Gov. Glenn Youngkin paid tribute Tuesday to former state Sen. Frank Ruff by signing a bill to rename the Center for Rural Virginia in his honor.
Ruff announced his retirement from the General Assembly in December citing health concerns after a recent cancer diagnosis. A month earlier, he won election to the newly drawn 9th District for the Virginia Senate. That covers Danville and Pittsylvania County.
“Today presents a wonderful opportunity to pay tribute to a lifetime servant leader, Sen. Frank Ruff, whose pivotal role in founding the Center for Rural Virginia will be commemorated in its name,” Youngkin said in a statement.
The governor signed the measure in Richmond surrounded by Ruff and his family.
“I am delighted to sign this legislation and turn the next chapter for this center as the ‘Senator Frank M. Ruff, Jr. Center for Rural Virginia,’” Youngkin said.
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The center was established by the General Assembly in 2004 as a nonprofit. Without political subdivision status, it was created for the “purpose of sustaining economic growth in the rural areas of the commonwealth and lessening the burdens of government,” according to the Code of Virginia.
Ruff was elected to the state Senate in 2000 after serving in the House of Delegates. In all, he was a lawmaker in Richmond for more than 30 years.
“I have been a proud supporter of the Center for Rural Virginia since its creation 20 years ago,” Ruff said in the governor’s news release. “I am pleased with how the center continues to make rural Virginia a place where people can grow up, learn, get a good job and raise their families.”
The former lawmaker said he’s looking forward to part of the “next phase” for the establishment.
Del. Chris Runion sponsored the legislation to rename the center.
“Sen. Ruff’s commitment and engagement with rural Virginia is an inspiration to all Virginians to create better communities in the commonwealth,” Runion said in a statement. “Thank you, my friend, for your thoughtful leadership and dedication.”
State Sen. Tammy Mulchi, R-Mecklenburg County, won a special election in January to fill Ruff’s seat.
“It has been an honor to carry the legislation to rename the rural center in honor of Sen. Frank Ruff during my first session since his retirement,” Mulchi, Ruff’s longtime friend, said in a statement. “I cannot think of anyone else that has fought harder for the needs of rural Virginia over the last three decades.”
Youngkin also announced Tuesday that Ruff had been appointed a citizen member of the Tobacco Region Revitalization Commission.