2026 SESSION
ENROLLED
SENATE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 43
Celebrating the life of Ruth Goode Mouton.
Agreed to by the Senate, January 22, 2026
Agreed to by the House of Delegates, January 26, 2026
WHEREAS, Ruth Goode Mouton, an esteemed educator, beloved wife, mother, and grandmother, and cherished member of the Virginia Peninsula community, died on April 26, 2025; and
WHEREAS, after graduating from the former George Washington Carver High School in Chesterfield, Ruth Mouton earned a bachelor's degree in biology from what is today Virginia State University in 1957 and a master's degree in earth science; and
WHEREAS, Ruth Mouton began her teaching career in 1957 as a general science educator at the former Y.H. Thomas Junior High School in Hampton and was quickly promoted to science department chair; and
WHEREAS, Ruth Mouton went on to serve as an educator at C. Alton Lindsay Junior High School and Hampton High School, as well as a department chair and science curriculum consultant at both the local and state levels; and
WHEREAS, over more than three decades as an educator, Ruth Mouton worked tirelessly to foster her students' academic readiness and social and emotional well-being, contributing to the success of innumerable young people; and