Virginia Bibb Hubbell

Virginia Bibb Hubbell, age 88, died May 4, 2010, in St. Louis, Mo. She was born in Knoxville on April 1, 1922, the daughter of Judge and Mrs. J. Fred (Ruth Jacobs) Bibb. Her father was Knox County Attorney General and then Criminal Court Judge for a total of 50 years. Virginia graduated from the University of Tennessee in 1944 with a B.A. degree in English. In 1943 she was editor of the Orange and White, the UT student newspaper, and was believed to be the first woman to hold that position. She was a member of Alpha Lambda Delta, Mortar Board, and Phi Kappa Phi and received the Mortar Board award to a junior girl. She was an ROTC Sponsor, a Torchbearer, and president of Chi Omega Fraternity. Virginia was a member of Church Street United Methodist Church. She was an early supporter of the Dogwood Arts Festival, serving as co-chair in 1962 and chair of the Dogwood Trails, and was active in the Knoxville Beautification Board and the Billy Graham Crusade of 1970. She had been a member of the Knoxville Junior League, the Nine O’Clock Cotillion, and the Town and Country Garden Club, and was a Girl Scout leader. She and her husband were owners of Hubbell Realty Co. Together they enjoyed many activities including tennis, fishing, visiting the Great Smoky Mountains, and supporting swim meets for the Knoxville Swim Association and Knoxville Racquet Club. She was preceded in death by her husband of 61 years, Franklin S. Hubbell, Sr., in 2005. She is survived by daughters, Lynne Hubbell Roney (husband, Allan), St. Louis, MO, and Dr. Ruth Hubbell McKey, Chevy Chase, MD; sons, Franklin Sumner Hubbell, Jr., Malibu, CA, and Fredrick Bibb Hubbell, Aliso Viejo, CA; five grandchildren, Elizabeth Roney Christmas, Rincon, GA; Christine Roney Stricker, St. Louis; Cynara Hubbell, Knoxville; Richard McKey, New York; and Alexa Hubbell, Aliso Viejo; and five great-grandchildren. Special thanks to Debbie Hill, Knoxville, and the staff of Brooking Park, St. Louis. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to Church Street United Methodist Church, 900 Henley, Knoxville, TN 37901; the Dogwood Arts Festival, 602 S. Gay St., Knoxville, TN 37902; or St. Andrew’s Charitable Foundation, 6633 Delmar Blvd., St. Louis, MO 63130.

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Virginia Bibb Hubbell

April 1, 1922 - May 4, 2010