Lillian Stanton Patterson Pat Miller

Eugene Steuerle

Mike Oliver Al Grande

Harry “Bud” Hart

Wendy McGann John

Dorothy Turner and Gwen Menefee-Smith

Jimmie McClellan

Allen Lomax

William “Bill” Kehoe

Joseph S. Shumad Bob Calhoun

All Nominee biographies by Diane Bechtol All photos © Living Legends of Alexandria

TABLE OF CONTENTS

BOARD OF DIRECTORS.................................................................................................................................................II 2013 NOMINATION INFORMATION.........................................................................................................................II ACKNOWLEDGMENTS .............................................................................................................................................. III THE 2012 LEGEND PROFILES Bob Calhoun.......................................................................................................................................................... 1 Al Grande............................................................................................................................................................... 2 Harry “Bud” Hart.................................................................................................................................................. 3 Wendy McGann John........................................................................................................................................... 4 William “Bill” Kehoe............................................................................................................................................. 5 Allen Lomax........................................................................................................................................................... 6 Jimmie McClellan.................................................................................................................................................. 7 Pat Miller................................................................................................................................................................ 8 Mike Oliver............................................................................................................................................................ 9 Lillian Stanton Patterson.................................................................................................................................... 10 Joseph S. Shumard............................................................................................................................................... 11 The Steuerle Family............................................................................................................................................. 12 Dorothy Turner and Gwen Menefee-Smith..................................................................................................... 13 THE 2012 NOMINEE BIOGRAPHIES Duncan Wardman Blair..................................................................................................................................... 14 Suzanne S. Brock................................................................................................................................................. 14 Diane L. Charles.................................................................................................................................................. 15 Elizabeth C. Chimento and Poul Hertel........................................................................................................... 15 Bernard S. Cohen................................................................................................................................................ 16 Brooke Curran..................................................................................................................................................... 16 Allison Cryor Dinardo....................................................................................................................................... 17 Michael M. Hadeed............................................................................................................................................. 17 James E. Henson, Sr............................................................................................................................................ 18 Patrick M. O’Brien.............................................................................................................................................. 18 William “Bill” Rivers........................................................................................................................................... 19 Jim Singerling...................................................................................................................................................... 19 Fay D. Slotnick and Joyce Woodson................................................................................................................. 20

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2012 Living Legends of Alexandria Board of Directors Officers President – Rose Gentile Vice President – Steve Wharton Treasurer – Lois L. Walker Corresponding Secretary – Sherry Wilson Brown Recording Secretary – Mary Anne Weber Board Members Becky Arnold Jane Collins Audrey P. Davis Timothy S. Elliott A. Melvin Miller Alice P. Morgan Joseph S. Shumard Jeanne Theismann Director Nina Tisara

nominating criteria

Nominate a 2013 Living Legend of Alexandria Deadline: November 15, 2012 Who do you know whose vision and energy has improved life in Alexandria? There are two categories for your nomination: (1) Individuals who have contributed at least one tangible improvement to the quality of the city’s life that would likely be missing without this person’s vision and energy...or... (2) Individuals demonstrating exemplary service to the city for 10 years or more, especially service on Boards, Commissions, Committees or Service Organizations that improve the quality of life in Alexandria. Nominees must live or work in Alexandria. Those currently running for or holding political office are not eligible for consideration. The contributions of City employees should be beyond the responsibilities of their jobs. You may nominate as many Legends as you consider worthy of consideration. Please use a separate form for each nominee. Nominations from past years will be considered in future years but may be renominated if new information is added. For a nomination form, see www.AlexandriaLegends.com. ii

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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

Living Legends of Alexandria recognizes and thanks the following individuals and organizations without whose support from September 2011 through January 2012 the project could not continue. Benefactor: $5,000 Anonymous Platinum Sponsors: $2,500-$4,999 Alexandria Commission for the Arts, Club Managers Association of America Gold Sponsors: $1,000-$2,499 Dominion Foundation, Erkiletian Real Estate Development, John McEnearney in Memory of Ginny, Renner & Company, CPA, P.C., Rotary Club of Alexandria, Nina Tisara Project Sponsors: $500-$999 Jane and Mike Collins, David H. Martin, Mary and Stephen Wharton Friends: $100 - $499 Margaret Bartel, Ruth Bennett, Mel Bergheim in memory of Donna Bergheim, Lynnwood Campbell in memory of Kenneth Barnett, Curcio Law, Brooke and Christopher Curran, Becky and John Davies, Gwen Day Fuller and Ferdinand Day, Lottie and H. Stuart Dunn, Bernard Fagelson, Carson Lee Fifer, Jr., Rose Gentile, Donna Walker James in honor of Lois Walker, Robert M. Knapp, Adron Krekeler, Allen Lomax, David Martin/Gold Works, Alice P. Morgan, Mary Roman, Dolly Rowe and Henry Bobatek, Ruth Ryder, Marcia and David Speck, Philip G. Sunderland, Marian Van Landingham, Virginia Commerce Bank, Mary Anne Weber

Arlene Hewitt, Winifred and Kenneth Hill, Mary Kehoe, Lynne Kennedy and Joan Darrah in honor of Patsy Ticer, Mr. and Mrs. Donald Kelly, Melinda Lynam/Monday’s Child, Anna and James Lynch, Judith Miller in honor of Don Mela, T. Michael Miller, Frances and Michael Mohr, Gwen and John Mullen, Marjorie and Patrick Mulloy, Linda and Michael Oliver, Bonita and John Porter, Alice Quint in memory of Herbert S. Quint, Parthenia Randolph, Charlotte Ross, Fay Slotnick in memory of Jerry Ackerman, Pam and Kerry St. Clair, Lucy Thomson and Arthur Peabody, Ethel S. Underwood, Converse West, Betty Rhoads Wright In-Kind Donations Shari Bolouri, Cardinal Events; Matt Danielson, Electronc Ink; Steven Halperson, Tisara Photography; Abby Sternberg, Video Masters; Donna Walker James, Volunteer Alexandria; Jeanne Theismann, Theismann Media Signage Sponsor Champion Title & Settlements, Inc. Live Auction Donors Timothy Allen, Leisa Collins, Betty Gentile, King Street Gardens Park Foundation, David Martin/Goldworks Raffle Sponsor Potomac Riverboat Company Raffle Donors National Harbor Package – including The Westin National Hotel, Potomac Riverboat Company, Bobby McKey’s Dueling Piano Bar and Art Craft; The Burger Joint, The Carlyle Club; Columbia Firehouse; Curcio Communications, The Fish Market, Jackson 20; La Tasca; Frances and Michael Mohr, Murphy’s Irish Pub, Susan Merritt Nelsen

Contributors Sabra and Chet Avery, Janet Barnett, Susan Barrett, Rosalind and Bob Bovey, Wendy and Bill Burns, Teddye and William E. Clayton, Dorothy and John Coffee, Carol Cooke, Allison Cryor DiNardo, Kerry Donley, Pat Durkin, Frank Fannon, Lillie M. Finklea in support of Living Legends of Alexandria, Marga and Jesse Fripp, Carolyn Griffin in memory of Donna Bergheim, Food for Volunteers Charlotte Hall in honor of Vola Lawson, Marilyn Hart, Bugsy’s Pizza and Sports Bar

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LEGENDARY FARE DONORS

Legendary Fare Donors Pork Barrel BBQ Red Rocks Pizza UnWined

Dishes of India Hard Times Cafe Joe Theismann’s Restaurant

Alexandria Cupcake Alexandria Pastry Shop Barrett’s of Alexandria Bertucci’s INDEX OF ADVERTISERS

Alexandria Pastry Shop – 30

McLaughlin Ryder – 29

Alexandria Toyota – 27

Media Masters – 29

Cardinal Events – 30

New York Life – 30

Champion Title – 29

Pat Troy’s Ireland’s Own – 30

Club Managers Association of America – Back Cover

Potomac Riverboat Company – 30

Gold Works – 29 Hadeed Carpet – 28 John McEnearney – 27

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Renner & Company, CPA’s – 26 Rotary Club of Alexandria – Inside Back Cover Theismann Media – 30 Tisara Photography – 29

Living Legends of Alexandria

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THE LIVING LEGENDS PROJECT

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ow in its sixth year, Living Legends of Alexandria is an ongoing 501(c)(3) photo-documentary project to identify, honor and chronicle Alexandria’s recent history makers. The project was conceived in the fall of 2006 in response to requests for photographs of people who were no longer living.

This catalog contains the photos and biographical sketches of the 2012 Legends and nominees. The catalog is donated to the Special Collections Department of the Alexandria Library, collected by the Library of Virginia in Richmond and will be available at the U.S. Library of Congress. Recently, I came across an outline of my initial proposal for Living Legends. It was dated September 14, 2006 and addressed to Jerry Vernon, publisher of the Alexandria Gazette Packet. I said I had the “germ of an idea.” I suggested a photographic feature series on Alexandria’s current Living Legends including many areas — the arts, business, community leaders, religious leaders and volunteers. IT’S BEING DONE. We actually now have three additional media partners, Local Kicks, AlexandriaNews.org and The Zebra. I suggested 12 features a year and that the photographs be exhibited at City Hall, the Lyceum, the Beatley Library and/or the Durant Center. IT’S BEING DONE, including a year-long exhibit in the prestigious Market Square Lobby of City Hall. We’ve also exhibited in other spaces such as the Lee Center, the Durant Center, Tyler Gallery at Northern Virginia Community College, the Del Ray Artisans Gallery, St. Elmo’s Coffee Pub and Prudential PenFed Realty offices. This year we began a collaborative arrangement with the Alexandria Symphony Orchestra and the Washington Metropolitan Philharmonic Association where Legend portraits are being exhibited at their concerts. There will also be a revolving exhibition of 2012 Legend portraits at Virginia Commerce Bank’s Alexandria branches. I suggested having an opening reception with the Legends as special guests. IT’S BEING DONE. There is now an annual Meet the Legends Reception. In addition, we inaugurated Family Legends of Alexandria, a program where children learn to interview family members, write their stories and illustrate them. The process culminates in their creation of one-of-a-kind books. We’re doing even more. We’re publishing a twice-monthly newsletter. We have a Facebook presence, we’re blogging and we tweet. We’re proud of our progress and looking forward to identifying, honoring and chronicling the Legends of 2013!

