daughter for what was to be her first flute lesson. When the teacher reported the
child's fingers were too short to ... romantic, and lush story that looks the way its.
e-Bugle Garrett Bugle Internet Edition
Volume 54
January 2007
No. 1
Calendar
Sat., Jan. 20
Coffeehouse, Town Hall (time TBA)
Mon., Feb. 12
Town Council Meeting, Town Hall, 8 pm
Wed., Jan. 24
Citizens Assoc. Meeting, Town Hall, 8 pm (subject TBA)
Tues., Feb. 13
Lunch Bunch, Town Hall, 12:30 pm; Bugle deadline, 4 pm
Mon., Jan. 29
Penn Place Parking Committee report, Town Hall, 7:30 pm; all residents welcome; watch bulletin board for information
Thurs., Feb. 15 Jam Session, Town Hall, 7 pm
Thurs., Feb. 1 Jam Session, Town Hall, 7 pm Mon., Feb. 5
Monthly yard waste collection
Fri., Feb. 16
Film Society, In the Mood for Love, Town Hall; dining 7:15, film 8 pm (see p 5)
Wed., Feb. 21
Citizens Assoc. Meeting, Town Hall, 8 pm (TBA)
Town Council Meeting Our usual intrepid reporter being under the weather, a faithful substitute covered the January 8 meeting of the Town Council. And in doing so, she added a new word to her vocabulary: de minimis. This phrase was bandied about like a ping-pong ball during a game, all in the name of granting a variance to enclose a carport. (It’s Latin for “about minimal things,” meaning that some things are too small for the law to be concerned about.) That took an hour. The next hour opened with a presentation by Resa Levy of the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra. She came to the meeting to find out if the town would object to the idea of the orchestra’s holding a historic house tour in Garrett Park in the spring to garner funds for the BSO and its community partnership programs. The event would be for two days, show only 5 homes, have volun-
teers staffing the houses, and provide minibus transportation from the Grosvenor Metro parking garage. The down side would be that 1000 tickets would be printed and possibly even used. In return, part of the symphony (a quartet or some such) would present a concert for the town, possibly on the 4th of July. A public hearing for the Penn Place parking proposals is tentatively scheduled for January 29, at the Town Hall. All residents are invited to attend. Watch the bulletin board for further information. Also, did you know that if you are planning to make a parking pad in front of your home, you need a town permit? This is to protect the trees on the town right of way. The Mayor stated that she, along with six State Highway administrators, five state legisla-
Garrett Park Citizens Association Garrett Park, Maryland 20896-0456
(continued next page)
Bulk Rate U.S. Postage PAID Permit No. 2 P.O. Boxholder Garrett Park, Maryland 20896
Letters to the Editor
(continued from previous page)
tors, and others (see Mayor’s letter, p 6) took a walking tour of the improvements to Strathmore. Crossing guard Betty was on hand to stop traffic for crossing residents when one car decided to plow though the red light. She got that car backed up with much blowing of her whistle and hand waving, when two cars from Kenilworth decided that it was all right for them to turn right onto Strathmore, even on the red light. (There are now signs facing Kenilworth that say “No turns on solid red.”)
Even Residents Not Used to It On January 10, at about 2:45 pm, I was turning right onto Strathmore from Kenilworth (coming from the Post Office). A student, who had just gotten off the bus, had just pushed the button to cross Strathmore. As a result, the light that I was facing was solid red. There were two cars in front of me. Both of those cars turned left onto Strathmore during a solid red light. The boy waited. I stopped for the red light, and he crossed. (The boy was never in any danger from the two cars, because they were turning left and he was at the right hand crosswalk.)
Does all this encourage the placement of a regular stop light at that intersection? The “punch list” (to do list) for Strathmore is almost complete: some lights must still be fixed, and drain work on Montrose must be looked into. But the planting is complete. Now all we have to do is to hire someone to take care of the lights!
One or both of these drivers may have been residents, as they came from the neighborhood. I am guessing that they are so used to being able to turn onto Strathmore when it is clear that they did not even register that the light was red. The community needs to be more aware that there is a light there, and to start looking at it.
