VCC Spring 2021

V irginia C apitol C onnections , S pring 2021 27 B a Cote Mamye Edmondson BaCote February 18, 1939–December 14, 2020 Mamye BaCote, a prominent Democrat from Newport News, died December 14, 2020, at the age of 81. She was born in Halifax, Virginia, and received her bachelor’s degree fromVirginia Union University in 1960, and her master’s degree from Hampton Institute in 1967. She was a university professor. She served on the Newport News City Council from 1996 to 2003. BaCote was elected to the Virginia House of Delegates in 2003, to represent the 93rd District, which covers Williamsburg, part of James City, York, and Newport News. She served until 2015. She was assigned to the House Appropriations Committee, and secured funding for the Newport News Drug Court, offering participants the opportunity to stay out of jail through intense rehabilitation efforts. She is survived by her husband, Theodore. Robert Spurgeon Bloxom Sr. April 26, 1937–December 13, 2020 Robert S. Bloxom Sr. died Dec. 13, 2020 at the age of 83. He served as a member of the Virginia House of Delegates, and was Virginia’s first Secretary of Agriculture and Forestry. Bloxom was born in Baltimore, Maryland. He received his degree from the University of Richmond. He was a Republican. He was elected to the Virginia House of Delegates to represent the 100th District, which includes Accomack and Northampton, part of Norfolk, and Virginia Beach. He served from 1983 to 2004. He was appointed by Governor Mark Warner as Virginia’s First Secretary of Agriculture and Forestry in 2005. He continued to serve under Governor Tim Kaine until 2010. Bloxom lived in Mappsville, Virginia. He is survived by his wife, Patricia, and his son, Robert S. Bloxom Jr., who is a member of the Virginia House of Delegates and represents the District that Bloxom Sr. once did. He passed away at home. Due to COVID-19, the services were private. Friends were invited to plant trees in National Forests in his memory. For more information about planting a tree, visit www. williamsfuneralhomes.com . Bloxom Augustus Benton “Ben” Chafin Jr. May 18, 1960–January 1, 2021 Ben Chafin was the first Virginia legislator to have died from complications from COVID-19. His death came on New Year’s Day of this year, at the age of 60. Chafin was a lawyer and farmer from Southwest Virginia, and was elected as a Republican Senator to represent the 38th District. He served first as a delegate in 2013, and then as a senator from 2014 until his death. He died at the Virginia Commonwealth University Medical College of Virginia, where he had been hospitalized for two weeks. The following is a tribute by his colleague, Senator Todd E. Pillion: It is difficult to find the words to adequately honor a man who always had the right words, accompanied with an unforgettable smile and a twinkle in his eye that came from a kind and generous soul. His unimpeachable character was rooted in a genuineness and a happiness rarely found these days. To know Senator Ben Chafin was to love him. He was many things to many people, but his most cherished roles and titles were husband, dad, papaw, son, and brother. I had the blessing of calling him a friend, mentor, and colleague. Ben’s family was the pride of his life and his source of motivation in everything he did. My heart and prayers go to his wife, Lora, his children Sophie, Audra, and Gus, and the rest of his incredible family. He was the epitome of a Virginia Gentleman whose passing leaves an irreplaceable, Southwest Virginia-sized hole in our hearts and in the entire Commonwealth. Southwest Virginians knew Ben not only as their senior state senator, but an accomplished attorney, banker, and generational farmer. Through all of these vocations, Ben built a successful and respectable career through which he served his community and neighbors, living up to the adage of “leaving this world a little better than he found it.” Southwest Virginia is a better place thanks to him. To his extended family in the Virginia General Assembly, Ben was a delegate then quickly a state senator who was beloved on both sides of the capitol and the aisle. Armed with a quick wit, a positive demeanor, and—more often than not—a pair of cowboy boots and a Stetson hat, he was a force to be reckoned with. Whether you voted with him or against him on any given issue, Ben could always be counted on to be a straight shooter and to treat friends and “foes” with the respect and decorum this institution and Madame Clerk deserve. Ben’s floor speeches were often as entertaining as they were impactful, strategic, and heart-felt. His ability to prove points and base arguments on lessons learned from the farm, wisdom imparted from his parents, and infamous one-liners was nothing short of remarkable. Regardless of whether you agreed with the underlying argument, there was always something to learn and wisdom to be gained from Ben’s speeches. “Loose lips sink ships,” “All chickens come home to roost,” “A rising tide lifts all ships,” “this bill is a pig in a poke” and, the one he most often gave me “Now Todd… pigs get fat, but hogs… they get slaughtered.” I was the junior senator from Southwest Virginia, so Ben and I worked closely on a daily basis. He was a tireless advocate for his constituents and considered it one of the highest honors to be vested with the trust and confidence of the people of the thirty-eighth senatorial district. Ben was a champion in protecting constitutional rights, investing in schools, promoting economic development and access to healthcare, supporting outdoor recreation, and working to preserve and expand the region’s energy potential. The impact of his contributions in these important areas have directly benefitted people in Southwest Virginia and in every corner of the Commonwealth. While Ben’s life has been cut tragically short, his legacy will live on for generations to come. He lived each day as if it counted for something bigger than himself. And it did. If God needed an attorney, banker, or just a really good friend in heaven, he certainly has one of the best now. May Senator Ben Chafin’s memory be a blessing to us all and may we aspire to the example he set. Senator Todd E. Pillion represents the 40th District, which includes Grayson, Lee, Scott, Washington, Bristol; and part of Smyth, Wise and Wythe. chafin I n M emoriam V V V