September 2011
The Greater Raleigh Court Civic League
www.grccl.org
R a l e i g h C o u r t — A H i s t o r I C A L N E I G H B O R H O O D L O O K I N G F O R WA R D
Summer Scenes Across the Neighborhood Although some of us managed to get away from town for a vacation for a week or two during these long hot months of summer, the rest of us had to find ways to make the best of our “stay-vacations,” seeking exercise and fresh air, and socializing with friends. Here is a little reporting we’ve put together, mostly through photographs, demonstrating what a great neighborhood we live in, and also showing how resourceful we all can be!
Elsewhere in this issue we mention the installation of a new bicycle rack (In a Tangle) and a report on the annual block party, both examples
of the good times we enjoy. Summer cartoons (at the Grandin Theatre) have been very well attended (a great family activity – in air-conditioned comfort), and there have, no doubt, been many picnics, concerts and other gatherings. Here, though, we’d like to share with you some images of specific forms of recreation we’ve observed, with a special thank you to Kara Duffus, our Court Photographer.
Inside This Issue President’s Message..................................................... 3 Raleigh Court Annual Block Party.............................. 4 Collecting Stories from the Greatest Generation............ 5 Art Everywhere.......................................................... 9 Blue Ridge Potter’s Guild.......................................... 11 History Lessons........................................................ 11 Things You Need to Know......................................... 14
We decided to observe three playgrounds: Woodrow Wilson Middle School, Virginia Heights Elementary, and Norwich Park, and to see if we could capture some stories about summer recreation. The middle school was the scene of a variety of activities, ranging from organized to “pick up,” including baseball, soccer, dogwalking, basketball, and biking. At Virginia Heights, she took portraits of two different sets of fathers and toddlers, who were enjoying the bright and shiny equipment. Norwich appeared to be empty and unoccupied, but Kara, with the instinct of a good reporter, noticed the pile of dirt, and figured there might be a good story there. Now we know the pile of dirt is a new mountain bike track being developed at the initiative of local biking enthusiasts.
—continued on page 6
Meeting Announcement This year, we’re all about the schools. Although our September Meeting had to be cancelled (scheduling difficulties), we hope to attract a large crowd to our November Meeting, with special guests Rita Bishop, Roanoke Schools Superintendent, and David Carson, RCPS School Board Chairman. Hope to see you there, Thursday evening, November 10th, at 7 pm at Raleigh Court Child Development Center (former Raleigh Court Elementary School).
Greater Raleigh Court Civic League Officers 2010-2011 OFFICERS President: Chad Braby 798-2576 chadbraby12@gmail.com Vice-President: Vacant Treasurer: Ruth Dickerson 345-2187 ruthD@colecpas.com Recording Secretary: Keith Dabbs 342-2446 kdabbs@carilion.com Corresponding Secretary: Vacant Directors at Large: Jake Gilmer jgilmer@rcarc.org Matt Pritts pritts@woodsrogers.com Martha Graves mgraves@wdbj7.com
COMMITTEE CHAIRS: Membership: Martha Graves
Greenways: Mike Urbanski 344-1388 mike_urbanski@cox.net
Adopt-a-Highway: Kurt Navratil 343-7373 kdnavrat@cox.net
Building Management: Bobby Hartman 204-1440 Rjhartman74@yahoo.com
Brook Dickson bdickson@hollins.edu
Grandin Road Merchants Liaison: Kurt Navratil
Neighborhood Affairs Committee: Vacant
Web & Social Media: Jake Gilmer
Program: Mary Dykstra
The Court Reporter is published by the Greater Raleigh Court Civic League fives times a year on or about the first week of September, November, January, March, and May.