Nina Tisara, Director Living Legends of Alexandria March 2012 2012

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Bob Calhoun By Sarah Becker

Robert “Bob” Calhoun was born in Oak Park, Illinois in 1937 and came to Washington as a rules and practices lawyer with the nowdefunct Interstate Commerce Commission. He entered private practice in 1971 and today is Of Counsel with the Alexandria law firm of Redmon, Peyton & Braswell. He became a resident of the city of Alexandria in 1966. A Democrat turned Republican, Calhoun, like political icon Linwood Holton, opposed the Byrd machine, massive resistance and one-party rule. In 1973 he ran unsuccessfully for the Virginia House of Delegates. However, he won a City Council seat in 1976 and was elected Vice-Mayor in 1979. Self-described as middle-ofroad, Calhoun ran “The Race of the Century” in 1982. Reported The Washington Post in 1982: “Neither incumbent Alexandria Mayor Charles Beatley nor his opponent, Vice Mayor Robert Calhoun – the first Republican to run for Mayor in more than 100 years – expects voters to have any trouble separating the princes from the peas…the biggest issue in this year’s campaign has been whether to impose a trash collection fee [yet] the race has been described by both sides as unusually hard fought.” Calhoun conceded the race but not before “Democrats conceded Calhoun is popular, fast-talking and often witty.” Calhoun returned to the Alexandria City Council in 1984 and remained on Council until his 1988 election to the Virginia State Senate. He represented the Senate’s 30th District until 1996. Calhoun’s co-sponsorship of the Public-Private Transportation Act of 1995 is considered hallmark. Long associated with the transportation and railroad 2012

Photo by Nina Tisara

industries, Calhoun has chaired the Council of Government’s Transportation Planning Board and the Northern Virginia Transportation Commission. He likewise served on the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) Board – successfully advocating for the Van Dorn Metro station – and as Vice-Chairman of the Metropolitan Regional Airports Authority. Calhoun also initiated a study for DASH, the city-owned bus system. As a Council member, Calhoun sponsored the Budget and Fiscal Affairs Advisory Committee (BFAC), a committee which remains today in modified form. He provided enabling

legislation for cable television, settled the waterfront title dispute and worked with 2009 Living Legend Melvin Miller to retain the city’s low income and moderate housing stock. Calhoun was also instrumental in acquiring land for the Cameron Run Regional and All Veterans Parks. A 1963 graduate of Yale Law School, Calhoun advocates for quality education. He served as a member of the Alexandria School Board’s Budget Advisory Committee. He was a founding member as well as former President of the Scholarship Fund of Alexandria’s Board of Directors. Bob married his wife Sandy in 1964 and together they have three children.

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Al Grande

Photo by Nina Tisara

By Sarah Becker



Opportunity takes strange turns,” Al Grande said. His second career, his Alexandria business, began in 1972 when, as an Army officer, he responded to his garbage collector’s wife’s plea to help address the collector’s bills more accurately. Grande solved the problem by purchasing a $5,000 Addressograph system for $125 and starting an at-home business. ASAP Printing & Mailing, Inc. – Al Grande’s million-dollar baby – began in his basement. By 1978, the family’s printing and mailing business was flourishing. Al resigned from the military early and with his “equal partner,” wife Claire, he secured an affordable storefront 2

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on Mount Vernon Avenue in Del Ray. At that time, he said, Del Ray was “the armpit of Alexandria.” “He was a Del Ray Ambassador, one of a handful of quality people who had their own community niche,” said former Chamber of Commerce Chairman Shawn McLaughlin. “Al opened his printing business before Del Ray was trendy and his business had staying power. ASAP’s presence made it comfortable for new businesses to open when they might otherwise take a pass.” Grande’s first business goal: to build a dependable printing and mailing business. When the business was able to deliver dependably, he spoke to the second goal: to build the best printing and mailing business he could. The goal

of biggest mailing business he left to his son. A self-described optimist, Grande is a business booster. He worked to establish the Potomac West Business Association, now the Del Ray Business Association, and as a small business owner he was among the few who convinced the Alexandria Chamber of Commerce to host the city’s Small Business Development Center (1999-2010). “As a small business owner, a supplier to local small business, Al understood small business needs,” said SBDC Executive Director Bill Reagan. Grande was also committed to T.C. Williams High School’s Printing Program. For T.C. students, Grande functioned as an employer, a friend and sometimes life coach. “I taught them, hired them, and then sometimes sent them off to do great things,” Al said. Among the –isms he still shares: “to make a mistake is one thing, to live Jin it is quite another.” Born in 1936 in Dover, New Jersey, Al Grande is of Italian heritage. His father mortgaged the family home so he could attend prep school. Grande is a graduate of Blair Academy and Bucknell University. He is neither afraid of hard work nor afraid to take a reasonable chance. Grande retired from business in 1999 and then devoted his life to community service. In 2009, he received the Mount Vernon Yacht Club’s Distinguished Volunteer Award. He is “one of the fathers” of the Alexandria Police Foundation, receiving high praise for continuing service. He also serves on the Greenspring Resident Advisory Council’s Marketing and Publicity Committee. At age 76 he sits in a wheel-chair. He is recovering from a spinal cord injury and recently appeared on television to demonstrate the benefits of at-home rehabilitation therapy. He is, Bill Reagan concluded, “an encourager.” Grande’s strange-turning opportunities often begin at-home.

Living Legends of Alexandria

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Harry “Bud” Hart By Carol Cooke



Mr. Bud’s coming! Mr. Bud’s coming! Mr. Bud’s coming to read to us!” For more than 20 years, that has been the chant of countless children at ALIVE! who, literally, hang on every word that Harry “Bud” Hart reads to them. “They run up to him and hang on his legs so he cannot move more than a couple of inches with each step,” says Mike Oliver, who also volunteers for ALIVE! and nominated Hart to be a 2012 Living Legend of Alexandria. ALIVE! (Alexandrians Involved Ecumenically) is a nonprofit organization of volunteers from more than 40 local religious congregations and the community. “I really enjoy being around kids. That’s more fun than anything else I can do,” says Hart, an attorney and the founding partner in the Alexandria law firm Hart, Calley, Gibbs, & Karp, P.C., which specializes in zoning and land use law. “He’s a guy who could be making billable hours” says Oliver. “He’s a wellconnected lawyer who’s in demand.” Instead, he sets aside time every week to read to children. “Is it the reading? No. It’s the attention he pays to the kids every Thursday,” Oliver says. “He’s reliable. It is a visit by an outsider who is saying, ‘You are pretty important to us.’” Hart was born in Chicago, raised in Milwaukee and moved to the City of Alexandria, where he served in the City Attorney’s office from 1964-1968. While in that office, he was appointed to the board of the Northern Virginia Juvenile Detention Center where he served for about 25 years including nearly a decade as chairman. Hopkins House also benefits from Bud Hart’s commitment to community. Hopkins House is a nonprofit organization with facilities in Old Town 2012

Photo by Nina Tisara

Alexandria and the Route 1 Corridor in Fairfax County that provides educational programs to children, youth and their families regardless of income. Hart has been a trustee of Hopkins House since 1984 and was chairman of the board from 1999 to 2008. As a land-use lawyer, Hart says he has gotten particular satisfaction from the “bricks and mortar” projects that he was able to help bring to fruition, including the new Juvenile Detention Center, the new Hopkins House building and a new facility for Blessed Sacrament Catholic Church of which he is an active member. Despite his success in the worlds

of law and philanthropy, Hart clearly holds his family first and foremost. “The most important accomplishment of my life was getting Connie to marry me,” Hart says, referring to his wife of 49 years. He met Connie while a student at Georgetown Law School and they married in 1963. He is the very proud father of five “terrific” children and 12 grandchildren. Hart says he recommends that people not take credit for God’s generosity and he says that to have a perfect day, “Do something for someone who cannot repay you.” “This is all a gift. If you’ve got a gift, spread it around,” he says.

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Wendy McGann John

Photo by Nina Tisara

By Max Rotermund

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t is the first Sunday in October at Immanuel Church on the Hill on Seminary Road. Parishioners arrive for what has become known as the Mass on the Grass. They are wearing work-in-the-garden clothes. In front of the church, known as ICOH, stand two semi-trailers, their back doors open awaiting the parishioners. They will unload some 80,000 pounds of pumpkins in two or three hours after the service. So begins the annual fall rite of the ICOH Pumpkin Patch. It all began some 18 years ago when the church received an offer

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of pumpkins, initially a quarter truckload, to be sold by the church with the proceeds to be shared with the program that grew the pumpkins on a Navajo reservation in New Mexico. Five women took on the challenge. However, they decided that ICOH’s share of the receipts would go “100 percent” to charities, not to the church’s coffers. Wendy John was one of these women. But as things typically evolve in voluntary organizations, John’s activism soon put her in charge of the program. Her charismatic, smiling leadership, hidden behind the Pumpkin Lady’s apron, slowly increased sales from a quarter-truckload 18 years ago to five

truckloads this year at the Patch. Under her leadership, members of the congregation this year donated many hours of their time to staff the Pumpkin Patch. Others donated soups, baked goods and the Patch’s famous Apple Crisps. Free publicity draws customers from all over the region to the patch. They come because they know that “none of the money stayed at the church.” The Pumpkin Patch remains a truly all-volunteer effort. Not counting the hours that John spends throughout the year organizing the coming of the pumpkin trucks, obtaining foods from church members and keeping up the spirits of all who volunteer, the Patch consumed well over 1,000 volunteer hours this past year. This effort resulted in the Pumpkin Patch being able to sell 200,000 pounds (100 tons) of pumpkins. A large animal rescue organization off Interstate 95 South feeds their charges any squirrelattacked and leftover pumpkins. Where does the money go? First, the funds are split with those who provide the pumpkins at no charge to the Patch. The remainder goes to charities, mostly local groups. Approximately $500,000 has been donated to charities over the last dozen years. This year’s installment is double what was donated a decade ago. The supported charities include Carpenter’s Shelter, ALIVE!, Christ House and Community Lodgings. The ICOH Pumpkin Patch is a wonderful example of people coming together to do good work, a lot of it, under excellent leadership, to great effect. This year is also a milestone in John’s career as the Pumpkin Lady. She has initiated planning for her second retirement, a task almost as large as running the Patch.

