ISLE OF WIGHT—William E. Laine Jr. was presented a resolution of appreciation by Isle of Wight Board of Supervisors Chairman Stan D. Clark at the board’s last meeting, honoring the county icon who served as the Clerk of the Circuit Court for 34 years, from 1973 until his retirement in December.

Clark said Laine was &uot;always a friend to the bar&uot; and read the resolution, which thanked Laine for his service and for &uot;successfully overseeing tremendous change, growth and progress within Isle of Wight County.&uot;

During his time as clerk, Laine oversaw the change from manual typewriters to computers and word processing software. Isle of Wight also began to scan documents into the Supreme Court of Virginia’s document management system while he served.

The resolution also commended Laine for &uot;his distinguished service to the citizens of Isle of Wight County.&uot;

The Laine family had served a total of more than 138 years of public service over 96 years, the document said.

Other board members commented on Laine’s service and on their experience of being personally sworn in by him.

Al Casteen, supervisor for the Smithfield District, said being sworn into office by Laine &uot;was inspirational.&uot; Phillip Bradshaw, supervisor for the Carrsville District, called Laine a &uot;walking encyclopedia.&uot;

Laine accepted the Resolution of Appreciation, which was presented as a framed document, at the Isle of Wight County Board of Supervisors meeting.

&uot;It’s quite an honor. I’m very humbled,&uot; Laine said. &uot;I felt like I was simply doing my duty, and I enjoyed doing my duty.&uot;