HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 238
Celebrating the life of Miriam Zogby Balutis.
 
Agreed to by the House of Delegates, March 4, 2024
Agreed to by the Senate, March 6, 2024
 

WHEREAS, Miriam Zogby Balutis, a retired civil servant and a highly admired community leader in Arlington, died on August 22, 2023; and

WHEREAS, Miriam Balutis grew up in Utica, New York, where she earned a bachelor's degree from what is now Utica University; she subsequently received a master's degree from the State University of New York at Buffalo, then relocated to Arlington in 1977; and

WHEREAS, Miriam Balutis joined the United States Census Bureau in 1985 and provided essential contributions to the compilation of the 1990, 2000, and 2010 censuses before her well-earned retirement in 2011; and

WHEREAS, over the course of her career, Miriam Balutis developed instructional materials that helped thousands of newly hired temporary interviewers better understand the methodology of complex survey designs; and

WHEREAS, Miriam Balutis held a variety of other management roles at the United States Census Bureau and was respected by her colleagues for her expertise, insightful leadership, and steady demeanor; she received the Department of Commerce Bronze Medal for her exceptional work on the 2000 census; and

WHEREAS, Miriam Balutis was a passionate civic leader in her community and devoted countless volunteer hours to local, state, and national election campaigns; she served as a precinct captain for the Arlington County Democratic Committee; and

WHEREAS, Miriam Balutis also administered a volunteer training program for Arlington Neighborhood Village and worked with Matthew 25: Ministries, which distributes clothing and household necessities to people in need; and

WHEREAS, Miriam Balutis was an avid traveler who enjoyed spending time in the outdoors, from hiking in national parks around the country to caring for her backyard garden and cultivating her prized heirloom tomatoes; and

WHEREAS, Miriam Balutis touched countless lives through her professional integrity and commitment to advocacy, and she brought joy to others through her sense of humor, empathy, generosity, compassion, and wisdom; and

WHEREAS, Miriam Balutis will be fondly remembered and greatly missed by her devoted partner, Jan Jaworski, her children, Juliette and Adam, and their families; and numerous other family members and friends; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED by the House of Delegates, the Senate concurring, That the General Assembly hereby note with great sadness the loss of Miriam Zogby Balutis; and, be it

RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the House of Delegates prepare a copy of this resolution for presentation to the family of Miriam Zogby Balutis as an expression of the General Assembly's respect for her memory.