a murderously fun night in the villas e · 2013-09-18 · 2 november/december 2009 village life...

By Edith Isacke, Diamond

Tea for two or a hundred and two—the Second Anniver-sary Tea Dance celebration

drew a large crowd to Hefner Audi-torium on September 20th. Highlight of the affair was the nostalgic big band swing tunes of the 40s played by the Olney Big Band. The band,

under the direction of Dr. “Rip” G. Rice, featured 17 musicians and 2 vocalists and received rave reviews from the crowd. Some residents, unable or unwilling to dance, came just to hear their favorite “Big Band Sound”.

The tea dances originated in 2005 when no dancing was offered on

campus. To fill the void, Janet and Dave Lingrell and Liz and Duane McKenna inaugurated a biweekly tea dance in the Park View Club Room. Fit-ness Professional James War-ner, knowing the benefits of dancing, was willing to bring the monthly tea dancing to Rosborough for all residents to enjoy. With dancers from the local Arthur Murray Studio volunteering as partners, resi-dents can participate without bringing their own partner.

By Anita Taylor, Park View

Who would have guessed? On our AMV campus are more

than 3,800 trees, of dozens of varieties. This we know because of the work of two local teen-agers, Nick and Ross Holcomb, who spent many summer days identifying, tagging or retagging Asbury’s trees as part of their

Eagle Scout projects.On our campus slightly more

than 90 acres are free of build-ings, or pavement and sidewalks. Dividing this land between them-selves and enlisting the help of many friends and family mem-bers (including their grandfather, Trott resident Evan Haynes), Ross and Nick began with two previ-

November/December 2009Volume 16 Number 9

Residents, Associates, Families & Friends www.asburymethodistvillage.org

A NEWSPAPER FOR ASBURY METHODIST VILLAGE

Do you know a “wheelie” big deal when you see one? Salisbury’s The Daily Times did when they put Asbury’s Scott Brewer on the front page of their October 11, 2009 issue. At 87-years old,

Scott was lauded as the oldest known rider of the more than 8,300 cyclists who participated in the 21st Sea Gull Century 2009 ride to ben-efit the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.

Salisbury University welcomed the record number of cyclists and their families and friends to the event that raised more than $550,000 toward their cause. Congratulations to Scott for being Asbury’s SPOKES-person!

—Linda Aber, Editor and Fan

By Mary Anstead and Bob Yount, Villas

Eerie things seem to start hap-pening in the Villas around Halloween. One resident’s

wife often went off into another room and began talking loudly to herself. Just before calling the men in the white coats the resident learned that the wife was practicing for a play to be given at the Villas’ semi-monthly social gathering.

Kathy Albertson and Cathy Manning put on their thinking caps way back in September and came up with a clever idea, which Ann Utterback turned into an original script. Togeth-er they enlisted seven villa residents to act in the villain-ous play. A murder was com-

mitted, investigated, and solved — all within 20 minutes! Our seven villa thespians practiced three days

Scott Brewer is Asbury’s best SPOKESperson!

Look! Look! See Scott Ride!

Ride, Scott Ride!

Duane McKenna leads wife, Liz, around the dance floor. We’re waiting to see a Mac and Zil about dancing!

Asbury Tea Dance Marks 2nd Anniversary

Continued on page 13

A Murderously Fun Night in the Villas

From left to right: Marian Fritsch, Dan Muller, Cathy Hugh, Jo Yount, Floyd Mauer and Bill Backer. Not pictured

is organist Annabel Liebelt.

Continued on page 6

Trott resident Evan Haynes and Eagle Scouts Nick and Ross Holcomb, scouted out the Asbury trees for inventory.

A TREE-mendous Accomplishment!

Continued on page 5

2 November/December 2009 Village life

VILLAGELIFE

Editor

Linda Williams Aber

Director of Communications

Asbury Methodist Village

201 Russell Avenue

Gaithersburg, MD 20877

[email protected]

General information: 301-330-3000

Resident Editors

Rod Mills, Mund, Copy Editor

and Reporter

Marilyn Gaut, Trott

Norma Barr, Diamond

Gladys Sillcox, Edwards-Fisher

Al Tholen, Park View

Homé Reitwiesner, Kindley

Resident Staff

Wallace: Keith Steele, Bob Bernero

and Mary Waldron.

Diamond: Ed Caffery, Martin Moon,

Marshall Grotenhuis, Harry Lowery

and Edith Isacke

Edwards-Fisher: Joan Dunlop,

Rosemary Pasek, Luella LaVee and a

big hug to Betty Goen.

Mund: Gil Snyder and Judy Weaver

Trott: Jeanne North, Marjorie Brugger

and Hal Gaut

Park View: Duane McKenna

and Tom McIlrath.

Villas: Reg Westlake, Carol Dennis,

Mary Anstead, Bob Hoff, Bob Yount,

Dan Muller and Marolyn Hatch

Design/Layout:

Mina Rempe @ Electronic Ink

Printing:

Chesapeake Publishing Corp

Village Life is published by Asbury Methodist Village

Communications Department

“The mission of Village Life is to provide timely, interesting and entertaining news about the lives, concerns and activities of the peo-ple who reside, work and volunteer at Asbury Methodist Village.”

Letter to the Executive Director

By Reg Westlake, Villas

It’s time again for Montgom-ery Playhouse’s Annual Benefit production of Barbara Robin-

son’s “The Best Christmas Pageant Ever” in the Rosborough Center. In this hilarious Christmas tale, a cou-ple struggling to put on a church Christmas pageant are faced with casting the Herdman kids, proba-bly the most inventively awful kids in history. You won’t believe the mayhem – and the fun – when the Herdmans collide with the Christ-mas story head on!

The production will be for five performances only - one evening, two matinees on Saturday and two on Sunday. The double matinees are new this year.

Friday, December 18 at 8 pmSaturday, December 19 at 1 pm

and 4 pm

Sunday, December 20 at 1 pm and 4 pm

This is not part of the Playhouse’s regular season, but is a fundraiser, part of their annual campaign to help the finances of the Playhouse. Thus there will be no free admis-sion for Asbury residents. Tickets are $12, but family 4-packs are $40. As we are all one big family at Asbury the Playhouse has kindly said that four Asbury residents can combine and buy a family 4-pack.

Reservations can be made by call-ing the Box Office at 301-977-5751 or by email to [email protected]

Come and join the fun, bring the grandchildren and help the Play-house.

Christmas Fun with The Montgomery Playhouse

October 13, 2009David DentonAsbury Methodist Village201 Russell AvenueGaithersburg, MD 20877

Dear Mr. Denton:Congratulations! You and the

residents and associates of Asbury Methodist Village have earned Wildlife Habitat Council (WHC) Wildlife at WorkSM certification for the successful implementa-tion of a comprehensive wildlife habitat management program. This prestigious distinction is awarded to your program as a result of your demonstrated commitment

towards long-term wildlife habi-tat enhancement efforts.

The efforts of the residents and associates at Asbury Methodist Village, particularly in the highly organized wildlife team, good com-munity partnerships, native polli-nator plantings, and regular species inventories, have been truly excep-tional. The staff at WHC wishes you continued success in the growth of your wildlife habitat enhancement programs. When looking for ways to expand the program, consider recording all findings throughout the season when monitoring blue-bird nest boxes, as this will provide more information for the wildlife team to monitor long-term trends. Detailed logs could then be submit-

ted to a program such as Cornell’s NestWatch to increase understand-ing of native bird populations. If you would like assistance in expanding habitat programs, involving com-munity partners, or beginning a conservation education program, please do not hesitate to contact WHC.

To further congratulate you on a job well-done, we would like to invite you to take part in the WHC 21st Annual Symposium, where you and your Wildlife Team members will be presented with your new Wildlife at Work/International Accreditation Program Certificate. We will hold a special reception in honor of certified and recertified programs on November 10th, 2009. Prior to this reception, your site’s representatives will receive their certificate and have a photograph taken with the WHC President or Chairman of the Board. Photo ses-sion information will be provided in the workbook you will receive at Symposium. Later that

evening, at the awards banquet, a multimedia presentation will highlight the projects at the certi-fied and recertified sites, and the coveted Community Partner of the Year, Corporate Lands for Learn-ingSM Rookie of the Year, Rookie of the Year, Corporate Lands for Learning of the Year, and Corpo-rate Habitat of the Year awards will be presented.

WHC’s 21st Annual Symposium and Awards Banquet was held November 9th and 10th, 2009 at

the Baltimore Marriott Waterfront in Baltimore, Maryland. Attending the symposium was an excellent way to reward team members for their continued hard work and dedication. (Editor’s Note: Repre-senting Asbury Methodist Village at the symposium were resident Lydia Page, Director of Plant Operations and Maintenance Lenny Hines, and Director of Therapeutic Activities WHCC Elaine Kielman.)