Living Legends of Alexandria

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William “Bill” Kehoe By Max Rotermund

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ill Kehoe is more than a legend in Alexandria. He is a remarkable person and a true hero among us. Like many people who fit that description, he draws very little attention to himself and his significant accomplishments. Kehoe is all about service to his community and his country. Since retiring from the military he has served Alexandria in many ways. He is a volunteer firefighter and volunteers at the Alexandria Fire Department (AFD) Emergency Operations Center (EOC). The Center coordinates the City’s processes of mitigation, preparedness, response and recovery from man-made and natural disasters. It is used by City officials and related services/agencies to provide a coordinated response to major emergencies and disasters. Whenever there is an emergency, Bill is there helping out. He was a first responder on 9/11 and spent three days assisting in the EOC, shuttling AFD personnel to and from the Pentagon and standing a night shift fire watch on the Pentagon roof. Kehoe volunteers regularly with Rebuilding Together Alexandria, an organization that donates home repairs to in-need families of Alexandria. That, combined with the time he donates to Habitat for Humanity – the national organization involved with rebuilding lives and homes for the disadvantaged – shows he gets his hands dirty while making communities a better place to live. He has represented Alexandria on several trips to the Gulf States to help rebuild houses after Hurricane Katrina. He is the volunteer treasurer for the Institution of Fire Engineers, an international fire organization whose purpose is to promote, encourage and improve the science and practice of fire engineering, fire prevention and fire extinction. He takes these attributes and combines them with contributions as the 2012

Photo by Nina Tisara

Secretary/Treasurer of the Friendship Veterans Fire Engine Association. This Association has a long history of support for the Friendship Firehouse Museum. Taking the reins after the passing of Marshall J. Beverley, a former Alexandria Mayor and the driving force of the Association for many years, Kehoe has championed the cause of maintaining and promoting the history of firefighting. His vigilance ensures the highest possible quality of the exhibits at the museum. The Office of Historic Alexandria knows that it will receive a note from him when something is amiss in the firehouse. Today, with Kehoe’s help, the Association promotes civic involvement, honors the legacy of its 18th-century founders – dedicated citizen firefighters

– and values the contributions of our present-day first responders. It awards educational scholarships in the fire and emergency medical services discipline and provides other philanthropic services to the Alexandria community. Kehoe also organizes events annually in support of the Association such as the breakfast held the morning of the George Washington Birthday Parade and the Friendship Firehouse Festival, both of which add much to the public awareness of fire and life safety practices and the importance of the historic firehouse. William “Bill” Kehoe exemplifies what is meant by the term servant leader — one who quietly promotes people and events around him to be more effective and successful.

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Allen Lomax

Photo by Nina Tisara

By Lou Cook

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llen Lomax loves his work, loves Alexandria, and says, “I want to stay here and do what I’m doing here forever.” And what he does now and has done since coming to this area is trying to improve the lives of others in the community: the homeless, the youth, substance abusers. In 1977, he received a B.S. in Political Science at Northeastern University in Boston and came to Washington to work for the government. At the U.S. General Accounting Office, he became a Senior Analyst directing studies of Federal programs for the U.S. Congress. In 2008, Lomax retired from government work to become an independent consultant

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for the Robert Wood Johnson and Alfred P. Sloan foundations as well as a full-time volunteer. In both capacities, he uses skills developed during his career and puts them to work for his community. As a long-time member of the Alexandria United Way Regional Council and Chairman from 2004-2007, Lomax led an effort to study the needs of Alexandria’s working poor. From this study came “Living from Paycheck to Paycheck: A Look at Alexandria’s Working Poor” with 10 recommendations for improving their lives. The study was one of the first in the nation to focus on this important population and helped the City with planning and funding decisions. As Chair of the Alexandria United Way, Lomax led the group in reaching out to nonprofits to determine how United Way

could best help, started an annual retreat to discuss citizen needs and formulate a work plan to better address those needs. For 14 years Lomax served on the City’s Economic Opportunities Commission and was its Chairman for 12 years. The Commission became a strong voice on key issues and testified before City Council on many issues: budget proposals, location of public housing sites, establishment of the Youth Policy Commission and the development of the Safe Haven facility, which provides permanent housing and supportive services for homeless people with mental illness and/or substance abuse disorders. Lomax has played a significant role in helping to make his hometown a healthier place to live. He served as a member of the Alexandria Community Health Assessment steering committee, which developed an assessment of the City’s health. He is a founding member of the Partnership for a Healthier Alexandria and also Chairs the Partnership’s Substance Abuse Prevention Coalition of Alexandria (SAPCA). Lomax has donated over 550 hours as a SAPCA volunteer. Under his leadership, the Coalition has received a five-year Federal Drug Free Communities grant for over $600,000 supporting SAPCA’s work to prevent and reduce substance abuse by Alexandria’s youth. For the last two summers, SAPCA worked with Job-Link, a City employment services provider, to involve youth in a Community Youth Mapping project in the City of Alexandria. In addition to leading project planning, Lomax reached out to each individually. One current project is SAPCA-sponsored dinners at local middle and high schools. More than 380 youth and parents have attended the “Community of Concern” dinners where they engage in open dialog about the dangers of alcohol and substance abuse and ways of prevention. SAPCA Coordinator Noraine Buttar says, “Allen never takes credit; he passes it on and works behind the scenes.”

Living Legends of Alexandria

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Jimmie McClellan By Lou Cook

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immie Rex McClellan is an author, an educator and a recipient of the Distinguished Alumni Award from the University of Texas, the highest honor given by the university to any graduate, and a seven-term member of Alexandria’s Human Rights Commission, A hard worker throughout his life, McClellan grew up in East Texas and by age 15 was trapping minnows in the Brazos River and selling them to bait camps for a penny a piece. To earn money for his BA in Political Science at the University of Texas, McClellan worked four years after school as a dairy hand. While getting his Masters in History, he worked at a cardboard box factory in Arlington, Texas. McClellan left Texas and headed for Washington, D.C. Once there, he continued studying for advanced degrees and tried out various occupations, including serving in the U.S. Office of Education and continued with his civil rights and peace activities. In 1972, McClellan managed the presidential campaign of Dr. Benjamin Spock. He says, “The campaign was intended to assure that issues of war and peace, civil rights, universal medical care and the environment were not ignored during the election year.” One of Spock’s biographers (Thomas Maier) wrote that Spock asked McClellan to run his maverick campaign for president, even though McClellan had no national experience. “What he lacked in traditional political sophistication, McClellan tried to make up with idealistic fervor and a willingness to try anything.” By 1975, McClellan had a Master of Philosophy from George Washington University and joined the faculty of Northern Virginia Community College. He earned his Ph.D. from The Union Institute of Cincinnati and his doctoral studies were conducted at the Institute for Policy Studies in Washington. McClellan

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also did post-graduate work in political science at Georgetown and George Washington universities. A few years after its founding, McClellan began teaching history at NVCC’s Alexandria Campus. In 2009, he became Dean of Liberal Arts and oversaw the merger of two academic divisions, which resulted in supervision over 14 departments, 320 faculty members and a writing center. During his career, he also taught Political Science and served four terms as Chair of the Alexandria Campus Council, four terms as Chair of the College Senate and one term as President of the Virginia Community Colleges Association. In his home community of Alexandria, McClellan served seven terms as a

Commissioner of Human Rights during which he chaired the Alexandria Commission and was President of the Virginia Association of Human Rights Commissioners. He secured a process for civilian review of police conduct and composed two bronze markers: one commemorates the five courageous citizens who integrated the Alexandria Library and the second remembers the 1971 Titans football team who helped integrate and unite T.C. Williams High School. McClellan and his wife Catherine have a daughter Shannon and three granddaughters ages 7, 5 and 3 months. Shannon and her husband met in the Peace Corps and have lived in Madagascar for the past 14 years.

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Pat Miller

Photo by Joe Bleach

By Sherry Wilson Brown

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lexandria Living Legend Pat Miller started life on a farm in Carroll, Iowa. When Miller was in fourth grade, she moved into a “town” of 90 where her father worked at the local farmers’ co-op and her mom opened a café. In Miller’s classroom, fourth through sixth graders all studied together. This experience may have triggered her belief in inclusiveness: that bringing everyone together builds a stronger community. Miller attended the University of Northern Iowa, the first in her family to go to college. After college, she worked briefly in television and eventually managed various political and issue

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campaigns in the Midwest. This earned her a job at Bailey, Deardourff & Associates and a move to this area. During this time, she met Paul Wilson and today works with him at Wilson Grand Communications where a flexible schedule allows her to have a “day job” as his Operations Director. After moving to Alexandria, Miller first volunteered to be Market Manager for The Avenue Partnership (TAP) which sponsors the Del Ray Farmers Market. In 1995, she transformed the Del Ray Block Party into the nationally known Art on the Avenue. A free multicultural art and music festival on Mt. Vernon Avenue, AoA hosts more than 300 artists, food vendors, a children’s stage and three

music stages. Miller has made the arts an integral part of the music and craft projects. She continues to raise funds and organize AoA each year. Miller and her business partner, Maria Wasowski, have created “A Show of Hands” to provide a store for local artists who have evolved from selling to acquaintances or at weekend shows to marketing their art professionally. Miller enjoys featuring artists who like to visit the store to meet and share with potential customers their enthusiasm for their work. Miller’s interest in the arts led her to the Alexandria Commission for the Arts, which she has chaired since 2006. Under her leadership, the Commission has strengthened its emphasis on public art with projects such as installations at Freedman’s Cemetery, Charles Houston Recreation Center and the Public Safety Center. Miller serves on the Board for the nonprofit Community Partners for Children, which conducts Alexandria’s two largest holiday toy and school supply drives for children in need. She was elected Co-Chair in 2004 and President in 2008. She takes part in all of the organization’s activities from putting out collection boxes to doing inventory or making deliveries to schools. Miller expanded her work with The Avenue Partnership to planning and implementing advertising campaigns and events that attract people to the community and promote its businesses. In 1996, Miller was named President of TAP. She was appointed by City Council to serve on the body which created the Potomac West Alliance (now the Del Ray Business Association) and was elected the first President. Today, Miller is involved in the Del Ray Business Association’s annual Halloween Parade, the 5K Turkey Trot and First Thursday events. It is no wonder this busy woman is recognized as a Living Legend.

