Broad Run Lifestyle Magazine September 2016

SEPTEMBER 2016

DANCING on the world’s stage Local high school student takes her passion for Irish dance abroad

Also in this issue: Bird Conservancy: Mission to Protect the Birds The Rail Stop: Local Eatery Refreshes Community Proud to be an Ashby

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{

from the EDITOR }

September begins our twelfth year publishing!

PUBLISHERS: Tony & Holly Tedeschi for Piedmont Press & Graphics tony@piedmontpress.com hollyt@piedmontpress.com

EDITORIAL: Debbie Eisele editor@piedmontpress.com

ADVERTISING: Rae-Marie Gulan raemarie@piedmontpress.com

SUBSCRIPTIONS: accounting@piedmontpress.com For general inquiries, advertising, editorial, or listings please contact the editor at editor@piedmontpress.com or by phone at 540.347.4466

EDITORIAL & ADVERTISING OFFICE: The Broad Run Lifestyle Magazine c/o Piedmont Press & Graphics 404 Belle Air Lane Warrenton, Virginia 20186 Open 8:00 am to 5:30 pm Monday to Friday www.broadrunlifestyle.com The Broad Run Lifestyle Magazine is published monthly and distributed to all its advertisers and approximately 9,500 selected addresses in the Broad Run community.

While reasonable care is taken with all material submitted to The Broad Run Lifestyle Magazine, the publisher cannot accept responsibility for loss or damage to any such material.

Opinions expressed in articles are strictly those of the authors.

While ensuring that all published information is accurate, the publisher cannot be held responsible for any mistakes or omissions. Reproduction in whole or part of any of the text, illustration or photograph is strictly forbidden. ©2016 Piedmont Press & Graphics

2016 CONTRIBUTING WRITERS: Danica Low Aimée O’Grady Steve Oviatt John Toler Christine Craddock Andreas Keller

Charlotte Wagner Fran Burke-Urr Stacia Stribling Joseph Kim Debbie Eisele Rebekah Grier

MacNeill Mann Helen Ryan Mary Ann Krehbiel Jim Hankins Marianne Clyde Maria Massaro

If you have an idea or would like to write for Broad Run Lifestyle magazine, please email Debbie at editor@piedmontpress.com.

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It began over 11 years ago and what a time it was. Our twins had just turned a year old. We had recently finished our new facility for Piedmont Press and had moved in earlier in the year. There were only a handful more of college classes to take before I could graduate. There were the requisite non-profit boards to serve. Life was good but very hectic.

Much time was devoted to working within our local community. Yet, too many meetings did not yield enough results that benefitted the folks that live here or work here.

It was frustrating. At the same time, we were looking for a way to utilize our largest printing press more. A consultant, Sid Chadwick, challenged me to find a way to bridge some life passion with my love for printing. One day, the idea of a community magazine popped in my head.

I talked about it incessantly, mostly to Holly, about how it would be about positive aspects of living here and that it would be written by the citizens and for the citizens.

It would be a targeted, saturated distribution so that advertisers would be reaching out to everyone in a tight radius knowing their return on investment would be high.

And the magazine would of high quality and free to the public.

Input was sought from many in the field. “It’s impossible to make a reasonable return doing that.” “Well good luck with that idea!” “Don’t waste your money.” “You don’t have time to do this.” Etc. But one person believed.

Holly.

My wife told me to stop talking about starting Warrenton Lifestyle and we’d just make it happen. Her and I. On the sofa at night or over breakfast in the morning. So we did. The road was bumpy and we got many cuts and bruises but, ultimately, after 11 years, two more magazines and several specialty publications, we’ve been able to continuously deliver something we are proud of and your feedback has been what’s fueled us on.

On behalf of myself, Holly and our team of writers, artists, ad reps, production crew and support team, we want to thank all of you, the readers and advertisers, for continuing to make The Lifestyle Publications a successful component of our communities. We appreciate the opportunity to serve you and serve our local businesses.

