VA HR72

Leo Michael Schweiger (August 25, 1933 – November 1, 2024), a resident of Winchester, Virginia, is honored by the Virginia House of Delegates for his lifetime of public service, volunteerism, and advocacy for individuals who are deaf and hard of hearing.

Schweiger served in the U.S. Air Force as a photo intelligence specialist in Japan, achieving the rank of staff sergeant, and subsequently dedicated more than 30 years to the U.S. Customs Service, rising to director of management development at headquarters in Washington, D.C.

Upon his retirement in 1985, Schweiger received the Albert Gallatin Award—the highest career service honor of the U.S. Department of the Treasury—presented personally by Secretary James Baker III.

Living with a lifelong hearing impairment, Schweiger was appointed in 1997 by Governor George Allen to advise the Virginia Department for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing and was reappointed by multiple subsequent governors; he also led the Winchester Host Lions Club's Hearing Aid Recycling Program for over a decade, earning recognition as a Melvin Jones Fellow and Lion of the Year.

The Clerk of the House of Delegates is directed to prepare a copy of this resolution for presentation to Schweiger's family as an expression of the House's respect for his memory.