2026 SESSION
ENROLLED
SENATE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 273
Commending Colonel Donald Caldwell, USAR.
Agreed to by the Senate, March 11, 2026
Agreed to by the House of Delegates, March 12, 2026
WHEREAS, Colonel Donald Caldwell, USAR, a distinguished prosecutor who served as the Commonwealth's Attorney of the City of Roanoke for 46 years, retired on December 31, 2025; and
WHEREAS, Donald “Don” Caldwell earned a bachelor's degree from Virginia Military Institute and served the nation honorably for 21 years, achieving the rank of colonel in the United States Army Reserve; and
WHEREAS, after obtaining a law degree at the University of Richmond, Don Caldwell briefly served as an assistant public defender in Roanoke beginning in 1976 before becoming an assistant Commonwealth's Attorney on January 1, 1978; and
WHEREAS, Don Caldwell was initially appointed to complete the unexpired term of his predecessor starting on October 1, 1979, then was elected 11 consecutive times to serve as the Commonwealth's Attorney of the City of Roanoke; and
WHEREAS, at the time of his retirement, Don Caldwell was the longest-serving active Commonwealth's Attorney and the longest-serving chief prosecutor in the history of the Star City; and