The VILLAGER - Greenspring Computer Club

The VILLAGER 

Voice of Greenspring Residents Volume IV, Number 9 — May 2004 

.So Long, Lonny 

Focus on Fitness By Pepper Leeper, WC-421 

K 

eeping residents fit is a constant 

theme at Greenspring, attested to by 

the dedicated staffs of the Medical 

Center, Wellness Department and Rehab 

Services and the large number of exercise 

opportunities available. All of these services 

will come together at a Health Fair on June 9 

at the Conference Center. 

The program includes lectures on 

a variety of health subjects from 1 to 4 PM, 

and residents are invited to visit a broad 

array of health-related displays and demonstrations. 

Participants will include health 

care professionals and vendors of medical 

equipment and healthy foods. Monica Phil- 

Dining Options Extended 

By Kay McCurdy, CS-T-27 

I 

n early June options for lunch and dinner 

at Woodland Skies Dining Room 

are starting weekday lunch service a 

first for an Erickson Community from a full 

services dining room according to Marc 

Matyas, Director of Dining Services. Residents 

and employees will be offered an allinclusive 

lunch from 12:30 to 2 PM, Monday 

through Friday. Selections include a 

sandwich or salad from four choices. In 

addition, there will be soup, a choice of 

two side dishes, dessert and a beverage – 

all for a fixed price of $6.95 or residents 

may use their meal of the day. In addition, 

weekday dinner services will begin at 2:01 

and continue to 6 PM. Saturday hours are 

4-6 PM. Sunday and holiday schedules 

remain from 3 to 5 PM. ■ 

W 

hen Chair and CEO John Erickson 

announced the expansion of 

Erickson Retirement Communities 

it was met with approval as an expansion 

of the satisfaction with Greenspring 

Village. However the opening of Sedgebrook 

in Lincolnshire, Ill. is bittersweet as 

the Executive Director is to be Lonny 

Blessing, who will leave Greenspring midsummer 

for the Midwest post. Villager once 

quoted Blessing as enjoying start-up opportunities, 

at Charlestown, Henry Ford, Oakcrest, 

and Greenspring. For seven years Lonny 

Blessing has been Mr. Greenspring. Congratulations 

on the promotion. We shall applaud 

your career moves. But Lonny Blessing, 

Greenspring will miss you. So long. ■ 

lips, Fitness Coordinator, is organizing the 

Health Fair. 

The Health Fair comes at a time of 

some staff additions to the Fitness Center. 

Betty Price, who led the classes on balance, 

is on duty one day a week to help develop a 

balance program; Bill Verneer has moved 

from full time driver for Transportation to a 

part time fitness staffer and will lead chair 

exercise classes; and Bonnie McDonald, a 

registered nurse, has also become a part time 

fitness associate. Fitness Manager Brad 

Hibbs also announced that a Penn State student 

will be a summer intern at the Fitness 

Center. ■ 

Lindsey is a Winner 

By Mary Scantlebury, MG-104 

N 

ight Maintenance 

worker 

Steven Foster 

is the proud father of 

Robinson High senior 

Lindsey Foster who 

has been awarded a 

$1000 scholarship to 

culinary arts college 

Johnson-Wales. 

Young Foster has 

worked at Greenspring 

since February 2003 

Lindsey Foster 

Photo by Russ Langelle 

and is now training servers at Jefferson. She 

is attending a culinary arts program at Chantilly 

High and won the best server title in 

Fairfax County which qualified her for the 

state contest which she won and thus the 

scholarship. ■ 

ALL events are at 

CONFERENCE 

CENTER: 

————— 

D & D: Equality? 

May 25, 10:30 AM 

————- 

Village Fair 

May 26 

10:30 AM-1:30 PM 

————— 

Health Fair 

June 9, 1-4 PM 

————— 

Luau Time 

June 19, 6-9 PM 

————- 

Art Show 

June 16, 6-7:30PM 

June 17, 5-7 PM

Page 2 The Villager Volume IV, Number 9 — May 2004 

The Doctor Is In 

Dr. Leslie Brandwin, GSV Medical Director 

Despite what you hear from 

the Federal Government, the AMA and 

AARP, health care and medical care 

are not synonomous. Medical Care is 

what we need when our efforts at 

achieving good health care go awry. 

Medical care is only one small portion 

of health care. Diet, exercise, stress 

reduction, and cessation of smoking 

and excess alcohol consumption all are 

equal partners in the journey to better 

health. 

Exercise, formal or informal, 

is very important to maintaining excellent 

health. Study after study indicates 

that older individuals who exercise 

(walking, swimming, strength training, 

circuit training) maintain good health 

longer. Do you live far away from one 

of our dining rooms, community buildings, 

parking lots? What a wonderful 

opportunity to walk, to exercise without 

really trying. Exercise helps to 

improve walking, improve balance and 

reduce weight. Trying to lose weight 

without exercising is an exercise in 

futility. Exercise strengthens cardiac 

function, improves respiration, and 

lightens mood. What are you all waiting 

for: a formal invitation? The Fitness 

Center, the pool, the halls are all 

awaiting your attendance. Walk, swim, 

dance, Tai Chi, any and all are good 

for you and will make you feel good. 

Diet is yet another building 

block to good health. Studies on caloric 

reduction show that longevity is 

increased by reducing daily caloric 

intake. Thin folks live longer, have less 

knee and hip arthritis and develop diabetes 

less often. Heavier folk may have 

less osteoporosis. A diet lower in fat, 

cholesterol, salt and absolute calories 

is healthier in the long run. You can 

still have your Moose Tracks and your 

French Fries but in moderation and 

infrequently. Weight loss through self 

control or Weight Watchers is also a 

good idea. Whether your diet hails 

from Scarsdale or Palm Beach, the 

bottom line is always calorie reduction. 

Low carb diets for our residents are 

probably to be avoided. Prudent low 

calorie diets are the safest and best 

diets. We have a dietitian who can help 

you to come up with a diet tailored to 

your needs. 

Cessation of smoking and 

moderation in drinking are no brainers. 

We love seeing you in the 

Medical Center, but remember you are 

the stewards of your health, we just try 

to help out. ■ 

Greenspring Board 

By Bill Lovelace, WC-508; Katherine Kane, 

WC-105 

Greenspring Village held a 

town meeting in the Conference Center. 

More than 300 residents attended. 

On the agenda was a briefing on the 

audit report of December 2003 by 

PricewaterhouseCoopers. The conclusion 

was that the accounting for the 

operating budgets meets accepted 

standards and no changes were recommended. 

The change in net assets from 

2002 to 2003 was $4,876,495. That 

would be a profit on a corporate balance 

sheet. 

Introduced were Greenspring 

Board of Directors Ronald Walker, 

chair; the Rev. Carroll Yingling, vice 

chair; James Anders, chair of Finance 

and Acquisitions and Greenspring 

resident Ann Jaekle. Also present from 

Erickson Communities Corporate office 

were Ed Sledge, Eric Gross and 

Rick Grindrod. 

The chair explained the history 

and role of the Board, emphasizing 

it is separate and independent of 

the Erickson Corporation. It has a 

five-prong role: To have an active 

community, to have an affordable 

community, to protect the resident 

refund; to provide life care commitment 

and to ensure what is best for the 

residents. 

Question session included 

angry residents, persistent questions 

following detailed answers. Several 

times residents were told that Greenspring 

funds are not invested in stock 

market or mutual funds. Both Benevolent 

Fund and Scholarship accounts 

are with Potomac Valley Bank in CD 

investment. 

The future purchase option is 

at the start up with needs for appraisers, 

consultants and attorneys to prepare 

for presentation. Several board 

members emphasized the contact for 

the purchase option will be the RAC 

Council, which had been contact in the 

previous Erickson Community purchase 

options. Written comments and 

queries can be sent to any member of 

the RAC committees or to a member 

of the RAC Council. See the BBs. ■ 

Generous Treasure Chest 

By Warren Stark – WC 110 

Many organizations benefit 

from the Greenspring Treasure Chest. 

Since Nov. 1 the Chest has distributed 

$21,334: Benevolent Care Fund, 

$6,000; Staff Appreciation Fund, 

$6,000; Student Scholarship Fund, 

$5,000; and $4,334 to 31 GSV groups, 

such as the Village Church, English as 

a Second Language, Archives Committee, 

Memorial Garden, and Pet 

Parade. The Chest reported a balance 

on hand of $23,658. Request-for-funds 

forms are at each Front Desk. 

