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Harding From page 1 in metaphysics and existentialism — not exactly the stuff of the Marine Corps., or of his later work with the State Department in China, Russia and Eastern Europe. While Harding remains tight-lipped about the particulars of much of his work overseas, he does hint at its perils. “Sometimes I can’t believe what I did as a young man, putting my life in danger every day,” he mused. But Harding can talk about his diplomatic posting in Poland in the mid-1980s, which offered its own intrigue. He served as the executive officer of the press and cultural office at the U.S. Embassy in Warsaw, when Poland was still behind the Iron Curtain.
S E P T E M B E R 2 0 1 3 — WA S H I N G T O N B E A C O N
“We were under constant scrutiny by the Polish Security Service. If you’d go out into the city, typically you were followed everywhere. They’d follow me into men’s rooms to be sure I wasn’t meeting with any Poles. It was very, very annoying.” That was only part of it. When Harding was sent on business to Krakow, his hotel room (he was always given the same one) was bugged, and the security service would repeatedly send beautiful women up to his door to entice him into indiscretions so they could kick him out of the country or use him to bargain with the U.S., which would periodically arrest Polish agents in America.
At the helm in New Carrollton The stint in Poland, however, put an end to his 14-year tenure as mayor of New Carrollton. He had overseen the Prince
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George’s town of about 12,000 as the Metro station was in its planning and construction phases. To help shore up New Carrollton’s tax base, the city tried to annex the land that was rapidly developing near the station, but after a lengthy series of court battles, ultimately lost out. Harding did prevail in getting the stop named New Carrollton (rather than Lanham) and was able to take a ride on the first train. Harding vividly recalls a parade of celebrities who stayed in town while performing at the nearby Capital Center and University of Maryland. As mayor, he got to meet many — from Frank Sinatra and John Denver to Wonder Woman Lynda Carter. That’s how he ended up in Elvis’s hotel room, where the King invited him to arm-wrestle. Harding lost. And he didn’t fare much better with Muhammad Ali. Although Ali invited Harding to jog early one morning with his entourage, the boxing great discovered Harding was too out of shape. “I went about a block, but I was out of
breath,” Harding recalled. “Ali stopped everybody, and he said, ‘Mayor, you’re holding us up. You better go back to city hall.’” In his part-time job as mayor (Harding’s day job at the time was in the personnel department of the U.S. Information Agency), Harding also escorted politicians and bigcity mayors, like Hubert Humphrey and Richard Daley, around town. “He was very highly respected and regarded by every resident of the city of New Carrollton,” said New Carrollton’s current mayor Andrew C. Hanko of Harding. “He really cared about every aspect of New Carrollton.” Hanko has been mayor ever since Harding left office in 1984. Years later, as testament to his impact, many people still call Harding “Mayor” when they talk with him. Harding also served for three years as town manager of Crofton, Md. From both positions, he learned the art of being a local politician: “counting potholes, knocking on doors, beating the bushes is how you find out what’s working See HARDING, page 21
BEACON BITS
Sept. 27
FALL RISK ASSESSMENTS
Virginia Hospital Center will provide a free, personalized evaluation of your risk for a fall, offer recommendations on how to reduce or eliminate those risks, and provide education about successful independent living. The appointments will be scheduled from 1 to 4 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 27 at the Carlin Springs Health Pavilion, 601 Carlin Springs Rd., Falls Church, Va. To schedule an appointment, call (703) 558-6861.
Sept. 21
SIBLING STRIFE
Jeanne Safer, Ph.D. talks about troubled sibling relationships as we age; the roots of sibling conflicts and how to come to terms with them. Safer, author of Cain’s Legacy and The Normal One, will discuss how to repair the sibling relationship when possible. Bring her books for signing. The free seminar will begin at 2 p.m. in conference room 2 at Sibley’s Medical Building, 5215 Loughboro Rd. NW, Washington, D.C., Registration required. Call (202) 364-7602.