2026 SESSION
ENROLLED
HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 83
Celebrating the life of Charles Frederick Downs.
Agreed to by the House of Delegates, February 2, 2026
Agreed to by the Senate, February 5, 2026
WHEREAS, Charles Frederick Downs, a rehabilitation counselor who touched countless lives through his professional accomplishments and commitment to service, died on June 17, 2025; and
WHEREAS, Charles Downs grew up in Long Island, New York, and graduated from Washington College in Chestertown, Maryland, where he was a member of the Kappa Alpha Order fraternity and Omicron Delta Kappa, a national collegiate leadership organization; and
WHEREAS, Charles Downs continued his education at what is now Virginia Commonwealth University, ultimately receiving a master's degree in rehabilitation counseling; and
WHEREAS, over the course of his career, Charles Downs adjudicated Social Security disability claims in Richmond and was employed as a certified vocational rehabilitation counselor at the Roosevelt Warm Springs Institute for Rehabilitation in Georgia and the Wilson Workforce and Rehabilitation Center in Fishersville, where he also handled special administrative projects; and
WHEREAS, Charles Downs advocated for the creation of the Waynesboro Disability Services Board in the mid-1980s and went on to serve as chair of the organization for many years; he was also appointed as the Americans with Disabilities Act coordinator for Waynesboro in 1992 and served in that capacity until his well-earned retirement in 2009; and