Sixty-six volunteers devote 

many hours to the Treasure Chest, 

which operates the General Store and 

the Furniture Store, both located on 

the ground floor of Park View. The 

General Store sells clothing, household 

goods and almost everything except 

large furniture. It is open Fridays 

from noon to 2 PM. The first hour is 

reserved for residents and employees; 

name tags are required for admission. 

The second hour is open to all customers. 

The Furniture Store is now open 

on the first and third Fridays from 1-3 

PM. 

Contributions are accepted by 

Treasure Chest volunteers in the lobby 

of each neighborhood on Mondays, 9- 

11 AM. Items should be in good 

enough condition for resale. 

For furniture donations, contact 

Gloria Uehlinger in Crestwood 

Court. Because of limited storage 

space, furniture is inspected prior to its 

acceptance. All items accepted for 

both outlets are sorted, priced and displayed 

by the many hard-working volunteers. 

Items that have not sold in the 

past are no longer accepted by the 

Treasure Chest. These include sofas, 

computers, non-cable TVs, hard luggage, 

speakers, exercise equipment, 

pillows, bed frames and window 

shades and drapes. 

Estate sales are another 

source of donations. These sales are 

administered through the Treasure 

Chest when an apartment needs to be 

vacated. A group of 8 to 10 volunteers 

price all items in the apartment, a sale 

date is advertised on Channel 6, sales 

posters are placed on bulletin boards 

and the sale is held from 9 AM to 1 

PM. Unsold items are transferred to 

the permanent stores. During the past 

12 months the Treasure Chest has 

hosted nine estate sales. 

Unsold items from both 

stores are contributed to local charities. 

Andy Allen of Park View takes a 

large amount weekly to the Central 

Mission of DC. ■

The Villager Volume IV, Number 9 — May 2004 

Page 3 

Wynn's Village 

Shannon’s Whimsey 

▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬ 

That Versatile Cubby 

by John Shannon, WC-221 

Tired of paper coffee cups 

When sipping in the lobby? 

Then store a coffee mug 

Deep inside your cubby 

Recycling Winner 

GUG and Woodsy Owl share 

Earth Day photo ops during receipt of the 

recycling award trophy. The trophy is 

inscribed “Fairfax County Recycling 

Award 2004 presented to Greenspring 

Village in Recognition of Recycling Excellence.” 

It is on display in the General 

Services office of Tom Gugliuzza-Smith, 

Housekeeping Manager. 

Computer Corner By Dick and Anne Bassler, GT-406 

dickbassler@aeitv.net 

One of the wonderful benefits of having a personal computer and access to 

the InterNet is the amount of information that is readily and almost instantly available. 

This is especially true in looking for information on finance and investments. 

Those of you with brokerage accounts at Merrill Lynch, Schwab, Wachovia 

and many others will find an ample amount of information available even if you 

do not participate in their on-line trading. Members of the Investment Club at 

Greenspring can use their computers to follow the club’s portfolio activities at the 

club’s brokerage account. 

If you have a bank account at our resident Potomac Valley Bank, and have 

signed up for their on-line services, you can do many of your transactions from you 

computer. For example you can check your account balances and cleared checks 

daily. When the checks have cleared, you can get printable copies of both the front 

and back of the cancelled check. No need to wait until the end of the month. They 

offer bill paying and other services as well. 

A site that will give you lots of investment information is provided by 

MSN, a Microsoft network site. You can get there by going to 

http://moneycentral.msn.com/investor/home.asp . Here you will find many options 

that will be related to stock and bond research including quotes, charts, news. 

To get current quotes, charts, or news, just type a security name or symbol. In addition 

there are research tools of many kinds. You can get the financial facts with 

their Stock Scouter, Company Report, or Earnings Estimates. You can find stocks 

by looking for more stocks with the Stock Screener, Top-Rated Stocks, or CNBC 

Stock Picks. Learn all about a company in one place with the Research Wizard. 

Quicken, a name that has been around for many years producing accounting 

software for microcomputers, has a superb web site. You can get there by going 

to http://quicken.com/. In addition to sources of data, you can set up a portfolio of 

securities that can be tracked continuously. There are many choices of data that you 

can display within a portfolio you set up. The charts and graphs are particularly 

useful for analysis. 

If you need information about Treasury securities, the Bureau of Public 

Debt has a site at http://www.publicdebt.treas.gov/sec/sectrdir.htm. Here you can 

get information, forms, and other resources on how to open an account and buy 

treasuries by direct web or phone, paper and mail, and how to pay for a purchase. 

In all of these cases you have to go to the sites and look around. It is impossible 

to give anything but the barest details here in our column. Good luck! ■ 

The award made of recycled 

glass represents a year of hard, often 

messy work by the housekeeping staff 

along with the cooperation of most residents. 

In the past 12 months Greenspring 

has produced 80,000 tons of material 

processed by staff and a contract 

hauler, who nominated Greenspring for 

the award. Residents, at least most of 

them, can take credit for helping Greenspring. 

■ 

Bill Lovelace, WC-508


Catholic Luncheon 

The Fourth Spring Luncheon 

by the GSV Catholic Community 

brought 152 residents and 12 guests to 

the Conference Center. Father Kevin 

Beres of St. Bernadette’s Parish gave 

prayers and violinist Mickey Zimmerman 

of Jackson Court played.. 

Community Chair Frank 

Richardson of Park View introduced 

staff from Pastoral Ministries, representatives 

of St. Bernadette’s, the Legion of 

Mary and Catholic Charities of the Arlington 

Diocese. 

Margaret Brewer of Maple 

Creek, deputy chair of the Community, 

introduced Steve Luteran, recently appointed 

Executive Director of Catholic 

Charities for the Diocese, and Anne 

Murphy, who works with Catholic 

Charities to provide social services at the 

parish level. Both spoke about their work 

and the need for greater support for this 

service. ■ Helen Reynolds, WC-411 

Lutherans go to Lunch 

The Rev. Donald Qualley, pastor, 

Lord of Life Lutheran Church of 

Burke, spoke at the luncheon attended by 

39 residents. He gave some humorous 

anecdotes from his more than 30 years of 

ministry; then on a more serious note 

asked, “If it takes a village to raise a 

child, what does it take to raise a village?” 

Citing Paul’s Letter to the Romans 

urging one another to live in harmony, 

he noted the way residents in 

Greenspring greet one another as they 

pass in the hall. Luncheon coordinator 

Ky Gilbride of Park View announced the 

next luncheon for September.■ 

First Gathering 

The first gathering of the 

Greenspring Community Christian Fellowship 

in the Village Chapel was an 

evening of prayer, song, readings and 

shared thoughts and the introduction of 

the “Thought Box,” by Fellowship Chair 

Patti Kurke of Madison Green. Music 

was provided by Richard Pledger and 

Katherine Brown, both of Hampton 

Place. Also participating were the Rev. 

Lisa Holloway, Carolyn Pledger, Robert 

Provost, Roy Raymond and Shirley 

Shifflett. The group is to meet monthly 

on the fourth Sunday evening in the 

Chapel.■ 

Pepper Leeper, WC-421 

Detraditionalization 

Detraditionalization? That’s 

the word. The D & D Forum heard theologian 

Diana Butler Bass describe the 

effect of detraditionalization on mainline 

Protestant denominations.. 

◄ Fundamental traditionalists 

hold that sources of authority other 

than the church are evil and must be 

silenced to restore the church as the 

single authority. 

◄ Other churches find success 

in re-traditioning. They accept 

outside culture has changed and develop 

traditions to accept the concept. 

Bass said it is more than simply replacing 

organs with guitars. The congregations 

accept God as more than an authority 

figure; they find God is love and 

the goal is to find means to live well in 

a changing world. ■ 

Wynn & His Village 

Meeting Cartoonist Hugh 

Wynn you first notice the smiley eyes 

and then that nice demeanor and the 

quiet laugh. But Villager wants to 

report a wicked sense of humor, a 

sharp skill to translate the foibles of 

Greenspring to a sheet of drawing 

paper. (Production chief spends very, 

very little time on page 3. “The cartoon 

is correct size, dated, signed and 

ready to go,” says Dick Bassler). You 

get an idea of what kind of kid Hugh 

Wynn was growing up in Oregon 

when you read those charming 

“reflections” in Greenspring’s Reflections. 