We are going to continue to expand our services throughout the region. See the launch of our new website at www.piedmontlifestyle.com which will bring you stories from ALL of our publications and a local calendar of events.

Your input to our future issues is always welcomed.

Enjoy!

Tony Tedeschi Co-Publisher

CONTENTS

SEPTEMBER 2016

DEPARTMENTS {

close to HOME }

22 26

20

28 40 {

10 12 14 20

38

{

THE PAST COMES TO LIFE

In the book Shenandoah: A story of Conservation and Betrayal

by Deborah Cosby ROAD TO RECOVERY

Providing transporation for cancer patients.

by Robin Earl BITE BACK

Identifying tick diseases in dogs.

by Charlotte Wagner

AMERICAN BIRD CONSERVANCY

On a mission to protect birds, educate people.

by Katie Fuster FAUQUIER HEALTH

Fauquier Hospital promotes colon health A CELEBRATION OF OUR REGION’S AGRICULTURAL HERITAGE

The Piedmont Harvest Festival 2016

by Debbie Eisele YOU GOTTA BELIEVE

CAYA - A nonjudgmental environment for families to share information.

by Aimée O’Grady DANCING ON THE WORLD’S STAGE

Warrenton’s own Irish dancer, Rosie Hutchison.

by Kate Granruth

know your HISTORY }

32 42 {

Rachel Pierce and Families4Fauquier

by Rebekah Grier

the local COMMUNITY }

06

06

NURSING COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT

PROUD TO BE AN ASHBY

The long and interesting history of the Ashby Family

by Aimée O’Grady THE QUIET VOICES OF A GENERATION

Recalling the life of World War II veteran Johnny Sekelsky

by John T. Toler

set the TABLE }

18 38

STONE TOWER WINERY

by Steve Oviatt

LOCAL EATERY SERVES MORE THAN GREAT CUISINE

The Railstop continues to refresh the community.

by Aimée O’Grady

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the local

COMMUNITY

American Bird Conservancy: On a Mission to Protect

Birds, Educate People

Conservation organization saves birds across the Americas from its headquarters in The Plains

By Katie Fuster Sitting across the boardroom table from George Fenwick, the President of the American Bird Conservancy (ABC), is sometimes overwhelming. Fenwick is gray-haired and soft-spoken, but everything else about him is intense: his rapid-fire delivery, his passion for bird conservation, and his ability to quickly recall facts relating to the 70+ bird reserves his organization has helped

establish. The rest of ABC’s staff gives off a similar impression. These are not just bird lovers; they are highly-educated, driven people who are on a mission to save birds’ lives.

George Fenwick earned his PhD at Johns Hopkins and worked at several conservation organizations before putting in a sixteen-year stint at The Nature Conservancy (TNC). He met

his wife, Rita, at TNC, and had risen to the position of Vice President for Science when he first began to envision an organization that would be solely dedicated to birds.

Fenwick parted ways with TNC in order to found the American Bird Conservancy in 1994. At the time, “the Audubon Society had become quite large, and their influence became diffuse. We

Cerulean Warbler,

by Ryan Sanderson

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discerned that there was a need for an organization that would be just for birds. That was the reason we founded ABC. We stay true to that, and we do everything with regard to its effects on birds.”

Around twenty of ABC’s seventy-six employees work at its headquarters in The Plains. George and Rita Fenwick also call the area home, and they raised their family there.

Rita Fenwick’s tidy office looks out onto Loudon Avenue and is decorated with prints from ABC’s Guide to Bird Conservation. Behind her hangs a plate illustration of an Eastern forests birdscape. She points out the birds in the picture that might pop up in a Fauquier forest or backyard.

“The reason we’re here is because we want to be close to nature,” she says. “And we’re in this building because of the generosity of Andrea Currier,” the environment-minded owner of Kinloch Farm.

ABC landed in its headquarters almost by accident.

George Fenwick was trying to persuade a specialist to work at ABC, “and in order to convince him to come on board, I had to find a building that was less than an hour from an international airport and an hour’s drive from DC. Of course, that drive’s gotten longer over the years,” he laughs.