Melissa Morgan 312-3587 melissa@RealEstateReborn.com Dawn Werness 343-2151 dawn2151@cox.net
Parke Loesel JKPLoesel@aol.com
Newsletter: Ellen Brown 981-0206 mynewestchapter@verizon.net
Immediate Past President: Susan Koch 345-9977 s.koch@verizon.net
Special Projects: Tony Stavola 345-0010 astavola@carilion.com
Project2
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8/3/11
10:18 AM
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From the President
Happy New Year! Wait. What? Oh, right... For many of us, especially those with school-age children or school-related occupations, the new year actually does start on September 1. The Greater Raleigh Court Civic League observes a similar calendar. After our summer break, we crank up a new year of bimonthly membership meetings, board meetings and annual activities. The upcoming year looks to be exciting for our organization and our neighborhood. We’ve chosen to spend some energy and effort focusing on Roanoke City Schools. Our November meeting will feature an open conversation with Rita Bishop, Roanoke City Schools Superintendent, and David Carson, RCPS School Board Chairman. Additionally, this fall we’ll introduce a new Civic League effort that looks to further our partnership with City Schools. We are making an allotment of grant funds available for local classrooms and teachers to be utilized for special projects. Stay tuned to the November and January newsletters for more details on this exciting program. Organizationally, we’re also making strides in other areas. Board member Jake Gilmer set up an online payment system, where new and existing Civic League members can update membership information and pay annual dues by credit card. The system is in place on our website, grccl.org, and will be formally introduced this fall. In coordination with that, we’re streamlining our membership renewal process. Our Membership Chair, Martha Graves, has worked diligently to clean up our membership list, and we hope to establish some new guidelines that will ease the burden on future volunteers.
great work on the Murray Run Greenway and Dan Wright Trailhead. As we progress through the new year, we’ll work to fill a few other Board vacancies that will arise as current members fulfill their terms. Financially, we enter the new year in solid shape. Our cash position is strong, and our income is mostly steady. We’re grateful for our assets, which include the building that houses Pop’s Ice Cream and Soda Bar. However, as any of us who own houses that are approaching the century mark can attest, the line between asset and liability is thin. Accordingly, we continue to maintain a rainy day fund should the unforeseen arise. We’re also grateful for our volunteers. It’s you who make the organization what it is. To be honest, we could use a few more hands, so if you’ve considered showing up to help with our great events, step right up. Now is the time. We’ll need some folks in November to help the Grandin Village Business Association with their great Christmas Parade. We hope to hold the annual village block party next May, but without new organizational volunteers, it may not happen. We could always use a few more writers for our awardwinning newsletter, or to help keep neighbors updated via our blog. Please drop me an e-mail and I’ll fill you in on all the wonderful Community Building opportunities. See you around the neighborhood.
As always, we continue the tradition of introducing new names and faces into leadership roles in our organization. Parke Loesel, our newest Board Member, officially starts her term in September. Parke and her husband, Jim Loesel, are longtime members, and may be familiar faces from their
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RALEIGH COURT ANNUAL BLOCK PARTY Over 700 friends and neighbors gathered in Grandin Village to celebrate summer at the 7th annual Block Party in late May. They loved the free Valleydale hotdogs, homemade cookies, Homestead Creamery Ice Cream, plus a wide range of music and entertainment. And car buffs enjoyed the classic cars at the show organized by Grandin Road Automotive. Kids were entertained by Mark Fuller, a neighborhood musician, and lined up for face painting by Grandin Village artist Katherine Devine. Betts Gillespie organized many other fun activities for kids, including the Jimmy Sardine’s Moon Bounce and hula hooping. The Raleigh Court Civic League and the Grandin Village Business Association work together every year to put on this wonderful neighborhood event. Susan Koch, past president of the Civic League, worked with Michelle Bennett, owner of CUPS and GVBA president, and Susan Stump, Valley Bank Manager and past GVBA president, to organize the event. You probably recognized many of the hot dog grillers from the Civic League. Please be sure to thank the many Grandin Village merchants who supported the event with generous donations. They’re listed in this edition of the Court Reporter.
