Obituary: Remembering Civil Rights Activist, Architect Melvin Miller
Architect of affordable housing dies at 83.
For nearly 60 years, Melvin Miller was a fixture in Alexandria, known as a civil rights activist and the architect of affordable housing across the city.
Alexandria: 2015 Athletes of the Year
Angus King to keynote Alexandria Sportsman’s Club banquet.
Alexandria native Angus King, a former governor and current senator representing the state of Maine, will be on hand as the Alexandria Sportsman’s Club honors the city’s top high school athletes at its annual awards banquet May 19 at the Westin Hotel.
Alexandria: Chamber Honors Public Safety Personnel
The Alexandria Chamber of Commerce honored 16 public safety personnel for exceptional performance in the line of duty at the 29th annual Valor Awards.
Mount Vernon: JROTC Cadets Honored
Three JROTC cadets were honored by the Sons and Daughters of the American Revolution during a ceremony held April 30 at Mount Vernon High School.
APD Officer Michael Nugent to Receive Gold at Valor Awards
16 officers to be honored at the 29th annual Alexandria Chamber of Commerce Valor Awards.
It was a cold and icy February morning in 2014 when Alexandria police officer Michael Nugent responded to an emergency call on South Patrick Street.
Firefighter McClain's Life of Service
Firefighter McClain retires after 34 years.
One of Alexandria’s longest serving firefighters has stowed his equipment for the last time. As of April 29, Capt. Thurston McClain officially said goodbye to emergency calls and 24-hour shifts when he retired after serving 34 years with the Alexandria Fire Department.
Got Food?
Stamp Out Hunger food drive set for May 9.
The 2015 Stamp Out Hunger Food Drive, sponsored by the National Association of Letter Carriers and the U.S. Postal Service, will take place Saturday, May 9 throughout the City of Alexandria.
Alexandria: Philanthropy Summit to Honor Local Leaders
U.S. Rep. Don Beyer (D-8), for decades known for his charitable works throughout the region, will keynote the 17th annual Business Philanthropy Summit honoring Alexandria’s top leaders for their service to the community. Sponsored by Volunteer Alexandria, the event will be held May 6 at the First Baptist Church of Alexandria.
Vander Zee Reception Offers a Breath of Spring
Art reception celebrates end of winter.
When Nancy Ziegler’s husband died in 2006, a friend gave her a gift certificate to be used at The Art League. It was there that she discovered her artistic talents and has been a flourishing artist ever since.
Wonder Women: Salute to Women Awards Honors 11
Salute to Women Awards honors 11.
T.C. Williams High School principal Suzanne Maxey was one of 11 women, including three from the Alexandria City Public School system, honored March 26 at the 35th annual Salute to Women Awards.
Some Gave All: Police Memorial in Alexandria Dedicated to Fallen Officers
Police memorial dedicated to fallen officers.
Judy Birney was just 12 years old when her father, youth detective Conrad Birney, was killed responding to a bank robbery in 1972. She went on to follow in her father’s footsteps, serving as an Alexandria police officer until 1999. On March 28, she joined more than 350 people for the dedication of the Alexandria Fallen Officers Memorial honoring the sacrifice of her father and 17 others who died in the line of duty.
Obituary: ‘The Original Ballyshaner,’ Judge O'Flaherty
Judge Daniel O’Flaherty dies at 89.
To anyone appearing in his courtroom, his name invoked fear. But those who knew Judge Daniel O’Flaherty, knew him as a kind and quiet man, a proud Irishman devoted to his family and the City of Alexandria.
Helping Hands
Senior Services of Alexandria
Five years ago, Mary Lee Anderson was asked if she could help Senior Services of Alexandria set up an information database. Since that time, what was supposed to be a part-time commitment has turned into a second career for the international telecommunications corporate executive.
Hawkins Steps Down From Alexandria EDP
Landrum named acting CEO.
Val Hawkins, credited with luring the National Science Foundation Headquarters away from its longtime home in Ballston, stepped down effective March 15 as president and CEO of the Alexandria Economic Development Partnership.
There’s No Place Like Home, Alexandria
Carroll takes the helm at Inova Alexandria.
When Susan Turner Carroll, the recently named CEO of Inova Alexandria Hospital, says she is from Alexandria, she means it.
Obituary: Mary Ellen Feeney
Mary Ellen Feeney, a fourth generation Alexandrian, passed away peacefully March 9, 2015, in her home of 64 years on Richmond Lane. She was 89.
Chamber Hosts Legislative Breakfast
Officials discuss top state, local issues.
The Alexandria Chamber of Commerce hosted members of City Council and the Virginia General Assembly at its annual Legislative Breakfast March 10 at the Hotel Monaco.