The organization’s strategy for conserving birds is to halt extinction, protect habitats, eliminate threats, and build capacity. They call this framework the “ABC Pyramid.”

Halting extinctions tops the pyramid. “These are those couple hundred birds in the Americas, out of all the thousands of types of birds in our Western Hemisphere, that are so imperiled that they are down to their last site on earth, probably 75 species or so,” Fenwick says. “We give them special attention, because the only thing that’s really going to work for those birds is to ensure the continuity of their habitat, which is almost always a single place, sometimes two or three. For those birds, we work with partners throughout the Americas to establish reserves.”

ABC has established reserves in fifteen countries. These reserves protect almost a million acres of land and nearly 2,000 species of birds, or roughly half the birds found in the Americas.

The middle sections of ABC’s pyramid deal with “the species that are not so rare but are declining, or rangerestricted, or their trend is negative. And those species are still common enough that they cover wide parts of the landscape, so a reserve won’t save them. For example, the Cerulean Warbler’s population has declined 60-80% in the last thirty years. For species like this, we are undertaking landscape-level conservation. A quarter of a million acres is the size of the typical landscape we’re targeting.”

Working on projects with such scope affects not just birds but people. “Those landscapes are very tied in with socioeconomic conditions. You can’t protect a quarter of a million acres without considering what the local citizens do and how you can improve their lives. We’re testing a model of taking just mahogany out of a forest, which will return the local landowners a lot because it’s the most valuable wood, and yet it leaves the rest of the forest for the birds.”

So why should a Fauquierite give a hoot about bird reserves and conservation efforts in far-off lands? One reason is because many of the birds that brighten our springs and summers – species of robins, warblers,

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above: The American Bird Conservancy office in The Plains, VA (photo by Annie Bradfield)

right: Rita Fenwick, photo by Aditi Desai below: George Fenwick, photo by Jeff Rusinow

hummingbirds, and sparrows – are migratory birds that winter in Central and South America. And most of the raptors that circle our skies during the warmer months – like eagles, hawks, and falcons – follow their prey, the songbirds, when they begin their migration to warmer tropical areas.

A full 75% of the birds that make their homes in North American forests during the summer participate in this journey, a fact that Rita Fenwick marvels at. “It’s truly amazing that the Americas host every year, twice a year, the largest animal migration in the world. Literally billions of birds lift up and travel over a two- to four-week period twice a year.”

ABC does not only protect these migrating birds’ wintering grounds in the tropics; the conservancy protects sites that are important to birds in North America, as well. For example, the Delaware Bay is a migratory stopover, Rita Fenwick says, “where millions of shorebirds stop in the spring and build their resources up on horseshoe crab eggs.” But horseshoe crabs are important to the medical industry. Fishermen are paid to capture horseshoe crabs, draw their blood, and then re-release them.

Medical facilities then synthesized the crabs’ blood into a chemical that is used to test vaccines for dangerous endotoxins.

Overharvesting was leading to a decline in horseshoe crab populations, which endangered the shorebirds by making their primary food source scarce.

“There’s about sixty fishermen who have licenses to collect horseshoe crabs in the Delaware Bay,” Rita Fenwick says. “We worked with them to find solutions for over collecting and harvesting to work to restrict the limit to a sustainable level, state by state, and to create a horseshoe crab sanctuary in the bay that allows them to breed, because their eggs are so important.” In this way, ABC eliminated a major threat to shorebirds.

The bottom of the ABC Pyramid, which is build capacity, “encompasses all species. It’s to deal with the kinds of things that affect all birds,” George Fenwick says. “This is the foundation under which this whole pyramid of things we do lies. By capacity we mean

everything from education to fundraising tapes and window films to Acopian Bird and partnerships. ABC rarely acts alone.

Savers, the attractive “Zen Curtains” that When we have an issue, new or old, one can be built by DIY-ers or ordered online. of the things we think about is, ‘Who “People are often reluctant, because can help us fix this problem?’ We’re very they have a lot of windows, to fix this,” much partner-oriented.”

