RICHMOND The lives of two Petersburg residents Dr. Milton Ende, a physician who saved lives, and Mr. James Tolleison Morriss V, a business owner who helped families in time of death are being honored in resolutions filed at the General Assembly.

Dr. Ende, who practiced medicine for more than 50 years in Petersburg, helped in the advancement of cardiac life support and was the first physician to utilize umbilical cord blood to obtain a bone marrow transplant, according to the House Joint Resolution filed by Delegate Rosalyn R. Dance, D-Petersburg.

His use of umbilical cord blood lead the way for doctors to study what is now known as stem cell research, according to the resolution.

He is the one that started all the research that is now happening, Dance said. You know, weve moved from the umbilical cord to stem cells. He was one of the great pioneers that started all that right from Petersburg, Va.

Ende, who died at 88 on June 27, 2007, was a friendly guy with big smiles, Dance said.

Dance said she filed the resolution so Endes accomplishments will be officially recorded and his work can be researched for many years to come.

It was a great loss to the community, Dance said. To have someone of his stellar performance and have such a history to lead Petersburg. And I thought it was important that we record that for Virginias history.

Dance said she plans to invite Endes two sons, Dr. Frederick Ende and Dr. Mark Ende, to the capitol where the resolution will be read officially on the House floor.
To have two sons that come behind him, two doctors, and theyre now practicing in the city of Petersburg as well, Dance said. Its like hes left a legacy a living legacy of what he did for the community.

Dr. Mark Ende said he and his brother are practicing medicine at the same location where their father once practiced and they still care for his patients.

Dad was here for a long time,  Mark Ende said. He had a large patient population and his patients loved him, I think the people will feel like hes getting some recognition. I think theyre going to be proud.

Mark Ende also said he didnt see his father much growing up, but understood that his fathers dedication to his patients was worth it.

My father was a great inspiration to me, Mark Ende said. He was a great innovator and had a dynamic personality.

James Tolleison Morriss V was also a man dedicated to his work and the community, according to Dance, who filed a resolution in his honor as well.

Morriss, who died at the age of 64 on Jan. 4, 2008, managed his familys business, J.T. Morriss & Son Funeral Home and Cremation Service, which was established in 1856.

Morriss son, J. Tolleison Morriss VI, is continuing in his fathers footsteps, as a fifth-generation funeral director.

He was a loving, caring person who always gave of himself and to the people of the community, Morriss son said. He did things for the community that a lot of people will never know about.

Morriss was active in the Petersburg community, where he served as a member of various charitable groups including the YMCA, the United Way and the American Heart Association, according to the Petersburg Progress-Index.

Morriss said his father stayed in Petersburg while other residents and businesses were moving to other areas of Virginia.

He did an awful lot for the people of Petersburg and the community, Morriss son said. He put his heart and soul into Petersburg. Petersburg is such an important part of our family.

Dance said she filed the bill to acknowledge a family business that has operated for more than 150 years.

Its like were losing some of our giants in Petersburg, Dance said. And this was, again, another one of those opportunities to recognize someone that gave back.