In addition to the awards cer-emony, Asbury Methodist Village’s efforts will be recognized through press releases and inclusion in WHC’s Registry of Certified & Internationally Accredited Wildlife at Work Programs. By maintaining the quality of the wildlife manage-ment program, Asbury Method-ist Village will be eligible for recertification in two years and should apply by July 31st, 2011. In the meantime, please con-tinue to maintain and monitor your projects by keeping logs and data sheets, as this information will be required for recertification.

Congratulations, again, and thank you for your participation in WHC’s Wildlife at Work/International Accreditation Program. Residents and associates at Asbury Methodist Village should take pride in know-ing that they have made an impor-tant contribution to wildlife habitat conservation.

Sincerely,Robert JohnsonWHC President

Village life November/December 2009 3

Don’t Embarrass Yourself by Misspelling Scizzors.

Or Is It Scissors?A panel of eight Trotters endured the torture

of a spelling bee on October 20, when after a dinner of potatoes, zucchini, mozzarella and biscuits, the haughty Rob Roy acquiesced to dispense bizarre words such as rhythm, oxygen, toboggan, androgynous and pseudonymous. For-tunately, no one was struck with either pneu-monia or ptomaine poisoning.

The panel: Hugh Andrew, Pat Carrico, Hal Gaut, Jim Lordeman, Jeanne North, Betty Prestemon, Bonnie Schneider, Ginny Williams. Bookkeeper: Edna Hargrove. Organizer; Phyllis Naylor. Kudos to Betty Prestemon, who rains as Spelling Bee Queen. Or should that be reigns?

Scouts Lend White-Gloved Hands Scouts from Cadette Troop 2686 helped out

as docents at the Quilt Show, and here stand in front of one of the quilts on display.

Decko Makes the CallsPhyllis Reynolds Naylor and Carl Marca swing

and sway the contra way, with Trott’s Col. H.A. Deck (“Decko” ) making the calls. Other danc-ers: Hugh Andrew, Geraldine Corn, Theresa Dern, Dave Kosow, Jean Kosow, Jim Lordeman, Jane Martin, Ruth Plume, Doreen Sexton, Felicia Stokely. Other enthusiasts: Hal and Marilyn Gaut, Ruthie Swain.

Last call to join the group, and a popular one it is, with walking (to music), gentle twirling, and some of those familiar dance moves like swings, promenades, allemande left, do-si-dos, harking back to English country dances. Second and fourth Saturdays in Parker Hall. Call Decko for more info.(x6467).

The Unreliable SourceBy Jeanne North, Trott

Photo: Adrianne Navon

Left to right: contestant Hal Gaut; caller Rob Roy Ratliff; partially obscured by the podium,

Betty Prestemon, winner; Ginny Williams and Jeanne North, tied for second place.

Left to right: Katie Loebach, Delaney Collins, Katherine Montella, and Jacqueline Landry

Now Where Did You Say Williamsburg Lane Is?

Seven new residents took The Welcome Home Tour of the AMV campus and surround-ing neighborhood on Wednesday, Oct. 21. The Welcome Home Tour is a new initiative that Asbury Foundation is sponsoring for new res-idents of AMV. It explores some of the often overlooked corners of the campus, with the aim of answering questions such as Where is Conley Hall? How do you find your way from Trott to the Bargain Mart? Where is the Wil-liamsburg Clothes Closet and what is Williams-burg Lane? Docent/Historical Society leader Harriet Renison was at the last mentioned spot and gave the touring group a thumbnail intro to the history of the Admin building and

the campus. The Foundation’s representative was also on hand, providing sustenance to the group, which included Fujiko Kakefuda, Harry Taima, David and Pauline Conley, William and Lenore Mulroney and Carol Watkins.

Just Look At This!Edwards-Fisher New Resident Millie Lucas

exults in her winning: the sumptuously col-ored quilt hand made by Lynne Hines, wife of Asbury’s own Maintenance Director Lenny Hines. What a welcome to Asbury!

Money from the sale of raffle tickets goes to the Historical Society, which will use it for needed supplies for cataloguing and storing artifacts in the Society’s historical collection.

Photo: Adrianne Navon

Docent Harriet Renison talking to people on the tour.

The Asbury Foundation held its 2009 Caring Classic Golf Tourna-ment on Tuesday, October 13th at

The Members Club at Four Streams. On a day with spectacular, albeit slightly windy, weather, 80 golfers participated in the annual tournament.

With the help of its supporters, led by Willis HRH and The Hartford as Tourna-ment Sponsors, the Caring Classic gen-erated significant funds for the Benevo-lent Care and Care Assurance Funds at Asbury’s six communities. Approximate-ly $53,000 was raised from sponsors, a silent auction, 50/50 raffle, and putting contest.

Asbury Methodist Village residents were also in attendance and enjoyed a fine meal among the golfers.

A Tournament to Remember!2009 Caring Classic Golf Tournament supported Benevolent Care and Care Assurance Programs


On October 19, in front of 417, a bird (no ID) res-

cue took place. Jean Gold-en (a frequent visitor and Bargain Mart volunteer) along with Vera Green, Diamond resident, freed a bird caught in the net-ting covering new sod. The bird’s friend in the nearby bushes continued to call for help through-out the ordeal. Once the bird was freed two grate-ful feathered friends flew off together.”

Frank and Jean Young, Villas, recently joined their son and daughter-in-law, Rick and Barb of Winnetka, IL, for a family weekend at Bucknell University in Lewisburg, PA where grandson Matthew is a sophomore….Frank and Jean cel-ebrated their 60th wedding anniversary on October 8th.

The Partnership Advisory Committees (PACs) were reorganized as of January 1,

2008. One goal was that each PAC would be staffed by eleven resi-dent members (including the Resi-dent Co-Chair) plus an Associate Co-Chair, for a total of 12. Another, unwritten, goal was to have each residential building represented on each PAC. After nearly two years of operating under the reorganiza-tion plan, most of the PACs have reached the planned staffing of 12 members. Only a few PACs are

short as shown in the table below notably, the Buildings & Grounds, Communications, Future Projects, and Health & Wellness PACs. Note also that not all buildings are rep-resented on every PAC.

In order to address its work goals, the short-staffed PACs invite resi-dents with interests in their areas to contact the PAC Registrar Fran Blendermann (phone: 3158; Villa #376; e-mail: [email protected]) who will provide you with an “Interest Form” for use in appli-cation.

Peek the PACsatBy Al Tholen, Park View

PACs Need More Volunteers

Smile. It costs you nothing. A smile enriches those who receive it without impover-

ishing those who give it. It can happen in a flash yet the memory of it can last a lifetime.

None are so rich they can get along without it and none are so poor they can’t be enriched by it. Smile. It creates happiness in the home, fosters goodwill in business, and is the countersign of friends. It is rest to the weary, sunshine to the sad, and a natural antidote for what-ever troubles you.

A smile is no good to anybody until it is given away and nobody needs a smile so much as those who have none left to give. So smile.

Martha A. Brown, Director of Pastoral Care

Inspiration PointA Little Smile Goes a Long Way

Mac and Zil

Village Life Bits and PiecesWould you like to see your news listed in Bits

and Pieces? Keep it short, sweet, and neat. Simply write/type it and send it via Campus

Mail to Linda Aber Village Life or by e-mail to: [email protected]

Boo! Diamond gals Mary Lou Luff, Emily Womach, Margaret Arnold,

Francis Winston, Carol Brewer and Artha Jean Snyder bringing some Hal-loween cheer to the Diamond coffee.

Photo: Hal Gaut

Ruthie Swain, Mund, has done it again! Keeping the Mund showcase looking fit

for fall adds a visual lift to the lobby.


By Luella LeVee, Edwards-Fisher

“May I have your atten-tion,” she says over the mike in her soft

but resonant voice. Immediately, forks are put down and conversa-tion ceases in the Crawford Dining Room.

And Betty Wilbur, Edwards-Fish-er, tells us about the Keese School program for this evening.

She’s been doing it for so long, she can’t remember the number of years. But it’s no small thing for

those of us who depend upon her.“Her announcements make me

smile,” said one fellow diner. “They are a reminder not only of upcom-ing programs, but of the wide range of activities here at Asbury.”

At the Hefner Dining Room, those who make similar announce-ments include Martha Grimm and Mac McCullough, both of Diamond, Betty Haller and Nancy Sauer, both of Mund, Liz Van Billiard, Edwards-Fisher, and Luther Saxon, Trott. A tip of our hat to all.