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Collecting Stories from the Greatest Generation By Ellen A. Brown By a stroke of good fortune, I landed an unusual summer job at the Virginia Museum of Transportation, collecting oral histories from WWII aviators. The museum staff handed us (myself and two college students) a short list of Navy, Marine and Air Force pilots known to be living in the Roanoke area, and told us to record interviews with them, producing transcripts of each session, and establishing a small archive for the museum. We soon learned, however, that a ninety-year-old veteran could not possibly tell us all about WWII in one sitting. Each individual had memoirs and scrapbooks, and agreed readily for us to borrow them, scan them, and include all that additional information into the archives. Each one had so much to tell us, not only about his wartime experiences, but about his training, and his subsequent career. Despite the prevailing notion that WWII veterans are generally reluctant to talk about the ugly and unpleasant side of war or, conversely, to brag about their heroic deeds, we encountered quite a few men who were happy to tell their stories, with eloquence and pride, and to elaborate about their accidents, injuries, miraculous brushes with death, and hilarious tales of ingenuity. They all spoke of the soldiers who died, and expressed wonder and gratitude that their own lives were spared. Here are some excerpts from these interviews, based loosely on questions we asked each of them…about how they became pilots…
Col. Joseph G. Johnson, at the Glebe, who flew in a B-26 bomber squadron during the D-Day invasion…remembered joining the Flying Cadets… But then the FAA put a course into Roanoke College…you could get thirty five hours of flying time and a private license…I had three semester hours at Roanoke College, so I did that in the summer of 1938, out at Woodrum Field. It was a grass strip then. I got a private license and then I transferred to UVA. And, I was going to become a doctor. The reason I was going to be a doctor is because it looked like a good thing to do. I didn’t particularly know about medicine. All I knew about was how to put on Band Aids. I had a first aid merit badge in Boy Scouts. After I flew the airplanes, I remember we had a notice in the Suday paper in Charlotesville, advertising the Flying Cadets… Chink and I went up to D.C. and stayed at the George Washington fraternity house, went over to Bolling Field and took an examination. He flunked, I passed. We went over to Anacostia for the navy (exam). He flunked and I passed. …So, I went in the service on January 6, 1942. They sent us to Kelly field… Maj. Frank H. McFadden, Navy and Marine Corps, flew 113 combat missions as a dive bomber in the Pacific. A Roanoke native, he was glad to tell us about his experiences at the Roanoke airport… OK. I was born in 1921, so…the beginning of the airport, probably for me…it would be in about 1930-31. At that time when you saw any —continued on page 12
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8/30/2011 11:24:20 AM
Summer Scenes Across the Neighborhood
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...continued from page 1
Summer Scenes—continued from page 1
Other sports and out-door activities we missed include skate-boarding, chess (outdoor tables at the Co-Op), bicycle polo (played on a tennis court); couples soccer (played on a tennis court), tennis (though I cannot say that I have noticed anyone with a tennis racket), jogging, wading or swimming (in the river?), bird watching (or people watching?), and sitting on a park bench. Of course, one very important source of exercise, and one that is very popular in our lovely neighborhood, is dogwalking. Now that classes have begun and our children and youth are back into their busy routines, we’ll all miss the slower pace of summer and the chances we all had to come together in unstructured ways. For a little reminder of summers from an earlier time, back in the 1930’s, see History Lessons, about recreation, grocery stores, and the Roanoke Airport, and Collecting Stories from the Greatest Generation, about men from Roanoke who learned how to fly. We welcome your stories and we’d be happy to loan you a recording device if you’d like to interview your neighbor. Contact Ellen Brown mynewestchapter@verizon.net.
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Summer Scenes—continued from page 1
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Art Everywhere The latest addition to our growing collection of public art in the neighborhood, In a Tangle, was dedicated on Friday, July 1st, and Jeremy Holmes, from RIDE Solutions was there to help cut the ribbon. Quite a few city officials, politicians, and representatives from arts organizations participated in the ceremony, as well as the artist who created this fanciful Giant Comb Bike Rack, Kagan Taylor, from California. The newest art is rapidly becoming a marketing tool for the Grandin Village. Jeremy is pleased to point out that information about it can be found in a Google search (bike rack comb Roanoke), and he reminds us that “Grandin Village is one of the bicycle friendliest locations in the Roanoke Valley…and a destination from cyclists as they travel the nearby bike routes and greenways.”
Something New - A Mini Art Gallery for Students We have decided that another way to celebrate art in our neighborhood might be to publish some samples of art by our youth and children. Katherine Devine has agreed to help by submitting a few of her favorites for upcoming issues, and we hope the Studio School will be interested in sending us examples, too. For our first two artists, we have selected a fanciful horse sculpture, by Tellulah Costa, and a watercolor painting (of a stained glass window at Christ Episcopal Church) by Ida McMillan-Zapf. We would be delighted to showcase other examples of art from other talented children and youth!
