A reception to honor the late Delegate Chip Woodrum

The Virginia Coalition for Open Government held a reception in honor of the late Delegate Chip Woodrum on November 13 at Center in the Square in Roanoke.

Woodrum was one of the strongest voices for open government in the General Assembly, when he served in the 1990s and 2000s, and was largely responsible for the major overhaul of FOIA in 1999 and the creation of the FOIA Council. He was the council's first chair, and he served on VCOG's board of directors.

VCOG has created a paid internship in the name of Woodrum that will be awarded to a college student each winter. Interns will learn first-hand about the legislative process, spending days at the General Assembly in committee meetings and floor sessions, and will also assist VCOG in tracking open government legislation. The internship has been endowed by Woodrum's family and scores of additional donors.

The event brought together friends, colleagues and public officials to pay tribute to Woodrum, who was know for his rapier-sharp wit and his unwavering commitment to the people of Roanoke and the Commonwealth.

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FOIA Council Director Maria Everett and VCOG Founding Director Frosty Landon

An ironic stamp given by Chip Woodrum to Frosty Landon

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Al Prillaman, a longtime friend of Woodrum's shares stories and anecdotes of the late delegate, as a heckling Woodrum looks on.

Sen. John Edwards presents Woodrum's daughter, Meredith Snowden, with the Senate resolution passed in Woodrum's honor in 2013.

 

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Current and former legislators who served with Woodrum gather around a poster bearing a typical Woodrum stance.

Current and former VCOG directors look on.

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