Please visit the Villager Corner 

at the Village Fair, May 26. The 

books on advance order will be there 

and so will Wynn and his pen. 

(Perhaps that talking crow will appear.) 

Be assured Gertie Sue attends 

such functions. ■ 

KCKane, Villager 2004 

Café’s Helpful Louis 

By Pepper Leeper, WC-421 

The Potomac Café has a bright, 

cheerful atmosphere, but it takes more 

than a shining décor to make a pleasant 

place to eat. It also requires friendly, helpful 

people to prepare and serve the food. 

Louis Aboagye, the tall server behind the 

counter at the Potomac Café, fits the description 

perfectly. He has a broad smile 

and cheerful greeting for everyone who 

passes his way. 

A native of Ghana, 29-year old 

Aboagye eventually wants to go to college 

and become a social worker. While 

he works toward that professional goal, he 

finds many opportunities to give a helpful 

hand to Greenspring residents who may 

need some assistance in selecting and 

carrying their food.. 

One of his special friends is Sue 

Mathis of Walden Court, who is legally 

blind. Every day she takes a carry-out 

from the Potomac Café to eat for her 

meal of the day. “Louis knows exactly 

what I like and don’t like and he advises 

me on the choices available,” she said. 

“He smiles and is gracious. I have never 

seen him disrespectful or unkind.” 

She was so impressed with 

Louis’s help that she nominated him for 

Employee of the Month, and he was so 

honored in November 2002. In her nominating 

letter Mathis noted that “Louis 

makes what could be a difficult task a 

pleasant interlude in my day.” She described 

him as “an ambassador of goodwill 

for Greenspring.” 

Another of Aboagye’s friends is 

Cleo Stark of Walden Court, who has a 

difficult time walking and uses a motorized 

chair. “Louis is kind and thoughtful,” 

she said. “He notices different needs 

and goes beyond the call of duty. He 

always has time to be polite and of service 

to everyone. Without a doubt he has 

the best interests of all of us at heart.” 

Aboagye said he is happy to get 

soup and salad for people who need help 

and to package the carry-out for them to 

take home. If Aboagye isn’t behind the 

counter when Mathis goes to the café, a 

co-worker will call him and he comes to 

help her. Aboagye said his co-workers 

will often call to him, “Your grandmother 

is here,” when one of his special 

friends arrives. Mathis quickly points 

out, however, that when Louis is not at 

work, other servers “are just as gracious 

to people who need help.” 

Along with plans for college 

and career, Aboagye also looks forward 

to completing five years residency so he 

can apply for U.S. citizenship. He and 

younger sister Sarah arrived in the 

United States in February 2000. Both live 

with older brother Kingsley in Lorton. 

Kingsley came to the U.S. first and has a 

degree in finance from the University of 

Massachusetts. The household also includes 

Sarah’s two-year-old daughter, 

born here and therefore an American 

citizen. Mother Aboagye lives in Kumasi, 

Ghana, but traveled to Virginia last 

year to visit her children; their father 

works for the 

United Nations 

and is 

currently assigned 

to 

Naples, Italy. 

Aboagye 

likes to play 

pool, tennis 

and soccer, 

but enjoys 

watching 

American 

football and 

says he’s a 

Redskins fan. 

■ 

Louis Aboagye 

Photo by Russ Langelle


Page 5 

Photo by Beth Ratchford 

Justin Pritchett entered 

National and International competition 

for the DECA Award in Nashville, 

Tenn. Pritchett was the Virginia 

State winner. He came away in 

third place. DECA is a national program 

for marketing for high school 

students in which some 170,000 

participate. A senior at Lake Braddock 

High School, his winning presentation 

was on graphics presentation 

for business. Before leaving for 

Nashville, Pritchett did a preview 

presentation for Executive Director 

Lonny Blessing. The next day he 

traveled to Baltimore to the Erickson 

Corporate offices to present to Chair 

and CEO John Erickson and others. 

He plans to attend Christian Newport 

University and has a sponsor to 

start the college equivalent of 

DECA, Delta Epsilon. He was an 

intern with Resident Life, helping 

with the Resident Photo Directory 

and photos for Villager.■ 

Jose Vanegas 

By Helen Reynolds, WC-411 

The Channel 6 staff is now 

complete with the arrival of Jose 

Vanegas. Born in Colombia, he 

came to the United States with his 

family when he was 10 years old. He 

grew up in Boston and obtained a 

degree in communication TV and 

film production from Emerson College. 

After graduation he worked for 

two years with his father part time as 

administrative assistant in his catering 

business while he put in full time 

with Hispanic educational cable station 

HITN (Hispanic Information 

and Telecommunication Network). 

In 1989 he visited his sister 

in Virginia, liked it and stayed. He 

did social work in the Hispanic com- 

munity for the Hispanic Committee of 

Virginia, working in community outreach, 

coordinating volunteers, and 

working with day laborers, and at the 

same time was an independent video 

producer, doing weddings, corporate 

videos, commercials and music videos. 

After five years the Hispanic Committee 

grant ended, and he took a job with 

Reston Interfaith, where he did outreach 

in Herndon. Again the grant expired. 

Next he became program director for 

Barrios Unidos of Northern Virginia, 

working with at-risk youth to prevent 

substance abuse, youth violence and 

gang activity, and supervising three employees. 

Jose Varagas 

Photo by Justin Pritchett 

At the beginning of the year he 

saw the Greenspring ad for Channel 6, 

interviewed and was hired. He started at 

GSV March 1. Like the other Channel 6 

staff, he directs and produces programs 

and does what is necessary to keep Channel 

6 on the air. He is currently planning 

for a regular 30-minute show on “Comedy 

in the Village,” which may include standup 

comedy, skits, clips of old-time comedy 

movies and other comedy. The show 

will begin as a monthly event. Everyone 

at GSV is welcome to participate. 

A big event in Jose’s life was 

his participation in a 1998 cross country 

bike ride, organized by the American 

Lung Association. It started June 15 in 

Seattle, WA and ended August 1 in 

Washington, DC. He volunteered as a 

gear crew member. They camped every 

night wherever they could, sometimes on 

grounds for 1500 people. The crew’s job 

was to provided trucks, showers, and 

catered meals; a support group provided 

a pit stop every 30-50 miles. The bikers 

cycled 70-90 miles per day through 

Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, South Dakota, 

Minnesota, Wisconsin, Illinois, Ohio, 

Pennsylvania, and Maryland, arriving in 

DC in one-and-a-half months. Three years 

later Jose volunteered at a one-week ride 

in Montana on behalf of AIDS research. 

He produced an award-winning video of 

the event. ■ 

Scott Palmer 

Photo by Beth Ratchford 

Scott Palmer decided April 6, Tartan 

Day as designated three years ago by 

the US Senate was to be celebrated in his 

new home of Greenspring Village. He 

hoped for a dozen or so fellow Scots. Instead 

70 showed. Piper John Bellassai, DC 

President of St. Andrew’s Society brought 

his bagpipes to perform Kirking of the 

Tartans. A liberal amount of Scotch whiskey 

is poured into a “quaile,” similar to a 

porringer. The piper quaffs in one draught, 

turns the quaile and shows nary a drop was 

spilled. Palmer of Crestwood Court acknowledges 

1/8 Scotch, 1/16 Irish, 1/8 

English and the rest Dutch from his ancestors. 

■ 

Editorial Board: 

Katherine Kane Pepper Leeper 

Dick Bassler Richard Finney 

Bill Raymond 

────── 

Bylines identify contributors


Bluebirds of Happiness 

Fifteen residents are monitoring 

11 bluebird boxes to send information to 

the Cornell University Department of 

Ornithology. Cornell is the leading facility 

for learning about birds. In February 

Greenspring residents participated in the 

Great Backyard Bird Count, also run by 

Cornell. The department hopes to find 

solutions to the declining number of native 

birds and to note trends in breeding 

and migration. 

The boxes were placed by Tom 

Channon of General Services so as to not 

be a nuisance to residents. Only seven of 

the boxes are on Greenspring property. 

Four are located offsite, but close enough 

to walk to. 

Monitors only examine the 

boxes once or twice a week while the 

female bird is away from the nest in the 

afternoon so as not to disturb her or the 

babies. Much information can be gathered 

by watching from a distance. 