By Mary Anstead, Villas

A recent exhibit of twen-ty houses at the Solar Decathlon on the Mall

in Washington, D.C. energizes the mind to accept ways that we can recycle and use renew-able products. A simple gable house, seemingly just off the Midwest prairie, uses no more energy off the grid than that hair dryer you use after wash-ing your hair! Recycled paper

shows up as the counters and cabinet fronts in the kitchen – laminated to a thickness that fools the eye into thinking it is

regular plastic laminate material. A barn, ready to be torn down for a development, provided the siding for the house. The outside decking for the house was wood sal-vaged from a grain ele-vator about to be torn down. Those pesky, fast growing bamboo trees, which we can’t seem to get rid of in the garden, are striped and laminated to form a strong frame as well as roof trusses. Fin-ished and polished, that same bamboo provides a beautiful floor. This leaves our trees to con-tinue to grow and shade us.

Of course, the twelve-inch insulation, high energy-efficient appli-ances, tight thermal win-

dows, and the almost invisible solar panel roof complete the design for energy savings. Yes, it’s smaller than our McMansions of today and it’s experimental, but look what the future can hold when we recycle, renew, and reuse! The three R’s for the 21st century.

By Edith Isacke, Diamond

This novel tells the story of a leading citi-zen in a small

East Texas town and the effect of his life and death on virtually every-one in town. This tragic-comic novel of manners follows the Wingate fam-ily’s successes and fail-ures, tensions and rival-ries, the consequences of which affect the fortunes of Jason’s friends, relatives, and ordinary townspeople. Most directly affected by Jason Wingate’s life and death are his three children, each of whom inherits some, but not all, of his qualities, and each of whom struggles in a different way to come to terms with the past.

A literary scholar, Mr. Broderick has not heretofore published works of fic-tion. The reception accorded Jason Wingate’s Legacies encourages him to do more writing of this kind. Mr. Broderick’s idea for the story origi-nated from his thoughts after seeing the play “The Royal Family”—a spoof and satire about the Barrymores: Lio-nel, Ethel and John. He modeled his story, vaguely, after a family he knew. He presents seven first-person

accounts of the town’s many foibles and secrets and the repercussions

for the entire town over many years. The story is initially told from the varying points of view of the characters in this drama. The action unfolds chronologically with the first section resolving important relationships among the characters in an ironic and satisfying conclusion.

Formerly a professor of English at the University of Texas and Wake Forest University, Mr. Brod-erick has been published in various professional journals and served as General Editor for the Journal of Henry David Thoreau. He was Chief of the Manuscript Division at the Library of Congress and Assis-tant Librarian for Research Services. During his career at the Library, he also served as an adjunct professor at George Washington University. After retirement, he taught at Catholic Uni-versity in the School of Library and Information Science. He has also been a visiting professor at the Uni-versities of North Carolina and Vir-ginia. John and his wife Kathryn moved to Asbury in 2007.

JASON WINGATE’S LEGACIESA Novel by Diamond Resident, John C. Broderick

ous inventories, the newest of which had been made ten years ago. These earlier lists had indicated the pres-ence of about 2,400 trees, but the Holcombs found that around 500 of those no longer existed. In addition, they identified and tagged nearly 2,000 trees not previously listed.

Initially they expected the project to consist of updating the previous inventories. The task was to have been eased by using a computer-ized program employed by the most recent of the prior inventories that noted a location for each tree in the compiled list. However, the project quickly illustrated the scien-tific maxim that nothing is as simple as it seems. A file critical to using the program could not be located. Nick and Ross, enlisting various helpers from among family, friends and classmates, managed to crack the old code and use it to “read” the map—yet one more very clear dem-onstration (as if we needed it) that the young are always more adept

with new technologies than those of us among the not-so-young.

Then they discovered that the map was often inaccurate. The inac-curacies sometimes involved the obvious disappearance of trees due to weather, disease, age or construc-tion. Others problems involved trees placed in the wrong location; a tree being where the previous program indicated but it being a different kind of tree than the old list reported.

The scouts persisted, have now completed identification of all 3,800 plus existing trees and have tagged them all using a new zip tie that is not only strong enough to with-stand storms and other stresses, but also are sufficiently long to remain visible as the tree grows. They are now preparing an updated map locating the newly identified and tagged trees, one that can be read using currently available software.

The pair, juniors at Walter John-son high school, continues to work on the map and plan to have turned in their report and earned their Eagle badges before the fall semes-ter ends.

TREEContinued from page 1

Photo: University of Illinois

Two views of the Gable Home at the University of Illinois.

How Green Can We Get?


By Keith Steele, Wallace

Most of the residents of Asbury Methodist Vil-lage know Mary Lou Luff,

a long-time resident of the Dia-mond Building. Most of us know her through her presentations, in costume, of 19th century persons. Most notable is her portrayal of the mother of Dr. Stonestreet. I talked with her the other day concerning a project she was involved in at another time.

Mary Lou at one time was a docent at the downtown Air & Space Museum. Her job was to be the guide for handicapped persons. This apparently led to the begin-ning of a business fabricating cards for blind persons. She and an art-

ist felt that a complete museum experience does not end when a handicapped person has visited the exhibits of an accessible tour-ist attraction. They believed that an artistically pleasing souvenir touch postcard with raised picture and Braille caption would bring plea-sure and information to blind or visually impaired persons, whether they send or receive it. The artist, Sue Pierce, prepared three-dimen-sion posters and Mary Lou had pressings made of them which she transferred to cards. The finished cards were designed to relate to exhibits such as the nation’s capi-tal, the Kennedy Center, the Statue of Liberty, Fort McHenry, a sail-ing ship, a spacecraft, animals and

historic homes. The card would contain an impression of the item which could be felt by the visually impaired person with a descrip-tion beneath it in Braille. The card had space where someone could write a message in Braille. Cards having Braille inside can be sent postage free.

At one time these cards were available at the Cleveland Museum

of Natural History, The Smithsonian, Baltimore Harbor Place and the Stat-ue of Liberty.

The artist went on to bigger and better things. What with the work involved and the finances required, Mary Lou retired from this endeav-or after five years

When I was talking with Mary Lou something interesting came up. Dealing with the handicapped when she was at the Air and Space

she needed to learn the sign lan-guage used by the deaf and discov-ered something about the Lincoln Memorial. The statues of Lincoln shows both his hands in what some people believed clenched to show all the stress he was under. Actually his left hand is held so that it depicts the letter “A” and his right hand is in the form of an “L” of the signs used by the deaf. It’s a Puzzlement

So said the king in “The King and I”. He would be even more puzzled were he speaking today. For example, this appeared under “Music” in a recent Washington Post:

“Funny how indie rock has completely transformed into its villainous antipode, corporate rock.”

Hands up all those who understand this.And what would the king make of this kind of social news of our

time?“Starlet ------ ------- (sleeveless, sky blue top, black pants) was at ----------------’s

last night with heartthrob ---------- (light blue shirt, no tie). She had salad and halibut, he chose salad and steak.”

Who cares? the king might say. Here is a newspaper losing readers and circulation, retir-ing many good journalists and reducing space, yet finding room for such as this. But obviously there is a readership for it, however puzzling.

The modern phenomena Twitter and Face-book might also puzzle the king. He would learn that Twitter is a service for people to exchange quick and frequent answers to one simple ques-tion: What are you doing? Facebook is a social network for people who wish to collect friends

and share information and ideas. Twitter is reported to have over 40 million users and Facebook is said to have just gained its 300 millionth. All these people anxious to advertise themselves and their ideas and develop wide-ranging friendships with anyone willing to collaborate. It wasn’t an exactly friendless world before so why have attitudes changed? Another royal puzzlement.

The wording of a public advertising notice outside a church in Rockville recently might also cause the king to wonder about the description:

LARGEST WOMEN’S EVENT IN ROCKVILLEThe size of the women or the size of the event?

Idle ThoughtsBy Reg Westlake, Villas

In this spot you shall find a variety of ponderings from a man who hails from the other side of the “pond.”

We’re glad he’s on this side of the pond now!

with a culminating dress rehearsal just before the grand opening on October 24th. They were heard to say that they were very excited and a little nervous about their debut on stage!

The production took place at the catered Halloween Villa Dinner. The AMV catering group provided spa-ghetti with bloody red meat balls and sauce. Yum, yum! In keep-ing with the season of Halloween, Jane Kruth arranged scarecrows in ceramic pumpkins on each table.