Living Legends of Alexandria

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Mike Oliver By Sherry Wilson Brown

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lexandria Living Legend Mike Oliver was born in Parkersburg, West Virginia, where his father had a secret identity as Santa’s local alter ego. Clearly Oliver comes by his Santa’s helper role naturally. He wore the Santa suit he inherited from his father until the deteriorating family heirloom was replaced. The sleigh bells he uses are the same bells his father used. Oliver received his BA from West Virginia University. While there, he met and married Mary Linda Burks. They raised two daughters who are married and live in the area. Oliver freely admits Linda is “considered by all who know us as the Brains of the Outfit.” They moved to Alexandria in 1965 and Oliver began working at the U.S. Department of Health, Education and Welfare (later the U.S. Office of Education). He retired in 2000 as Student Financial Specialist. Oliver was George Washington Middle School’s PTA President three times and Minnie Howard’s PTA President twice. He served as Alexandria PTA Council President (1984-1985). He has been a life-long cheerleader at T.C. Williams’ football and basketball games. He and Linda are “Grandpa and Grandma Titan” at these events to this day. Oliver coached Alexandria Soccer Association teams throughout the 1970s and served as ASA’s Area Vice President for three years. Oliver became involved with The Scholarship Fund of Alexandria early on and currently is an applications reader and sometimes scholarship presenter (1990s-2011). He also served as Parent Representative to the Youth Services Commission (1980s-1990s) and Parent Representative to Project Discovery (1980s-1990s). Since 1979, Oliver has volunteered at Alexandrians Involved Ecumenically (ALIVE!) pitching in everywhere. He served as ALIVE! Board as President (1993-1994). He served as Santa’s

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Helper for the children of the ALIVE! Child Development Center and fulfills other local Santa duties including 25 years as the Market Square Santa as well as at Del Ray and North Ridge tree lightings. Oliver accepts no payment but requests donations for the ALIVE! Child Development Center. For years Oliver volunteered at Carpenter’s Shelter and until recently, every 6 a.m. on Christmas morning found him there distributing gifts for Santa. He and Linda have volunteered at all three Carpenter’s Shelter locations (1988-2010). Oliver served on the Alexandria 250th Celebration Committee (1999), the Alexandria George Washington

Birthday Celebration Committee (2000-2009), the Board of Community Lodgings (1988-1991), the Board of Network Preschool (1990-1997) and with the Friends of Alexandria Community Mental Health Center. At St. Clement Episcopal Church, Oliver has taught Sunday School and served on the Vestry as Junior and Senior Warden. He also helped with the church’s winter overnight hypothermia shelter for men. He has served many years on the North Ridge Citizens Association Board of Directors and was a frequent Red Cross whole blood donor. Oliver was named the Alexandria Times’ Citizen of the Year in 2007.

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Lillian Stanton Patterson

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By Sherry Wilson Brown

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illian Stanton Patterson was born and reared in the Uptown community of Alexandria (now the Parker-Gray Historic District), the oldest of seven children of the late Reverend N. Howard and Esther Gray Stanton. She is the widow of Edward Lloyd Patterson, a former principal of Parker-Gray High School. Herself a graduate of Parker-Gray, Patterson received her BA in Social Studies from Storer College in Harpers Ferry, West Virginia and did graduate studies in Sociology at American University and in Early Childhood Development at the University of Virginia’s Northern

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Virginia extension. From 1965-1985, while raising her two daughters, she became a charter member, Treasurer, and then Vice President of the Alexandria-Mt. Vernon Chapter of Jack & Jill of America. In the 1960s, as Alexandria was learning to deal with the demands of desegregation, Patterson became a positive agent of change, serving on the Boards of the Human Relations Council (1965-1967) where she worked with Episcopal Theological seminarians to develop a tutoring program and the League of Women Voters (1965-1981) to plan legislative forums to inform voters on candidate issues. She then served on the Board of

Directors of the Alexandria Community Health Center (1975-1979) as Chairperson. While on the Board of Directors at the Alexandria Community Y, she was a Heather Chairperson. In 1977, Patterson was invited to join the Alexandria United Way Board where she served on the Membership and Allocation panels for the Washington Metro Area United Way until 1983. Patterson joined the Alexandria Volunteer Bureau (now Volunteer Alexandria) in 1990 and served as Secretary for nine years. Her time on the Board was an opportunity to learn more about the importance of volunteer service and how to engage more people in volunteerism as a lifestyle choice. History has always interested Patterson and she serves as Historian for Shiloh Baptist Church where she spearheads a committee that is writing the rich history of this 150-yearold African American congregation. Patterson retired in 2010 as a Curator at the Alexandria Black History Museum and continues to volunteer there for special projects. She has also joined her daughter’s firm, Joyous Events LLC. She is an active member of the Board of Directors of Project Discovery and the Seminary Hill Association and is immediate past president of the Seminary Civic Association. She is on the Board of Harambee Community Development Corporation which created Beasley Square affordable housing for seniors. Among her numerous awards are the Outstanding Community Service Award (United Way National Capital Area); Community Service Award (Hopkins House); Community Service Award (Alexandria NAACP); Womento-Women Making a Difference Award (Alexandria Commission on Women); and Generation to Generation Award (Alexandria Senior Services). To these, Lillian Stanton Patterson has deservedly added Alexandria Living Legend.

Living Legends of Alexandria

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Joseph S. Shumard By Max Rotermund

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n Alexandria, Joe Shumard’s name and the Alexandria George Washington Birthday Parade are almost synonymous. He is considered the lifeblood of this annual event, the largest such event in the nation. As a member of the George Washington Birthday Celebration since 1994, he has organized a committee to produce, fund, publicize and direct the many annual events of the Celebration. He is on constant lookout for local community groups to dance, sing and march in the parade. By doing this, he presents a parade lineup that is customdesigned for Alexandria. Furthermore, he does it all with a smile on his face. Shumard is gifted with that rare combination of organizational skills and good-natured personality that enables him to lead and bring along with him a cadre of followers who truly enjoy working with him. Though Shumard has never been a fireman, he serves as the President of the Friendship Veterans Fire Engine Association, making him a leader in a world almost totally foreign to laymen. It was the historical importance of the Association that drew him to it. The Friendship Fire Company has played a significant role in the history of the city. It is a survivor of the costliest fire in Alexandria, a fire in 1855 when six firefighters lost their lives. Today, the Friendship Veterans Fire Engine Association assists in the preservation of the historic fire engine house on South Alfred Street; supports the Alexandria Fire Department; and provides scholarships and other benevolent and philanthropic services to the Alexandria community. The Association promotes civic involvement, honors the legacy of its 18th-century founders – dedicated citizen firefighters – and values the 2012

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contributions of our present-day first responders. Thanks to his efforts, Friendship has drawn the contributions of many volunteers and is a key sponsor of the annual Firefighters Memorial Service at Ivy Hill Cemetery. Shumard has also worked actively with and for the Alexandria Chamber of Commerce, first as a member for more than a decade and then as part of the staff for several years. His congenial personality helped to make Chamber events and activities a pleasure to attend. By chairing or serving on a number of Chamber committees, he helped to support the work that this organization provides to the City’s business community.

Because of his leadership and active participation with the George Washington Birthday Celebration Committee, the Friendship Firehouse and the Alexandria Chamber of Commerce, Shumard has earned the reputation as the “go to” person for recruiting volunteers in Alexandria, not only for these organizations but for events such as First Night Alexandria and Spring for Alexandria. Volunteers appreciate the opportunity to participate in activities that are so well organized, thanks in large part to the efforts of Shumard. For these many reasons, Joe Shumard is selected as a Living Legend of Alexandria.

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The Steuerle Family Eugene Steuerle, Kristin Steuerle & Lynne Michelle

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By Diane Bechtol

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ach Steuerle family member – father Eugene and daughters Kristin and Lynne – politely, but firmly deflect praise for their generous role in changing the face of charitable giving in their community. The three Living Legends of Alexandria recipients are quick to credit others and say their role in creating the Alexandria Community Trust (ACT) was in concert with others. Despite the Steuerle family’s modesty, ACT touches almost every nonprofit organization in the City and is the center of a vast interconnected web of philanthropists and movers and

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shakers. Among the outgrowths of ACT are the Center for Alexandria’s Children (preventing child abuse and neglect); Give Back Alexandria (teaching young adults to volunteer in the city), Action Alexandria (giving residents a local focus for proactive community involvement) and Women’s Giving Circle (women organizing to fund social service needs.) “Although it is always an honor to receive recognition,” said Lynne Steuerle Schofield, Ph.D, a statistics professor at Swathmore College, “what is best for our family is that we know lots of other amazing people doing the hard work every day.” In providing the seed money for

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the Trust, Gene, an economist for the Urban Institute, said “the bottom line is that the money we put up was only a catalyst. We were surrounded by a lot of people with a lot of good ideas.” Eugene, Kristin and Lynne suffered an unimaginable loss on September 11, 2001 when wife and mother Norma Lang Steuerle’s American Airlines Flight 77 crashed into the Pentagon. She was killed traveling to Japan to visit Kristin, who was stationed there as a Navy doctor. “I’ve always said that her death was a much more public event and received more attention than other people’s losses, but the fact is that you don’t rank death. Everyone suffers when they lose a loved one,” Gene said. In the aftermath of tragic events, the Steuerle family was awarded a large sum of money from the 911 Victims Compensation Fund. “There was a period of grief, of course, but it is a healthy thing to turn your grief to action. You can’t control events, but you can control your reaction. You take the positive energy,” said Kristin, “from the people who showed us kindness after my mother died.” She said her family’s decision to give the money away was simple and straightforward. “We wanted to give back to all of the people who supported us during that time.” Alexandria Community Trust was the result. Kristin is now a pediatrician for Kaiser Permanente. The Steuerle family elected to form two trusts: the Alexandria Community Trust, which has blossomed beyond expectation, and another one that serves wider interests elsewhere. Of the two, the ACT is the better known and more successful. As Gene explained, “Our goal was to promote Alexandria in a very large part through charitable giving. Alexandria Community Trust is a new breed of

Living Legends of Alexandria

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Dorothy Turner & Gwen Menefee-Smith By Diane Bechtol

