Senate Resolution No. 186

BY: Senator RITCHIE

CONGRATULATING Dr. and Mrs. Walker Heap upon the
occasion of celebrating their 65th Wedding
Anniversary

WHEREAS, Dr. Walker R. and Sylvia Heap of Watertown, New York, were
united in marriage on June 9, 1951, at the Emmanuel Baptist Church in
Ridgewood, New Jersey; and

WHEREAS, They celebrated their 65th Wedding Anniversary on June 9,
2016, with a family dinner as well as at the Annual Little Kildare
dinner at the Riveredge Resort in Alexandria Bay on June 11, 2016; and

WHEREAS, Dr. and Mrs. Walker Heap met in 1946 as freshmen students
at Bates College in Lewiston, Maine; and

WHEREAS, Dr. Walker Heap graduated from Yale Medical School in New
Haven, Connecticut, and completed his internship and residency at the
University of Michigan Medical Center in Ann Arbor; and

WHEREAS, Sylvia Heap worked as a Y-Teen Director in Holyoke,
Massachusetts; a Children and Teen Program Director at the West Haven,
Connecticut Community House; and later as the Camp Director at the YWCA
in Ann Arbor, Michigan; and

WHEREAS, In 1959, the couple moved to Watertown, New York, and Dr.
Walker Heap opened the area's first orthopedic surgery practice which is
now known as the North Country Orthopedic Group; and

WHEREAS, Dr. and Mrs. Walker Heap have been involved with the
Watertown community for many years; and

WHEREAS, In recognition of his many years of community service, Dr.
Walker Heap was the recipient of a North Country Citation from St.
Lawrence University, and was noted for his volunteer work as Medical
Director of the Cerebral Palsy Association, as well as for starting the
orthopedic service at Fort Drum's Guthrie Clinic; and

WHEREAS, Sylvia Heap was instrumental in the formation of Jefferson
Community College in Watertown; in 2010, she received the Jefferson
Citation for her commitment to Community College; and

WHEREAS, Dr. and Mrs. Walker Heap are the proud parents of three
children, Dr. Heidi Heap Chester, Cynthia J. Heap, and Walker R. Heap
III, and the loving grandparents of five grandchildren and one
great-grandson; and

WHEREAS, Dr. and Mrs. Walker Heap are and always have been a tower
of strength, support, understanding and limitless love for their family;
and

WHEREAS, Their love, devotion, caring, sensitivity and
responsiveness to their family, friends and all who know them are their
hallmark and tradition; and


WHEREAS, Dr. and Mrs. Walker Heap have lived and continue to live
their lives with great dignity and genuine grace, always demonstrating a
deep and continuing concern for human values and ideals, and in so
doing, they have inspired others to do the same; and

WHEREAS, This meaningful occasion is the result of the love, hard
work and spirit that this couple has invested in their marriage; and

WHEREAS, They have passed these same values to their loved ones,
producing a family that is close-knit and supportive of its individual
members, public-minded in its relations to the community and committed
to the ideals of citizenship upon which this Nation was founded; and

WHEREAS, Dr. and Mrs. Walker Heap have touched the lives of their
family and many friends through the shining example of their marriage,
which is a testament to the devotion and admiration which they possess
for one another; and

WHEREAS, The longevity of this enduring marriage truly marks a
milestone in life's journey, an event of personal triumph and joy; and

WHEREAS, It is the sense of this Legislative Body that when an
occasion of such importance is brought to our attention, the same should
be memorialized by us for the edification and emulation of others; now,
therefore, be it

RESOLVED, That this Legislative Body pause in its deliberations to
congratulate Dr. and Mrs. Walker Heap upon the occasion of celebrating
their 65th Wedding Anniversary; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a copy of this Resolution, suitably engrossed, be
transmitted to Dr. and Mrs. Walker Heap.