There was animated perusal of the costumes worn by brave villa residents and a special guest clown, namely Bob and Mary Hoff’s daughter, who flew in from New York. Prizes were awarded to Carol Denis and Marty Blendermann for their costumes. Birthdays for the months of September and October were acknowledged. Then, with full tummies, we sat back to the grand opening of a villainous tale of murder at the tea table.

Our master of ceremonies, Mur-

ray Schulman, turned out to be an undercover sheriff. Lotta Millions, Cathy Hugh, was murdered about the time that Anita Drinks, Marian Fritsch, served tea. Who was the guilty person among the guests at the table? The nephew, Will Lyle, Dan Muller, was the immediate sus-pect since he wanted his aunt’s money. Constance Chute, Jo Yount, had no use for the money since she was worth billions. That brought up the immediate question by Sey-mour Dunn, Bill Backer, that per-haps from all these monies a siz-able donation should be given to the Benevolent Fund. Percy Vaile, Floyd Mauer, insisted that he had been out of town. Amid heated denials of guilt, Annabel Liebelt played eerie organ interludes. Final-ly, in desperation the guilty party confessed — but if you weren’t there you’ll never know who did it! Fear not, Jim Utterback video-taped the superb production for posterity.

Would it be safe to say that the villa residents have never had a more entertaining villa evening together?

VILLAContinued from page 1

Postcards For The Blind

Photo: Keith Steele

Braille cards conceptualized by Mary Lou Luff give sight-challenged museum visitors a souvenir designed to meet their needs.


By Rod Mills, Mund

Kelley B. Lemmon, Jr., a retired Major General, U.S. Army, has lived in the Trott Apartments for the past two

years. Records say he is 97 years old, but you wouldn’t believe that if you knew him. What has he been doing lately? Well, in early Sep-tember he went to France, accompanied by his two sons and two daughters, to visit two villages in the fabled province of Lorraine. The villages had invited him so they could honor him for the crucial role he played in a bloody, hellish battle 65 years ago that paved the way for the liberation of the villages and, subsequently, all of Lorraine (birthplace of Joan of Arc and Charles de Gaulle).

And you might also like to know at the start of this short biography that a little earlier, as his Army battalion was crossing France in that summer of 1944, Kelley per-formed an act of “extraordinary heroism” for which he was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross.

Kelley graduated from West Point, Class of 1937, and was captain of the swimming team (a point to keep in mind). After the U.S. entered World War II he served in Ice-land, England, and Northern Ireland prior to the Allied landings in Normandy. Already a Lieutenant-Colonel, he went to Normandy in early July 1944, assigned to General George Patton’s 3rd Army. Two weeks later Patton’s army burst out of the Normandy beachhead to begin its legendary 6-week “mad dash” virtually all the way across France in pursuit of the retreating Germans, before stopping in Lorraine because needed supplies of gaso-line, ammunition and other logistic support had been diverted to General Montgomery’s forces.

But it wasn’t always a piece of cake cross-ing France. After his battalion had driven through Fontainebleau, south of Paris, they came upon the Seine River, with the bridges impassable and their Army assault boats for crossing rivers greatly delayed way behind the lines. Then Kelley saw a string of row-boats across the river near the east bank, the first boat tied to a stake and the others strung out behind tied bow-to-stern. There were also German snipers on the east bank. Ignoring the snipers, Kelley took off his uniform and boots and dove into the Seine, swam across and untied the lead boat, and swam back to the west bank pulling the five boats behind him. It took not only a courageous but a very powerful swimmer to accomplish this. After the Americans had lined up some tanks and anti-tank guns on the west bank and blasted away the Germans on the east bank, they could use the boats (thank Heaven the oars

were there, too) to make the necessary prep-arations for laying down a pontoon bridge. Awarding the Distinguished Service Cross to Kelley was another consequence of this action.

When Patton’s army stalled in Lorraine in early September for lack of logistic sup-port, they had come to the west bank of the Moselle River (yes, the same river that is spelled “Mosel” when it flows into Germany). It took several days for the needed supplies to arrive and the Germans used the lull to reinforce their troops on the east bank of the Moselle. General Patton’s orders were to force a crossing of the river somewhere between Nancy and Metz, Lorraine’s two largest cities. The Americans decided to cross from the village of Dornot on the west bank to the village of Corny on the east bank on September 8. Kelley was put in charge of the crossing even though both his executive offi-cer and intelligence officer had been casual-ties. His own battalion was among the first to set out. Using assault boats launched at Dornot, the American troops paddled across to the vicinity of Corny on the other side. But soon thereafter they met a heavy counterat-tack by German infantry. They took to a small

wood and built a defensive line but German artillery shells rained down on them, making life hell for what turned out to be 2-1/2 days. Appeals for help in the form of U.S. air sup-port went unanswered.

By the night of September 8-9 Kelley thought it best to withdraw. But he was told that in a couple of days another crossing of the Moselle was going to be tried a few miles south at the village of Arnaville, and that he should keep his men fighting where they were, to hold the Germans’ attention and thus improve the chances for the Arnaville crossing. Kelley says the hardest thing he ever had to do was to tell his men they had to stay where they were because they were expendable.

As soon as it was learned that the Arnaville crossing was a success, Kelley began to evacuate his men from the Corny side of the Moselle, but the evacuation turned out to be a nightmare. Many American soldiers were killed or wounded in the boats by fire from German troops still infesting the east bank of the river. Some boats capsized, many of the occupants drowning because of the weight of their uniforms or because they didn’t know how to swim. When the Dornot-Corny action was finally over, the American casualties were extremely high, and Kelley’s own battalion was nearly wiped out. After the successful Arnaville crossing, a pontoon bridge was laid there, and the whole area was cleared of Germans except at Metz, where they held out for many weeks. It was this series of actions around the Moselle for which Kelley was honored at Dornot and Corny 65 years later. In Dornot a square has been renamed for him.

After the Lorraine action Kelley was ordered back to the Pentagon for work on a special project for General George C. Mar-shall, Commander-in-Chief of the U.S. Army. Then an assignment to the Philippines to prepare for the invasion of Japan was merci-fully canceled by the atomic bomb drops and Japan’s surrender. In 1950 he was stationed in London to work with the Joint American Military Advisory Group. Other career high-lights were a NATO assignment to Naples in 1960 and then being given the command of the U.S. Army in Alaska. After retirement in 1970 Kelley and his wife Mary lived in Arlington, Virginia until 2007, a period when Kelley was involved with the Masters Swim-ming Program, as a result of which he was elected to the International Swimming Hall of Fame. After the move to Asbury in 2007, Mary Lemmon passed away later that year. In addition to his sons and daughters Kelley’s family includes eight grandchildren.

French Villages Hail a Liberator:Asbury’s General Kelley Lemmon

A hero in our midst, Kelley B. Lemmon, Jr. was on the cover of this 1944 military

publication.


Odd Jobs

As a guy on campus who is generally able-bodied and totally unable to move my head from left to right and say no thanks, somehow I manage to get corralled, mostly by nice ladies, into doing a variety

of odd jobs.I began to think about this a few days ago when one of my neighbors

had just bought a new TV set and asked with a somewhat helpless look if I would set it up for her. I said yes and headed for her Villa. The new TV, a tabletop model, was not large and with a flat screen, not particularly heavy. I man-aged to set it up with little or no difficulty. Many thanks, and I was off to my next chore, washing dinner dishes.

This experience got me to thinking about the times I’ve been asked to do things by some of my neighbor ladies. Are they really not able to do these chores

by themselves? Or are they feinting inability just to make us guys feel able, in control, and to some degree manly.

Ladies, have I got it right???

It’s A Guy Thing

By Marilyn Gaut, Trott

The National Cryptologic Museum, located adja-cent to the National Secu-

rity Agency Headquarters, Fort Meade, houses a collection of thousands of artifacts that give visitors a glimpse at some of the most dramatic moments in the history of American cryptology. Here are the stories of the peo-ple who devoted their lives to cryptology and National defense, the machines and devices they developed, the techniques they used, and the places where they worked.

We studied the “Hall of Honor” and learned about William and Elizabeth Friedman, pioneers in the field of U.S. deciphering. In the 1920s they joined their spe-cialties of linguistics and statis-tics to determine if the works of Shakespeare were actually writ-ten by Sir Francis Bacon. Another that our guide highlighted was Lt.G. Ralph J. Canine, first director of NSA.

One of the exhibits showed the American Seal. During the Cold

War, some Moscow school chil-dren presented Ambassador Aver-ell Harriman with a commemora-tive U.S. seal. He proudly displayed it over his office desk. After six years it was discovered to contain a passive listening device. This device was disclosed later when Gary Powers was shot down to show that Russia was not above spying as well.