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sserting that Alexandria public housing tenants have rights too, community activists Dorothy Turner and Gwen Menefee-Smith embarked on a decades-long mission to assure that their peers would be treated fairly and with respect. The two women, both public housing tenants themselves earlier in life, have worked tirelessly to improve the quality of living for low income and minority residents of Alexandria. In the 1960s and 1970s, Alexandria was not in compliance with federal Housing and Urban Development guidelines and there was a pervasive attitude of disrespect, intimidation and unfair practices, Menefee-Smith said. “Just because you’re in public housing, it does not need to be a death sentence. We were taxpayers, law-abiding decent citizens and we had a right to have voices in how and where we lived.” Working with the Urban League, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, local attorneys and other advocacy organizations, the two helped found the Alexandria Tenants Council 40 years ago. Their primary goal was to work with City officials and the Alexandria Redevelopment and Housing Authority to establish non-discriminatory and fair regulations regarding housing policies. They also sought to provide legal, economic, social and educational support for tenants and for the preservation of the allotted numbers of public housing units in the City after some apartments were demolished. Turner and Menefee-Smith broadened their efforts to organize voter registration drives and nonpartisan grassroots support of city, state and federal candidates for office. “We had to get tenants out to vote. We looked at politicians who didn’t respect us and worked for their opposition. We can’t

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blame people for needing the services. Politicians are supposed to do the right thing.“ Menefee-Smith recalled. Turner was born and raised in Del Ray and is a descendant of one of the oldest African American families in the city. She attended St. Joseph’s Elementary School and Parker-Gray High School. In 1968, she moved into the John Roberts public housing complex, where she lived for 13 years with her husband and children. At the time, unwed mothers were not allowed, a major point of contention within the community and a source of her burning discontent. In addition to improving housing conditions and policies, she, Menefee-

Smith and others became politically aware and pushed for blacks’ representation on City Council and commissions, and on the housing authority board. They worked the polls and picketed Yellow Cab, which would not hire black drivers. They also saw a newly established community center on Wythe Street become a meeting space, wedding venue and gathering place for teenagers. Soon sewing, typing and preparation classes for the Civil Service exam were offered. “We just did a lot of things and other people started helping us.” Menefee-Smith bristled when a

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2012 Nominee Biographies

Nominee Biographies by Diane Bechtol

Duncan Wardman Blair

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uncan Blair’s resume is multiple pages, but the mere written word can’t encompass his contributions to the Alexandria landscape. For that, one would have to get wet. A person who likes boats and loves the city’s waterfront, Blair has dedicated years to ensure a vibrant community oriented to the Potomac River by way of apprentice boatbuilding, public recreation, historic preservation and complex zoning agreements. Blair was born in Alexandria and grew up in Old Town. He received his bachelors of arts degree from Hampden-Sydney College and his juris doctor degree with distinction from the George Mason University School of Law. He practices law with Land, Clark, Carroll, Mendelson and Blair, PC and is a member of three bar associations. Blair has represented major school, condominium, retail, office and health care clients, including Cameron

Station, Potomac Yards and Alexandria Hospital. He was the zoning counsel for Robinson Terminal in the recent Alexandria Waterfront agreement. Just a sampling of Blair’s extensive professional memberships and community involvements include mayoral task forces and as a consultant for the Northern Virginia Regional

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Suzanne S. Brock

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uzanne Brock may have come to volunteerism later in life than many, but when she found her opportunities, they resonated. She enthusiastically embraces the network of social service and nonprofit organizations that collectively provide for local citizens and enriches their lives through the arts. For her devotion to Alexandria Hospital, the Alexandria Symphony Board, volunteer service with her church and other community institutions, she is a Living Legend of Alexandria nominee. Raising a family and working alongside her husband preoccupied her time for decades. In 1965, her husband Harry founded the radio telecommunications company that was the predecessor to Metrocall. Brock was in a management role from the

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Park Authority and Alexandria Chamber of Commerce committees. He has served on the vestry of St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, as a trustee and a warden and member of its building and capital campaign committees. Blair has touched multiple aspects of Alexandria life – architectural design, parking, waterfront development, the Woodrow Wilson Bridge, education, zoning, signage, homelessness and child and family welfare. Blair’s personal legacy may best be associated, however, with Alexandria’s waterfront, especially the Alexandria Seaport Foundation. According to then Executive Director Joe Youcha, himself a 2007 Living Legend of Alexandria, it was Blair who “magically” persevered through 65 organized meetings and approvals from federal, state and Alexandria governments to find

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beginning as the company’s secretary/ treasurer. “We worked together from its inception,” Brock reflected. “I was on the financial side of things and he was president and then chairman of the

board. Those were busy times. We were building a company and I was a wife and a mother to three children. I just didn’t have the time for much volunteer work back then.” Originally from Oakland, California, Brock met her future husband at the University of California Berkeley. His commission as a naval officer required several relocations and eventually she attended the University of Hawaii and George Washington University to complete her own degree. The couple moved to Alexandria in 1970 and she became active in St. Paul’s Episcopal Church parish activities, including the choir. Brock said after her husband’s death in 2000, with her children grown, she refocused. “As a

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2012 Nominee Biographies

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Diane L. Charles

iane Charles’ advocacy work has touched the very foundation of the Alexandria community through local government, nonprofit organizations, its associations, grassroots political initiatives and faith communities. In the course of her decades-long volunteer and professional work, she says she learned the advantage of working cooperatively and networking for the betterment of local philanthropic and social services agencies. “I saw that something could happen through connectivity. That did it for me,” she explains. She is inspired by coalitions working together for mutual benefits such as cost savings and sharing intellectual assets to achieve challenging goals. Her greatest contribution to local public life has been mentoring her peers, community groups and new executive directors. “I love the nonprofit world. I love that

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work.” Charles says that she had “formative experiences in her life’s work” as a service club member in high school and from volunteer projects in college. She received her undergraduate degree in government from the University of Virginia and her master’s degree

in adult education from the same institution. After graduation, she saw service through government as her best opportunity to work for the common good. Charles first came to Alexandria in 1982 to work for a congressman, then switched jobs to work at the American Society for Training and Development. The next two decades of her professional life focused on Alexandria, first when she became the executive director of the Alexandria Volunteer Bureau, now known as Volunteer Alexandria. While there, for the first time in Alexandria, Charles set up a working model to share management ideas, office space, staff and office equipment with other nonprofits for cost efficiencies. While nurturing the agency’s activities and community profile, she also became immersed in the political scene by CHARLES continues on page 22

Elizabeth C. Chimento & Paul Martin Hertel

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ctivists Elizabeth Chimento and Poul Hertel didn’t start out as environmental scientists in their respective North Old Town neighborhoods. They were homeowners with a big problem in their backyards – an aging coal-powered generating station. A decade ago, each independently noticed a gray ash that covered their cars and kept local residents from opening their windows in warm weather. “It was unbelievable,” says Hertel. “Gray matter became black when it came in contact with moisture.” Neighborhood civic associations convened to discuss a three-part strategy, says Hertel, to determine “what is it, where did it come from and is it harmful.” Indications were the

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substance was coming from the nearby power plant, but definitive studies were required. “At the time, a lot of people were confused about health issues. They

didn’t know much about particulate matter.” Hertel and Chimento were about to embark on a fact-finding and lobbying mission that resulted in substantially improved environmental quality for Alexandrians. Hertel and Chimento met at these early community meetings and soon learned they “were kindred spirits” despite different personal backgrounds, according to Chimento. Chimento was born and raised in Richmond and moved to Alexandria at age 15. She graduated from then George Washington High School. She received her undergraduate degree in English literature and philosophy from George Mason University and her

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2012 Nominee Biographies

Bernard S. Cohen

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or Bernard “Bernie” Cohen, his attraction to the law and protection of individual and environmental rights began with a book he read in the 1950s, Justice Douglas Dissents. The ideas propelled him towards a career as a litigator, university and law school professor and political and environmental activist. “It was inspirational and very enlightening,” he says of the book studying the former U.S. Supreme Court Justice’s writings. “They all became the law of the land.” In the 1940s, Cohen explains, there were abuses of the government against the individual. Douglas was always on the side of the individual.” He goes on to say that Douglas became his “virtual mentor” and inspired Cohen, who himself was drawn to issues and lawsuits where the clients were “under represented.” Cohen was raised in Brooklyn, New

York and received his undergraduate degree from City College of New York. He earned his law degree from Georgetown University and started practicing law in Northern Virginia in 1962. He and his wife Rae, a native of Arlington, have two children and three grandchildren.

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Brooke Curran

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ooking for a mission beyond the physical challenge of running frequent marathons, Brooke Curran found what she was looking for while driving her car. Think “running the run” instead “walking the walk.” Now she’s pushing a fast pace headlong into philanthropy, with a compassionate heart and both feet pounding the pavement. Curran has committed to running a marathon on every continent, in each of the 50 states and in the world’s five major marathons (Berlin, Boston, Chicago, London and New York) to raise awareness for at-risk children and families. Her awareness of their plight led her to establish the Running Brooke Fund in May 2009. Since then, she has completed more than 35 marathons and raised in excess of $111,000. For 16

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From 1956 to 1961, Cohen was employed as a labor economist and labor law advisor at the U.S. Department of Labor. His Landmark litigation was serving as counsel to Mr. and Mrs. Richard Loving in the U.S. Supreme Court decision of Loving v. Virginia (1967) which resulted in declaring antimiscegenation statutes (prohibiting the cohabitation or marriage between persons of different races) in 19 states as unconstitutional. Cohen served as a pro bono lawyer for the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) in the case. Cohen served in the Virginia House of Delegates from 1980 to 1995 and was the chief patron of legislation to allow death with dignity for the terminally ill, protect tenants in units converted to condominiums, ensure rights of condominium owners to assert their rights regarding commonly held

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2011 and 2012, her fundraising goal is $50,000 each year. The marathoner’s commitment to raise money for Alexandria and Arlington’s marginalized and needy families began

one day while driving her car through a disadvantaged neighborhood. Curran paused at an intersection and got a hard look at signs of homelessness, hunger, unemployment and poverty. “I decided to be somebody and go for it. You can’t pass these faces and forget.” “I needed something beyond a physical commitment you make when you run a marathon. I had met my time goals. I was stronger and faster, but then I got bored and then mad. I had an empty feeling when I crossed the finish line.” For beneficiary Action Alexandria, the distance runner awarded multiple gifts to meet specific requests such as milk and after-school snacks for homeless kids. The Running Brooke

