The Board of Supervisors named the 2015 Lords and Ladies Fairfax on Tuesday, May 12. Photo Contributed
Celebrate Fairfax, Inc. announced the 2015 Lords and Ladies Fairfax at the Board of Supervisors meeting on Tuesday, May 12 at the Fairfax County Government Center.
“The tradition of honoring Lords and Ladies Fairfax began in 1984 to recognize exceptional citizens of Fairfax County,” according to Celebrate Fairfax. The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors selects two people from each district who have demonstrated superior volunteer service, heroism or other special accomplishments.
Supervisor Cathy Hudgins honored L. Adelle Jones as Lady Fairfax and Kenneth R. Fredgren as Lord Fairfax in the Hunter Mill District.
Jones, a 43-year resident of Reston and a native of Greenville, N.C., was the Langston Hughes Middle School guidance counselor for 19 years and was commended by the Fairfax County School Board for her work with parents, students and the community.
“She piloted and developed a core school, community mentoring program at Hughes that expanded to 13 other Fairfax County schools and involved more than 400 students,” said Hudgins.
Since her retirement, said Hudgins, Jones has served as the vice president of the Martin Luther King Jr. Cultural Foundation, Inc., which has provided more than $400,000 in scholarships to diverse student groups in Northern Virginia, according to Celebrate Fairfax documents.
“She was a former member and chairperson of the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Birthday Day Celebration Planning Committee for 18 years that has evolved into three days of community service, musical salutes and inspirational programs in honor of the life and legacy of Dr. King,” said Hudgins.
Jones also coordinated a career workshop for middle and high school students and regularly provides food service to residents of the Embry Rucker Homeless Shelter in Reston.
Fredgren advocates for the accessibility of the community for people with disabilities.
“When it becomes noticeable that a new curb ramp, appropriate signage or additional accessible parking spaces are needed at local retail and service establishments, Mr. Kenneth R. Fredgren also becomes noticeable,” said Hudgins. “Surveying shop landlords and restaurant owners, Mr. Fredgren is quick to point out accessibility is just a plain good business opportunity to offer the growing market of aging customers and those with disabilities.”
Fredgren has also served as a member of the Fairfax County Interagency committee to review existing policies and determine if there might be opportunities to improve the process in ensuring public accommodations.
The Lords and Ladies will be honored at a special dinner hosted by Great American Restaurants, Celebrate Fairfax, Inc., and the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors, on Tuesday, June 2, 2015.
At Large: Kate Hanley and Lt. Col. John P. McAnaw
Fairfax County Board of Supervisors Chairman Sharon Bulova named Katherine K. Hanley, former Board Chairman, as this year’s At-Large Lady Fairfax.
Hanley was first elected to the Fairfax County School Board, then the Board of Supervisors as the Providence District Supervisor and then as Board of Supervisors Chairman.
“During her tenure, Ms. Hanley worked tirelessly with other members of the Board, not only advocating for education, but also for human services and affordable housing. In recognition, a homeless shelter for families, was named after her. Recently additional transitional housing units called ‘Kate’s Place’ were built adjacent to the shelter,” said Bulova.
Hanley was instrumental in the establishment of the Revenue Stabilization fund along with a significant investment in building Fairfax County’s Information Technology infrastructure, said Bulova. “She was also a great proponent of transportation initiatives, helping to position the Silver Line for federal funding.”
After leaving the Board of Supervisors, Hanley served as Secretary of the Commonwealth, and is now on the Metropolitan Washington Airport Authority, the Fairfax County Electoral Board and the Community Services Board. She has led the bipartisan election commission, the committee on the meals tax, an effort that brought together disparate, competing groups who came up with a near unanimous vote to bring a report to the Board of Supervisors, said Bulova.
Bulova cited Lt. Col. John P. McAnaw’s love for history, love of country and love of service reasons she named him the 2015 Lord Fairfax.
“Lt. Col. John P. McAnaw is well known for his tireless work to preserve history in Fairfax County,” said Bulova. “His love of our past earned him a Lifetime Achievement Award from the History Commission for his decades of service as a Civil War Historian.”
The Park Authority honored Lt. Col. McAnaw by naming a Recreation area for his significant preservation efforts.
A veteran serving in leadership roles within VFW Post 8469, Lt. Col. McAnaw is the past President of the Bull Run Civil War Roundtable. He helped lead the effort to preserve Ox Hill, an important Civil War site. In addition to this, he is also a Board Member of the Fairfax Station Railroad Museum and has served as a historian for a number of local organizations in Fairfax County.
In his Kings Park West community, Lt. Col. McAnaw has served as Chairman of the Parks committee, leading numerous efforts to mobilize scouts and volunteers to build and maintain trails throughout the parkland surrounding Royal Lake.