South Carolina H 4946: Viola Greene 90th birthday

Bill Text

2025-2026 Bill 4946 Text of Previous Version (Jan. 15, 2026) - South Carolina Legislature Online 

South Carolina General Assembly
126th Session, 2025-2026

Bill 4946

Indicates Matter Stricken
Indicates New Matter

(Text matches printed bills. Document has been reformatted to meet World Wide Web specifications.)

A house RESOLUTION

TO CONGRATULATE Viola Holmes Greene OF georgetown 
COUNTY ON THE OCCASION OF HER nintieTH BIRTHDAY AND TO WISH HER A JOYOUS 
BIRTHDAY CELEBRATION AND MANY YEARS OF CONTINUED HEALTH AND HAPPINESS.

Whereas, the House of 
Representatives is pleased to learn that Viola Holmes Greene will celebrate her 
ninetieth birthday on January 17, 2026. Born in Georgetown on January 17, 1936, 
she has witnessed the many remarkable social changes, technological 
advancements, and international developments spanning the globe from that time 
into the twenty-first century; and

Whereas, she is the youngest 
of three children born to the late Reverend Isaiah Holmes and Mrs. Lula Jones 
Holmes. Her father passed away when she was very young, but her values and 
leadership skills were shaped by her mother, her uncle, and her first cousin 
who encouraged her to succeed; and

Whereas, reared in 
Georgetown, Viola attended the legendary and historic Howard High School, where 
she credits her teachers for her growth and maturity and where she was taught 
that no one could take away what she learned. She was voted president of the 
student council in 1953, a first for a female; and

Whereas, before her 
graduation from Howard in 1954, she met the young man who would be her beloved 
husband, Private First Class Henry Greene of the United States Army. They 
married in 1955 and relocated to New Haven, Connecticut, where Henry's 
relatives lived. Together for sixty-six years until his passing in 2022, they 
reared a fine son, the late Sheldon Greene, who blessed her with the affection 
of four loving grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren; and

Whereas, she earned a 
bachelor's degree in nursing from Quinnipiac University in Hamden, Connecticut, 
and a license as a practical nurse. She attended the University of New Haven in 
West Haven, Connecticut, and earned a master's degree from Webster University 
in St. Louis, Missouri; and

Whereas, a licensed 
registered nurse, Mrs. Greene was appointed from Yale University School of 
Medicine as a gastroenterologist assistant in the Department of Internal 
Medicine in New Haven, Connecticut. She earned certification in advanced 
occupational nursing from the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill Public 
Health. She supervised the Endoscopy Suite at Yale New Haven Medical Center in 
New Haven and served as a preceptor for Yale's First Master's Degree Nursing 
Program; and

Whereas, dedicated to equity 
and equality, Mrs. Greene was a member of the National Association of Negro 
Business and Professional Women's Clubs, Inc., where she served as vice 
president and an executive board member. She was also very active with the 
local chapter of the NAACP; and

Whereas, in 1979, she 
returned to Georgetown and became the first African American registered 
occupational nurse at the International Paper Company. She served on the 
executive boards of the South Carolina Occupational Health and Nursing, 
Hospice, the Red Cross, the Salvation Army, the West End Citizen Council, and 
the NAACP. She was a member of the Palmetto Project aimed at improving 
relationships between the black and white communities of Georgetown; and

Whereas, Mrs. Greene became 
the president of the Howard Alumni Committee Class of 1954 Reunion, serving 
their fiftieth and sixtieth reunions. She served on the Georgetown Democratic 
Council, chaired the council voter education and registration drive, and 
successfully helped President Barack Obama get elected twice. Devoted to her 
church, Bethesda Missionary Baptist Church, she served on the Trustee Council, 
Senior Missionary, Nurses Guild, Pastors' Aide, and Mary Aaron Missionary 
Auxiliary; and

Whereas, the members of 
the South Carolina House of Representatives are pleased to honor this daughter 
of South Carolina at the celebration of her ninetieth birthday and join with 
her family and friends in congratulating her 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 Viola Holmes Greene of Georgetown County on 
the occasion of her ninetieth birthday and wish her 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 Viola Holmes Greene.

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This web page was last updated on January 15, 2026 at 11:23 AM