The Enigma machine attract-ed our attention. It was able to encrypt messages so that analyz-

ing them to find the right code would require looking through 3 times 10 to the114th power options. That is like finding a needle in a haystack as high as the Empire State Building and as broad as the State of Texas. Even-tually we developed a machine that could break the codes.

At the beginning of WWII the U.S. was at a disadvantage. Japa-nese ships greatly outnumbered ours. But sometimes information can even the odds. Before the Bat-

tle of Midway we had figured out that the Japanese were going to strike an American island referred to as AF in the Japanese code. We knew A was for “American” but did not know what F stood for. A cryptologist thought it was Mid-way, but military forces were hesi-tant to put all their power there so he went to Nimitz and said to put out a notice that Midway was short of water. Sure enough, the Japanese sent out a message that “AF was short of water.” The Battle of Midway” June 3-6, 1942 turned the tide.

Probably our greatest code suc-cess was the use of Native Ameri-can code talkers. Cherokee and Chocktaw were used in WWI and many have heard of the Navajo code talkers in WWII.

The museum opened in 1993 and in 1997, adjacent to it, a National Vigilance Park was dedi-cated. The park honors the many aerial reconnaissance crews who lost their lives in the performance of their duties and showcases air-craft used for secret missions.

I t’s no surprise to fellow Asbury residents, but it was a surprise to Reverend and Mrs. Kenneth

Jones (Rocky), Diamond, when they were inducted into the Maryland Senior Citizens Hall of Fame on October 22nd at an induc-tion ceremony in Glen Burnie.

Nominated by Chapter 581 of NARFE, the Jones were cited for several to many years of volunteer work with The Montgom-ery County Amateur Radio Club, the American Asso-ciation of University Women, The Democratic and Republican par-ties, Habitat for Humanity in Mont-gomery County, and for their min-istry to Older Adults at the Faith United Methodist Church in Rock-ville. In addition, Rocky has given 18 gallons of blood, and is Hospital-ity Chairman for the local NARFE

Chapter. They have also led many Methodist Volunteers in Mission teams to Russia since 1994.

On the very next day, October 23, Reverend Jones was inducted into the Hall of Fame of the Balti-more City College, his high school, where he is a past president of the Alumni Association. In August he celebrated his 90th birthday. Con-gratulations! There is no sign of their slowing down.

Reverend and Mrs. Kenneth Jones inducted into Maryland Senior Citizens Hall of Fame

Ken and Rocky Jones, new Hall of Famers

Photo: Hal Gaut

Keese School day trips keep AMV residents enthralled.

A Different Kind of Museum (Keese School Oct. 30 trip)


Adventure at SeaBy Warren and Mary Ebinger, Mund

Every day at Asbury Village is an adven-ture. September 24 was no excep-tion. The Eyre Bus was on its way

with twenty-five passengers—each with a stateroom listed on luggage tags, as the Grandeur of the Seas awaited our arrival at the Port of Baltimore.

A super group of travelers—varied tal-ents, expertise in many fields, stories to share, old-timers and first-timers waiting in line to become part of the Autumn Cruise. However, only 20 could come because of passport confusion—yes, one does need a passport on a New England and Canada cruise. It was a sad moment as five waved us goodbye.

What happened the next nine days? Sun-shine and rain, all kinds of onboard activities, shore excursions, lavish dinners, outstanding entertainment on stage, room service with a twist of towel-folding humor. What did we like best? Here’s a glimpse through direct quotes!

“Shows were superb and service was excellent!”

“Amazed at the ship’s size and ele-gance.”

“Our cabin steward, from the Phil-ippines, who graced our bed every evening with an animal friend made of towels.”

“The Bay of Fundy was awesome—swirling currents going in both direc-

tions.”“I liked the dancers, concerts, the food—

the total cruise!”“Learning about light houses, watching

sailboats with crisp white sails cruising by, and children flying kites.”

“Experiencing the beauty of Maine, the historic facts, sea birds and the rugged coastline.”

“A picturesque fishing village near New Brunswick, walking on the stone-covered beach.”

“Watched the whales—got seasick too!”“The Windjammer on Deck 9—a favor-

ite place for breakfast—looking out at the sea.”

“Hot tubs and pools—even a massage par-lor!”

And, of course, a picture is worth a thousand words. Enjoy!

Duane McKenna sketch of Peggy’s Cove.

Grandeur of the Seas in Portland Harbor, MainePhotos: John Villforth.

A gull enjoys the view at Peggy’s Cove in Halifax.

Portland Head Lighthouse, Portland, Maine. Sunrise at sea.


By Mary Lou Luff, Diamond

Can you hold your breath for 12 sec-onds? That is how long the first flight lasted on December 17, 1903. Orville

and Wilbur tossed a coin to see who would fly first. Wilbur won, BUT a mechanical mishap prevented takeoff. When they fixed it, Orville was the next to try. And he did. Later flights that day lasted an hour. The wooden wings were covered with cloth and a “motorman’s helper” was used for a gas tank. (Motormen were supplied urinals by streetcar companies for use at the end of the car line. Hence the name “motorman’s helper.”)

Some Asbury residents have been part of the continuing history of aviation. Here are their stories.

Harry Lowery, Diamond

Since childhood Harry wanted to fly. After college graduation in 1940 he joined the Army Air Corps. They needed something additional to pilots — navigators. He was sent to Coral Gables, Florida to take a three-month course. It was run by Pan-Am Airways, the first company to fly beyond U.S. land to Havana, Cuba.

Harry was in the third class to graduate. His commanding officer was Al Harvey — a member of the first team to fly all around the world. Harvey’s airplane is now in the Smithsonian.

An early assignment for Harry was looking for German submarines from Puerto Rico north along our coastline and also between Venezuela and Aruba (for the safety of oil tankers). They flew as far south as Venezu-ela looking for possible Japanese task forces bound for the Panama Canal.

After the war Harry was the navigator to the General of the Far East Command on his round-the-world trip. At the time in Tokyo a Northwest Airline representative was work-ing out plans for a commercial route from USA to the Orient. Harry retired from the

Service in 1946 and flew trips across the Pacific for Northwest Orient Air-lines. He left them 26 years later.

He has been the navigator for a vacation air club that carried people between Hawaii and the mainland. He also flew routes between Bel-gium, Greenland and Iceland. Later there were trips between Cairo and Tokyo, Bangkok and Manila, and pil-grims from Nairobi to Mecca.

As aviation technology advanced, Harry used Air Almanacs from the Navy Hydrographic office. The ear-liest pilots used oil company road maps and sometimes followed rail-road tracks.

Harry smiled when he recalled being on a seaplane to take a sighting of the Sun’s position. Using his sex-tant (a navigational device), he would stand up through the overhead hatch, take a sighting and plot his course while flying 85 miles an hour. A glass dome later replaced the open hatch and required the use of a periscopic sextant.

Rita Gloyd, Wilson Health Care

CenterCommercial aviation grew after

World War I with several airline com-panies branching out across the nation.

There needed to be personnel in charge of passengers during the flight. It was the plan to hire nurses. They wore the airline uniform and gave little girls a dream to aspire to. Rita was an Airline Stewardess for American air-lines for several years.

Hugh Andrew, TrottHugh wanted to enlist but the minimum

weight for his height was 132 pounds and he only weighed 128.5 pounds. So he ate and ate bananas and drank water and finally matched the requirement.

He studied to be a glider pilot in the Army Air Corps. In a Piper Cub plane he learned dead stick landings. He had commando train-ing also. The Germans in North Africa shot down many gliders. The program was can-celled. Then he had the option of a discharge and be subject to the draft or join the regular cadet program. He already had 65 hours of flying time and a pilot’s license. So he became part of the Air Corps. He flew a two-seater open cockpit plane. One of his civilian instructors was actor Robert Cummings who drove a pink Cadillac convertible.

Hugh progressed to better single-engine planes, then twin engines, then a B-25. He was a bomber pilot in Great Britain wait-

ing for the invasion of Europe. His unit was scheduled to fly on D-Day, but that was can-celled and he flew on D-Day plus 1. He flew 34 missions.

After the war he went to college, gradu-ated and joined the reserves. He was called back for the Korean War where he received a regular commission and did photo reconnais-sance. However, the Air Force discovered that Hugh had a degree in Civil Engineering and his primary assignments from then on were always in Engineering, but he continued to fly for the remainder of his 26 years in the Air Force, logging 31,000 hours flying time.

