Title
To designate the 1200 and 1300 blocks of Idlewood Avenue in honor of Larry Jerome Bland.
Body
WHEREAS, the late Larry Jerome Bland became involved in music at an early age, having attended Maggie L. Walker High School where he became drum major of the Marching Maggie Walker Dragons; and
WHEREAS, also in high school, he was handed the director's baton of the Volunteer Choir at the Second Baptist Church by the late Rev. Odie D. Brown, and a short time later, when he became a student at Virginia State University, Larry Jerome Bland founded the acclaimed Virginia State University Gospel Chorale, which continues to perform to this day; and
WHEREAS, after graduating from Virginia State University with a degree in Vocal Music Education, Larry Jerome Bland went on to work in the international entertainment industry, which included many contributions to the successful partnership between the Discovery Channel and the British Broadcasting Corporation; and
WHEREAS, in the city of Richmond, many residents developed a deep and enduring love for the performances of Larry Bland and the Volunteer Choir, especially at their annual appearances at the Dogwood Dell Amphitheater, where they often performed for crowds of over 12,000 gospel music fans; and
WHEREAS, over the years, Larry Bland and the Volunteer Choir achieved many stellar accomplishments, including appearances at such well-known venues as Wolf Trap Amphitheater and Constitution Hall in Washington, D.C., and performances with the Richmond Symphony Pops, the Richmond Opera Company, the Richmond Center for the Performing Arts, and at the inauguration of two of Virginia's governors, the Honorable Chuck Robb and the Honorable Ralph Northam, as well as for part of Virginia's 2007 Royal Welcome of Her Majesty The Queen of England; and
WHEREAS, Larry Jerome Bland was blessed to be able to passionately live his life filled with music and the world was blessed...
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