Bluebirds are actually only in 

three of the boxes, but chickadees, house 

wrens, house sparrows have nested in 

others this year. The house sparrow is an 

exotic, not native, brought to this continent 

in the 19th century. They are pests 

that kill nestling and adult native birds. 

House sparrows and starlings are not 

protected by law and may be destroyed. 

All others are protected by law. Nests, 

eggs, and birds may not be harmed. 

Pictures and maps may be found 

on The Nature Trail bulletin board in the 

Town Center Craft Room. Participating 

monitors are Eleanor Beall, Bernice 

Groat, Carol Snitzer, all Jackson Court; 

Jim and Mina Coulter, Charles and 

Yvonne Fisher, Bill Fox, all Oak Hill; 

Helen Cullinan, Vivian Nielsen, both 

Canterbury Square; Milly Henry, Grove 

Terrace; Eleanor McKinley, Walden 

Court; Helen Lyons, Forest View; and 

Georgia Weatherhead, Park View.■ 

Nikki Alexander 

By Dick Finney, PV-216 

Greenspring residents can be 

divided into three groups: those who 

have had physical therapy in the windowless 

dungeon in Forest View, those 

who are having it now, and those who 

have not yet had it. Members of the first 

and second groups already know this 

woman. 

She is the youngest of five children, 

and her baby name was “Nikki.” 

Once graduated from the Medical Col- 

lege of Virginia with her MS in Physical 

Therapy and embarked on her first job 

with the Durham Regional Hospital in 

Raleigh, NC, she thought she was entitled 

to the dignity of “Nicole,” the name 

that appears on her birth certificate. But 

her mother blew it with a public birthday 

gift of flowers addressed to “Nikki Alexander.” 

So “Nikki” she remains. 

If an outsider is entitled to an 

opinion, “Nikki” suits her better than 

“Nicole” anyway. “Nicole” says “soft 

and round.” “Nikki” says “trim and 

strong.” And hidden somewhere within 

the name “Nikki” is the hint of a grin, 

the infectious good humor with which 

she encourages her rehab patients. 

Nikki was a tomboy. She went 

out for soccer and swimming at Springfield’s 

Robert E. Lee High School, and 

played basketball and touch football with 

her brothers. She keeps in shape by hiking, 

bicycling, and working out at a gym. 

Nikki Alexander 


It was probably foreordained 

that she would become a physical therapist, 

given her interest in sports and the 

fact that the careers of both her parents, a 

biology teacher and a nurse, nudged her 

toward the health sciences. As a high 

school assignment she was once required 

to research three different occupations 

that she thought might interest her. Her 

choices were interior design, architecture, 

and physical therapy. She was then 

told to focus on one of them and that a 

mentor in that field would be provided 

her. She selected physical therapy. 

Nikki is just completing her 

first year at Greenspring. She prefers it, 

she says, to hospital work because here 

she has time to get to know her patients 

and to learn from them. She defines her 

job as “helping people to regain what 

they have lost.” ■ 

Christine Miles 

By Cecilia Campbell, CT-414 

Christine Miles is new to 

Greenspring. She is the latest social 

worker assigned to Resident Life for 

Madison Green, Crestwood Court, and 

Oak Hill. She gave an interesting answer 

to the routine question; “How did 

you happen to wind up at Greenspring?” 

She said she had worked for 

several years in hospitals, hospice, 

rehab, psychiatric units and mental 

health facilities. She has worked with 

all ages from the very young to the 

elderly, but in all these jobs the association 

with patients was temporary. 

She wanted an opportunity to establish 

a relationship with her patients that 

would permit her to observe any lasting 

effects of her counseling. With this 

in mind, she began applying to retirement 

communities, but found that very 

few will hire a qualified social worker. 

Miles has excellent credentials. 

She is a New Englander and received 

a degree in psychology from 

Clark University in Worcester, MA; 

her Master’s in Social Work from Arizona 

State University. She also earned 

a certificate in American Sign Language 

and met her future husband, 

another New Englander, while at Arizona 

State. Her junior year at Clark 

was spent in England at Sussex University 

in Brighton. She took full advantage 

of being abroad and spent 

time backpacking around Europe and 

staying at youth hostels. 

Christine Miles 


Her husband is a psychologist, 

and they moved to Washington 

when he was offered a job working in 

the Department of Health and Human 

Services. Her first Washington job 

was with George Washington Hospital. 

She is happy to have found Greenspring, 

and we are glad to have this 

enthusiastic young woman here.■


Page 7 

► Milt Weatherhead of Park View took 

MANY phone calls according to Cocoordinator 

Marion Burgett of Hampton 

Place, reporting on the AARP Tax Aide 

assistance at Greenspring. He scheduled 

312 residents to work with certified counselors: 

Chuck Bruggen, Hampton Place; 

Gus Ebel, Bud Lampert, Madison 

Green; Mike Lowe, Connor Terrace; 

Mary Elizabeth Seip, Park View and Jim 

Scott. They along with Burgett answered 

170 tax questions at Hunters Crossing and 

many more during dinner and in hallways. 

They prepared 138 Federal returns and 

132 Virginia returns. “It took us 390 hours 

of service time to our community. Please 

consider joining the team next year; 

AARP gives training in December and 

January.” 

► The first male resident of Greenspring 

Village, Glenn Hefner was accompanied 

by members of the Greenspring Square 

Club on his final trip to Clinton, MD. The 

94-year-old resident who died in April had 

been a charter member of the Greenspring 

Club. Andy Allen accompanied the club 

delegation of Bob Augustad, Milt 

Weatherhead, Bill Simms, Roy Wyne, 

Cliff Poole, Leonard Seip and Bill Lauterbach. 

They all participated in the Masonic 

Ceremony performed by the Camp 

Springs Lodge. The Squares meet 

monthly. 

► Sharing neighbors are a real joy in the 

Village. On the third floor of Walden 

Court enroute to Renaissance Gardens on 

the shelf of Toni Fiumara is a striking 

yellow Oncidium Orchid, named 

“Dancing Doll,” which flaunts 20 delicate 

blooms. Fiumara has shared native flowers 

from her former garden in Pennsylvania 

with the Nature Trail Club and spring is a 

great time to travel the trail where the 

plants are identified. Next trip is over the 

bridge from Town Center to Hampton 

Place where on the shelf of Jean Fregeau 

is a magnificent Phalaenopsis of 25 violet 

blooms. Fregeau received the plant as a 

housewarming gift in November 2000. 

Each year she shares the treasure with the 

Village (in 2003 the spike had 28 blooms.) 

She has no horticulture secret, “it is on the 

table and I sometimes give it Miracle Gro 

(I threw away the orchid food) She is the 

resident the Villager Cartoonist honored 

with his “They Call It High Tea,” to celebrate 

her weekly Sunday Sunset Teas on 

the Bridge. 

► Mary Cigledy of Grove Terrace has 

shared from the time of her arrival. First it 

was the New York Times for the Sunday 

puzzle which went to cubbies courtesy of 

Betty Zakarian of Park View. Then 

Cigledy reads the subscribed Washington 

Post and Washington Times. Carefully 

reassembled by sections, folded and 

placed in the Coffee Lobby at Town Center. 

Watching residents dismantle the papers 

and scatter about the lobby is a bit 

disquieting to the Villager. However, Assistant 

Executive Director Lyn Lubic 

often polices the lobby before she leaves 

for the day. She knows where the trash 

container is placed. 

► His generosity is legion. Dan Swope 

of Grove Terrace is never without his 

camera. At least when he is around the 

campus. He manages to photograph so 

many residents and the activities. When 

he gets the prints back (he always orders 

enough of each negative) painstakingly 

works at the console table in the Town 

Center Lobby identifying, sorting and 

placing the prints in envelopes which he 

then delivers to the cubbies. It would be 

nice if some elf could deliver fresh Kodak 

MAX 400 film to his cubby for his Olympus 

Stylus camera. 

► Gardener Claude Grenauneau has 

the color palette in his planting hands. 

The glory of the planting at the Aquatic 

Center: red and yellow tulips, yellow and 

purple pansies! Oh, my! Then a trip to the 

round-about at Village Square and there 

was all that gorgeous color. A campus 

shuttle ride showed all the glorious Delaware 

Valley azaleas in bloom, Redbud 

trees and Stellata Magnolias. 

► Activity in the Music Room was harsh 

and destructive. Some scooter (presumed) 

whacked the left leg of the Baldwin piano, 

wrenching it from the frame. The leg 

was placed on the piano and seemed forlorn. 

