Hovey S. Dabney

Hovey S. Dabney was a prominent Charlottesville resident and President of Jefferson National Bank, which was later acquired by Wachovia in the late 1990s. He was a recipient of the Charlottesville Regional Chamber of Commerce's Paul Goodloe McIntire Citizenship Award in 1987. He was involved in many civic activities in Charlottesville, including serving on the city School Board during the time of desegregation and was later appointed to the Board of Visitors of UVA by then-governor L. Douglas Wilder and later reappointed by then-governor George Allen. Mr. Dabney served as Rector of the Board of Visitors of UVA from 1992 to 1998. Ten years after he passed away in 2007, Mr. Dabney was inducted into the Business Hall of Fame by the Charlottesville Regional Chamber of Commerce and was featured in a story about his life in the Daily Progress.

Mr. Dabney frequently cited his experience in World War II as shaping his life, where he bailed out of a burning plane, over the skies of Budapest, breaking both ankles on impact. He went on to fly 24 more missions and earned a Purple Heart. He was devoted to his hometown, Charlottesville, in a way that few people are and except for the two years he spent fighting in World War II, lived his entire life in the Charlottesville area. He had three children and eight grandchildren. His wife of 59 years, Patricia Dabney, passed away in 2024. Additionally, Mr. Dabney was honored by the Virginia General Assembly in a joint house resolution shortly after he passed away, which was introduced by then-house delegate David Toscano from Charlottesville.