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2012 Nominee Biographies

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Allison Cryor DiNardo

llison Cryor DiNardo brings passion and a businesslike sensibility to Alexandria nonprofits, ensuring that they have the tools for success. By teaching others the satisfaction and techniques for effective volunteer service, meaningful charitable commitments have multiplied at her hands for more than a decade. “If each of us took one moment to give back our own talents and connect, you can derive real joy from service and accomplish much. It can be a one-time event such as a food drive or tutoring every Wednesday. There is a home for everyone to give a little.” DiNardo grew up in Maryland, where her mother was a well-known state legislator, but she resided in Alexandria on and off through the 1980s and 1990s until she returned permanently in 1998. Her time away from Alexandria was spent in Charlottesville, where she received her undergraduate degree

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and then later, her MBA from the University of Virginia. Her husband Robert is employed by the FBI and the couple resides in Rosemont. DiNardo is the president of Carroll Wireless, King Street Wireless and Barat Wireless, companies that sell bandwidth throughout the United States. She

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Michael M. Hadeed

orty-four years of Lions Club membership encompasses a body of humanitarian service for Michael Hadeed, but does not completely cover the breadth of his contributions to Alexandrians’ health and well-being. Add in community booster events such as the Thanksgiving Day Turkey Trot on Mount Vernon Avenue and bicentennial commemorations to fully appreciate the businessman’s longstanding commitment to Alexandria. In addition to a robust civic organization “career” that focuses on sight conservation, Hadeed is also recognized by Living Legends of Alexandria for his campaign to establish a life-saving 911 emergency call system for the community. His explanation for his commitment to community service? Simply that it 2012

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thrives in this highly technical field, one that does not have many female executives. Her professional experience, which requires an entrepreneurial spirit and the ability to raise capital, she says, prepared her for leadership in the local nonprofit world. “During my career, I have learned a lot about board governance, how to set policies, the roles of board and staff and how to help staff accomplish their goals.” “With technology, it is easy not to become involved on a personal level. But volunteer work is a wonderful way to become involved. From participating, you get so much back from what you put in.” To encourage and facilitate passion for community service, each employee at her companies is given time off to pursue volunteer service. DiNardo has been a member and

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was what he liked to do. He considers it a gift to the city and has encouraged his children to follow suit. One of his sons is a member of the same Lions Club. “I advised them to go into public

service,” he said, and recommended that young people perform volunteer service in their communities. “To help others is very important. It also teaches them to have confidence in themselves, to not be afraid to do things. They can do anything they want.” Hadeed, 81, was born in Newark, New Jersey. He was raised in Palestine until age 16, when he returned to the Washington metropolitan area. After further schooling and two years in the U.S. Army, he established his imported rug company and created a strong presence as a Mount Vernon Avenue business leader. Following the lead of friends and other local shop owners, Hadeed joined the Del Ray Lions Club in 1967. It was then known as the

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2012 Nominee Biographies

James E. Henson, Sr.

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iving up to the heroic deeds of ancestors could be a daunting proposition or an inspiring one. Bolstered by mentors and family experiences, James Henson forged his own path, leaving others to now follow in his footsteps. Henson, a decorated veteran, lawyer, political and human rights activist, community organizer and a devotee of African American history, was endowed with famous forebearers. He is the collateral descendant of the Rev. Josiah Henson, the author and abolitionist who inspired the title character of Harriet Beecher Stowe’s Uncle Tom’s Cabin. His great uncle was Matthew Henson, co-discoverer of the North Pole with Admiral Robert E. Peary. As a youth and young adult, he was mentored by Ferdinand Day, a 2007 Living Legend of Alexandria recipient who was honored for his role in integrating city public schools.

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Henson was born at the Alexandria Hospital in 1936. He graduated from Parker-Gray School, then from the University of Virginia. He received his law degree from the University of Maryland. He is a retired Air Force Master Sergeant. Henson was awarded the Air Force Commendation Medal,

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Patrick M. O’Brien

lexandria libraries and the life of the mind got an infusion of technology when Patrick M. O’Brien came to town. By balancing the literary and research needs of a diverse population with a wave of technological changes, O’Brien increased the material collections of Alexandria’s libraries, oversaw the construction or renovation of four library buildings and ushered in wireless access for the city’s residents. “The library has always been a revered institution in Alexandria,” says O’Brien, the system’s director for 15 years and now retired. It began as a subscription library, became a public lending library and was the scene of poignant protests against segregation. In the 1990s, expansion, renovations and technological changes dominated the system.

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the Bronze Star for his Vietnam service, and the Meritorious Service Medal while stationed at Andrews Air Force Base, where he was assigned as a flight steward aboard Air Force One. Henson has been bestowed numerous public service awards from the National Association for the Advancement of Colored Persons (NAACP) during his lifetime membership. He is married to Elsie Ardene and they are the parents of five children. In 1967, Henson joined the Alexandria Jaycees, where he felt a “calling” to community service. During his first year with the organization, he chaired a pilot project, “Dribble and Shoot,” a basketball contest to encourage athleticism and involvement in wholesome after-school activities. It was honored locally and statewide and became a U.S. Jaycees National Project,

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When he came to Alexandria in 1992, at the surge of information technology, O’Brien brought with him a master’s degree in library science and an MBA, and charted out the next chapter for the

local institution. “Public libraries are people serving people – not computer terminals, not online catalogs, not databases, not books, not videos, not newspapers – people serving people.” An assessment of the system indicated that library services needed to expand to the city’s West End and that the library needed to move to the information age. Two public service computer terminals were set up at the Ellen Coolidge Burke branch in 1994. Eventually, wireless access was placed in each library, offering community access to Alexandria patrons before any other Northern Virginia jurisdiction. As a result of that assessment, the Charles E. Beatley Jr. Central Library was constructed on Duke Street, opening on

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2012 Nominee Biographies

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William “Bill” Rivers

e are limited only by our imagination, says William “Bill” Rivers, who is using his own vision to create recreational spaces and opportunities for special populations in Alexandria. Through his leadership, the City of Alexandria will soon construct the Miracle Field, Washington metropolitan area’s first synthetic turf sports field for youths and adults with physical and mental disabilities. Rivers is one of the original members and the secretary of the Alexandria Park and Recreation Commission’s Youth Sports Advisory Board, established in 2002. For more than 25 years, he coached soccer and basketball for the Alexandria Department of Recreation, Parks and Cultural Activities, mostly out of the Mount Vernon Recreation Center. As a volunteer, he initially coached his children’s teams; these days, he is coaching his grandchildren’s

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teams. With his extensive experience in Alexandria youth sports, citizen activist Rivers has shaped planning for youth sports in athletic programming, and renovation and construction of athletic fields and basketball courts. Rivers grew up 15 miles outside of New York City and played various youth

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Jim Singerling

im Singerling didn’t set out to create a legacy for himself as a caring philanthropist or to seek accolades. Instead, he drew from his formative years and his grandfather’s admonition to “leave the woodpile higher than you found it.” By that definition, Alexandria, especially its arts and cultural organizations, have been enriched many times over by Singerling’s personal mission to make people happy through service. Singerling, who did not complete college, sought his career through hands-on effort. He was born on a farm in Muskegon, Michigan and completed two years of chef school. After service in Vietnam, he worked in apprenticeship and managerial positions in restaurants and private clubs, honing his skills in

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sports. He graduated from Georgetown University and in 1974 moved to the Del Ray neighborhood. He served 33 years in the federal government before retiring in 2004 and is now devoting his full attention to his family and love of athletics. He and his wife Maggie have two adult daughters and three grandchildren. His interests have expanded to bringing recreational opportunities to mentally or physically challenged individuals. “I want them to feel something that more able-bodied athletes feel on a regular basis, a sense of accomplishment, some recognition and just having opportunities to be outdoors and have fun. Persons with hearing impairments or in a wheelchair, or with special education needs should have enjoyment of sports. For them, every hit is a home run.”

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the hospitality industry. A turning point in Singerling’s career and appreciation of the arts came when famed golf course architect Robert Trent Jones asked Singerling to relocate to Florida

to become a corporate official in Jones’ golf course design and management companies. “I was not a student of the arts, though I was exposed to music when younger. Then Trent exposed me more to the visual side. We’d go to people’s homes together and there on the wall would be a Gauguin or impressionist paintings that could be hanging in museums, but there they were in someone’s dining room or living room. You could walk right up to the paintings and see them up close.” International travel and experience overseeing high level properties prepared him for his appointment as chief executive officer of the Club Managers Association of America and

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2012 Nominee Biographies

Fay Slotnick & Joyce Woodson

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or the past five years, groups of Alexandria parents have learned to become advocates for their children and community by first going to “school” themselves. Thanks to an innovative program – the Parent Leadership Training Institute (PLTI), which teaches them to find their voices and engage in the democratic process – Alexandria has been enriched by a new generation of civic activists. Fay Slotnick and Joyce Woodson are honored by Living Legends of Alexandria for bringing the advocacy program to Alexandria and for creating and maintaining the structure to keep the local program vibrant. The impetus, said Slotnick, was a joint desire by the two women to leave the city of Alexandria an enduring legacy after years of their own public service. Based on a successful model first created in Connecticut, the local PLTI board, of which Woodson is the Chair and for which Slotnick serves as the Executive Director, was founded to assist parents to become advocates for their children. In the process, the parents learn to become effective community leaders. Slotnick explains that although many parents have the desire to become involved in school and community affairs, they don’t know how to approach the “system” or have the confidence to do so. Fewer still believe they, as individuals, can make an impact. Until they sign up for PLTI. Slotnick grew up in Philadelphia. She received her undergraduate degree from Temple University and her law degree from Rutgers University. Her family relocated to Alexandria in 1996 and she engaged in volunteer work, mentoring

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Photo by Nina Tisara

and tutoring. Her extensive community service has included working as a Special Advocate for the courts and school system, and as a volunteer for Food and Friends, the Alexandria Democratic Committee and Friends of the Torpedo Factory Art Center. After a stint working in political campaigns, she signed on to become an aide for Alexandria City Councilwoman Joyce Woodson. Woodson, who served on City Council for six years, developed her own extensive community credentials after coming to live in Alexandria in 1975. She took a leadership role in the PTA and in seeking childcare for families. Woodson championed the city’s neediest residents, especially women and children and worked to prevent demolition of public housing. Woodson was an advocate for breast cancer research, worked to resolve disputes between taxi drivers and owners and championed affordable housing improvements. She also was responsible for creating the Citizen’s Academy, which educates citizens on

the workings of City government to encourage engagement. Woodson, who grew up in Fort Wayne, Indiana, received her college degree from Columbia University. Each year, an array of parents apply for 21 sessions of learning skills in parent-child relations, public speaking, leadership, self-regard and civic engagement through PLTI. “We represent the demographics of the city’s make-up,” says Slotnick. “Intentionally, we are all over the map. We have most levels of income. As there are increasingly more immigrants and persons from other countries in our school system, we include more languages and races.” “To remove obstacles from participation, the program offers dinner, childcare, transportation and translations as needed,” she explained. Each parent enrolled in the program must complete a community project and is given opportunities to hone their presentation and public speaking skills. Leadership training is also offered to grandparents, recognizing that multiple generations may be involved in raising a child. The children also gain civic knowledge by engaging with their parents, watching their parents graduate from the program, coming to City Hall, reading newspapers and participating in other activities that foster their own potential as students, family members and community leaders. Slotnick modestly declines to put herself and Woodson in a laudatory light. “No one has ownership in this. We started the program, but it is the parents who continue to make it a success.”