Charles Kiser, VillasCharlie was in Annapolis at the Naval Acad-

emy in a war-time three-year program. He graduated in 1946. Jimmy Carter and Stans-field Turner were his classmates. He had some flying lessons, taking off and landing on the Severn River. During a two-week semester break he went home to Iowa where he soloed in a Navy Stearman biplane. It had spruce struts and fabric covering. At that time graduates were assigned to a ship for two years. In 1948 he received his Navy wings. In 1951 he qualified in dive bombers landing on a carrier. He made 50 combat flights in the Korean War and jet reconnais-sance missions during the Viet Nam War and the Cold War.

Charlie received an Aeronautical Engineer-ing degree and a Nuclear Engineering Mas-ter’s degree. By this time a carrier based dive bomber had a 3,000 horsepower engine and could carry an atomic bomb. He flew jets above 45,000 feet altitude and .7 MACH and was certified to drop atomic weapons. These planes were so large only one or two were on a carrier deck. He retired with 3,500 hours flying time, mostly off carriers in oceans around the world.

There is one unique memory to share. While stationed at NAS Miramar near La Jolla, California, he and seven others were asked to fly attack planes for a movie. Paramount

Asbury Flyers Have the Wright Idea

Hugh Andrew, suited up and ready to fly.

Harry Lowery was with this group who, on Feb-ruary 4, 1941, went to see the “Condor Flying

Boat” at the Pan American base.

Continued on page 11


USE CAUTION WITH PAIN RELIEVERS!

New FDA Acetaminophen GuidelinesTHERE ARE ABOUT 600 PRODUCTS THAT CONTAIN

ACETAMINOPHENn Cough and cold productsn Sleep aidsn Many prescription pain relievers

WHICH MEDICINES CONTAIN ACETAMINOPHEN?n On OTC medications, check “Drug Facts” on the label under

Active Ingredientsn Trade Names: Tylenol, Tempra, Tempril, Datril, DayQuil,

Panadoln On prescription medicines, the label will say

“acetaminophen” or “APAP”. Trade Names: Percocet, Vicodin, etc.

AVOID OVERDOSINGn Take no more than the recommended dosen Do not take acetaminophen more days than recommendedn Take no more than one drug product containing

acetaminophen at the same timen Taking more will not provide more relief

n Having more than three alcoholic drinks a day can increase the risks associated acetaminophenn Prescription drugs containing acetaminophen may not be

labeled with that information on the druggist labeln Painkillers are the major cause of poisoning deaths when

taken in excessn If you take Coumadin (warfarin) consult with your doctor

before taking medicines containing acetaminophen

LIVER DAMAGEn Your liver helps break down and remove drugs that enter

your bodyn Too much acetaminophen overloads the liver’s capacity for

drug removaln If more of the breakdown product is produced than the body

can easily eliminate, serious damage to the liver may resultn Acetaminophen is responsible for nearly half of all acute liver

failure cases in the U.S.

SIGNS OF LIVER DISEASE—SEEK IMMEDIATE MEDICAL ATTENTION IF ANY OF THESE SYMPTOMS APPEAR

n Abnormally yellow skin and eyesn Dark urine, light-colored stoolsn Nausea, vomiting and loss of appetiten Signs can be similar to flu symptoms and may be overlookedn Serious cases of liver disease may lead to mental confusion,

coma and death

©http://www.fda.gov/Drugs/default.htm

Bob Hartman, M.D. Retired Family Physician/Geriatrics Specialist

National Suicide Prevention Lifeline – 1-800-274-TALK

Ask Dr. Bob

was making “The Bridges of Toko-Ri” starring William Holden, Grace Kelly, and Mickey Rooney. Those attack planes weren’t in Korea. They flew over hillsides of Santa Monica (as sun-dried as Korea). After the film was ready for showing Charlie, the other fliers and their spouses were invited to a private showing and banquet with all the stars. It was a grand weekend!

Charlie’s career spanned open- cockpit, fabric-covered biplanes to metal-skinned jets at sub sonic speeds. Now instead of sextants there are Global Positioning Sat-ellites (GPS) for navigation and weapon delivery.

Bill Seebold, Edwards-Fisher

Bill always enjoyed drawing plans for planes. At first he built planes from kits, and then he made them from the start on his own. He flew them at the countryside of Baileys Crossroads. Before graduation in 1941 he won a Mechanical Draw-ing Medal.

He entered the Navy as a 3rd class teacher, where he designed installa-tions for electronic test equipment. He designed retractable landing gear for a small personal airplane.

After the war he worked for Fairch-ild Air craft. In 1950 he worked on a freight-pod to fit under the fuse-lage – like a flying trailer truck, and in 1953 a fighter plane that could fly 1500 miles per hour. Bill worked on the design for the installation of mid-air refueling equipment. Later his group was responsible for the design and specs for shipboard and land-based missile launching and handling systems. Bill also was in charge of providing systems engi-neering support to U.S. and foreign medium-size missile systems.

Dr. Robert Wilson, Sr., Gaithersburg

Between 1959 and 1965 there was an airstrip on Asbury proper-ty. It was perpendicular to Gos-hen Road and behind “The Home.” Back then Russell Avenue ended at the drive way to Asbury prop-erty. Robert flew an Air Coupe made in Riverdale, Maryland. There is a plaque on campus noting the landing strip. When neighbors complained of his many flights, he moved the plane to Davis Air Field in Laytonsville, Maryland.

His special memory is flying his father, Dr. Herman Wilson, head of Asbury, to the Presidential Candi-date Convention in Atlantic City.

Mary Lou Luff, Diamond

This article was submitted by Mary Lou Luff, former volunteer docent at the National Air and Space Museum.

In 1975 Mary Lou helped enrich the museum experience for the deaf and blind population by creat-ing the first sign language tour and touchable representations of dis-plays as well as souvenir postcards for the blind. See page 6.

What to do to avoid the flu…

A robust “aaah choo”Will certainly doTo spread the fluFrom me to you.

At these measures do not scoff

Or be the Asbury Resident Sloth:

Cover your sneeze and cover your cough

And regularly wash those killer germs off.

Let none disagreeWith this hopeful plea

To help AMV Be flu disease free

—Marolyn Hatch, Villas

Bill Seabold


As a child growing up in western Pennsylvania, I recall waking up with great

anticipation on Christmas morning, wondering what my gifts might be; I remember a Roy Rogers cap gun, an Ingram wrist watch, a set of Lio-nel trains, a sled, and a Gilbert erec-tor set. This time usually included visits to families, even with snow on the ground as snow was just accepted as part of life.

I don’t recall too much about Christmas from childhood to the time when my two sons experi-enced their own great anticipation on Christmas morning. The gifts had changed, but the excitement was the same. I remember one gift for one of them especially, a “Big

Wheel” which is a low slung tricy-cle that was made wholly of plastic except for axles, pedal assemblies, and the fork. Another gift was an Atari computer that enabled them to play the very popular game of “Pac-man”.

With the birth of my first grand-son, Nicholas, in 1992, Christmas morning became an important cel-ebration once again. To paraphrase

others, “Christmas is for kids,” and I would agree with this except that the religious part is most impor-tant; although not Catholic myself, Christmas Eve has always included attendance at Mass when in San Diego visiting family. During this time selecting gifts for a grandson was easy as there were so many choices available, and this contin-ued with the birth of grandchil-

dren Madeline and Colin. Recently, choosing gifts for these two and Nicholas has become more diffi-cult so I’ve resorted to money and trips to stores of their choice. How-ever with the birth of my youngest granddaughter, Samantha in 2007, I’m back to selecting gifts and Christmas morning is once again filled with anticipation.

This Christmas should be extra special as the Snyder family is look-ing forward to spending it in San Diego, all nine of us. This year the anticipation and excitement will not depend on opening the gifts under the tree, but rather open-ing our eyes to see family gath-ered together to celebrate this very happy holiday.

By Keith Steele, Wallace

The AMV Historical Society continues to receive gifts from residents and/or resi-

dents’ families.Jim Newton was a former resi-

dent of the Trott Building for eight years. A few months before his death he gave to the AMV Histori-cal Society a beautifully decorated

plate with the names of his mother, Gertrude Harrison Newton and his aunt Miss Carrie Harrison, painted in gold on it.

Jim’s mother came to the Asbury Home in 1967. She had owned and operated millinery shops, so at once became the proprietor of the

“hat shop” in Williamsburg Lane. She lived here until the age of 93.

Jim’s aunt, Miss Carrie Harrison, born in Calvert County, Maryland in 1866, became an Asbury Home resident after an illustrious career in the U.S. Veteran’s Administration from 1918 to 1952. She enjoyed a long-time interest in ceramics, and persuaded the Asbury management

to buy a kiln, and taught many residents in her own small room (studio) in Williamsburg Lane.