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www.vahistoryexchange.com
www.vahistoryexchange.com • Ellen A. Brown (mynewestchapter@verizon.net) Ellen Apperson Brown ...helping families and individuals 2037 Memorial Avenue, SW
collect, organize and preserve history... Roanoke, VA 24015/ 540‐981‐0206 mynewestchapter@verizon.net
Community Archives of Southwest Virginia, LLC
Ellen A. Brown (mynewestchapter@verizon.net) 540‐981‐0206 276‐229‐9400 (cell)
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History Lessons
by Ellen A. Brown Nelson Harris is taking a little vacation from his history column, so we have had to look for a suitable alternative. Another well known source of information on Roanoke history is the huge volume called A History of Roanoke, by Raymond P. Barnes (1968), with specific entries and comments about places, people, and events based on his weekly columns in the Roanoke Times. About grocery stores… In 1926, the first Mick-or-Mack opened in Roanoke…”Mickor-Mack had its first store on the northwest corner of 2nd Street at Kirk Avenue.” By 1929, chain grocery stores were developing: “The Kroger Grocery and Baking Company of Cincinnati announced it had purchased the Jameson Chain Stores and the Piggly-Wiggly interests in Roanoke. The City was to have two super-markets, Kroger and Mick-or-Mack, competing with each other.” By 1931, “Mick-or-Mack opened a new store on the corner of Patterson Avenue, at 11th Street, S.W., giving this concern 43 stores in 38 towns with 7 more planned to open soon. Roanoke was the headquarters.” About recreation… In 1886, there was a description of “swimming parties at Norwich Beach…and bath houses...” In 1939, “J.B. Fishburn gave the city 6.75 acres for Norwich Park.” However, later that same year, “at Norwich, the Harris Hardwood Co. was swept by flames doing damage estimated at $100,000.” In 1931, “The Grandin Theatre opened March 26th with the picture ‘Arrow Smith.’ For the first performance the Junior League sold tickets for the benefit of crippled children to raise $1,600 ‘depression’ dollars.” About Aviation… Barnstorming became a popular spectacle during WWI… In 1920, “Clayton Lemon, resident of Roanoke and a member of the police, swapped his auto for a plane boasting an engine of about 90 H.P.
Blue Ridge Potter’s Guild 12th Annual Show and Sale
October 14th – 16th, at Patrick Henry High School
The Blue Ridge Potter’s Guild will hold its 12th Annual Show and Sale October 14-16 AT Patrick Henry High School. The Show is one of the largest all-pottery shows in the region and features functional and decorative works of art. This year, over 70 potters will display and sell their unique and spectacular works. This year’s theme is “Reflections of Ourselves.” New this year: Kids Korner Children love playing in the mud. That’s why the Blue Ridge Potters Guild will host a Kids Korner where they can play with clay and learn how pottery is shaped and formed. “This gives parents the opportunity to enjoy the Show and Sale and know that their children are having fun and learning,” says Becky Carr, Show Committee Co-Chair. “Reflections of Ourselves” Gallery to host juried show About the Blue Ridge Potters Guild The Blue Ridge Potters Guild is a non-profit organization for potters throughout Southwest Virginia. Located in Roanoke, VA, the Guild’s mission is to promote community awareness, understanding and appreciation of pottery. The Guild encourages artistic and professional growth among members and promotes the craft of pottery to the public through programs, shows and exhibits. Learn more about the guild at blueridgepotters.com.
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Collecting Stories from Past Generations—continued from page 5
military aircraft, they really were World War I aircraft. I can remember
Wes Hillman, flight instructor at Roanoke Airport…Born in 1922,
bi-plane bombers, believe it of not. They were fabric covered. You’re
told us about his early fascination with airplanes…
talking about antiques. I can remember them flying over, and you could
Ellen: Did you live close to the airport?
actually see the pilot and the gunner, the bombardier and all, because they were in open cockpits.. But the thing of it is…the things I remember about the Roanoke Airport, was the fact that it was nothing but a dirt strip, or a grass strip. That was the only runway that they had, and
Wes: No, as a matter of fact I lived over here on Maple Avenue. I lived out in Virginia Heights. Ellen: So, how did you get to the airport every day?
the terminal was just a small wooden building. That’s about all there
Wes: I rode a bicycle. Every now and then somebody would pass me
was to it. I finally remember they built a hanger, too but …there was
and they’d throw the bike in the back of the car and take me on to the
a private home…it must have been a farm at one time… But that was
airport. …On cold and windy days and all… Of course, I was still in
used as an office building, more or less. And when they were beginning
school. And that was another thing. In fact, I was in school, and some
to expand the airport, they tore all that down, but the interesting thing,
of the teachers were my students… See, after I got my instructor rating, I
too, was that actually this house was setting up on a hill. It wasn’t flat
was still in high school…. I’d be up barnstorming on the weekends and
like it is now. It was a tremendous hill, and this house was on top of it.
a lot of the teachers would come out to the cow pastures where we were
So they tore the house down and removed all of that dirt…but that was
working and watch us fly.
really the way I remember it.