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2012 legends Biographies steuerle from page 12

community organization not because we can afford to give enough money directly, but because we sponsor so many ideas.” As an economist, Gene had studied the charitable sector, community foundations and donor advised funds. In working with other like-minded citizens (“I’m almost afraid to name turner/menEfee-smith from page 13

housing administrator denigrated her potential. “Your chances are very slim and you need to come to terms with that,” she was told. Instead, she attended Northern Virginia Community College, then George Mason University to get her undergraduate degree in Social Welfare. She then attended Howard University for her master’s degree with scholarship assistance. She worked 20 hours a week while attending classes.

them, because I’m afraid I’ll forget to say someone’s name and not give them the credit they deserve”), ACT became an organization that funded modest grants for local nonprofits. But mostly, it “sponsors ideas” through training, legal and financial expertise and organizational mentoring. It also assists or helps underwrite events of other groups to enhance their fundraising potential.

Always in mind is Norma Lang Steuerle, a family and child therapist, “who would have loved” the work of the Alexandria Community Trust, said Kristin. She describes both of her parents as active in community affairs and who gave their own money for many years to benefit others before Norma’s untimely death. “She’d be very happy,” agrees Gene. “She was always action oriented.”

However, her path was not cleared for easy success. Her activism cost her false criminal charges and threatened job loss. Instead, she took a position in Washington, D.C. in health care for the elderly. “That did not stop me from being involved with tenants.” Menefee-Smith and Turner expanded their crusade for the disadvantaged and elderly by advocating for senior citizens, especially in the arenas of affordable health care and affordable housing. They are currently working to improve the well-being of mentally

challenged persons and African American and Hispanic at-risk special education students. “I will always be an advocate for poor people,” said Menefee-Smith, who repeated her intention to keep working for the dignity and rights of minorities and economically challenged. “You just can’t walk away from them.” Turner agrees. Though at 83, she uses a walker and does not have the physical vigor she once had, “I’ve lived a full life and am blessed the Lord let me live so long.” 2012 Nominee Biographies

BLAIR from page 14

a base of operations for the now nationally-acclaimed nonprofit. Today the Foundation has two facilities on the Alexandria Waterfront: a floating museum and boat-building center for volunteers just north of the Torpedo Factory Art Center and a larger boatbuilding workshop behind Robinson Terminal South that employs young apprentices from the juvenile justice system. “The legacy will be that youth can turn their lives around because of this program.” Blair says his long involvement with the Alexandria Seaport Foundation began simply because he struck up a friendship with Youcha. “My goal

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was to facilitate and empower Joe.” He cites the program’s mission to do good by teaching boat building, math skills, responsibility and leadership opportunities to youth while paying them an hourly wage. “It is really a tremendous program,” he says, attempting to deflect praise from himself. Youcha asserts that only one person had the organizational and legal skills to make the Alexandria Seaport Foundation happen – Duncan Blair Of the recently negotiated Alexandria Waterfront Agreement – which is a continuation of the one initiated in 1981 – Blair says he is satisfied with the outcome. “It’s an action plan, not a wish plan. With this agreement, I

think the public and private uses of the waterfront will stand the test of time.” When asked for his recommendation for young citizens of Alexandria, Blair said his advice wasn’t necessarily original, but proven. “Get involved.” He added that early in his life, one of his first civic actions was to serve on the Board of Architectural Review. “It was a way to understand my community and give back. We are obligated to share our time and share our treasure.” For honors bestowed upon him, Blair graciously points to his community betterment projects as living up to his own beliefs and values. “I am humbled to have been suggested and nominated.”

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2012 Nominee Biographies BROCK from page 14

single person again, you find a lot of time. All these opportunities opened up.” The Brock Family Perinatal Diagnostic Center supports pregnancies at risk for maternal, fetal or obstetric complications. “I am very proud of Alexandria Hospital and the services it provides to patients. It is a wonderful place to have a baby” and she notes one of her four grandchildren was born in the unit. She is a recipient of the Julia Johns Award at the hospital for exceptional support of its programs. Brock is also a member of the Child and Family Network, serving preschoolers primarily in Arlandria “who might not otherwise have the opportunities of other Northern Virginia children,” she explained. charles from page 15

volunteering on local Democratic candidate campaigns, as a City Council aide and then full-time aide to then Mayor Kerry Donley. In 1999, she took over as executive director of Stop Child Abuse Now (SCAN). Under her 11-year leadership, she more than doubled the annual budget plus increased the staff and reach of its services. Parent Education programs were expanded to include Spanish language offerings. Taking her influence and professional lessons learned from building nonprofits

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She is treasurer of the Board of Directors of the INOVA Alexandria Hospital Foundation and a member of the Board of the Campagna Center, which also addresses family support issues. In addition, she serves on St. Paul’s Foundation Board. Brock has been on the board of the Burke and Herbert Trust for almost 10 years. Brock has also enthusiastically pursued her love of music by performing in St. Paul’s choir and with the Choral Arts Society in Washington. She is on the Alexandria Symphony board and has been instrumental in attracting prominent musicians to perform with the local orchestra. The Alexandria Commission of the Arts recognized her for decades of support and encouragement of music in the community, citing her as a musician herself and a nurturing mother of

musicians. She was honored for bringing the highest quality of musicianship to Alexandria by attracting top artists and for creating a means for local children to be exposed to high quality music. Brock recommends that persons interested in volunteer service first become active in their church and the vast network of connections available through its members. “Nearly every opportunity I had came about from someone in my church knowing about a project or a person in my church introducing me to someone else who had a project.” She lauds Alexandria as a community full of dedicated volunteers. “No one has to go without food or shelter in this town. We have a great hospital and we have great arts. This is a wonderful place to live.”

from the ground up, she sought to go “beyond the walls” and take advocacy for local youth to new levels in creating the Allies in Prevention Coalition. In recognition, she was named as the 2007 Nonprofit Leader of the Year from the Alexandria Volunteer Bureau (now Volunteer Alexandria), the Alexandria Chamber of Commerce and the Alexandria Community Trust. Charles has served for multiple years as a lay leader at the Fairlington United Methodist Church and for two years on the church council. She also served on Alexandria’s Federal Emergency Management Administration Board, as

an advisory member of the Alexandria Police Foundation, the Alexandria Early Childhood Commission and on the Advisory Council for the Retired and Senior Volunteer Program. She has also been on the executive committee of the Alexandria Council of Human Service Organizations, sharing her insights, experiences, techniques and observations with peers. She continues to work for community improvements in affordable housing and education, supporting after-school tutoring and Rebuilding Together, which rehabilitates homes for elderly and disadvantaged residents.

Living Legends of Alexandria

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2012 Nominee Biographies CHIMENTO/HERTEL from page 15

Master’s degree in English literature from Georgetown University. She has completed all but her dissertation in English Literature and European Literature from Catholic University. She focused on raising two daughters, was a library volunteer for 17 years and an active member at St. Joseph’s Catholic Church. Her only technical credentials at the time she met Hertel were that her father was a scientist, her curiosity and that she enjoyed the challenge of digging into research. “I was aware of soot in the neighborhood and wanted to know what it was.” Hertel, who moved to North Old Town in 1993, said early on that it was not unusual to have house windows open on nice days. He saw substantial changes in local air quality in the late 1990s when the generating station was sold by Vepco to a private owner. His COHEN from page 16

property and grant child visitation rights to grandparents, step-grandparents and other family members. Cohen also advocated for legislation to establish a motorcycle rider safety training fund and to provide for long-term care insurance. He served as a committee member for the Courts of Justice; Corporations Insurance and Banking; and Labor and Commerce. Cohen was

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educational background, he said, “was not a stretch” in learning to understand the problem and its technical, scientific, business approaches and political ramifications. He brought his undergraduate degree in social anthropology and a Ph.D. in economics to the discussion. The following years were a continuum of consultant studies, fact finding, monitoring and navigating complex local, state and federal agencies regulations. Eventually, data on escaping ground-based “fly ash” and then “downwash” (pollution escaping from plant chimneys) convinced the Alexandria City Council that significant health issues were at stake, which led to hiring consultants and more studies. Hertel compliments the “exemplary” City of Alexandria staff involved in the project and citizens who lived elsewhere in the city who attended public hearings. An agreement was struck in 2011 that the “Mirant Plant,”

now owned by GenOn, would be closed by October 2012. During the arduous process, “a lot of people said, ‘Why don’t you just move?’” Hertel remembers. “Our response was, ‘What? And leave it up to someone else to deal with it?’” “I thrive on complexity. It was intellectually stimulating,” says Chimento. Their decades-long quest for better air quality was both “frustrating, but very satisfying” and is now winding down. She and Hertel are still monitoring a large coal pile on the generating station’s premises and working to assure that displaced lower level plant employees are transferred to jobs at other facilities. Of their success in alerting the public to the dangers to environmental health, working through the complex science for a plant closure and subsequent accolades they have received, “it is humbling and gratifying,” Hertel reflects.

appointed by the Speaker of the House to the Virginia Code Commission, where he served until 2000. At George Washington University, he taught environmental litigation for five years. He was also a faculty member at the National College of Advocacy at the Harvard Law School. Locally, he was counsel to several environmental groups in a lawsuit to prevent a 36acre landfill in the Potomac River at the Hunting Creek estuary. He also

represented Virginians for Dulles in a suit against the Federal Aviation Agency and major airlines to abate jet noise at Washington National Airport. Cohen has served as the President of the Northern Virginia Trial Lawyers Association and was a former chairman of the Alexandria Democratic Committee. He was a member of the Alexandria Chamber of Commerce and an Alternate Delegate to the National Democratic Convention.