Paving the Way in Alexandria
Basketball pioneer Earl Lloyd dies at 86
When Jackie Robinson broke baseball’s color barrier in 1947, he did it under the glare of a national spotlight. Three years later, on a snowy evening in 1950, a similar but quieter revolution took place when a black man stepped onto a court in Rochester, N.Y., marking the first time an African American had played for an NBA team. That man was Earl Lloyd.
All in the Family for Alexandria
SSA to honor generations of giving.
’Twas the night before Christmas, literally, when a man walked into the Senior Services of Alexandria office and handed an envelope to then-executive director Janet Barnett. The year was 2007 and the man was Ron Bradley. “Ron asked how he could help the seniors of Alexandria,” Barnett said. “When I explained that the city did not provide meals to seniors on holidays, Ron stepped in with $10,000 to fund a holiday meals program. But he had a condition — that they could not be ordinary meals. He wanted our seniors to enjoy a festive meal just like we do at home.”
Top Firefighter To Keynote Breakfast
Friendship Firehouse event kicks off Parade Day celebrations.
U.S. Fire Administrator Ernest Mitchell Jr. will be the keynote speaker at the annual Friendship Veterans Fire Engine Association breakfast Feb. 16 to kick off the citywide George Washington Birthday Parade day celebrations.
Alexandrian WWII Veteran Remembers The Battle of the Bulge
‘We Were Annihilated’
It was one of the best kept secrets of World War II. When 20-year-old U.S. Army Medic Robert Wineland arrived in the village of Laudersfeld, the wooded countryside of far eastern Belgium was relatively peaceful, a quiet buffer zone disrupted only by occasional artillery fire and brief skirmishes between opposing infantry patrols. But on Dec. 16, 1944, the sleepy Ardennes front was about to wake up.
Citizens to the Rescue
Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Academy accepting applications.
The Fairfax County Citizens Fire and Rescue Academy, a free nine-week program to learn about the work of firefighters and paramedics, will begin its next session March 12, with the deadline for online applications closing on Feb. 16.
Alexandria: Amazing Grace
APD mourns loss of first female police K-9.
For more than a year, it looked as if she would defy the odds, but on Christmas Eve, Gracie, Alexandria’s first female police K-9, lost her battle with kidney cancer. “Gracie was not only an outstanding police dog, she was a great family dog,” said APD K-9 officer Steven Escobar.
Warm Welcome in Alexandria
Owner Laurent Janowsky, left, welcomes California winemaker Merry Edwards to La Bergerie restaurant Dec. 9.
Ushering in the New Year in Alexandria
First Night fireworks light up Alexandria.
Fireworks lit up the sky over the Potomac River to usher in 2015 as part of the 20th anniversary of First Night Alexandria.
Alexandria Civil Rights Pioneer Ferdinand Day Dies
The force behind the philosophy of “Every Student Counts.”
When Ferdinand Day was born in 1918, Virginia had just passed its first compulsory school attendance law for children ages 8-12. But with legalized segregation, funding for the education of African American students was sorely limited, with only four black public high schools in the entire state. It would take decades before one existed in Alexandria.
Secret Santas in Alexandria
Departmental Progressive Club collects toys for Jefferson-Houston families
Members of the Departmental Progressive Club stopped by Jefferson-Houston Elementary School Dec. 15 to deliver more than 100 toys for students in need. “We are so thankful for what the Departmental Progressive Club has done,” said Jefferson-Houston principal Chris Phillips. “Each toy here means one more kid will wake up happy.”
Alexandria: Bows, Baskets and Bikes
The Alexandria Convention and Visitors Association held its third annual Bows, Baskets and Bikes event Nov. 20, bringing together area event planners and hotel partners to help build bicycles for needy families and announcing its new partnership with Volunteer Alexandria.
Hope for the Holidays in Alexandria
’Tis the season of giving: of gifts, of parties and of thanks. But what should be a time of hope and happiness too often can be a time of despair for Alexandria’s vulnerable and low income families.
Glory Days in Alexandria
ASC celebrates Old Oaken Bucket rivalry.
From George Washington High School’s opening in 1935 until 1968, Thanksgiving mornings were synonymous with the pinnacle matchup of Virginia high school football. Residents and visitors braved plummeting temperatures and postponed culinary preparations to attend the grand spectacle of talent and grit known as the Old Oaken Bucket rivalry between GW and Arlington’s Washington-Lee High School.
Alexandria: ‘I Wanted A Better Life’
Civil Rights pioneer Nelson Greene Sr. dies at 100.
When Nelson Greene Sr. came to Alexandria in 1953, blacks were the target of racial discrimination, schools were segregated and a poll tax was required to vote.
Alexandria: The Right Stuff
Astronaut Buzz Aldrin salutes USPTO veterans.
It was one small step taken 45 years ago. Around the world, eyes were collectively riveted to grainy pictures on a television screen while others gazed up at the sky in wonder and awe.
Wicked Fun
ACPS students make Halloween visit to the White House.
Forget South Lee Street in Old Town. For 44 fifth-graders from Patrick Henry Elementary School, the White House was the place to be on Halloween.