Miss Carrie, as Jim called her, lived a long and busy life here at Asbury. One year she was crowned May Queen in the tradi-tional May Day ceremo-ny held in the gardens outside the Williamsburg Lane rooms — at one time enhanced by rose bushes and a fishpond. On her 105th birthday Miss Carrie was honored

by Gaithersburg Mayor Bohrer and given the keys to the city.

Not only was the Society pleased to receive such a beautiful plate but to have the interesting story behind it makes it more wonderful.

Chit ChatterFrom the AMV Historical Society

Grins and GrimacesBy Gil Snyder, Mund

As kids we drank Nehi and other

12 oz. drinks. Cokes were 6 oz. so they were ignored, but I remember when Pepsi (twice as much for a nickel too) came out. I bought my first Pepsi in a Sani-tary Grocery Store. Because of a suit brought by other grocers the Sanitary stores became Safeway stores. Now if you take the Red Line from Silver Spring to Union Station, you should look to the right when going down the hill into the rail yard. There you will see a brick building with a large concrete slab at the top with the word “SANI-TARY” therein.

I recall when 7-Up first came out. It was at the same time the movie “Little Lord Fauntleroy” came out. I went to see the movie and they were giving away 7-Up to all of the kids. I think they wanted us to start buying their stuff, but it wasn’t sweet and the kids didn’t think much of it.

I remember going to the grocery store and telling the clerk what you wanted. The clerk would then go around the store and assemble

your requests. When everything was together, the prices were

written on a paper bag and totaled up by hand. If you were a good paying cus-tomer, the store might run a tab for you. What’s a credit card?

We all remember when “Lucky Strike green went to war,” but do you remem-ber that some cigarettes, Spuds and Dominos, were a dime a pack?

If you rode the street car around D.C. you will recall places where the power source was shifted between overhead and underground. If you rode them way back you may recall the open air cars that ran to the Glen Echo amusement park. There was even a trolley line

to Kensington.If some of the above tickles your

memory, you’ve lived a long time.

Photo: Keith Steele

A plate full of history is a gift to Asbury.

Christmas Presence

Wasted on the YoungBy Bob Yount, Villas

Remember


In the first of occasional pro-files of Departments at Asbury Methodist Village, Village Life

takes a look this month at the Com-munications Department. In this series, the aim will be to present a snapshot of a department, explain-ing what it does and how it fits into the grand scheme of things at Asbury.

Getting the Word OutBabies babble, and then gradually

learn to talk in complete sentences, make their demands and express their innermost thoughts. From infancy on, humans are consumed with the desire, the need even, to share their ideas, make their points, whether in family groups, corporate settings, city councils, government bodies, international agencies. In a Continuing Care Retirement Com-munity such as Asbury Methodist Village, communications among residents, between staff and resi-dents, are a driving force in stitch-ing the community together and making it whole. Getting the word out is the job of the Communica-tions Department.

AMV’s organizational chart shows that the Communications Depart-ment is one of five that make up the Executive Management team. Linda Aber, Director of the Depart-ment, reports directly to AMV Executive Director David Denton. AVTV’s Station Manager Joon Kim and Assistant Station Manager Eric Thornett report to Linda.

Linda Aber’s workload has increased since her elevation in February 2008 to her new post. In her current position, she over-sees the AVTV studio, is a member

of the AMV Operations Council, the Strategic Operations Coun-cil, the Communications PAC, the HealthAbility Lifestyle Team, the Risk Management Team and QSB (Quality Service Board); in addition, she reviews all communications to residents generated by all depart-ments.

Linda says that the Communica-tions Department is actually three departments: AVTV, Village Life, and Campus Communications, with the mission “to disseminate accurate, timely news of events, operations, and relevant announcements from all departments at AMV.”

AMV’s in-house television station, AVTV, operates 24/7, providing not only menus for all campus dining

facilities, but information on events and activities, announcements and numerous special shows, notably the daily “Asbury View,” written by Linda Aber and hosted by her and others.

Reporting to Linda are Joon Kim, AVTV station manager, and Eric Thornett, assistant station manager, each of whom comes with a formi-dable background, Joon in acting,

directing and producing films, Eric as a film maker. Says Linda: “While Joon’s responsibilities include over-seeing the AVTV budget, he and Eric share the duties of running the station, editing original program-ming for resident viewing and AMV departmental videos. Additionally, they are responsible for posting announcements on the scroll; pro-viding tech support for the Rosbor-ough Theatre and all events that take place in the theatre; video-taping special lectures and events; supervising about 30 resident vol-unteers.”

Says Linda: “Joon and Eric spend a fair share of their time filming and editing videos for Foundation, Kindley Orientation, Asbury Com-munities, Marketing and the Wil-son Health Care Center.” In addi-tion, she adds, the team “offers tech support to resident and associate events throughout the campus.”

As the editor of Village Life, Linda supervises a staff of about 30-35 resident volunteers who write, edit and photograph for the paper. “Meeting and connecting with the residents of AMV is truly the most satisfying aspect of my job. I feel privileged to be on a first-name basis with so many accomplished, interesting, fun, funny, educated, warm and wonderful people. Those who know me know I mean that.”

Resident Facility Date of Death

Roger W. Hatach Mund 9-20-09

Helen Haggan Trott/Kindley/WHCC 9-23-09

Martha Shubin Kindley 9-26-09

Kenneth Hall Wallace 9-30-09

Ellen Fenstermaker Mund 10-3-09

Virginia Cleffi WHCC 10-3-09

Bernadine Dunfee WHCC/E-F 10-14-09

Christine Robitzek WHCC 10-15-09

In Memoriam

Chess Champ ChallengeBy Don Starkweather, Mund

The Mund Parlor was the setting Saturday, October 10, 2009 for some seven chess players to challenge each other for a game of chess. The players included the dean of Asbury players, Auguste

Schilling, at 105 years of age, battling Don Starkweather and defeating him, but then losing to Ken Gwira in the game.

Rex Naylor and Bob Baines battled long and hard in a game that Baines finally conceded to Rex.

Mailman Bob Olchack and Don Starkweather struggled through a game that they finally decid-ed was worthy of a draw.

These chess players get together on the sec-ond Saturday of each month at the Mund Parlor for a chance to battle each other across a chess board. Throughout the afternoon they are on display challenging each other. Observers are always welcome to watch the proceedings, and

to try your skills against these veterans. Contact Don Starkweather at extension 5832 for details and information about chess at Asbury.

Meet the Team

Assistant Station Manager Eric Thornet, Director of Communications, Linda Aber and AVTV Station Manager Joon Kim.

The 2009 season will end with a dance on December 6 at Rosbor-ough. So come one and all to lis-ten or, as Milton said, “trip the light fantastic”.

The 2010 tentative schedule, sub-ject to change, is as follows:

Rosborough – Jan. 17, Feb. 21Hefner – March 21, April 18Rosborough – May 16, June 20,

July 18, Aug 15, Sep 19, Oct 17, Nov 14, Dec12.

TEA DANCEContinued from page 1


Welcome New Residents

Carol A. Watkins Diamond 1004, x5765

On August 21, 2009, Carol moved from down-town DC to Asbury Village following her par-ents, Charlotte and Robert Watkins, who resided in Edwards-Fisher from 1977-1999 and Kindley from 1999-2001. Memorial benches and trees, honoring her parents, are located along the driveway opposite Rosborough.

Carol was born in Dayton, Ohio. She received a BA in Elementary Education from Earlham College, an ME from Harvard University and a Certificate in Legal Studies from Antioch School of Law. After teaching 1st grade for a year, life changed markedly in 1961 when she answered President Kennedy’s call for Peace Corps Volun-teers. Carol served two years as a Supervising Teacher in the beautiful Caribbean island of St. Lucia, to which she frequently returns. In August 1963, she came to Washington as the first returned PCV hired by the federal govern-ment and subsequently worked for five federal agencies, primarily in the fields of civil rights and equal employment opportunity: the US Civil Service Commission; the Community Relations Service, DOJ; the General Services Administra-tion; the Equal Employment Opportunity Com-mission; and the Department of Commerce.

In the past her volunteer work included vari-ous offices with Federally Employed Women, the National Polymer Clay guild, the German Wine Society, the Residents Associates Program of the Smithsonian, and both the New York Avenue Presbyterian and Foundry United Meth-odist churches.

After retiring in 1993, she worked in a law firm specializing in Elder Care, and then began a second career as an usher—primarily for the Kennedy Center, but for other professional the-aters in the DC area as well. Carol’s current pas-sions are physical fitness, cruising, listening to jazz, and decorating her new apartment. Other interests include sewing, beading, polymer clay, theater, ballet and modern dance. She is delight-ed to be at Asbury!