Fenwick says. “But what I tell them is, “Our hope is that if we start a new just fix the windows where you’ve heard partner or work with one that already birds clunk into them and get killed. If exists, we can build their capacity, teach you can fix two or three windows in your them conservation techniques, teach house, that’s probably fixed the problem them business and finance, help grow at your house because birds keep going to them into conservation organizations in the same places over and over.” their own right so that we can leverage Whether in the Dominican Republic the amount of good we can do.” or the Delaware Bay, behind a computer Sometimes this comes in the form of or in front of the EPA, the American Bird establishing a reserve, but sometimes, Conservancy’s staff is on a mission to as is the case with a partnership ABC conserve and protect birds. They work developed in the Dominican Republic, it means providing resources. “We started there by providing manpower for guards for these national parks that have rare species in them.

They were being poached for their wood, so we needed guards to keep trees from being cut down.”

An extended effort to save birds from hitting windows includes products such as the ABC also Acopian Bird Savers shown here in in Bosque de Paz Ecolodge, Costa Rica educates the photo by Glenn Phillips public about and tries to find solutions for the top threats tirelessly to promote their belief that all to birds, which are outdoor cats and creatures are interconnected, and that window collisions. According to recent helping birds helps all other species as studies, outdoor and feral cats kill a well, humans included. And that’s just staggering 1.3 to 4 billion birds each the sort of thinking we have come to year, and up to a billion birds a year die appreciate here in beautiful, biologically colliding with windows. Favorites like diverse Fauquier County. the Painted Bunting and Ruby-throated Hummingbird are among the most frequent victims of window collisions.

ABC and its partners launched a program in 2015 that tests, rates and approves bird-safe glass products.

Effective products range from transparent

Katie Fuster lives in Warrenton with her husband, two children, and rescue dogs. You can find out more about this story, including ways that you can live a more bird-friendly life, at her Web site, katiewritesaboutlove.com.

Photos by Annie Bradfield, ABC.

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9

the local

COMMUNITY

Fauquier Hospital Promotes Colon Health

Have you thought about your colon recently? Well, today’s the day.

Your colon (otherwise known as the large intestine) is the last stop in the digestive tract. At more than five feet long, it’s the final opportunity for your body to extract nutrients from the food you eat and prepare what’s left for elimination. A healthy colon ensures that you get all the benefits of your healthy diet and - along with the rest of your digestive tract - helps to keep you feeling energetic and happy.

When your colon is not functioning properly, a number of symptoms can arise. Most of these can also be signs of other problems, so it’s important to pay attention to your body and keep track of anything The colon (large intestine) is the last stop in the digestive tract. that is not normal for you.

Any of these symptoms, lasting for more than a week or so, can be a out of the digestive tract) can signal that your colon is not working efficiently: be a little challenging, but the test is absolutely crucial to early • Changes in your bathroom • Difficulty swallowing detection.” habits • Heartburn Your doctor can help you decide • Diarrhea • Nausea if and when you need a cancer • Constipation • Chest pain screening. He or she will take your • Bloating or gas • Rectal bleeding family history and other risk factors • Pain or cramps in the into consideration. Colon cancer stomach Dr. Darren Baroni, can sometimes be symptomless These symptoms may signal that the problem needs immediate gastroenterologist early on, so it’s important to follow attention: your doctor’s recommendations.

• Persistent vomiting • Black stools that resemble tar Keep Your Colon Healthy • Bloody stools These tips for colon health should look familiar. They • Fatigue are commonsense steps you’ve been hearing about from • Heartburn that doesn’t respond to over-the-counter solutions your doctor for years.

• Stomach pain that seems to worsen when you eat • Drink plenty of water • Fever • Only drink caffeine and alcohol in moderation • Pain when having a bowel movement • No smoking • Exercise Colon Cancer Eat a healthy diet with plenty of fiber. Women should According to the Colon Cancer Alliance, colon cancer is the third aim to get 25 grams of fiber every day; men should try most commonly diagnosed cancer and the second leading cause of for 32 grams. cancer death in men and women in the United States. It is highly curable, however; colon cancer is more than 90 percent curable with endoscopic removal or surgery if it’s caught early.

