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Roscoe and the Undercover Knight A Tale of One Block’s Shifting, Shining Armor by Virginia Avniel Spatz
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Roscoe the Knight at the Jodry-Stafford home, 2016. Photo: V. Spatz
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“Silent Knight,” early in Roscoe’s time on the Hill. Photo: W. Perry
ost Hill blocks experience changes as leadHill, in the spring of 2014, we Piet Mondrian-ed him. He ers, local and national, come and go. The was blocked in black electric tape and painted in square comings and goings of a knight errant appatches of blue, red, white, and yellow.” pear to be unique to one such block. For Early on, Roscoe’s mouth was duct-taped for that year’s close to eight years now, a knight has been Perry Christmas card, traditionally involving a visual pun; steering conversation and directions on the 100 block of 14th another neighbor, Don Hurlbert, returned the card, pierced Street SE. He was once declared “lawn ornament of the day” by grommets: Silent Knight, Hole-y Knight. Roscoe’s influby a local blog. But to his nearest neighbors ence was expanding. In particular, Don and the knight has come to mean far more. his wife, Barbara Watanabe, and Dennis StafHe arrived, nameless and rusty, in ford and Pegi Jodry – all Smithsonian col2008, rescued by Warren and Shannon Perry leagues – shared many a beer and late-night from an obscure existence in a nearby nursconversation in the knight’s company. ery. He became Roscoe the Knight, WarEventually the Perry family prepared ren explains, “when the first person drove to leave town, along with Roscoe. But Don by and asked his name. I don’t know why I wanted to keep our knight errant on the thought of Roscoe. I have a graduate degree Hill. Warren agreed, and Roscoe moved in medieval literature, and to the best of my two doors down, eventually taking on a pure knowledge the name Knight Roscoe never white guise. The following year, on June 8, appeared in any epic or poem or song.” 2015, a red heart appeared in his hands sigIn Roscoe the Knight’s six years at the naling that Don had succumbed to injuPerry door he has appeared in copper, gold, ries sustained in a May car crash. The aptly red, and pink guises, based on season and named Judy Knight later incorporated this whim. “When our daughter Jeanne Lynn into her tale of “the undercover Knight in was born in August of 2012, he had just reShining Armor,” shared at a memorial gathAt the Hurlbertceived a new coat of silver paint,” Warren ering for Donald E. Hurlbert (May 12, 1954Watanabe home, 2014. says. “Toward the end of our time on the June 8, 2015). Photo: V. Spatz