Sharing African American heritage
In 1963, Wylene Burch was living in Berlin, Germany, with her husband, an Army officer, and their two small children.“It was the time of the assassinations of President Kennedy and Medgar Evers and of the civil rights movement. My daughter, DeLace, who was 9 at the time, was old enough to know that something was going on in America,” Burch said. “So I started teaching my... READ MORE
Honoring the valley’s veterans
Coachella Valley’s military veterans are receiving special attention through a project spearheaded by a former Army staff sergeant and weapons expert who seems to be uniquely suited to the job.Mike Pierson’s two tours of duty in Vietnam, combined with his profession as a private investigator and extensive community involvement, provide him ideal qualifications for establishing a ... READ MORE
A couple of ‘critical’ importance
Rich Massabny owes his long career as a critic — as well as his long marriage — to a serendipitous visit to the Northern Virginia Sun newspaper 50 years ago on the off chance they might be hiring.“I was walking in to look for a job and this guy said, ‘I’m leaving this place. Do you know showbiz, kid?’ And what do you think I answered?” Massabny... READ MORE
Easier way to start a business
After working a 9 to 5 job for decades, whether for a big company, the federal government or both, taking the leap to become an independent contractor can feel liberating. No more mind-numbing commute or bosses parsing the minutia of every project. Perhaps there might even be room for a Friday morning round of golf.At least, that’s what Ward Mannering was hoping when he decided to... READ MORE
The keeper of Columbia’s past
The urban planners come from Korea, China, Belarus, California and Pennsylvania, all wanting to know the same thing: “How did Columbia do it?”How were some 15,000 acres of farm land turned into a city of 100,000 residents often rated, along with nearby Ellicott City, as one of the most livable communities anywhere?The questions are put to Columbia Archives Director Barbara... READ MORE
A spirit for civic leadership
Considering the vast number of civic responsibilities she must balance on a regular basis, La Quinta Mayor Pro Tem Terry B. Henderson is a remarkably relaxed person.“My hobbies are what I do,” she said good-naturedly of the community, valley, county, state and national leadership roles she has held for nearly 20 years.Her coinciding commitments have included work not only with... READ MORE
Fertile area for farmers’ markets
Plump strawberries perfume the air next to leafy heads of romaine lettuce and spears of asparagus picked hours before at Bigg Riggs Farm in West Virginia.The smells mix with the scent of kettle corn popped from corn picked at an Anne Arundel County farm, while a nearby vendor sells ice pops in exotic flavors — from hibiscus to cucumber chili to strawberry ginger lemonade — all... READ MORE
Deanna Bogart and all that jazz
Deanna Bogart has often had to battle her way into playing music the way she wanted in a genre dominated by men.As a middle school student, she yearned to wail on the saxophone like Charlie Parker and Ben Webster. Instead, she was handed a clarinet and told, “This is what girls play.”“I was 11 years old and I knew that wasn’t right,” Bogart said. “But ... READ MORE
Anne Tyler, still making it all up
In Anne Tyler’s Baltimore living room, you could shelve virtually all the books under a single heading: fiction.Eudora Welty. John Updike. Vladimir Nabokov. Reynolds Price. A rare brush with fact is More Matter, a collection of Updike’s essays and criticism. Otherwise, don’t expect any works of history or politics. Biographies? What’s the point? She knows how the ... READ MORE
Paths to community service
After 9/11, Tufail Ahmad felt that Muslim Americans like himself needed to become more involved in political and charitable endeavors in the larger community. As a result, he helped found the Montgomery County Muslim Council, which provides food to thousands of homeless and low-income residents, among other charitable acts. Ahmad and Ruby Rubens, a Silver Spring fair housing and... READ MORE