The speed limit ordinance was finally passed, although the signs were already ordered. The speed limit in the town is now 20 mph. This will take effect in 30 days. How to enforce this is the next question.
Duncan Ferguson
Above and Beyond
Mary Moyer
I would like to thank Postmaster Kathy Matczak for working hard to give us a positive Post Office experience in December. Not only did she put out mailing supplies in the lobby to make it easier for everyone to get their packages ready to mail, but she also provided a lavish lunch spread for those of us who visited the Post Office on the last reasonable mailing date for packages to arrive on time for Christmas. On Christmas afternoon I received a call from Kathy letting me know there was a package waiting for me at the Post Office and I could come over and pick it up if I would like. Apparently quite a few Garrett Parkers got similar calls. Because of the snowstorm in Denver, a lot of packages were delayed, and Kathy chose to leave her family and come in to work on Christmas afternoon to clear up the backlog—definitely above and beyond the call of duty. Thank you, Kathy!
Visit Garrett Park’s Web site: www.garrettpark.org/
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Janet Wegner The Garrett Bugle is a publication of the Citizens Association of Garrett Park, published 10 times a year. Publication of the Bugle is supported by member dues. All residents of Garrett Park are members of the Citizens Association. Yearly dues ($20 per family or $10 per individual per address) can be sent to Citizens Association, Box 456, Garrett Park, MD 20896. Citizens Association Officers: Presidents: Matt Stavish Pam Morgan Chris Strong Treasurer: Jenny Krivanek Secretary: Melissa Bronez Bugle staff:
Arden Courts of Kensington 4301 Knowles Avenue Kensington, MD 20895 (301) 493-7881
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Editor: Barbara Collier (Box 191) Reporters: Mary Moyer (Box 98) Margaret Soltan (Box 518) Carol Davies Lillie (Box 351) Graphic design: Linda Paine Ads: Mary Moyer (Box 98) Subscriptions: Jane Salomon (Box 227) Out-of-town subscriptions cost $13 (first class) or $10 (bulk mail). Letters to the editor can be submitted by mail or hand to Bugle staff or by e-mail to
[email protected]. The editor reserves the right to edit submissions for length and clarity. Unsigned letters will not be printed.
VOLUNTEERS NEEDED to help with crafts and arts for men and women. Play the piano, assist with our sewing and writing projects or just share your travel slides. Call TODAY! This will be time well spent.
Citizens Association Notes
Town Administrator Notes
Dues
Leaf collection has finished for the year. Chances are you have a few leaves left over. You can either pile them up in a corner of your yard for composting, or bag them for the yard waste pickup the first Monday in February (Feb. 5). If you missed the scheduled Christmas tree pickup, just put your tree out, and we will take it away.
The envelope that you’ll find enclosed in this month’s Bugle is for annual Garrett Park Citizens Association dues. The Association works to encourage a sense of community in Garrett Park, and every town resident is a member. Your dues help support the Association’s activities throughout the year:
So far we have avoided snow. This is very good for our budget, but unlikely to last. So please remember that it is especially important to try to park off the streets when snow is expected so that we can clear the streets curb to curb whenever possible. This will allow for more space to park after the streets are plowed.
• Printing and mailing the Bugle • Publishing the town directory • Town celebrations: the Fourth of July parade and picnic, Halloween Haunted Woods, the holiday luminaria event, Town Potluck Dinner, and Newcomers Welcome Party
I’d like to thank the many residents who generously gave tips to the Montgomery County Sanitation employees who take away our trash, recyclables, and yard waste. A fine year-end gift was made to each of the five men, and letters of acknowledgement will be sent out to all who gave before the end of January.
• Town forums on issues of community interest Annual dues are $20 per family, $10 per individual. Please use the enclosed envelope or mail to Garrett Park Citizens Association, Box 456, Garrett Park, MD 20896. If you have any questions or need more information, contact Jenny Krivanek, GPCA Treasurer.
At its regular meeting on January 8, the Council adopted an ordinance to reduce the town’s current speed limit from 25 mph to 20 mph. This will go into effect on February 7, and new signs will be going up shortly. Please watch your speed!