Learn More About Colon Health Risk factors for colon cancer include: a family history of the disease, Fauquier Health will host a colon health information event being over age 50, having previous colon cancer or polyps, or a history from 9 a.m. to 12 noon on September 29, in front of the of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD).

Bistro on the Hill entrance to the hospital. Clinical staff Dr. Darren Baroni, gastroenterologist, said, “I recommend a will be on hand to explain how to keep your colon healthy. colonoscopy for everyone older than 50 years old; the test should be A (much-bigger-than life size) model of a colon will be repeated every 10 years. For those who have one or more risk factors, part of the event. Visitors will be able to get up close and I may suggest they have the test earlier, and/or have it repeated personal with an inflatable version of the vital organ. more often. The preparation for a colonoscopy (a thorough cleaning

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the local

COMMUNITY

The Piedmont Harvest Festival 2016

by Debbie Eisele

F

auquier County is beautiful, no matter the season. Steeped with history and a love for agriculture, it’s no wonder our region appeals to residents and visitors alike. Because of the profound agricultural heritage, the Fauquier Chamber of Commerce

wanted to celebrate and honor the harvest season.

For many years, Fauquier Chamber of Commerce hosted a Business Expo at the Fairgrounds to assist local businesses, but decided a few years ago to create an event which would appeal

to the entire community, similar to the Spring Festival. Chamber members envisioned a day focused on the bounty of the season, with an emphasis on education. In 2014, the Piedmont Harvest Festival was conceived.

Al Henry’s pumpkins

Piedmont Harvest Festival Event Information Date: September 10, 2016 Time: 10 am to 4 pm (rain or shine) Location: Fauquier County Fairgrounds, 6209 Old Auburn Rd, Warrenton, VA 20187 DEMONSTRATIONS Educational Programs will be indoors and outdoors.

Red Cross, CPR (honeybees) demonstrations Demonstration throughout the day Identikid will be onsite for free information and within their booth space. kits.

Pumpkin painting Agricultural Drone Face painting Sheriff - K-9 (1pm) Photography display Sweet Virginia And more...

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Lauren Palese, Events and Program Coordinator with Fauquier County Chamber of Commerce, described the creation of the festival, “To truly make this a family event, we wanted to have an educational aspect. That’s why so many demonstrations are available to teach the entire family about all types of agriculture.

Activities are for everyone.”

By “we”, Palese means the Piedmont Harvest Festival Committee. The team works tirelessly, each year, to organize the event. The committee agreed with Palese, “This is a fabulous free family event, with something for people of all ages. It’s a great opportunity to meet and shop with local vendors, as well as enjoy many of the things that make our region so fantastic. From rides to the cornfields, large farm equipment on display, to a farmers market and local beer and wine, it will be a great day.”

The committee also has termed the festival PHF, not just for Piedmont Harvest Fest, but for another reason. The group explained, “‘P’ is for pumpkins and painting, ‘H’ is for hands on demos, and ‘F’ stands for family fun, fabulous, face painting, farmers market, and it’s free.”

This year the festival will incorporate several enticing demonstrations, ranging from an Agricultural Drone to the Sheriff’s K-9 Unit demonstration, amongst others. “The full schedule of events will be posted on our Facebook page for everyone to see,” explained Palese. “However, the K-9 demo is extremely popular and will be held at 1 pm.”

In addition to the educational components, participants may peruse a variety of unique activities and retail options. Moriah Farms (weather permitting), Al Henry, Hops & Vines, and a Monster Truck & Tractor display are just a sample of what you will be able to enjoy.

“For those who enjoy beer and/or wine, the Hops & Vines area will allow you to sample beverages from the region, while listening to live music, sponsored by Allegro Community School of the Arts,” Palese detailed.

“It is a local/regional celebration. Vendors are from the Piedmont Virginia region - the focus is on local folks,” noted Palese. Small businesses, from one-man shops to family owned establishments are central to the appeal of this festival.

