[indistinct shouting] [bells clanging] good morning. Good morning. I am kirk cox, speaker of the Virginia House of delegates. Im delighted to welcome everyone here at jamestown settlement in the recreated church in james fort. And, those viewing these proceedings online or watching from beyond to the 400 anniversary today of the first and oldest continuous representative legislation body in the western hemisphere. As our forefathers did on this very day 400 years ago, we assemble here at the birthplace of american democracy, jamestown. Freedom in the form of Representative Democracy began here in virginia. The unforgettable and inspiring event that happened here, what began here, has changed not only virginia, and not only america, but much of the entire world. Special occasions and commemorations like this offer us an opportunity to pause and reflect on the history of 1619. As a retired schoolteacher, i taught government for 30 years. I know the year 1619 was pivotal, as well as compl
His unwavering dedication to those who serve our nation with their lives earns the trust and devotion of the armed services. His career began early at william mary. Not many known that he drove the Williamsburg James City School Bus when he was a student and he was assistant troop leader for our local boy scouts and that senator norman was one of his boy scouts as we discovered last night. After graduating from william mary in 1965, he joined the cia as an Intelligence Officer and was the first career officer to scale the agencys ranks to become its director. He served with president s of texas a m university from 20022006. When president bush called him back to washington to serve as secretary of defense. As secretary, he led our armed forces at a time when the country was in the midst of two wars and a global fight against terrorism. In 2009 he accepted president obamas request that he continue to lead in the cabinet, becoming the first secretary of defense to serve under president s
[bells ringing] [marching commands] clang] good morning. Kirk cox, speaker of the Virginia House of delegates. Im delighted to welcome everyone here at jamestown settlement in the recredit church in james forte. And those viewing these proceedings online or watching from beyond to the 400 that today. Of the first and oldest continuous representative legislation body in the western hemisphere. Dayforefathers on this very at years ago assembled here the birthplace of american democracy, jamestown. Freedom in the form of Representative Democracy began here in virginia. The unforgettable and inspiring event that happened here, what began here, has changed not only virginia, and not only america, but much of the entire world. Special occasions and commemorations like this offer us an opportunity to pause and reflect on the history of 6019. As a retired schoolteacher, i taught government for 30 years. I know the year 1619 was pivotal. As well as complicated. Events that year profoundly shape
Virginia is board of trustees and Jamestown Rediscovery Foundation board of directors. I share our appreciation for friends and partners gathered today and i acknowledge the leadership of the administration, the gen. Assembly, american evolution and jamestown Yorktown Foundation. Our special appreciation to our partners managing historic jamestown, the National Park service, tribal representatives, and members of the descendents of the jamestown society. Today we commemorate the events that occurred 400 years ago. The distinguished speakers to follow me will capture the importance of todays proceedings and the direct influence still felt today. The history and body would be lost if not for the vision and dedication of women. In 1889 mary Jeffrey Gault and cindy Tucker Coleman founded the associate for the preservation of virginia now known as preservation virginia. Their goal was to save and restore disappearing landscape and buildings that embody our colonial tradition. Successfully s
Good morning. I am kirk cox the speaker of the house of the virginia delegates. And i am absolutely delighted to welcome everyone here at jamestown settlement at their forward, and those viewing these proceedings on line. The 400th anniversary today of the first and oldest continuous represented body in the western hemisphere. As our forefathers did on this very day 400 years ago. We assemble here at the birth place of american democracy, jamestown. Freedom in the form of democracy began here in virginia. The unforgettable and inspiring event that happened here, it has changed virginia, america , and much of the entire world. The special occasion and commemoration like this is an opportunity to pause and reflect on the history of the 1619, is a retired schoolteacher i taught government for 30 years. I know the year 1619 was pivotal and complicated. Since that year it has profoundly shaped the history of america. In the year 1619 saw the beginning of highs and lows of america which incl