Town Dinner Sixty-one intrepid Garrett Parkers came to the town dinner this year, along with toys that they used to mark their places at the tables. Food was plentiful, although the deviled eggs didn’t make it out until people were cleaning up. Diners had a chance to tell a story about toys, games, or misadventures they had in their youth. And if you left dishes or utensils at the Town Hall, get in touch with Pam Morgan; she took them home for safekeeping.
Work is beginning on the budget for fiscal year 2008. If you have questions or would like more information, please call the office. If you have suggestions for the budget, you should contact members of the Town Council or the Mayor. Best wishes for the New Year from all of us who work for you as Town employees—we enjoy working for you and do our best to provide you with as high a level of service as is possible. Suggestions as to how we may do this better are always welcome!
A couple of new officers for the Citizens Association were voted in, with Gene Brantly (former co-president) and Jim Lockwood (former vice-president) stepping down. Matt Stavish will continue as president with Pam Morgan and newcomer Chris Strong assisting. (They haven’t quite worked out the exact configuration of “co-”s and “vice-”s.) Jenny Krivanek will continue as treasurer and Melissa Bronez as secretary.
Finally, in these winter months, it is often hard for some of the town’s residents to get out. Please try to be particularly alert for a friend or neighbor who might need a little extra support this time of year. If there is any way you feel that we here at the office might be able to help out, please call (301-933-7488) or drop by.
We will continue this delicious town tradition and have another dinner in January 2008. Hope to see you there.
Ted Pratt,
[email protected]
Green Again! Sue and Oral Folks sent us money for our banner green in February of last year, with a letter telling of their new home in Glenwood, Maryland (15155 Players Way, zip 21738). They noted that they feel the lack of “train music”! The check was sent in honor of the “lower Rokeby gang.” Our thanks go to them.
Services for Seniors
Activities of Daily Living • Bathing • Dressing • Lifting • Transferring • Personal Care & Hygiene
If anyone else can help us with the money, we are funded for the green until May 2007. If you wish to donate in memory or honor of someone or thing, send a check for $37, made out to the GP Citizens Association, to Box 98. Thanks in advance!
Support Services
• Companionship • Meal Preparation • Medication Reminder • Physical Therapy • Light Housekeeping • Transportation to Appointments
For a free appointment, call 301-949-0060
[email protected]
Obituaries George Griffin
building blocks were always a great favorite among the children, and many generations of kids have enjoyed playing king-of-the-hill on two concrete drainage pipes he painted.
George Griffin was born in Norfolk, Virginia, on June 4, 1918. The Griffin family moved to Kensington when he was in the sixth grade, and he lived in Montgomery County, within two to three miles of Kensington, for the rest of his life. George told stories of his childhood, when he lived across the street from Kensington Elementary School. He talked about marching around the school cafeteria when it was too rainy to go outdoors for recess: two by two, then four by four, in rows, and around in circles. While a student at Kensington Elementary, he won second prize in a spelling contest. The prize was a book, Dr. Doolittle, and it still sits on his bookshelf today, in Garrett Park.
As the children grew, they all joined the Garrett Park Swim Team. George was not one to stand on the sidelines and watch; he wanted to help. Sibyl was the scorekeeper and worked the bench, while George was an occasional timer for the races. He is best known for starting the meets. (Not too many swimmers got away with jumping the gun under his watch.) He was also involved in the design and construction of the second pool, the bath houses, and the guard shack. Sally spent many summers working at that pool; every night George walked to the pool to escort her home.
George graduated from Bethesda–Chevy Chase High School, as did his wife, Sibyl.
George worked days as a carpenter, building houses all over DC and Maryland. Many of the homes in Landon Village were built under his supervision. He even built a spiral staircase. He used a bit of common sense and his night school training in architecture to get it done. Nights and weekends he did odd carpentry jobs.
During World War II, like so many young men, George received his “Greetings from the President” letter. He sold his car, quit his job, and went off to join the army. He did not pass the physical, so he came home and got his job back, but the car was gone.
