A house RESOLUTION

 

TO CONGRATULATE Viola Holmes Greene OF georgetown COUNTY ON THE OCCASION OF HER nintieTH BIRTHDAY AND TO WISH HER A JOYOUS BIRTHDAY CELEBRATION AND MANY YEARS OF CONTINUED HEALTH AND HAPPINESS.

 

Whereas, the House of Representatives is pleased to learn that Viola Holmes Greene will celebrate her ninetieth birthday on January 17, 2026. Born in Georgetown on January 17, 1936, she has witnessed the many remarkable social changes, technological advancements, and international developments spanning the globe from that time into the twenty-first century; and

 

Whereas, she is the youngest of three children born to the late Reverend Isaiah Holmes and Mrs. Lula Jones Holmes. Her father passed away when she was very young, but her values and leadership skills were shaped by her mother, her uncle, and her first cousin who encouraged her to succeed; and

 

Whereas, reared in Georgetown, Viola attended the legendary and historic Howard High School, where she credits her teachers for her growth and maturity and where she was taught that no one could take away what she learned. She was voted president of the student council in 1953, a first for a female; and

 

Whereas, before her graduation from Howard in 1954, she met the young man who would be her beloved husband, Private First Class Henry Greene of the United States Army. They married in 1955 and relocated to New Haven, Connecticut, where Henry's relatives lived. Together for sixty-six years until his passing in 2022, they reared a fine son, the late Sheldon Greene, who blessed her with the affection of four loving grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren; and

 

Whereas, she earned a bachelor's degree in nursing from Quinnipiac University in Hamden, Connecticut, and a license as a practical nurse. She attended the University of New Haven in West Haven, Connecticut, and earned a master's degree from Webster University in St. Louis, Missouri; and

 

Whereas, a licensed registered nurse, Mrs. Greene was appointed from Yale University School of Medicine as a gastroenterologist assistant in the Department of Internal Medicine in New Haven, Connecticut. She earned certification in advanced occupational nursing from the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill Public Health. She supervised the Endoscopy Suite at Yale New Haven Medical Center in New Haven and served as a preceptor for Yale's First Master's Degree Nursing Program; and

 

Whereas, dedicated to equity and equality, Mrs. Greene was a member of the National Association of Negro Business and Professional Women's Clubs, Inc., where she served as vice president and an executive board member. She was also very active with the local chapter of the NAACP; and

 

Whereas, in 1979, she returned to Georgetown and became the first African American registered occupational nurse at the International Paper Company. She served on the executive boards of the South Carolina Occupational Health and Nursing, Hospice, the Red Cross, the Salvation Army, the West End Citizen Council, and the NAACP. She was a member of the Palmetto Project aimed at improving relationships between the black and white communities of Georgetown; and

 

Whereas, Mrs. Greene became the president of the Howard Alumni Committee Class of 1954 Reunion, serving their fiftieth and sixtieth reunions. She served on the Georgetown Democratic Council, chaired the council voter education and registration drive, and successfully helped President Barack Obama get elected twice. Devoted to her church, Bethesda Missionary Baptist Church, she served on the Trustee Council, Senior Missionary, Nurses Guild, Pastors' Aide, and Mary Aaron Missionary Auxiliary; and

 

Whereas, the members of the South Carolina House of Representatives are pleased to honor this daughter of South Carolina at the celebration of her ninetieth birthday and join with her family and friends in congratulating her on reaching this extraordinary milestone. Now, therefore,

 

Be it resolved by the House of Representatives:

 

That the members of the South Carolina House of Representatives, by this resolution, congratulate Viola Holmes Greene of Georgetown County on the occasion of her ninetieth birthday and wish her a joyous birthday celebration and many years of continued health and happiness.

 

Be it further resolved that a copy of this resolution be presented to Viola Holmes Greene.

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