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2012 Nominee Biographies

CURRAN from page 16

Fund has given funds to The Child and Family Network Centers to enable free preschool and social work services, English as a Second Language (ESL) classes, job training and hearing and vision screening for at-risk families. Girls on the Run, a beneficiary based in many Alexandria elementary schools, is aimed at educating girls ages 8-14 for a lifetime of healthy living, positive emotions and physical development through training for a 5k running event. To help Community Lodgings lift DINARDO from page 17

chairperson of numerous Alexandria nonprofit boards of directors, including Agenda:Alexandria, Alexandria Community Trust, the Alexandria Economic Development Partnership (AEDP) and Volunteer Alexandria. She is also known for serving on transition boards for organizations undergoing significant restructuring, including the AEDP and Volunteer Alexandria. Under her leadership, DiNardo ensures the organizations have strategic plans, HADEED from page 17

Alexandria Evening Lions Club until its merger with the Alexandria Host Lions Club. For several decades of exemplary service, Hadeed was conferred with the organization’s highest award, the Melvin Jones Fellowship. During his tenure as president of the Club, Hadeed raised funds for the eye examination room at Alexandria Hospital, supported free eye exams and eye glasses for the needy and raised money for the Old Dominion Eye Bank in Richmond. Under his supervision,

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Arlandria disadvantaged families from homelessness to self-sufficiency, the Fund donated money for transitional and affordable housing programs and youth and adult education programs. Curran’s generosity also assists the Reading Connection to create literacyrich environments for at-risk children and literacy workshops for adults. Volunteers read aloud to children at shelters and community centers and give new books away. Curran is a Richmond native who attended James Madison University for an art degree and subsequently attended

George Washington University for her master’s in art therapy. She is married and a “hands-on, full time” mother of three daughters. She began running for time alone from her busy schedule and for fresh air. As her training distances increased and race times decreased, she longed for a body-mind connection for her running. “I wanted to commit to something big enough to ask friends and neighbors to give to charity.” Curran and her children selected the local charities she supports, then she laced up her running shoes. “This is my passion, my love.”

fulfill their missions, provide needed services, that they are well-managed and fiscally sound. From negotiating leases to hiring capable executives, DiNardo’s exemplary service has dramatically enriched local nonprofits with a business sensibility. She was also instrumental in developing the Alexandria Coalition of Human Service Organizations, the Alexandria Board Leadership Exchange and a comprehensive study of Alexandria nonprofits that demonstrated the high value of

nonprofits to the City of Alexandria in terms of tax revenue, jobs and other measures. DiNardo is past president of the Commonwealth Republican Women’s Club (CRWC) and has recently been appointed to the University of Virginia Board of Visitors. She has also been appointed by the governor to the Virginia College Building Authority. At St. Rita’s Catholic Church, she is chair of the Financial Committee.

the Lions brought the Mobile Eye and Hearing Test Van to schools, churches and shopping areas, resulting in the referral of children to sight and hearing specialists. Hadeed chaired annual fruit sale campaigns and represented the club when visiting Lions’ events in other communities. Hadeed extensively lobbied the Alexandria City Council to adopt a 911 emergency response system that would field all calls for police, fire and other assistance, increasing efficiency and saving time and lives in critical situations. He was singled out by then

Mayor Charles Beatley for special recognition for rallying community support for the public safety change. In 1990, Hadeed gave his thriving business to his children and pursued further volunteer commitments with the Lions Club and local civic groups such as the Potomac West Business Association. He has been married for 54 years to Samira and they are the parents of two sons and a daughter and grandparents to 11 grandchildren.

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2012 Nominee Biographies

HENSON from page 18

reaching 50 cities and supported by legendary NBA stars. “I was thrust into the opportunity to serve young people and I never learned to say no,” Henson explains. From his first big success, he served on a committee to identify and mentor the “Outstanding High School Student” in the city, which selected the current Alexandria Mayor William Euille. Henson credits Euille with serving in the same spirit today to help young O’BRIEN from page 18

January 31, 2000, and the Alexandria Library Foundation was formed to seek private donations to purchase materials for its collections. Five years later, O’Brien was instrumental in creating the James M. Duncan Foundation. The Kate Waller Barrett branch also underwent substantial renovations under his tenure. Despite the vast technological changes in libraries, O’Brien says the bound book will never be replaced. “Books are the prime resource of information for many citizens. They have prime value of a personal nature. You pick it out, you pick it up and have a relationship sitting with a book. Together, you become one.” Although RIVERS from page 19

Special populations will soon have the opportunity to hit their home runs through the newly formed Miracle League, of which Rivers is president of its advisory board. In 2012, the City will begin construction of Alexandria’s first Miracle Field, located at the Nannie J. Lee Recreation Center. The synthetic turf baseball diamond is designed specifically for youths ages 5 to 15 and

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people reach their potential. “See how it comes around?” Henson says. Henson was the founding member of the Parker-Gray School Alumni Association and initiated the Departmental Progressive Club’s mentoring program for minority male students at Jefferson Houston Elementary School. As the President of the Departmental Progressive Club, he represents the organization at the Charles Houston Recreation Center school age programs. Henson continues to seek innovative

approaches to mentoring and empowering youth, which he identifies as the city’s most pressing need. He encourages citizens from all walks of life to bring community resources to assist in academics, career counseling and vocational opportunities. “People who will provide guidance and be friends to young people are very commendable. Their involvement combats alienation between youth and adults. We don’t want it and we don’t need it. Instead, we need to make them part of the community.“

he loves his Kindle, O’Brien says books will always be objects of art, whether in libraries or bookstores. “The libraries have never been busier. They are doing everything they’ve always done, plus all the electronics.” O’Brien is a native of Newport, Rhode Island, has been married for 34 years and with his wife, Roberta, has raised two children, now young adults. When he came to Alexandria, he promptly joined the Rotary Club, where he became a moving force in Christmas in April, now Rebuilding Together. O’Brien was the first house captain for the organization, which uses volunteer labor and donations to refurbish homes for low income residents. In retirement, he has more time to indulge in another passion –

woodturning. He has a studio in the Workhouse in Lorton and has exhibited in Northern Virginia galleries, Alexandria City Hall and other local venues. He is a member of the Del Ray Artisans Creative Crafts Council and the Art League of Alexandria and frequently donates his awardwinning artwork to charitable auctions, including Rotary’s annual fundraiser, “A Taste for Giving.” Of his transition from paid professional public servant to a life dedicated to volunteerism and art, O’Brien says he keeps a fulfilling and busy schedule. “It is a wonder to go from working every day to playing every day.”

for adults with physical and mental disabilities. Eventually, Rivers says, the rubberized surface could be used for most outdoor sports that accommodate wheelchairs and walkers, such as whiffleball and kickball for seniors, and expand therapeutic recreation for Alexandrians. Under Rivers’ leadership the Miracle Work Group lobbied the Alexandria City Council to move up construction of the Miracle Field in its list of capital improvements. By building strong

partnerships with the Kelley Cares Foundation, local businesses, private citizens, the Washington Nationals, Washington Wizards, the National Miracle Baseball League and the Harmon Killibrew Foundation, the work group expects to meet its goal of raising $135,000 to assist the City in the field’s construction. “It has been heartwarming. I have been so fortunate that so many people involved have been positive. It has been a great experience.”

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2012 Nominee Biographies

SINGERLING from page 19

as a nationally-recognized leader in the hospitality industry. As his career flourished, so did his interest in the arts and in community engagement. One of his children’s godfathers, a graduate of Julliard, would spontaneously perform music, entrancing Singerling. “I hadn’t played an instrument since high school band, but I’ve always been an admirer for the work and the amazing amount of practice time, the love of music and commitment it takes.” He also tied his experience as a chef to his appreciation of offering diners an artistic experience. “It is a mindset of a different kind of creativity. You work to create something for the moment, no matter how fleeting, then it is gone and you do it again for the next diner. I get so much satisfaction from creating

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and making people happy through food and service.” Among his other accomplishments, Singerling is on the board of directors for Le Cordon Bleu cooking schools. Singerling’s civic involvement in Alexandria has included two terms on the Alexandria Chamber of Commerce board and on the board of the Alexandria Convention and Visitors Association. He’s also been on the board of First Night Alexandria and held all officers’ chairs on the Alexandria Symphony Orchestra Board, where he is now a trustee emeritus. He is also a member of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Committee of 100, the country’s most prestigious group of chief staff executives. Singerling concluded that businesses and individuals have a responsibility to support arts in Alexandria, as elsewhere, and not to leave financial support solely

to municipal government. He and likeminded community leaders “saw arts groups fighting each other for funding” and knew there had to be a better way. “A number of us said we can’t let that happen. The money is here. Arts are a thread in the fabric of a community and it is our responsibility to share our knowledge of business strategies to let the artists concentrate on creating art.” “It is easy to look the other way, but arts offer civility, relaxation and a different mindset. It is also our responsibility to young people to expose them to culture.” Singerling often shares concert tickets with younger associates “and the joy I see in their faces when they come back and tell me how much they enjoyed the performance is wonderful.” “Alexandria is a willing community with diverse talents. What I admire most about it is that we are a community reaching beyond our dreams.”

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Living Legends of Alexandria

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Living Legends of Alexandria

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President John Woods

We thank them for their support of our community and most importantly its people. Rotary is proud to have supported the Living Legends Project since its start in 2006. We encourage your additional support of this unique recognition and record of people who make Alexandria such a fine and vibrant community. They exemplify our motto “Service Above Self.”

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Supporting all that Makes Alexandria GREAT!

1733 King Street www.cmaa.org