When George wasn’t building houses, he enjoyed woodworking in the basement. He developed a hobby of building clocks of all kinds and shapes. He also collected several antique clocks. The family home was full of clocks, all striking somewhere near each other, but never all at once.
George met Sibyl Brown, from his home town of Kensington, toward the end of the war. Married in 1946, they made their home in Kensington. One of the houses they lived in was eventually converted to the local gun shop, and Howard’s teething marks remained on the second floor window sill for many years. The other house was right on Connecticut Avenue, and in time became the famous pink Poodle Chateau.
For several years George drove a small truck around Washington, keeping up with maintenance for seven separate apartment complexes. He always seemed to know at least six different routes to anywhere.
George was an active member of the Kensington Lions Club, and he and Sibyl attended many dinners and dances together. Dinner menus and dance tickets are still in the family scrapbook. He loved playing softball on the Lions Club team and watching the Redskins play football. He had to give up his Redskins season tickets when Howard came along, but he remained a lifelong fan; just the last week before he died, he and Sally were watching the Redskins together.
When George retired, he began to do more and more cooking. He baked his own bread every week. One of his favorite meals was his version of Chinese food. He loved to cook that particular meal for his cousins, Mae and Grayce Roberts, when they came to visit, or for the Prinzes, or for Wiley Young, or for whoever came to dinner. George enjoyed his three children, and he was thrilled when any of his seven grandchildren visited Garrett Park.
Eventually George and Sibyl decided to build a home in Garrett Park. Many of George’s coworkers considered him crazy to build so far away from the city. It wasn’t even suburbs then; it was out in the country. Up through the 1950’s and early 1960’s, the neighbors kept milk cows.
Sibyl died in 2000. George was incredibly patient and caring during her long final illness. After her death, George continued to cook, especially the Christmas special, cranberry nut bread. This year he decided to bake one more time, and to give the loaves of bread to his neighbors for Christmas. He had all the ingredients and asked Sally to help with the baking. He couldn’t finish because he had to go to a rehabilitation center.
George hired someone nicknamed Rabbit to bulldoze a hole and pour a foundation. From that point on, the house was George’s. He had help from his father and brother, all three of them earning their living as carpenters in the construction trade. George and Sibyl lived in that house on Clermont for the rest of their days.
On his last day in the hospital, George was still concerned about others. He asked Sally to complete the baking and deliver the cranberry bread for him. He died on Tuesday, January 2. Sally delivered the bread on Thursday.
As children came along (Howard, Mike, and Sally), George was involved in their activities. He helped start the Garrett Park Nursery School, building benches and toys for the children. The
Howard Griffin
Upcoming Film
Obituaries (cont’d)
The Garrett Park Film Society invites you to join friends and neighbors at its annual Valentine’s Day film on Friday, February 16, when we show a highly intimate, unusual love story, In the Mood for Love, starring two of Asia’s biggest stars (Tony Leung and Maggie Cheung), written, produced and directed by Wong Kar-wai, now considered a major figure in world cinema.
Janice Mills Calvert Janice Mills Calvert, 81, an amateur musician and long-term resident of Garrett Park, died on January 9 in the home in which she had lived for more than 40 years. She had been in ill health for a number of months. Mrs. Calvert loved music all her life and sang in choral groups as a student at Oberlin College in Ohio, with the University of Illinois chorus, and for many years as a member of the choir at the New York Avenue Presbyterian Church in Washington. At age 40, she took her eight-year-old daughter for what was to be her first flute lesson. When the teacher reported the child’s fingers were too short to reach the keys, Mrs. Calvert said, “You might as well give the lesson to me.” This first, fortuitous lesson led to years of studying and performing on the flute and the piccolo.
