Condolences on the Passing of the Honorable Burton Stallwood

WHEREAS, It is with deep sadness that this House of Representatives has learned of the passing of the Honorable Burton "Burt" Stallwood, of Fairfax, Virginia, and formerly of Lincoln, Rhode Island. He was the beloved husband of the late Jane Stallwood; and

WHEREAS, Burton Stallwood was born in 1939 in Attleboro, Massachusetts, the son of the late Harold and Margaret Stallwood. He graduated from Tolman High School in Pawtucket, and later graduated from Johnson & Wales University, where he earned an Associate Degree in Business Administration, and later attended the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University, where he completed a program for senior executives in state and local government; and

WHEREAS, Mr. Stallwood served our nation with honor and distinction as a member of the United States Air Force, beginning in 1960, attaining the rank of Senior Airman prior to his honorable discharge. After completing his military service, Mr. Stallwood returned to Rhode Island and established and operated the highly successful Stallwood Insurance and Real Estate Agency from 1964 to 1972; and

WHEREAS, In 1973, Burton Stallwood was elected to serve as the Town Administrator of Lincoln and served the citizens of Lincoln in that position for 28 years with tireless devotion and abiding integrity. As the longest-serving municipal chief executive in the Town's history, he guided the Town to greater growth, nurtured a strong business climate within the Town, created a safe environment for people to work, play and raise families, and was widely admired for his incredible work ethic and stellar leadership skills; and

WHEREAS, Following his municipal service to the Town of Lincoln, Mr. Stallwood was nominated by President George W. Bush in June of 2002, to serve as United States Marshal for the District of Rhode Island. Mr. Stallwood was confirmed by the United States Senate on August 1, 2002, and proceeded to serve our nation with distinction for seven years; and

WHEREAS, Throughout his long and distinguished public service career, Mr. Stallwood lent his time and talents in support of numerous charitable, civic and governmental entities. He was actively involved in the Rhode Island Jaycees (Junior Chamber), serving as the President of the Rhode Island Chapter and later served as their National Vice President. He was later awarded the designation of JCI Senator, a national lifetime honor awarded by the Junior Chamber International in recognition of his outstanding leadership and sustained service; and

WHEREAS, Throughout his long and distinguished career, Mr. Stallwood held numerous positions of great influence at the state and national levels to include serving on the Board of Directors of the National League of Cities, the Governor's Growth Planning Council, the Governor’s Advisory Committee on Judicial Appointments, as an Executive Board liaison to the Governor through the Rhode Island League of Cities and Towns, the Rhode Island Solid Waste Management Corporation, and the John H. Chafee Blackstone River Valley Heritage Corridor Commission. Mr. Stallwood also served as a delegate with the United States Envoy to the Baltic States Foundation, where he helped teach the principles of democracy to the emerging leaders of the newly democratic Baltic States; and

WHEREAS, Locally, Mr. Stallwood was an active member of numerous organizations including the Blackstone Valley Historical Society, Save the Bay, the Knights of Columbus, the American Cancer Society, and the Rhode Island Zoological Society; and WHEREAS Mr. Stallwood was an active Republican who served the party on the national level, including chairing the Rhode Island Reagan-Bush Election Committee, serving as a delegate to the Republican National Convention, and on the Republican National Platform Committee; and

WHEREAS, Mr. Stallwood received many honors in recognition of his esteemed public service life, including the Distinguished Alumni Award from Johnson & Wales University, and induction into the Cumberland-Lincoln Boys & Girls Club Hall of Fame. Mr. Stallwood was also honored officially by the State of Rhode Island with proclamations proclaiming October 26, 1998 to be "Burton Stallwood Appreciation Day" in the State of Rhode Island, and "Burt Stallwood Recognition Day" on May 6, 2001; and

WHEREAS, Mr. Stallwood was a man of deep Christian faith and was heavily involved in the church life of his community, particularly at St. Ambrose Church in Albion, where he served as a Eucharistic Minister and Parish Trustee. In 2017, he was honored with the Lumen Gentium Award for Public Service, presented by the Roman Catholic Diocese of Providence, in recognition of his lifetime of faithful and ethical public leadership; and

WHEREAS, Mr. Stallwood is survived by his three children, Scott Stallwood and his wife, Becky, Gregg Stallwood and his wife, Gail, and Tracey Gardiner and her husband, Ed, along with his grandchildren, Patrick Stallwood and his wife, Christina, Emma, Elise, Tyler and Cassie Stallwood, Elena Poole and her husband, Channing, John Gardiner and his wife, Sarah, Elizabeth Salazar and her husband, Alex, and Ward, Colson and Erin Gardiner. Mr. Stallwood also leaves behind his great-grandchildren, Nina, Edie, Rhodes, Josie, James and Abigail, as well as his sisters, Carol Miles, Margaret Stallwood and Deborah Stallwood. He was the brother of the late Harold Stallwood Jr., and Kathryn Kitchen; now, therefore be it

RESOLVED, That this House of Representatives of the State of Rhode Island hereby expresses its deepest condolences to the Stallwood Family on the passing of the Honorable Burton Stallwood; and be it further

RESOLVED, That the Secretary of State be and hereby is authorized and directed to transmit duly certified copies of this resolution to Scott Stallwood, Gregg Stallwood and Tracey Gardiner.