2026 SESSION

INTRODUCED

26105759D

HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 141

Offered February 16, 2026

Celebrating the life of Vivian Margaris Kallen.

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Patron—Hope

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WHEREAS, Vivian Margaris Kallen, an esteemed educator and a dynamic leader in the Arlington community, died on January 9, 2026; and

WHEREAS, Vivian Kallen grew up in Chicago, Illinois, where her family were active members of the Greek-American community; she met her husband, Arthur, as a student at the University of Chicago, from which she earned a master's degree in political science; and

WHEREAS, after continuing her education at the American University in Washington, D.C., Vivian Kallen began a distinguished career as an associate professor of political science at Northern Virginia Community College (NVCC); and

WHEREAS, in addition to mentoring and inspiring countless young men and women, Vivian Kallen served as president of the NVCC Faculty Senate and established The Northern Virginia Review literary magazine; she was also a longtime member of the American Association of University Women (AAUW); and

WHEREAS, an avid patron of the arts, Vivian Kallen volunteered her leadership to the Arlington Commission for the Arts and the board of the Washington Shakespeare Company; and

WHEREAS, Vivian Kallen was also a passionate advocate for social justice; she was active in the movement to repeal the poll tax, served as the first president of the Northern Virginia Women's Democratic Club, and ran for a seat in the Virginia House of Delegates in 1969; and

WHEREAS, Vivian Kallen earned many awards and accolades for her personal and professional achievements over the years, including the Award for Notable Support for the Arts from the Arlington Branch of the AAUW and the Person of Vision award from the Arlington County Commission on the Status of Women; and

WHEREAS, predeceased by her loving husband of 62 years, Arthur, Vivian Kallen will be fondly remembered and greatly missed by her sons, Gregory and Jeffrey, 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 Vivian Margaris Kallen; 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 Vivian Margaris Kallen as an expression of the General Assembly's respect for her memory.