The piano rests on wheeled dolly so 

didn’t crash from its lost leg. Professional 

repair is required. Reminds of Olympic 

casualty Nancy Kerrigan. 

► Mitch Mills of Madison Green had 

this reply for a discussion on when seniors 

should stop driving an automobile: 

“Three F’s, “ the retired physician said, 

“Family, Friends, finally Fysician.” 

► Scotland Rogers, Manager for the 

Greenspring stores, is pleasing residents. 

He announces Farmers’ Markets at the 

end of May. The markets will be on three 

successive days in each community building. 

The first year was only in Village 

Square. Watch the BBs and Channel 6. 

► Greenspring has been in partnership 

with Ronald McDonald House Charities 

with Executive Director Lonny Blessing 

serving on the Board. He was joined this 

year by Kera Wooten, Staff Development 

Manager as co-sponsor of the Walka-thon. 

A Greenspring bus took residents 

and some staff on May 1 to Burke Lake 

Park for the 7 th annual Family Walk-athon 

named in 2004 as Kaps for Kids 

Day. Earlier Blessing reported to RAC 

Council that there were almost 35 staff 

and students participating. Harold and 

Anne Herrmann of Madison Green 

since their move to Greenspring from 

New York also have a vested interest as 

their granddaughter was a start-up force 

with the walk-a-thon. 

► Remember when the freshman journalism 

students got the assignment to 

go through the student directory and 

come up with a “feature story” on 

names. Well, Villager is senior enough 

to go to the Resident Directory based 

on Marge Zitzmann of Walden Court 

who says she and Warren are “always 

the bottom line.” So at Greenspring, 

Smith, 12; Brown, 11; Jones, 7; Clark, 

6; Miller, 6; White, 5; Black, 3; and 

Green, 3. Call Guinness. 

► One of the lunch successes in Potomac 

Café has been the Weight Watchers 

Point presentation four days a week. 

Café Manager Craig Turner reports 

“10–a-day except Tuesday when the 

Chicken Caesar Salad dominates the 

Grab and Go Bar.” Turner says the 

lunch plate varies from three to eight 

points. He himself proved the efficacy 

of the diet when he personally followed 

it to lose 35 pounds. He attended the 

first meeting in February of the group 

under the sponsorship of Ann Lovelace 

of Walden Court and said he would try 

to come up with a café lunch. Residents 

give Turner an “A.” 

► Honored at the April DAR meeting 

for long-term membership was Aldra 

Lauterbach, Park View, 40 years; 

Grace Reynolds, Maple Creek; Peg 

Shea, Park View and Annie Hunter, 

Renaissance Gardens, all 25 years. 

Joan Walther of Jackson Court is almost 

to 50 years Welcomed were Chapter 

members 48 and 49: Barbara 

Dean, Canterbury Square and Roberta 

Wisiackas, Forest View. 

► Bill Lauterbach of Park View 

worked two months to set up a bus for 

the Springfield Chapter 5300 AARP for 

a continental breakfast and the State 

AARP Seminar on The Medicare Improvement 

and Modernization Act of 

2003 scheduled for Annandale. He was 

disappointed that 21 persons had signed 

and only nine made the trip. Lauterbach 

noted at least four other events 

scheduled for the day and time, including 

a Medicare Seminar in the Village 

Theater that had been in the making for 

many months through Public Relations 

Manager Coordinator Pamela 

McKinley. (One of the ambiences of 

Greenspring is the MANY choices out 

there. Choosing is another matter.) 

See NOTABLES on Page 8


Page 8 

Two Who Got Caught 

In The Acting Web 

By Thelma Ledger, WC-103 

She's gone from being Charlie 

Brown's Lucy to being a precocious 

Pippa. He's gone from being King Arthur 

to being a Constable. Both appear in the 

June production of the Greenspring Players 

"Spider's Web." 

Elizabeth Garcia, 10, has been 

on stage since the age of three, with 

hardly a pause in between. She played a 

chicken in second grade, a singer in 

school plays, and is part of a folk singing 

group headed by the Wellness Department's 

Bill Verneer. She is studying musical 

theater in her Fairfax County fourth 

grade class. In "Spider's Web" she holds 

the key to the mystery. 

Ed Nixon, 31, the personable 

man at the Village Square desk, auditioned 

and got the role of Constable in 

the Agatha Christie play. He and the inspector 

investigate a murder in Kent. His 

seventh grade appearance in "A Connecticut 

Yankee" gave him an interest in 

acting. "I have a gift for memorizing 

things," he says. 

He grew up in Lancaster, attended 

community college, and holds a 

bachelors in communications from 

George Mason University. He's been at 

Greenspring three years and says his job 

as Communications Specialist is gratifying 

because "I get to talk to residents 

about their lives, and I also think I'm a 

better person for that." 

Director Patricia Bonser says 

these two actors — there are 11 in the 

cast — are a good example of what 

Greenspring Players is all about. "We 

want to include staff and we want to connect 

to people in the community." 

"Spider's Web" will be presented 

at the Village Theater the evenings 

of June 2; June 3; June 4; and the 

afternoon of June 5. See BBs for ticket 

sales information■ 

Stamps for Wounded 

By Katherine C. Kane, WC-105 

Stamps for the Wounded has 

been a project of Lions International 

since 1942 and service to veterans has 

been a focus for the National Daughters 

of the American Revolution since its 

founding in 1890. A happy marriage of 

the two by the George Mason Chapter of 

the DAR at Greenspring has resulted in 

eight pounds of cancelled stamps sent to 

Dunn Loring for the Stamps for the 

Wounded program. 

The program is intended to help 

hospitalized servicemen fight enforced 

idleness and deadly allies of boredom, 

loneliness, frustration, futility and despair. 

The stamps provide interest as the 

patient can sort and mount stamps, and, 

if ambulatory soak and mount stamps in 

albums, work in therapy projects of making 

greeting cards and decorating boxes. 

Some hints for collecting. Cancelled 

stamps cannot be torn, damaged 

or defective. At the present, no flag 

stamps are wanted. At least a quarterinch 

margin of paper is needed around 

the stamps. Donors are asked not to peel 

or steam stamps; nor soak or sort into 

packets. That’s for the veterans to do. 

DAR collects the stamps placed in the 

last drawer in the GSV Library cabinet 

along with the Campbell’s labels also for 

DAR. ■ 

Volunteers Lunching 

Volunteer Coordinator Theresa 

Berkoski invited local community volunteers, 

high school students, Pet Therapy 

volunteers and others, like Girl Scouts, 

to come to the Conference Center. 

George Mason students appeared in 

charge, and it turned out they had 

planned and done some of the work as 

part of an event planning course at the 

university under the leadership of Berkoski, 

Wendy Sledd, Mrs. District of 

Columbia, spoke on the value of volunteering, 

and GMU student Ayesha King , 

on the spur of the moment, sang to cover 

for a group of missing singers. Ceramic 

tokens with a Dr. Karl Menninger quote, 

“Love cures people-both the ones who 

give and the ones who receive it” were 

presented to the volunteers.. 

Helen Reynolds, WC-411; 

Marcia Dake, PV-222 

Pastoral Ministries honored persons 

who serve the Village with its annual 

Volunteer Luncheon at the Conference 

Center. Nationally known songwriterstoryteller 

Michael Kelly Blanchard was 

described as a person “who will bless 

your socks off!” Guests included offcampus 

religious assistants as well as 

members of the Pastoral Ministries staff 

and residents who assist with various 

services in the Chapel and Renaissance 

Gardens. Blanchard appeared on Channel 

6 as well as an evening concert in the 

Chapel. Supervising were the Rev. Lisa 

Holloway and Jeanne Henifin. 

Community Resources assured Villager 

there is another luncheon to come! All 

the heads of 150 activities will have the 

usual lunch and tribute in September. 

Again, the policy is chair or coordinator; 

not a complete committee. 

K. C. Kane, WC-105 

From page 7 

► Isabel Santillan, who passed successfully 

the citizenship exam was notified 

for the Naturalization Oath Ceremony 

held in Arlington on May 20 at 2 

PM. She attended the English as Second 

Language program at Greenspring. 

DAR mentors who assisted Santillian 

were Carolyn Pledger and Natalie 

Gerace. New American citizen Santillan 

is hoping to bring her two sons 

from the Dominican Republic to live 

with her and her daughter. 

