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Celebrating the life of Barbara Radcliffe Grey.
Agreed to by the Senate, March 10, 2026
Agreed to by the House of Delegates, March 12, 2026
WHEREAS, Barbara Radcliffe Grey, an esteemed educator, respected art curator and preservationist, and beloved member of the Richmond community, died on June 7, 2025; and
WHEREAS, after graduating from Virginia Union University (VUU) in 1947, Barbara Grey began her career in education in a one-room schoolhouse in Buckingham County before teaching briefly in France and Germany in the early 1950s while her husband, Robert, was stationed in Europe with the military; and
WHEREAS, Barbara Grey joined Richmond Public Schools in the mid-1950s and devoted herself to her work, earning a master's degree in early childhood education from New York University in 1965; and
WHEREAS, by the time she retired from Richmond Public Schools in 1990, Barbara Grey had served as principal of several schools, including William Fox Elementary School, established a number of alternative schools, and contributed to the success and well-being of countless students and their families; and
WHEREAS, in 2006, Barbara Grey became the director of the VUU Museum Art Galleries, where she dedicated herself to preserving and sharing the priceless collection of African American and African art at the school's L. Douglas Wilder Library; and
WHEREAS, in recognition of her accomplishments as an educator and community leader, Barbara Grey was named “Richmonder of the Year” by
Style Weekly
in 1988; later, after years as the director of the VUU Museum Art Galleries, she was presented a Richmond History Makers award in 2016 and an honorary doctor of humane letters degree from VUU in 2019; and
WHEREAS, beyond her curatorial work, Barbara Grey was a gifted artist and painter in her own right, and she found great joy in developing her talents through workshops and classes late into her life; and
WHEREAS, preceded in death by her husband, Robert, Sr., Barbara Grey will be fondly remembered and dearly missed by her loving children, Robert, Jr., and Michael, and their families; and by numerous other family members and friends; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED by the Senate, the House of Delegates concurring, That the General Assembly hereby note with great sadness the loss of Barbara Radcliffe Grey, a revered member of the Richmond community whose legacy of empathy, generosity, and service will be cherished by all who knew her for many years to come; and, be it
RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the Senate prepare a copy of this resolution for presentation to the family of Barbara Radcliffe Grey as an expression of the General Assembly's respect for her memory.