Winner of numerous awards (including Best Actor at the 2000 Cannes Film Festival) and considered by the New York Times “probably the most breathtakingly gorgeous film of the year [2000], dizzy with a nose-against-the-glass romantic spirit that has been missing from the cinema forever…,” the film takes place in 1962 Hong Kong, where neighboring apartment dwellers discover that their oft-absent spouses are having an affair. This great picture is purposely filled with ambiguities. It is as passionate as it is politely discreet. The neighbors recognize a mutual attraction, but fidelity and decency ensure that their intimate bond remains unspoken. Yearning becomes the epoxy that holds the material together. The pining here is so graceful that you may be transfixed by it. Instead of explicit physical tangles, Mr. Wong eroticizes each movement of his camera, set design, and even something as minor as drifting cigarette smoke to explore the emotions of his two protagonists.
She was born Janice Mills on December 16, 1925, on Long Island, New York, to a family long associated with its maritime aspects. Her grandfather was an oysterman and her great uncle a lighthouse keeper. Her father lost his sight in middle age, during the depths of the Depression, and her mother took a job as a school teacher to support the family. With little money, Janice worked hard to win scholarships and other support. In the late 1930’s she won a scholarship to attend an international Girl Scout camp, where she was one of two girls selected to row Eleanor Roosevelt across a lake.
In the Mood for Love is an elegant, sensual, romantic, and lush story that looks the way its songs—many by Nat King Cole—sound. One reviewer compared it Miles Davis’ “Kind of Blue.”
Mrs. Calvert met her husband when they were students at Oberlin; they were married a few months after their graduation in 1947. For several years after graduating from college she worked as a social worker at the New York Hospital. He was a college administrator and later a Peace Corps and federal government official. They lived in New Rochelle, New York; Hanover, Indiana; Champaign, Illinois; and Berkeley, California, before moving to the Washington, D.C., area in 1963.
Of course, please join us for dinner before the film. The menu hasn’t been finalized. But use your imaginations: a film in Cantonese (with subtitles), about yearning and love and romance… It promises to be delicious. In the Mood for Love will be shown at the Garrett Park Town Hall, Friday night, February 16. Dinner and drinks will be offered beginning at 7:15 pm. The film follows at 8 pm. There is no charge for members of the Film Society for the movie. Nonmembers may pay $5 per person or $10 per family at the door. Dinners are usually priced from $5 to $10.
She is survived by her husband of nearly 60 years, Robert Calvert, Jr.; two sons, Robert Bruce Calvert of Lawrenceville, New Jersey, and George David Calvert of Ada, Michigan; and two daughters, Elizabeth Calvert of Greenfield, Massachusetts, and Catherine Miller of Garrett Park; as well as nine grandchildren.
February Bugle Deadline The Bugle for February will appear February 24. Please note that the deadline for this Bugle is Tuesday, February 13. Because the Bugle editor, Barbara Collier, is going to be away the following weekend, it is important that all contributions be sent in as early as possible. It will be very difficult to include submissions that come in after the deadline.
Letter from the Mayor It has been another busy month. I came back from our holiday in England with a stress fracture in my right foot, but I have not let it slow me down much.
Tuesday evening Councilmember Beth Irons, a number of residents, and I attended the “town meeting” with Governor-elect O’Malley at Einstein High School. After the meeting I spoke with John Porcari, the incoming Secretary of Transportation, and gave him a packet of information on the light, the Council’s resolution in favor of the light, and 1 copy of the 250+ signatures on the pro-light petition. I warned him that Delegate Kumar Barve would be seeing him about the traffic signal.
On Friday, January 5, I walked along Strathmore from Rockville Pike to Beach Drive to look at safety issues with Wesley Mitchell, Deputy Chief Engineer of our State Highway Administration, and five of his staff; five members of the General Assembly; staff members of Nancy Floreen and Roger Berliner of the County Council; Councilmember Alter; leaders of the Garrett Park Estates Association; the PTA president; and a Gazette reporter I invited. Delegate William Bronrott of District 16 initiated the walk, and I asked to involve our state delegation and members of the County Council.
On January 10 I was in Annapolis for a Legislative Committee meeting. In the evening I helped host the MML legislative reception for the newly sworn-in legislature. All of our delegation was there and were encouraging about our traffic signal. Kumar Barve told me that he had spoken to John Porcari, a close personal friend, that day and told Porcari he needed one “little thing.” John Porcari asked if it was the Garrett Park traffic signal. He told Kumar that he had spoken to me the night before and he was “on it.”