► Equality? Women in America Today 

is the topic for Dialogue & Diversity 

at Conference Center, May 25, 

10:30 AM. The Rev. Beck Beckwith is 

moderator and the Rev. Charles Jaekle 

is introducing the panel of Margaret 

Brewer, Maple Creek; Kay Cumbie, 

Jackson Court, Marcia Dake, Park 

View; Ellen Gale, Canterbury Square 

and Ann Jaekle, Grove Terrace. 

See NOTABLES on Page 9 

Dedicated Fisherman 

By Mary Scantlebury, MG-l04 

You get glimpses of a man 

busily working on fishing lures in the 

Hunters Crossing Craft Room. That’s 

Harry Dean of Canterbury Square who 

makes his own lures and umbrella rigs 

for his twice weekly fishing trips nine 

months of the year. His father was an 

avid fisherman. In the 1940s there was 

an article in The Washington Times 

Herald about him taking his three-yearold 

son fishing. Later a younger brother 

came along and joined them on their 

fishing trips. Both brothers always had 

their own boats as adults and never lost 

their passion for catching fish. 

Dean has his boat at Clark’s 

Landing on the Patuxent River. When 

the rockfish migrate to meet the bait fish 

coming down the river from early November 

to mid-December, he’s also 

busy catching rockfish. The biggest 

rockfish Harry has been involved in 

catching was when he was helping as 

mate on a charter boat in the fall of 

2002. That rockfish was over 50 

pounds, and was the biggest rockfish 

caught in Maryland in 2002. 

During the summer months 

Dean keeps his boat in lower St. Mary’s 

County and fishes for small rockfish, 

See FISHERMAN on Page 10


Heart to Heart 

In April for two weeks residents 

wrote special letters to the wounded veterans 

at Walter Reed Medical Center. 

The Heart to Heart project, as it is called 

came from the sister of Jeanne Henifin 

of Pastoral Ministries, who is Jan Smith 

Donaldson, also the president, and Mary 

Jo Myers, wife of the Chairman of the 

Joint Chiefs of Staff, a member, of the 

International Neighbors Club. Myers 

appeared on Channel 6 to tell the story 

of the club. She promised to take all the 

letters to Walter Reed and personally 

deliver the “mail.” In two weeks some 

70 residents wrote to 130 wounded at the 

DC Medical Center. When Henifin went 

to the Post office to deliver her box of 

letters, she was puzzled by how crowded 

it was. “Ah, it was April 15, tax deadline!” 

Dear Greenspring Residents: 

I want to personally thank 

you for the beautiful and poignant 

letters you wrote to the patients 

at Walter Reed, who have 

been injured in combat. They are 

such dedicated, selfless men and 

women, but they do need to know 

they have the support of the 

American people. Your letters 

certainly showed them the support 

and gratitude they so richly 

deserve. They face long recoveries 

and many have life impacting 

injuries. The letters provide a 

meaningful bond between those 

of you in” the Greatest Generation” 

with those who are carrying 

on that great legacy. With warmest 

regards 

Mary Jo Myers 

Jeanne Henifin and Residents 

Photo by Pam McKinley 

From page 8 

► Villager is tempted to call them 

Riderwood Raiders but it would be 

fairer to say Riderwood Riders. Pastoral 

Ministries Manager the Rev. 

.Lisa Holloway, resident of Maryland, 

is transferring to Riderwood Village to 

cancel her long commute. During the 

almost five years she saw the completion 

of the Village Chapel, formation of 

various faith groups for almost 1800 

residents and graced in her lovely, 

spiritual way Village Church, Vespers, 

Episcopal Eucharist, Dialogue and Diversity. 

Then there is Volunteer Coordinator 

Theresa Berkowski transferring 

after two years on May 21 to Riderwood 

Village, where she will be the 

Volunteer Coordinator. The hardworking 

coordinator acknowledged she 

likes “start-ups,” such as she found at 

Greenspring and into which she is going 

at the Silver Spring, MD campus. 

And she admits commuting from 

Southern Maryland to Virginia can be 

stressful. She and her husband are off to 

London to board a cruise ship on its 

maiden voyage to Norway, Sweden, 

Finland, Russia and Denmark. You go, 

girl! 

► “Most Disciplined” is the caption 

for Maxine Elzeer of Walden Court 

chosen the May Fitness Member of the 

Month. She has been a faithful member 

of the Fitness Center since February 

2000; working out a minimum of three 

times a week. An avid duck pin bowler, 

she transitioned into ten pins. After 

retiring from the Interior Department, 

she spent more time playing golf. She 

also does water walking at the Lee District 

Olympic Pool 

► First one, then both elevators in 

Hampton Place stopped on April 22 

when a blocked drain on the first floor 

overflowed into the mechanical room. 

Plumbers worked to clear the drain, but 

the problem became worse. They made 

a drain bypass so residents could continue 

to use their apartment plumbing. 

Specialists were called in, and a drying 

process and rush delivery of parts followed. 

One elevator was working again 

by April 26, and both were in operation 

two days later. A lesson from this is for 

all residents to know alternative routes 

to reach various destinations; security 

can suggest routes, particularly for residents 

with disabilities. Analysis of what 

clogged the drain included a granular 

substance (Kitty Litter?). Residents are 

reminded to bag, not flush, kitty litter. 

► Villager is elated to welcome back 

to Jackson Court Russell Langelle, 

the staff photographer. During his 

absence a number of staff and residents 

substituted (Villager does thank 

them) but welcomes Langelle. He is 

the resident who discovered in a support 

group the “Hospice Handshake,” 

which turns out to be a hug. 

“Everyone should have one daily.” 

He also explains that the hug is a favorite 

sign of affection. It can be a 

sign of love, friendship, comfort, affection, 

support-anything. A little hug 

makes everyone feel good. Langelle 

presents a photo to the subject of the 

Villager bio and offers additional copies 

at 50 cents each. He deserves lots 

of hugs! 

► The GSV Membership Committee 

has notified the dues paying members 

of the GSV Community that there 

will be no renewal of their Associate 

Memberships in VaCCRA in the fall. 

The GSV request to become a duessharing 

chapter of VaCCRA was 

turned down at the Richmond meeting. 

Elaine Sorensen of Connor Terrace 

who served as Chair for the GSV community 

reminds, “all residents of GSV 

are Community Members and are 

represented by two members of the 

RAC Council, Mitch Mills and 

Chuck Seeger, who are members of 

the VaCCRA Board of Directors. ■ 

WIMS Update 

Cecilia Campbell of Connor 

Terrace told Villager some activities 

that WIMS is doing. Campbell is Vice 

Chair of the group of women at 

Greenspring who at one time served in 

the military. She reports it is an active 

and rapidly growing group of some 50 

members. Speakers at a recent meeting 

spoke in support of the Oral History 

project that WIMS and DAR share for 

the Library of Congress. Maple Creek 

resident Margaret Brewer, retired Marine 

Corps Brigadier General, previewed 

the future Marine Memorial 

Exhibition at Quantico. 

The group traveled to the 

Library of Congress and was impressed 

with the Jefferson Building 

and the Winston Churchill exhibit. 

Wanda Driver of Jackson Court secured 

tickets for the premier of 

Stephen Lang’s “Beyond Glory” 

showing in the theater of the Women 

in Military Service at Arlington National 

Cemetery. ■ 

By Cecilia Campbell, CT-415


Page 10 

Gala Nets $100,000 

By Village Editors 

“Welcome to the Greenspring 

Corral” read the sign over the entrance 

to Village Square. Saddles and harnesses 

lined the entrance, and a lifesize 

plaster horse from Boot Hill 

greeted some 300 revelers at “Denims 

and Diamonds” night – the fourth annual 

Benevolent Care Gala. Woodland 

Skies glittered. There were more diamonds 

(presumably some fakes) in 

evidence than denim, but the universal 

head gear was strictly cowboy -- 

broad-brimmed and high crowned. 

The annual Gala raises money 

for the Benevolent Care Fund, established 

to assist residents who may suffer 

from unforeseen financial difficulties. 

This year’s event benefited the 

Fund by $100,000. In the words of 

Executive Director Lonny A. Blessing, 

“The fund permits continued care in 

strict confidence and reiterates Greenspring’s 

lifelong commitment to our 

residents.” 