Next Issue: Other Roanoke Stories
Andy Stone has shared with us several WWII stories about his fa-
ther, Maj. Fred Stone, who served in Burma, and his uncles Charles and Bill McNulty, who both fought in France and Germany, and in the battle of the Bulge. Others have contributed some of their favorite memories of growing up, so we’ll hear from Jim Fulghum and his efforts to borrow a Rolls Royce for a
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Things you need to know… Newsletter Wins Gold In a world where newspapers are struggling to survive and many publications are converting to an exclusively electronic format, it is nice to win recognition for our traditional newsletter, the Court Reporter. We submitted copies of our newsletter to a national organization called NUSA (Neighborhoods USA) and won the Gold Level Award! The entries were evaluated using a set of criteria, and we should feel proud that we met the highest standards! Gina Holmes, local author, has published a new novel Former nurse and now full time writer Gina Holmes has just written her second novel. Dry and Rain, by Tyndale House Press, following the successful publication of Crossing Oceans, in 2010. Both books are inspirational fiction, and the new novel explores the themes of love and forgiveness. The Roanoke Public Library hosted a book launch party for her on September 6th. If you missed it, copies of her book are available at your favorite book store! Holmes, her husband and children have lived in Raleigh Court for several years.
added to the traffic with a much needed facelift. The Civic League contracted to have the exterior painted. While we were at it, we replaced the gutters and downspouts. Owner-operators BrandonDavid and Anna Robertson continue to make a number of their own interior improvements and equipment upgrades. Come on down for a sundae while the weather is warm, or a bowl of soup as we slide into the cooler fall months.
Volunteering in our Neighborhood Schools We are pleased to announce a new initiative to try and encourage volunteering in our schools. Christina Nifong, who contributed a wonderful story in our May edition (Watching School Gardens Grow) about the gardening project at Wasena Elementary School, has offered to take an expanded interest in volunteer and PTA activities, not only Wasena, but at other schools in the neighborhood. We hope to be able to keep better informed about activities and concerns from parents throughout the Greater Raleigh Court area, and offer to tell these stories in future articles of this newsletter. If you’d like to tell Christina about your school, please contact her at HYPERLINK “mailto:christinanifong@verizon.net” christinanifong@verizon.net.
Pop’s Gets a Facelift Our favorite tenant, Pop’s Ice Cream and Soda Bar, sees their busy season during the warm summer months. This summer, we
Mark Your Calendars –
Holiday Parade to be held on Saturday, November 19th!
THANKS FOR SUPPORTING THE RALEIGH COURT BLOCK PARTY Jimmy Sardines Valley Bank Frankl, Miller & Webb Reid’s Fine Furnishings Raleigh Court Healthcare and Rehabilitation Valleydale Homestead Creamery Raleigh Court Baptist Church Grandin Automotive CUPS Coffee & Tea F. Geoffrey LTD Bella Salon Viva la Cupcake Grace’s Place Pizzeria The Yoga Center New to Me Raleigh Court Civic League Grandin Village Business Association page 14
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Greater Raleigh Court Civic League P.O. Box 3092 Roanoke, VA 24015 Address Service Requested
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New members are welcome to join the Civic League at any time. Your mailing label shows when it’s time to renew your membership. You may pay your dues at the next membership meeting. Multiyear or life memberships are welcome! The Civic League is a tax-exempt 501(c)(3) organization. Donations may be claimed as charitable deductions for tax purposes. Please mail your membership dues ($10 family, $15 business, or $100 life membership) or gifts to: GRCCL, P.O. Box 3092, Roanoke, VA 24015 Or go to www.grccl.org and click on “JOIN US” to fill out a membership application online. Name Address
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