Obituary: Dr. Thomas Wilkins, Former Reston Association President and Civil Rights Activist

Dr. Thomas Wilkins, a longtime Reston resident and civil rights activist, died Saturday at age 83, said officials from Martin Luther King Christian Church, where Dr. Wilkins was a member.

Dr. Wilkins was the first and only black Reston Association president. He was a Best of Reston winner in 1997 served as an active member of the NAACP.

Dr. Wilkins was a former staff member for then-Fairfax County Supervisor (and later US Congressman) Tom Davis. In 1997, Davis paid tribute to Dr. Wilkins on the floor of the House.

"Tom is active in Meals-On-Wheels, and offers his services as a tutor in public schools. He has served on the Stonegate Village Advisory Board, helped children to attend college and served as a founding board member for the Medical Care for Children Partnership. Tom also served as a devoted member of my staff when I was chairman of Fairfax County Board of Supervisors, and has continued to advise me and other political leaders of both parties in northern Virginia.

"Mr. Speaker, I know my colleagues join me in honoring the Best of Reston Award winner Thomas Wilkins for his hard work in making Reston, VA, an outstanding place to live and work. His daily heroics deserve recognition and gratitude from a grateful community."

Dr. Wilkins moved to Reston in 1969.

"I came here for one reason and that was because it was the only place in Northern Virginia that was open to black professionals," Dr. Wilkins told the Reston Connection in 2010.  I love the place, and I try to be a good ambassador for it as well."

Dr. Wilkins was a founder of the Medical Care for Children Partnership and Reston's Martin Luther King Cultural Foundation, which awards scholarships to youth throughout Fairfax County. 
 
Viewing will be at 9 a.m. Thursday at Heritage Fellowship Church, 2501 Fox Mill Rd., followed by a funeral service at 11 a.m.