Committee approves SJR 7 to honor Dorchester chaplains, designates first Sunday in February as Chaplain's Day

The Tennessee House Naming and Designating Committee voted to advance Senate Joint Resolution 7, which would designate the first Sunday of every February on the Tennessee calendar as Chaplain's Day and honor four chaplains who died in the sinking of the Dorchester on Feb. 3, 1943.

An unidentified committee member presenting the resolution said it "honors these 4 chaplains in particular, for their heroic and sacrificial acts on 02/03/1943," naming Washington, Fox, Polling and Goode and saying they "took off and gave their life vest to other soldiers" as the vessel sank. The presenter noted the resolution came from the Senate and had passed that chamber unanimously.

After the presentation, a motion and second were made and the clerk announced the result as "8 ayes, 0 nays, and 0 present not voting." The chair declared the measure carried and stated it would move to the State and Local Government committee with a positive recommendation. The transcript records an earlier roll-call noting "7 members present"; the clerk's announced vote total appears inconsistent with that earlier statement in the transcript.

No amendments, objections, or substantive questions were recorded during committee discussion. The committee did not identify the member who moved or seconded the motion in the transcript. Next procedural steps are referral to the State and Local Government committee for further consideration.

The committee's statements and the clerk's vote announcement are recorded in the committee transcript for Feb. 2, 2026.