREAS, John Martin served in many distinguished roles as a licensed professional counselor, including as a therapist at Western Tidewater Mental Health Center; clinical director at Fayette Community Mental Health Center in Uniontown, Pennsylvania; counselor and assistant professor at the University of Virginia; clinical counselor at Hospice of Tacoma in Washington state; and in private practice in Richmond; and
WHEREAS, John Martin advanced the field of licensed professional counseling and ensured the readiness of aspiring counselors as an oral examiner on the Virginia Board of Professional Counselors; and
WHEREAS, John Martin was an avid traveler, hiker, and biker whose notable achievements included visiting all 50 states by the age of 50; summiting Mount Denali in Alaska, Mount Washington in New Hampshire, the Grand Teton in Wyoming, and Mounts Adams, Hood, and Rainier in the Pacific Northwest; and trekking to the Mount Everest base camp through the Khumbu region of Nepal; and