Longtime Falls Church Resident Celebrates 100th Birthday

FALLS CHURCH, VA—One of Falls Church's most treasured residents is celebrating his 100th birthday, and the whole community is invited. Lou Olom, a longtime activist for the city, is turning 100 on July 10.

His birthday celebration is Saturday, July 8 from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. at George Mason High School's Mustang Cafe. The City Council passed a proclamation to make Monday, July 10 “Lou Olom Day," according to the Falls Church News-Press.

Born to Russian immigrants in Chicago, Olom moved to the Little City in 1953 and served in a number of capacities. He was briefly a school board member, then became the first chairman of Historic Falls Church, and helped create the Falls Church Village Preservation and Improvement Society in 1965. Perhaps his most crucial accomplishment was pushing Falls Church Public Schools to join the International Baccalaureate program in 1981, the News-Press reports.

“Lou’s really one of the consciences of our community and over the year he has worked tirelessly for good government and I think over the years he has influenced all of us in the community in a very positive way,” City Council member David Snyder told the News-Press.

When asked how he feels about celebrating this milestone, Olom told the local newspaper, " “Well, whenever someone wants to throw a party for me, I’m happy.”

See more from the Falls Church News-Press.

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