—Edith Isacke, Diamond Reporter

Henry “Hank” Benton Mund 707, x5488

“I’m not an engineer; I’m an electronic techni-cian.” Henry said during his relating of the steps that led him to Goddard Space Flight Center.

Henry grew up in Wilmington, Delaware, but the family moved to Maryland so that he finished high school in Clinton, Maryland. He joined the Navy and was sent to Great Lakes Naval Station, where his training included radio and electron-ics. From there he was sent to Cheltenham, Mary-land. He also completed training at Capital Radio Engineering Institute.

In 1954, Henry joined NASA, where he remained until he retired in 1985. He is still on call in the event that something goes wrong with the equipment at Goddard.

Henry and his wife had bought a home in New Carrollton, Maryland, so that Henry lived only five minutes from Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt. Henry and his wife have three chil-dren, one of whom lives in Gaithersburg. Henry enjoys puzzles: jigsaw puzzles and crossword puzzles. He is a member of a Methodist church.

—Judy Weaver, Mund Reporter

Ms. Helen Bebout Diamond 104, x5656

After living 23 years in Arlington, Virginia, Helen decided to join her good friends who had previously moved to Asbury. She felt Asbury was a safe and secure place to live and where she would have the continued companionship of her friends. She moved to Asbury on Septem-ber 11, 2009.

Helen was born in Albuquerque, New Mexi-co. She graduated from Augusta Tilghman High School in Paducah, Kentucky. After high school she decided to seek a career in Washington, D.C. and found employment in the Navy Department from 1948 to 1985. She started as a clerk-typist and was later promoted to a Technical Editor. During those years she attended the American University under a work-study program. Then, from 1985 to 1996, she worked part-time at the D.C. Baptist Convention Center.

Reading and being with friends are Helen’s main interests. Her religious affiliation is Bap-tist/Congregational.


William and Florence Briesmeister Mund 505, x5909

Bill grew up in the village of Hastings-on-Hudson, New York and attended Colum-bia College, the Hub of Columbia University. Bill’s university education was interrupted when he served four years in World War II. The most notable thing Bill did in the War was to fly “the Hump.” This operation kept China in the War. He returned to Columbia after the war to graduate in 1949.

Florence grew up in Jersey City, New Jersey. She attended Barnard College and graduated in 1947. She and Bill met while in college and were married on June 26, 1948.

They had two children, Barbara and Mary in 1951 and 1953. Mary lives in Potomac and Barbara in Wilmette, Illinois. Florence did a lot of substitute teaching, and when the girls were ready for college she started teaching full time.

For 22 years Bill worked for Johnson and Higgins, a Wall Street Insurance Broker. He retired in 1985. Bill and Florence moved in to Mund in May of 2009. Prior to moving here, for many years they spent six months a year in Florida and six months in Annapo-lis playing a lot of golf. They moved from Annapolis to Asbury Village in May, 2009 after selling their house in Florida.

—Judy Weaver, Mund Reporter

Photo: Hal Gaut


Welcome New Residents

Mildred and Henry Lucas Edwards-Fisher 313, x6433

The month of September is all about change with the weather becoming cooler and the school busses back on the road. September 15, 2009 made a big change in the lives of Mildred and Henry Lucas as they moved into Edwards-Fisher apartment 313 and were greeted by the happy hellos of their new neighbors.

Mildred, Millie as she prefers to be called, was born just down the road in Frostburg, Maryland, graduated from Central High in Lonaconing, Maryland and attended night classes at Strayer Business College. Henry was born in Utica, New York and earned a BME from George Wash-ington University. He was a pilot during World War II in the Pacific Theater of Operations and served in Japan and Korea.

Millie worked in the Office of the Solicitor at the Department of Agriculture, but then con-centrated on being a stay-at-home mom occa-sionally accepting part time positions while raising a son and a daughter. A granddaughter completes the family circle.

Henry enjoys gardening and golf, and the proximity of the golf course to Asbury Method-ist Village was one of the factors that helped to make their retirement home decision. Millie enjoys playing bridge and reading “whodun-its”. She is also a past square dancer, bowler and golfer. Volunteer activities include Gaith-ersburg Help, assisting at the blood bank and working with cub scouts. She is glad to be in an area where the winters are rather mild after spending twenty-four years in Tonawanda, New York (Buffalo suburb) where there’s nothing but snow, snow, snow.

Episcopal by affiliation, Millie and Henry heard good reports from Asbury residents and since they had many friends in the area and were familiar with it, they made the move to Asbury because of its strong ties to the community.

—Joan Dunlop, Edwards-Fisher Reporter

Charles and Else McInnes Diamond 609, x5451

On September 24, 2009, Chuck and Else McInnes moved to Asbury. After visiting other retirement communities in the area, they decid-ed that Asbury was the most desirable place to live.

Chuck was born in Burlington, Washington. He received a BA in mathematics at Western Washington University.

His career in the computer business extended over a period of 48 years, working for General Electric, the Civil Service and Computime of Florida. His hobbies and interests include golf, bridge and chess.

Else was born in Copenhagen, Denmark and attended a Business College in Denmark. She spent her time raising four children and now delights in having seven grandchildren. She has done volunteer work for Oasis “Meals on Wheels” and is interested in traveling, knitting and playing bridge.


Mrs. Mary Burton Diamond 204, x5386

Before moving to Asbury on October 2, 2009, Mary spent five years visiting her mother who was a resident of Wilson Health Care Center. She also had several friends living in Asbury apart-ments so this was the logical place to establish her new home. She lived in Clarksburg, MD and was married to Rev. Lorne Burton for 48 years until he passed away in January 2009.

Mary was born in Germantown, MD and grad-uated from Richard Montgomery High School in Rockville, MD. She went to work for the Clerk of the Circuit Court as a typist in Land Records and advanced to many phases of the court including Law & Equity, Naturalization, and Deputy Clerk of the Circuit Court in charge of Licenses. She retired after 37 years of service.

As an active volunteer at the Gift Shop, before and during her Mother’s confinement at WHCC, Mary hopes to resume working there. Other volunteer work includes volunteering at the Damascus United Methodist Church where she is a member. Mary’s interests include crochet-ing, crafts, sewing and flower gardening.


Jane Bartels Edwards-Fisher 606, x6491

Jane moved from St. Louis, Missouri to Asbury on Sep-tember 3, 2009. A daughter liv-ing in Potomac was acquainted with Asbury and thought her Mother would be very happy here and would be near her. Anoth-er daughter still lives in St. Louis.

Jane has five grandsons and two great-grandsons; some live here in Maryland and others are in different locations around the country. One grandson, an architect, is cur-rently living and working in Singapore. Jane is happily looking forward to his visit this

winter when he comes to the States.Jane’s father and mother both emigrated

from Albania in the early 1900s. They settled in St. Louis, met and married. They worked hard supporting a family of six by owning their own restaurant.

Jane graduated from McKinley High School in St. Louis. She married and worked at the Missouri-Pacific Railroad Office until her first daughter was born. She was then a stay-at-home mom until the girls reached college age, when she returned to work at a govern-ment office in St. Louis. She has been wid-owed for twenty-six years.

Jane has many interests, including bridge and poker, attending plays, reading novels, and going on day trips. She is a big fan of the St. Louis Cardinals.

Jane thinks the Asbury grounds are lovely and well-kept, and has been impressed by the friendliness of the residents. As she becomes more comfortable in her new home, she hopes to participate in the many activities offered here.—Charlotte Hoyle,Edwards-Fisher Reporter

Photo: Rosemary Pasek

Photo: Rosemary Pasek


Asbury Methodist VillageCommunications Department201 Russell AvenueGaithersburg, MD 20877-2801

Non-ProfitOrganizationU. S. Postage

PAIDRockville, MD

Permit No. 4297A NEWSPAPER FOR ASBURY METHODIST VILLAGE

VILLAGE LIFE: A NEWSPAPER FOR ASBURY METHODIST VILLAGE

Margot Dibble, Edwards-Fisher

Watercolors

Phyllis Naylor, TrottAuthor—Books and DVDs

of the Shiloh seriesWatercolors

This Month in the Gallery

The Rosborough Cultural Arts and Wellness Center is home to an ever-changing gallery of arts and handiwork created by our residents. Stop by and see what’s new.

With 12 display cases to look at, there’s something for everyone to enjoy. Here’s this month’s sampling of art.

Pat Hilmoe, WallaceMineral specimens with

corresponding beads

James MacKenzie, Diamond

Black and white photographs

a murderously fun night in the villas e · 2013-09-18 · 2 november/december 2009 village life...

Documents