by Lisa Hinton-Valdrighi
Olympic gold medalist Townley Haas of Henrico County will be honored by the Virginia General Assembly if Senate Joint Resolution 228 passes the 2017 session.
The resolution will be offered January 11 by Sen. Richard L. Saslaw, who represents the 35th district including portions of Fairfax, Alexandria and Falls Church.
Haas is the grandson of Jack and Jean Hanky of White Stone and Mary Chase Eck. His maternal great-grandmother was born on Dymer Creek in the Chase family home known as Townley.
The resolution commends Haas for his proudly representing the U.S. and the Commonwealth at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro as a member of the men’s 4X200-meter freestyle relay team, which won a gold medal.
According to the resolution, Haas joined NOVA of Virginia Aquatics at a young age and set numerous local, state and national records before qualifying for the Olympic team. Haas swims for the University of Texas and was a product of Henrico County Schools and the Benedictine College Preparatory School.
The resolution notes that during Haas’ swimming career and during the Olympic Games in particular, he enjoyed the unwavering support of his family, friends and members of the Henrico County community.
