LEGISLATIVE RESOLUTION celebrating the life and accomplishments of famed
veteran foreign war correspondent, Marie Catherine Colvin

WHEREAS, It is the custom of this Legislative Body to recognize and
celebrate the lives and numerous accomplishments of those esteemed indi-
viduals of world renown who distinguished themselves through their
life's work and remain steadfast in their conviction; and
WHEREAS, Attendant to such concern, and in full accord with its long-
standing traditions, it is the sense of this Legislative Body to public-
ly celebrate the life and accomplishments of famed veteran foreign war
correspondent, Marie Catherine Colvin, who died while reporting for THE
SUNDAY TIMES OF LONDON on Wednesday, February 22, 2012, in the Syrian
city of Homs, at the age of 56; and
WHEREAS, Marie Colvin grew up in East Norwich, Nassau County on Long
Island; she was a 1974 graduate of Oyster Bay High School, she continued
her education and embarked on a career as a journalist after graduating
from Yale in 1978; and
WHEREAS, Marie's parents, William and Rosemarie Colvin, were both
school teachers, and she was the eldest of five children; and
WHEREAS, Coming from a family active in politics, Marie Colvin worked
on the summer staff at the Kennedy compound in Hyannisport, Massachu-
setts; and
WHEREAS, After college, Marie Colvin worked for a labor union in
Manhattan before being hired by United Press International; she worked
in UPI's Washington bureau and later in Paris before joining the staff
of THE SUNDAY TIMES OF LONDON approximately 25 years ago, residing in
London since that time; and
WHEREAS, In 2001, after she was wounded in a grenade attack in rebel-
controlled territory in Sri Lanka, Marie Colvin lost an eye, suffered
damage to her hearing and shrapnel was embedded in her brain; and
WHEREAS, This horrific injury did not stop her; Marie Colvin was
required to wear a black eye patch; this symbol made her instantly
recognizable, standing as a testament of her courage which took her
behind the front lines of the world's deadliest conflicts to write about
the suffering of individuals trapped in war; and
WHEREAS, This brave woman won numerous journalism awards for her
courageous reporting and groundbreaking interviews with Colonel Muammar
el-Qaddafi of Libya and Yasir Arafat, leader of the Palestinian Liber-
ation Organization; she was also named Foreign Reporter of the Year for
both 2001 and 2010 in the British Press Awards; and
WHEREAS, Furthermore, Marie Colvin was given an International Women's
Media Foundation Award for courage in journalism for her coverage of
Kosovo and Chechnya, and the Foreign Press Association named her Jour-
nalist of the Year in 2000; and
WHEREAS, She wrote and produced documentaries, including "Arafat:
Behind the Myth" for the BBC in 1990, and she was featured in the 2005
documentary film "Bearing Witness" with four other female war reporters;
and
WHEREAS, Marie Colvin's legacy was: Be passionate and be involved in
what you believe in. And do it as thoroughly and honestly and fearlessly
as you can; moreover, her mission was to speak the truth to power and to
send home that first rough draft of history; and
WHEREAS, Marie Colvin sometimes did more than merely write; in 1999,
in East Timor, she was credited with saving the lives of 1,500 women and
children who were besieged in a compound by Indonesian-backed forces;
she refused to leave them, waving goodbye to 22 journalist colleagues as
she stayed on with an unarmed UN force in order to help highlight their

plight by reporting to the world, in her paper and on global television;
the publicity was rewarded when they were evacuated to safety after four
tense days; and
WHEREAS, This remarkable journalist was described as one of the most
outstanding foreign correspondents of her generation; she repeatedly put
her life in danger because she was driven by a determination that the
misdeeds of tyrants and the suffering of the victims did not go unre-
ported; and
WHEREAS, Predeceased by her father, William Colvin, Marie Catherine
Colvin is survived by her mother, Rosemarie Colvin, and her siblings,
William, Michael, Cathleen and Aileen, as well as other family members;
and
WHEREAS, Armed with a humanistic spirit and imbued with a sense of
compassion, Marie Colvin leaves behind a legacy which will long endure
the passage of time and will remain as a comforting memory to all she
served and befriended; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That this Legislative Body pause in its deliberations to
celebrate the life and accomplishments of famed veteran foreign war
correspondent, Marie Catherine Colvin, and to extend heartfelt condo-
lences to her family; and be it further
RESOLVED, That a copy of this Resolution, suitably engrossed, be tran-
smitted to the family of Marie Colvin.