The Gala took over Village 

Square. Every corner offered tables 

piled high with food to please every 

palate, from appetizer to dessert (the 

white chocolate truffles were a huge 

hit). There was dancing to The Dale 

Jarrett Trio in the GSV Honky Tonk 

(Woodland Skies), gambling with 

“funny money” in the Crazy Horse 

Saloon and Casino. 

Before the auction got underway, 

Carolyn Venable, best known off 

stage as a GSV shuttle driver, opened 

the program with a vocal solo. Executive 

Director Lonny Blessing greeted 

guests and introduced Wendy Sledd, 

Mrs. District of Columbia 2004; Esther 

You, Miss Greater Springfield; and 

Congressman Tom Davis, 11th District 

of Virginia. 

While “funny money” was the 

legal tender in the casino, it took real 

money to buy the many donated items 

for the first Gala Live Auction in the 

Rodeo Round-up. Auctioneer Donna 

Blake Bolton kept the action moving, 

and the bids rolled higher and higher’ 

Joan Matteson of Walden 

Court, along with friends Nola Brooks 

and Ky Gilbride, was determined to be 

a winner. The three residents were 

after the four box seats at an Orioles 

game, compliments of NeighborCare 

Pharmacy. She chose Paddle 55 because 

1955 was her lucky year when 

she married after her husband’s 

graduation from West Point. The lucky 

paddle and the highest bid bought the 

tickets that were shared with her 

friends along with Scott Matteson. 

Mother and son have been O’s fans 

since the 80s. It turned out their Box 

Suite was Number 55. Amber Phillips 

and Kathy Manol, both NeighborCare 

technicians joined them for the game. 

No winners on the field. 

Assistant Executive Director 

Lyn Lubic was another happy bidder. 

With a determined eye on the crocheted 

cowboy and cowgirl by Cora 

Crouthamel of Park View, she outbid 

everyone. The dolls are gifts for Lubic’s 

twin grandchildren, six-year-old Frank 

and Savannah. The Auction netted 

$3,000 and was declared “successful!” 

The diamond pendant, donated 

by jewelers Greenan and Sons was won 

by Ralph and Florence Taylor of Grove 

Terrace. 

Staff from Community Resources 

consider “Village” and 

“Volunteer” synonymous. Since the first 

Gala in the South Pacific in Fireside to 

the Silver Screen and Casino Galas in 

Village Square, residents have assisted 

with the preparation of decorations and 

hand addressing invitations (2,000 for 

2004). 

Volunteer Fairfax-Volunteers 

for Change from the community and 

local high school students helped pre- 

Gala setups and assisted in numerous 

ways. It was an event to benefit residents, 

but the generous donation of 

time, energy, enthusiasm and hard work 

by many employees made it a successful 

event. 

Gift Planning Manager Kimberly 

Nelson reminded residents that it is 

not too late to add a donation to the Benevolent 

Care Fund.■ 

Zither Friends at GSV 

By Jane Curtis, WC-422 

For the 10th time my semiannual 

music gathering and zither seminar 

was held at Greenspring. This was the 

23rd of the series that began in 1992. 

Play day was April 23: a gathering of 

players of different musical instruments 

to play as the spirit moved us, with predesignated 

music or whatever anyone 

brought along. In addition to zithers we 

had guitar, accordion and button box (an 

accordion-like instrument with buttons 

instead of a keyboard). There was even 

some singing, but we missed our folk 

harp and hammered dulcimer. Among 

the zither players was resident Jo 

Schrimpe of Madison Green. 

The next day was for zither 

players only: a structured day of real 

work on music that the players had 

worked on in advance. You may have 

seen us on our breaks drinking coffee 

and eating cookies in the Town Center, 

or observed us stoking up on lunch in 

the Café. It is amazing what improvement 

a few hours of concentration can 

bring, even with this toughest-of-allinstruments 

to play. Anyone passing by 

in the afternoon might have heard strains 

of the Washington Post March, a Finnish 

waltz, and Austrian folksong, or a classical 

piece, among others. 

Our next seminar weekend will 

be in the fall, but we probably can’t resist 

a play day or two in between. ■ 

FISHERMAN From Page 8 

bluefish and bottom fish where the Potomac 

meets the Chesapeake. Although the 

fish are smaller, they keep him busy 

hauling them in. He tries to go twice a 

week, preferring calm days. Thanks to 

the Internet, he can get very accurate 

forecasts about surface winds for the 

coming l2-24 hours. If he is alone and it 

is windy, he sometimes goes anyway and 

fishes with a commercial fisherman. 

Dean has a 2l-foot Sea Pro fiberglass 

boat, comfortably holding four 

to five people, with a bimini top for sun 

and rain protection. After he married 

Barbara 45 years ago, he purchased a 

larger boat that was badly damaged in a 

hurricane. He put a lot of labor rather 

than money into repairing it as he didn’t 

think it was fair to spend much money on 

a boat when Barbara didn’t really like to 

fish. In the 30 years he had that boat, 

Barbara Dean was in it three times. 

However, when they retired and he was 

going off to work on that same boat, she 

suggested he go buy a new one! 

Dean issues an invitation to 

other Greenspring men who are willing 

to go on short notice to go with him on 

his fishing trips. He usually finds out the 

evening before on the Internet whether 

the next day will be good or bad. Call 

him and tell what days of the week you 

might be available. (He also will help 

anyone who would like to learn to make 

lures and rigs.) ■ 

Harry Dean 

Photo by Beth Ratchford


Page 11 

An All-Star Employee 

By Mary Scantlebury, MG-l04 

Holly Borrero, who is the 

Lead Coordinator of Resident Services 

at Renaissance Gardens and 

also in charge of assisted living services, 

was named All-Star Employee 

of the Month in February. She was 

surprised at an honor for doing what 

she loves to do. Nominations had 

come from residents and families. 

Borrero came to Greenspring 

in July 2002 as the lead social 

worker and was in charge of the 

fourth floor rehab. She had been a 

social worker for 16 years working 

in health care settings. She had been 

at Integrated Health Services in Alexandria 

prior to Greenspring. 

Borrero grew up on Long 

Island , received a bachelor’s degree 

in child and family services from 

Plattsburgh State College, NY and 

later a master’s degree at Adelphi 

University, NY. After college she 

moved to Florida where her parents 

had relocated and where she met her 

husband, Bob who currently works 

for United Airlines. The Borreros, 

their three-year-old son and a weekend 

visitor, Bob Borrero’s 13-yearold 

son from Fredericksburg, live in 

Woodbridge. 

What she likes about her 

job? Providing leadership for the 

other RG social workers and helping 

residents in assisted living. Outside 

of work the Borreros enjoy biking, 

outdoor jogging, trips to the beach 

and visiting extended family in New 

York and Florida. ■ 

Holly Borrero 


Roshan Sakhrani 

By Fran Richardson, MG-410 

Roshan Sakhrani is a very busy 

person. You are likely to see him in the 

Potomac Café, or Woodland Skies or at 

Northern Virginia Community College, or 

even bowling or playing softball with other 

Greenspring staffers. His official title is 

Dining Services Supervisor at Woodland 

Skies and he is receiving training in management. 

As you approach the cash register 

with your tray 

in the Potomac 

Café, you may 

be surprised to 

find your number 

has already 

been punched in 

if Sakhrani is 

working there. 

“No problem,” 

he said. He can 

match a number 

with a face after 

a person’s third 

Roshan Sakhrani 

Photos by Russ Langelle 

or fourth time at the café, but it takes him a 

little longer to match a name. So far he 

knows about 100 numbers. 

Sakhrani is also a student at 

Northern Virginia Community College, 

majoring in international business.. He 

somehow finds time, too, for sports with 

Greenspring staff. His mentor, he claims, is 

Craig Turner, Potomac Cafe Manager. 

During his five years at Greenspring, 

Sakhrani has moved up from washing 

dishes to working at the cash register to 

waiting tables and now as dining supervisor. 

If Greenspring ever establishes a bar, 

he would like to be a bar tender. He has 

learned lots of things working here, he 

said, but knows there is more to learn. 

Learning English was his first big 

challenge. His parents, natives of India, 

fled to Hong Kong during the fighting following 

India’s independence. Sakhrani was 

born in Hong Kong and learned Cantonese, 

in addition to Hindi. However, the family 

moved to America when he was three 

years old, first to Florida and then to 

Northern Virginia. Young Sakhrani learned 

English watching Sesame Street on TV. He 

graduated from Robert E. Lee High 

School. 

