BIRTHDAY HURRAH
Scores of Alexandrians turned out Jan. 6 for a birthday gala for Patsy Ticer, who very appropriately managed to be born on the Feast of the Epiphany.
The party was given by Barbara and Jerry Mason; Barbara is the executive director of the Child and Family Network Centers, and of course grateful to Patsy for her legislative efforts to help with child care issues.
Mort Langstaff played perfect music, including Happy Birthday while all sang. The buffet offered the best food I’ve seen since the last time I ate at La Bergerie, and a charming team of young people circulated ceaselessly with trays. Leah and Sam Mason, Katie Coan, Elyse Post, Alaric Bibby, and Sarah Kalil carried the trays.
Clark Mercer, president of the Alexandria Young Democrats, labored mightily as bartender, while Kelly Weissenborn, Joann Miller, and Lois Walker toiled in the kitchen, a proper English basement kitchen which has been overseeing parties since 1812.
VIP PARTY
The event was marked as very important by the arrival of Marion Galland, the “able, gracious, and conscientious” first woman who was elected to the Virginia General Assembly from Alexandria. Marion worked hard for civil rights, and was especially interested in Youth correction, introducing a program which would keep juveniles completely separate from adult offenders. Alas, it has never passed.
What I am most grateful to her for is the removal of those baffling Confederate flags which the City of Alexandria used to fly for the George Washington Birthday Parade back in the 60’s. Marian pointed out that there was a long period of time between the death of our first president (1799) and the formation of the Confederacy. She was called all sorts of names, but the flags were kept for more appropriate occasions.
Joan Goehler, Martha Clement, Judy Kalish, Louise Forstall, Jerry Johnson with wife T.J. Palmer-Johnson, and Resa and Lucelle O’Flaherty were present.
CATHERINE FREEMAN TO FRANCE
Carol Freeman came after putting daughter Catherine on a plane to Lyons, where she will spend five months as a semester abroad for UVA. Michelle and Mark Feldheim, Joanne Pyle, Hazel Rigby, Barbara Bush (the Democratic one) and Ron Kirby were there.
Donnie Wintermute came, as did Leonardo Contardo, Connie and Bud Hart, Betty Jo and Howard Middleton, Paul Smedberg, Susan and Danny Abramson.
Congressman Jim Moran, Arlington School Board Chairman Libby Garvey and Patti Schmid were also there to congratulate Patsy.