A house RESOLUTION

TO CONGRATULATE Lieutenant Colonel Raymond hunt "Ray" Stocks OF Beaufort COUNTY ON THE OCCASION OF HIS ONE HUNDREDTH BIRTHDAY AND TO WISH HIM A JOYOUS BIRTHDAY CELEBRATION AND MANY YEARS OF CONTINUED HEALTH AND HAPPINESS.

Whereas, the members of the South Carolina House of Representatives are delighted to learn that Ray Stocks of Beaufort will celebrate his one hundredth birthday over the weekend of April 19 through 21, 2024, with a family dinner at the home of his daughter Ivie Szalai, with family and friends at the Beaufort Yacht and Sailing Club, and with a Sunday morning brunch at The Fillin Station; and

Whereas, born on April 17, 1924, in the first quarter of the twentieth century, he has witnessed the many remarkable social changes, technological advancements, and international developments that have spanned the globe from that time into the first quarter of the twenty-first century; and

Whereas, born in Leaksville, North Carolina, he enlisted in the Army Air Corps in 1943 as an aviation cadet. Spanning a career of twenty-one years, he retired from the United States Air Force in 1964 after service during World War II, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War and in duty stations across the country; and

Whereas, Lieutenant Colonel Stocks served as a radar and navigation instructor and operated on four distinct strategic bomber platforms, including the B-17 Flying Fortress, the B-29 Superfortress, the RB-47 Stratojet, and the B-52 Stratofortress; and

Whereas, he has been married to his beloved wife, Jerry Stocks, for fifty-five years, and he reared three fine children and has two stepchildren: Terry Lyn Knight, the late Bobby Stocks, Ivie Szalai, and Margaret Balogh, and Alison Somers. He has been blessed with the affection of seven loving grandchildren and one great-grandchild; and

Whereas, Lieutenant Colonel Stocks and his wife relocated to Beaufort in 1973 where he pursued careers in insurance, real estate, and construction and has made a mark on the community as a youth baseball coach; and

Whereas, he attributes his longevity and good health to drinking two sips of red wine every morning, and he continues to enjoy his hobbies of reading, smoking cigars, and drinking scotch; and

Whereas, the members of the South Carolina House of Representatives are pleased to honor this son of South Carolina at the celebration of his one hundredth birthday and join with his family and friends in congratulating him 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  Lieutenant Colonel Raymond Hunt "Ray" Stocks of Beaufort County on the occasion of his one hundredth birthday and wish him 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 Raymond Hunt "Ray" Stocks.

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