Asked if he has had any bad onthe-job 

experiences here, he thought a moment, 

then said, “Well, once.” A special 

cake had been ordered for a birthday dinner, 

and when it was time for him to present 

it, the cake could not be found. It was 

finally located in the freezer – “Too frozen 

to eat,” he said regretfully. ■ 

Janie Hermon 

Text & Graphics by Helen Wynn, PV-107 

Janie Hermon of Grove Terrace 

has always been adept at working 

with her hands. In her former home 

she had a candle-making studio. At 

Greenspring she designs and sews her 

own blouses and sews binding on 

christening bibs for Catholic babies. 

But her largest contribution is 

to the Navy’s 100 th anniversary of the 

Navy Marine Relief Society. The 

“knitting grannies” make layettes for 

Navy enlisted personnel who have 

babies. The Navy sends Janie the yarn 

and she dispenses it to whomever is 

interested in knitting or crocheting 

whatever baby item they want – blankets, 

sweaters, caps, etc. She collects 

the finished articles and sends them 

back. There is an Awards Luncheon in 

April, where the contributors are presented 

with pins and gifts. In December 

they are invited to a Christmas 

party at the Admiral’s House at the 

Navy Yard. 

Hermon’s early career as a 

Military Assistance Programmer must 

have given her a taste for travel when 

she attended conferences in Panama 

and Germany. The last year or two has 

found her visiting Ireland, Alaska and 

Italy. 

Her present weekend project 

is helping her son redo an old house in 

Woodbridge. She scrubs, makes curtains 

and waxes floors. (Just what we 

thought we were getting away from!) 

Hermon has a large collection 

of unicorns. She likes to play all card 

games. She has three grandchildren.■ 

REWARD!! 

HELP WANTED!! 

Villager is looking for folks 

with editing skills. Look over 

this issue, and if you find serious 

errors, you will be rewarded 

with an immediate 

appointment to the Villager 

staff.


Page 12 

Plotters Progress 

By Cecilia Campbell, CT- 415 

In the space of a few weeks 

the number of plotters has grown to 

103 and the number of plots now 

available to 114, which leaves 11 

still unassigned. Already you can see 

the plotters trudging home from their 

land, hot and tired with dirt on their 

knees and a smile of great expectation 

on their faces. If you ever harbored 

a secret wish to grow your 

own tomatoes, speak now. 

With the number of plots 

almost doubled and so many new 

gardeners with so many questions, 

you can imagine that John St. 

Louis’s life has become ever more 

frenzied. In addition to getting the 

gardens ready and assigned, and 

making sure that water is easily 

available to each plot, a new and 

larger garden shed has joined the old 

one. Both are well stocked with tools 

of all kind, fertilizers, and such useful 

items as kneeling pads and buckets. 

Bags of soil amenders are 

stacked nearby and an ancient creaking 

wheel barrow and a beautiful 

new blue wagon are available to 

transport heavy items. The locks to 

the sheds can be operated by any 

resident’s exterior key, making the 

contents available to every gardener. 

Of course, with 104 plotters 

using the same materials from the 

same two sheds, problems do arise. 

One problem that occurred last year, 

and this year as well, is one with no 

perfect solution. Someone forgets or 

is confused about which well numbered 

plot is assigned to him and 

spends several back breaking hours 

working up the soil in the wrong 

plot. Many of the questions and 

problems that arise could be avoided 

if all plotters attended the Garden 

Club meeting. It is held on the second 

Monday of each month in the 

Village Theater. St.Louis brings a 

large poster sketch of the garden layout 

with each plot numbered and 

assigned. He answers questions, 

makes announcements, signs people 

up for Roto-tilling and is willing to 

discuss any suggestion made by the 

attendees. What does not make him 

happy – in fact, quite the opposite – 

is to get dozens of phone calls asking 

such questions as “What is my 

plot number? Where can I find the 

fertilizer? When will you roto-till 

my plot?” He sincerely wishes to 

have 104 successful and happy gardeners 

but encourages everyone to 

come to the meetings. 

Now that there are so many gardeners, 

he wonders if there might be a way 

they could organize themselves for self 

help. Those who are experienced and have 

had successful gardens at Greenspring, 

those who know the ropes in other words, 

might they organize to donate an hour a 

week to answer questions for those residents 

who are new to Greenspring and or 

to gardening? Think about it. Perhaps it 

could be discussed at the next Garden Club 

meeting. ■ 

Speak Many Tongues 

By Helen Wynn, PV-107 

Many Greenspring residents have 

foreign service or military backgrounds 

and have learned foreign languages. Now 

they have an opportunity to brush up on 

those languages. 

French: Michel Margosis of Park 

View heads up the French Conversation 

Group. They meet twice a month (second 

and fourth Thursdays, 12:45 PM, Town 

Center Card Room.) for informal discussions 

on subjects of interest to participants. 

Margosis reports some members are from 

Belgium and Haiti. Dick Finney, Park 

View, originated the group. 

Spanish: Thelma Ledger of Walden 

Court is in charge of the Spanish Conversation 

Group. Some participants are 

from the CIA, State Department and U.S. 

Information Service. There are native 

speakers from Colombia, Cuba, Spain, 

Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic. 

They meet the first Tuesday in the Village 

Square lobby at 4:30 PM. After a half-hour 

of conversation, they proceed to Woodland 

Skies for dinner, followed by a Spanish 

language movie in the theater at 7 PM. 

Other residents are invited to attend the 

movie. 

Spanish Beginners: This Spanish 

conversation course, which teacher Georgi 

Thurman of Madison Green originally offered 

for 10 classes, will be winding down 

for the summer after 20 classes. Shortly 

after Labor Day Thurman will start again 

with a new group that has been on the 

waiting list of 21. The present class has 

suggested joining that group as they can 

use the review and then all proceed together. 

German: Kurt Latzko of Grove 

Terrace has started the latest language 

class – German. He has divided his students 

into beginners and advanced. The 

beginners use a text book and learn to read 

German, understand grammar, and speak 

correctly. The advanced group reads wellknown 

German stories. Each session lasts 

one hour, beginning at 10 AM on Tuesdays 

in the Village Square classroom. Latzko 

has taught for many years. 

Russian: Jane Curtis of Walden 

Court recently concluded teaching an 

eight-week course on an introduction to 

Russian. The students learned a bit of 

Russian (including the alphabet) and got 

a feel for what the language is like. 

Medieval English: This class 

has not met for several months, but resumes 

in June. What began as a 10-week 

course, which Jane Curtis of Walden 

Court taught twice, has evolved into a 

continuous class. “Middle English is a 

delightful language,” Curtis said. 

“Everything is pronounced, all consonants 

and vowels.” From books and excerpts, 

the class has read Robin Hood 

and how the Normans came to England. 

Their reading has made poetry, religion 

and history come alive. Curtis received a 

Doctorate in Comparative Languages 

and Literature and is very enthusiastic 

about her subject. 

Italian: The Italian class has 

been meeting since March on Mondays 

from 12:30 to 2 PM in the Hunters 

Crossing Classroom taught by Elio 

Grandi of Hampton Place. This is a 

beginners’ course and they use a text 

book. They plan to meet all summer and 

possibly into fall. Grandi was born in 

Boston, but spent the years from age 

nine to 29 in Italy. He received a doctorate 

in languages from Padua University, 

one of the world’s oldest. His career in 

this country was in finance, insurance 

and stocks. 

English as a Second Language 

(ESL): Director Janelle Adams of Human 

Resources was certain there was a 

need to start a program in English for 

employees. She took the idea to the Human 

Resources Committee of RAC, 

which had just started. Hazel Poole of 

Madison Green was a member of the 

Human Resources Committee and had 

been teaching ESL before arriving at 

Greenspring. A friend with ESL experience 

brought the first materials. Poole 

assigns students and teachers and works 

with supervisors to encourage their staff 

members to attend. Currently there are 

15 teachers, all residents, and 25 pupils. 

At the present Greenspring is the only 

Erickson Community with only residents 

teaching the program. A majority 

of the students speak Spanish. They 

come from many countries, including 

the Philippines, Bolivia, El Salvador, 

Honduras, Afghanistan, Vietnam and 

Ghana. They meet Tuesdays and Thursdays 

during their lunch hours in Town 

Center. Treasure Chest gives support to 

the program. ■

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