Bill Text: VA HJR808 | 2023 | Regular Session | Enrolled
Bill Title: Celebrating the life of the Honorable Albert Charles Eisenberg.
Spectrum: Strong Partisan Bill (Democrat 16-1)
Status: (Passed) 2023-02-25 - Bill text as passed House and Senate (HJ808ER) [HJR808 Detail]
Download: Virginia-2023-HJR808-Enrolled.html
WHEREAS, the Honorable Albert Charles Eisenberg, a champion for human rights who served on the Arlington County Board and represented the Arlington community as a member of the Virginia House of Delegates, died on November 15, 2022; and
WHEREAS, a native of Jersey City, New Jersey, Albert "Al" Charles Eisenberg was educated in Virginia, earning a bachelor's degree from the University of Richmond and master's degree from what is now Hampton University; he served the country in the United States Navy; and
WHEREAS, Al Eisenberg began his career in government as a legislative aide in the United States Senate from 1975 to 1979, and served as a staff director for the United States Senate Subcommittee on Housing and Urban Affairs from 1979 to 1982; and
WHEREAS, Al Eisenberg served as a member of the Arlington County Board from 1984 to 1999, during which time he offered his wise leadership to several committees and commissions, including the Northern Virginia Regional Commission and the Virginia Housing Development Authority; and
WHEREAS, Al Eisenberg was a titan in local government who earned the respect of his colleagues for his wide breadth of knowledge and staunch advocacy on behalf of the county's less fortunate residents; his commitment to transit-oriented solutions helped make Arlington a model for urban smart-growth policies; and
WHEREAS, Al Eisenberg, a Democrat, worked diligently to build bipartisan consensus, often reserving seats on county boards and commissions for Republican members to ensure there was proper representation of the community; and
WHEREAS, in 1999, Al Eisenberg was appointed to a post in the U.S. Department of Transportation by President William J. Clinton; he served as chair of the President's Mississippi Delta Initiative and as a member of both the White House Community Empowerment Board and the White House Task Force on Livable Communities; and
WHEREAS, desirous to be of further service to the Commonwealth, Al Eisenberg ran for and was elected to the Virginia House of Delegates in 2003; he ably represented the residents of the 47th District for the next six years, introducing or supporting many important pieces of legislation to benefit all Virginians; and
WHEREAS, during his tenure as a state lawmaker, Al Eisenberg held seats on the Agriculture, Chesapeake and Natural Resources Committee, the Science and Technology Committee, and the General Laws Committee; and
WHEREAS, throughout his time in local and state government, Al Eisenberg was a mentor to countless fellow public servants, and he challenged colleagues and opponents alike to better defend their positions and develop thoughtful solutions to issues at hand; and
WHEREAS, a creative and original thinker, who was devoted to the idea of expanding housing opportunities to all residents of the Commonwealth, Al Eisenberg was a founding member of both the Northern Virginia and Virginia Housing Coalitions and an originator of the concept that grew into the Virginia Housing Trust Fund; and
WHEREAS, Al Eisenberg had an amazing knowledge and passion for history and was a devoted and recognized amateur historian of the Civil War, which he attributed to growing up surrounded by Civil War sites in the Tidewater region; and
WHEREAS, in addition to serving on the Virginia Sesquicentennial of the American Civil War Commission, Al Eisenberg was the author and editor of ‘If I am alive next Summer': The Civil War Letters of Captain Charles Robinson Johnson of the 16th Massachusetts Infantry and the originator of the James I. Robertson Jr. Civil War Sesquicentennial Legacy Collection; and
WHEREAS, Al Eisenberg served the Commonwealth with dedication, integrity, and distinction, and he left behind a legacy of excellence that continues to inspire new generations of public servants in Northern Virginia; and
WHEREAS, Al Eisenberg will be fondly remembered and greatly missed by his wife, Sharon; his children, Matthew and Alex; and numerous other family members, friends, and colleagues on both sides of the aisle; 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 the Honorable Albert Charles Eisenberg; 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 the Honorable Albert Charles Eisenberg as an expression of the General Assembly's respect for his memory.
