2026 SESSION
ENROLLED
HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 80
Celebrating the life of George Otis Mead III.
Agreed to by the House of Delegates, February 2, 2026
Agreed to by the Senate, February 5, 2026
WHEREAS, George Otis Mead III, a respected real estate professional and a devoted champion for his fellow community members in the Lexington and Rockbridge County area, died on June 21, 2025; and
WHEREAS, born in West Virginia, Otis Mead moved to the Commonwealth at a young age and grew up in the village of Low Moor in Alleghany County; he spent much of his early life sharing a 23-room house with three generations of his family and local boarders, learning valuable life lessons and cultivating his senses of adventure and creativity; and
WHEREAS, through great determination, Otis Mead overcame dyslexia at a time when the disorder was not commonly diagnosed; he graduated from Central High School, then attended Hampden-Sydney College, where he played football, sang in the glee club, and was a proud member of Chi Phi Fraternity; and
WHEREAS, in 1956, Otis Mead relocated to Lexington, where he worked in a clothing store and began serving as a member of the Virginia National Guard; a few years later, he joined a real estate firm that ultimately became known as Mead Associates; and
WHEREAS, over the course of his distinguished career in real estate, Otis Mead negotiated sales and purchases of property throughout the Shenandoah Valley and served as a vital resource for local officials and civic leaders on property issues and community growth; and