Honor 65th Anniversary Couple

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.