Veterans Day: Faces of the Fallen
Vietnam Memorial seeking photos of local veterans.
Along with more than 58,000 other soldiers, the name of Capt. Humbert Roque "Rocky" Versace is memorialized on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall in Washington, D.C.
Veterans Day: Alexandria Honors Veterans Week
Nov. 9-16 schedule of events
Alexandria Honors Veterans Week will kick off a series of events to honor and celebrate the service of local veterans.
Veterans Day: Leading the Charge
McMahan spearheads veterans business unit.
In June of 2001, Emily McMahan was a newly commissioned military police officer and recent graduate of the United States Military Academy at West Point.
Firefighters Distribute 2,500 Pairs of Shoes
Seeing is believing for Nicholas Chakos and his family, who made the drive from Pittsburgh to Alexandria to help provide 2,500 pair of shoes to children in need as part of the Firefighters and Friends to the Rescue coat and shoe distribution Oct. 28 at Penn Daw Fire Station 11.
A Feast for Foodies
Rotary’s Taste For Giving raises funds for local nonprofits.
The Rotary Club of Alexandria held its seventh annual Taste For Giving, a community-wide fundraiser to benefit more than 30 local charities and nonprofits, Oct. 24 in the atrium of the U.S. Patent and Trade Office.
Sole Provider
Firefighters distribute 2,500 pair of shoes to children in need.
Seeing is believing for Nicholas Chakos and his family, who made the drive from Pittsburgh to Alexandria to help provide 2,500 pair of shoes to children in need as part of the Firefighters and Friends to the Rescue coat and shoe distribution Oct. 28 at Penn Daw Fire Station 11.
And the Winners Are ...
Chamber honors 2014 local Businesses of the Year.
The Alexandria Chamber of Commerce held its annual Business of the Year Awards Oct. 22, honoring businesses throughout the community and Lonnie C. Rich as the 2014 Business Leader of the Year.
Arlington Strong
Wardian leads local runners in 39th Marine Corps Marathon.
It’s been a busy month for Michael Wardian. The 40-year-old Arlington resident took to the starting line of the 39th Marine Corps Marathon to run his third marathon in 21 days with a 50-mile race added to the mix.
A Dream Come True
Alexandria Book Shelf Turns 1, dedicates MVCS location.
Summer school paid off for Mount Vernon Community School principal Peter Balas, who officially opened the newest Alexandria Book Shelf Oct. 6 as part of the DreamDog Foundation literacy program.
Family and Friends Mourn Death of Georgina Parks
Former ACPS speech pathologist, civic volunteer dies of cancer.
In the fall of 1967, Roger Parks was checking out “the impressionable young freshman” girls at the University of Kentucky when he met the woman who would change his life.
‘Taste of Teeter’
Crowds flock to opening of Harris Teeter in Old Town.
Deborah Henderson stood for hours cheerfully answering questions and directing shoppers to the proper aisles as hundreds of residents turned out for the “Taste of Teeter” night Oct. 21 to celebrate the long-awaited opening of Old Town’s Harris Teeter grocery store.
John McEnearney Dies at 87
Real estate pioneer, community leader was decorated Vietnam veteran.
For John McEnearney, helping the area’s most vulnerable citizens was part of his DNA, a testament to his family’s nearly 100-year commitment to helping others.
Rich Named Business Leader of the Year
Chamber to host business awards Oct. 22.
Lonnie C. Rich, founding partner of Rich, Rosenthal, Brincefield, Manitta, Dzubin and Kroeger LLP, has been named the 2014 Business Leader of the Year by the Alexandria Chamber of Commerce.
Lights, Camera, Action
Travel Channel show to feature Del Ray’s Pork Barrel BBQ.
Hollywood invaded Alexandria Sept. 25 when the Travel Channel descended on Del Ray’s Pork Barrel BBQ Restaurant to tape an episode of its food show BBQ Crawl.
Going, Going, Gone
Contents of Old Town Theater auctioned off.
The entertainment phrase “bringing down the house” held a different meaning this week as the contents of the Old Town Theater were dismantled and auctioned off Oct. 7 after the landmark venue dimmed its marquee lights for good earlier this summer.
La Zona Rosa
NVFAA benefit held at historic Athenaeum.
The Northern Virginia Fine Arts Association held its second annual La Zona Rosa reception Oct. 5 at the historic Athenaeum in Old Town. “This is a way for us to thank our supporters and board members as well as to welcome our incoming board,” said NVFAA board chair Amy Heiden. “This is the second year for this fundraiser and a fun way for us to say ‘thank you’ to our members.”
Art on the Avenue
Record crowds attend Del Ray festival.
A record 55,000 people took to the streets of Del Ray Oct. 4 for the 19th annual Art on the Avenue, one of Alexandria’s premiere events and largest arts festivals in the mid-Atlantic region.