Citizen scientists are down to earth
During her childhood in Atlantic City, New Jersey, Jill MacNeice was always in the water, dreaming of scuba diving with octopuses and legendary undersea explorer Jacques Cousteau. Now living in Washington, D.C., she is still in the water, taking water samples from the Potomac River with a volunteer team of the Potomac Riverkeeper Network, a watchdog advocacy group that combats pollution... READ MORE
Mount Vernon’s natural food store still thrives
John Waters films feature some of Baltimore’s famous landmarks, like the Charles and Senator theaters, Bengies Drive-In Theatre and The Avenue in Hampden. Only slightly less famous, a brick rowhouse on Preston Street in Mount Vernon appeared in Waters’ 1972 film Pink Flamingos as the retail establishment of the infamous egg lady, played by Edith Massey. A few years later, OK... READ MORE
Singer celebrates 20 years of Jazz in the Mills
For Columbia jazz singer and concert promoter Lavenia Nesmith, life has been a series of happy accidents. Take for instance, her start as a singer. When Nesmith (pronounced nee-smith) was eight years old, she was walking to Sunday school and happened to overhear a soloist singing the spiritual “We Are Our Heavenly Father’s Children.” The song moved Nesmith so deeply that it led... READ MORE
Rick Steves comes to town
Rick Steves has been called a travel guru, a TV personality and a hippie backpacker. But he prefers the term travel teacher. Since the late 1970s, Steves, now 70, has been teaching others how to travel. “In a lot of ways, travel is a fountain of youth,” he said in an interview with the Beacon. “You can travel with a youthful spirit.” This month, he’ll give audiences an armchair... READ MORE
Couple gives back in a big way
Inventor Thomas Clement and his wife, the artist Wonsook Kim, have reached that stage in life where one thinks about giving back to honor the people and organizations that made their lives so successful. But while others in that stage are writing checks to their alumni associations or maybe underwriting a scholarship at their alma mater, the Clarksville couple is going a bit... READ MORE
How Alexandria preserves Black history
Two hundred years ago, Alexandria, Virginia, was a hotbed for human trafficking. In fact, one of America’s largest slave trading companies operated on Duke Street, seizing and selling people from 1828 until 1861. Now that brick building has been restored as the Freedom House Museum, thanks in part to historian Audrey Davis, who oversees the city’s preservation and interpretation of... READ MORE
Museum president has plans to expand
Some museums whisper. Some lecture. Others expect you to admire quietly and move along. The National Great Blacks in Wax Museum in Baltimore does none of these things. It draws you in, focuses your gaze, and invites you to see history in full. Located in East Baltimore, the museum stands as the first — and still one of the only — institutions in the United States devoted exclusively... READ MORE
Unearthing Howard County’s Black history
When Wayne S. Davis and his son, Nathan S. Davis, wandered down a familiar hiking trail in Guilford, Maryland, a decade ago, they had no idea that a simple walk would spark a years-long journey into some of the county’s overlooked history. The Davis family moved to Howard County in 1992, and Nathan grew up near those paths. As a child, he often climbed across the old Pratt... READ MORE
How older athletes stay active in winter
Judy Aw tried rock climbing 25 years ago on a whim. Her gym had added an indoor climbing wall, and when she reached the top, she was hooked. “It was such a high,” said Aw, now 74. “It’s a full-body experience — It’s not just physical, it’s the mental part of it, too. I’ve been climbing ever since.” Last year Aw formed a group for climbers over age 55. They meet every ... READ MORE
Former actress sees big picture
Baltimore native Leah Kalish has worn many hats during her career — dancer, actor, yoga instructor, preschool teacher, and now a therapy facilitator. Kalish, who was known as Leah Ayres during her acting career, is most famous for her roles in films like martial arts drama Bloodsport (1988) and horror film The Burning (1981). But Kalish, 68, has always had dreams beyond the big... READ MORE