The group pointed out many concerns along the way. When we were at the corner of Kenilworth and Strathmore, I was describing to the group how I had almost been hit crossing with the red light early that morning. As I finished talking, a group of two adults and several schoolchildren pressed the button to cross Strathmore. The light changed to red, and our brave crossing guard, Betty, went out into the intersection. A car from the east drove past Betty through the red light and managed to stop only about 3 feet from the group. People’s exhibit A!
Many of us know how difficult it is to try and enter Strathmore when the traffic is heavy. The State Highway Administration has changed our light so that when a pedestrian activates it there is a red light in all directions. The intersection is also posted as “No Turns on Solid Red.” Drivers on Kenilworth who wish to enter Strathmore have the option of waiting for a long time for a break in the heavy traffic, making a risky turn into the traffic, or committing a traffic violation and turning onto Strathmore during a red light. I have observed drivers opting for entry into Strathmore during a red light. As result, pedestrians are no safer and perhaps even less safe than they were before the new light system. Not only is this a very dangerous situation, it is a lose–lose situation.
I invited everyone back to our Town Hall to dry out and to summarize the major concerns of the group. I saw Delegate Bronrott again Wednesday night, and he was very pleased about how well the walk went and said that he will work hard to get a fully operating signal. Tuesday afternoon, January 9, Councilmember Benjamin, Town Administrator Ted Pratt, and I met with the engineers who are doing our complete review of our town infrastructure. They will be providing us a complete evaluation of the condition of our town’s infrastructure very soon, information that will help us set our priorities for capital development. There really is quite a lot that needs to be done.
I will continue to work on safety issues with your help. I will also be attending the Legislative Committee meetings once a week and going to Annapolis at other times to work on a number of issues that will be very important to our town, including Pepco electrical costs. Carolyn Shawaker
Experience matters
Grosvenor
There truly is just one name in real estate.
9–6 Sunday
M a r k e t 9–9 MonDAY–SatURDAY
Jeremy Lichtenstein has been helping buyers and sellers in Garrett Park for over 17 years.
Fast, Friendly, Convenient Service (301) 493-6217
Bugle Notes . . . Sweet and Sour
♪ Florence Gootenberg had a houseful for
it on top of all those bulbs that can’t decide whether it’s spring or not. This will help protect them from the snow that may or may not come this winter.
Thanksgiving. Children Amy, Paul, Joe, and Nan, plus spouses, and 6 out of her 7 grandchildren came to celebrate the day. Folding chairs met the requirement for seating.
♪ Applications are being accepted for summer
♪ Beth Stites is on bed rest at Arden Courts,
2007 employment at the swimming pool. All interested persons, including former employees, should send a letter to GPSPA, Box 244, Garrett Park, MD 20896-0244 by February 16. Lifeguards must be at least 15 years old and have certification in life guarding, CPR, and First Aid. Desk attendants must be at least 14 years old.
Kensington, following the breaking of her hip right before Christmas. Up until that time she was regularly walking the hallways to keep active.
♪ If you still have your Christmas tree to be disposed of, consider cutting it up and placing
GPES Garrett Park Elementary is still collecting used toner cartridges from printers. If you have any you wish to get rid of, drop them off at the office. The school receives $1.00 for every cartridge turned in to the recycling center. Also being collected is the “Box Tops for Education” coupon on various boxes of food. Clip those out and send them along to the office too.
It’s now time to start thinking about enrolling children for next year’s kindergarten. If you have a child who will be 5 by September 1, 2007, call the school (301-929-2170) to start the registration process. If your child will turn 5 in September and you think he or she is developed socially and academically enough for kindergarten, call the Early Childhood Development Office (301-2300691) to discuss your options.
We won an award from the Maryland State Department of Education for being one of the 18 schools for both overall achievement and subgroup improvement based on performance on the 2006 Maryland School Assessment (MSA) tests. Our students have done us proud!
Mary Moyer
Snow Shovelers List We received one addition to the list, so it is printed again in the paper version of the Bugle.
