Falls Church News-Press 11-19-2020

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November 19 – 25, 2020

FA LLS CHUR C H, V I R G I NI A • WW W. FC NP. C OM • FR EE

FOU N D E D 1991 • V OL. X XX NO. 40

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Name Change Survey Reveals 2-to-1 Favor Keeping Mason, TJ Results Presented to Falls Church’s School Board Tuesday Night, Final Decision Set for Dec. 8 BY NICHOLAS F. BENTON

FALLS CHURCH NEWS-PRESS

By a roughly two-to-one margin, students, parents and community members in the City of Falls Church gave a resounding “No” about whether they favored

changing the names of George Mason High and Thomas Jefferson Elementary. The results of the Falls Church School Board-commissioned survey were presented at the board’s work session Tuesday night and covered the lopsided answer that

Civic Mainstay, F.C. School Board Veteran Jerry Barrett Dies at 87 Dr. Jerome Thomas Barrett, a lifelong learner, amateur boxer, sailor, mediator, world traveler, marathon runner, author, civic activist and archivist with an enduring zest for life, an endless supply of stories and an infectious smile, died Nov. 5 of complications from lymphoma. He was 87. Jerry loved his wife, Rose, root-beer floats, the Minnesota Twins, his 1976 MG Midget and hiking, biking and sailing with his five boys and five grandchildren. An avid athlete, he completed numerous marathons and suffered several broken bones from various sports-related mishaps, including a broken jaw while jogging at age 83. He was still walking an hour a day five weeks before his death. He was Minnesota nice with a little bit of spice. On his calf was a skunk tattoo. Born Dec. 29, 1932, in St. Paul, Minnesota, Jerry was the fourth of 11 children of Henry and

Ann Barrett. He was an indifferent student with a mean left hook at Cretin High School when he fell in love with a smart, pretty girl from rival Harding High. Rose and Jerry married at 19 on Sept. 6, 1952. They had their first four boys while Jerry served in the boiler room of the U.S.S. Conway during the Korean War and completed his BA at the College of St. Thomas in St. Paul. He worked nights as an operating engineer at Hamm’s Brewery, Como Park Zoo and an asphalt plant among other places. After graduating, Jerry climbed the ladder of state and federal mediation jobs mediating labormanagement disputes in Detroit, the Twin Cities, Milwaukee and Chicago, moving the family five times in 10 years, before landing in the D.C. suburb of McLean in 1969. Along the way, Jerry complet-

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was gathered during a two-week period in October. But passionate, emotionallyladen comments by two members of the board, one its only Black and gay member and the other its only student member, left the body in an extended, brooding

silence. Veteran board member Lawrence Webb, expressing disappointment in the Falls Church community as a result of the survey’s outcome, was followed by high school senior Elizabeth Snyder, who added an emotional

appeal to the fact that, as she said, “the decision should not be determined by those who’ve never had to experience racism.” Concerning the survey, the K-12 Insights group that ran the

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IN EARLY NOVEMBER the Saint James School PTO put together a scavenger hunt in and around the City of Falls Church that involved hiding letters in many local parks and at local businesses. Over a hundred students participated in this enrichment event, both on foot and by car. Wondering what slogan they needed to unscramble? The ten letters spell out “Go Rockets!” (P����: C������� A����� C������)

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Few people have been more loyal to the Falls Church News-Press than its first advertiser ever — local realtor Merelyn Kaye. And given how she was introduced to the paper’s operation nearly 30 years ago, it’s a surprise she’s still around. See Story, page 8

B�� Y���� W��� I�������� CBC “S������� A����” City of Falls Church developer and chair of the Falls Church Economic Development Authority won the Citizens for a Better City’s first-ever “Shoutout Award” for leading the EDA’s effort to distribute microgrants to Falls Church businesses that were suffering from the Covid-19 pandemic. See News & Notes, page 9

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Many won’t be leaving town for this nontraditional Thanksgiving, but for those staying at home and missing the good fare and family time, there’s no need to give up the one day when we can gorge ourselves and express thanks for the bounty we have. See Story, page 19

INDEX

Editorial............................................... 6 Letters................................................. 6 Comment ................................ 7,12,13 News & Notes..................................... 9 Crime Report .................................... 12 Calendar ........................................... 14 News Briefs & Business News ......... 15 Classified Ads ................................... 16 Comics, Sudoku & Crossword ......... 17 Critter Corner.................................... 18


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