“Food vendors will be available and offer a variety of choices such as BBQ to Gator Jack’s - yes they serve gator! Retail vendors include businesses that offer handmade crafts, jewelry, and other unique items,” elaborated Palese. “Some of the retail vendors include Thirty One, Scentsy, Origami Owl, and many other unique businesses.” Over 40 vendors will be available on-site for some retail adventures to suit all ages and tastes.

“Last year, for a fun activity we had a pumpkin launcher, which was a big hit,” said Palese. “This year, we are offering participants a pumpkin slingshot, which should be a very popular activity.” There will be a large open area at the fairgrounds dedicated to this activity. Flinging pumpkins while embiding in some childish laughter, or maybe a friendly competition amongst friends will delight anyone who joins in this exercise.

“We are looking forward to 2016 being the best year yet for PHF. We have learned so much from the past few years and have improved the overall experience for all attending the event.

There will be so many activities and things to explore. It is a day that offers unique family-fun for all ages,” said Palese. ❖

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the local

COMMUNITY

“You Gotta Believe” CAYA - A nonjudgmental environment for families to share information.

By Aimée O’Grady

A

t just 31 years old, Bobby Satre, who had struggled with drug addiction for thirteen years, died from a heroin overdose on April 18, 2015. The tragedy came as a shock to his family. Bobby was born on November 7, 1983. It didn’t take long for his parents to recognize that he was a social animal and loved to have friends around. In addition to his friends, Bobby’s passions were music, the Green Bay Packers and the Washington Nationals. He loved watching football and baseball with his father, Scott.

His mother, Moira Satre, first began to suspect that her son was experimenting with drugs during Bobby’s senior year in high school. On prom night, Moira found marijuana paraphernalia. Bobby

said it belonged to one of his friends. He graduated high school, then set off for James Madison University to earn his Bachelor’s Degree.

Moira was a registered nurse who worked in the operating room for twenty years, then spent seventeen years working in a private urology practice before retiring in September 2015.

“Although I was a nurse,” she says, “I didn’t work in addiction. I didn’t know what to look for.” She continues, “We were always very involved in school.

Bobby went to Notre Dame Academy, a private school in Middleburg, but it doesn’t matter. Addiction doesn’t care what kind of family you are.”

It wasn’t until Bobby was at James Madison that his substance abuse

problem really began to interfere with his life. “We knew he had trouble when he was there,” Moira remembers. “He called us one night and asked for help.

We brought him home and sent him to rehab.”

After rehab, Bobby finished his associate’s degree at Lord Fairfax Community College and began working in the restaurant business. “This is when things became really bad, and he went to another rehab facility,” Moira says. The Satres’ insurance had a clause indicating substance abuse and addiction programs would not be covered, so the couple had to pay for the $20,000 treatment program out of their own pockets.

“After that stint in rehab, we thought

Pictured above from left: Moira Satre, founder of CAYA, is pictured with her husband, Scott, and son, Bobby.; Bobby Satre, the inspiration behind CAYA.; Brandon, Bobby and Tully Satre

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September 24, 2016 Verdun Adventure Bound COME AS YOU ARE, a substance abuse prevention nonprofit organization, will host a “RUN FOR YOUR LIFE” 5K on Saturday September 24, 2016. This event will help us raise awareness and educate the community on the dangers of substance abuse. Proceeds will also assist us in supporting prevention programs and reduce the stigma of addiction in our community. Participants will run or walk on a beautiful 5K Cross Country Course located at VERDUN ADVENTURE BOUND, an outwardbound like youth retreat center located on 50+ acres in Rixeyville,Virginia. Follow the SASQUATCH through the woods to the finish line. Following the race will be awards, music at the amphitheater, a food truck, corn hole and hula hoop demonstrations.

www.cayacoalition.org things were getting better,” Moira says. Bobby became a successful salesman for a packaging company in Landover, Maryland. He was living with his long-time girlfriend, who he was planning to propose to. But the lure of heroin was never far from his mind. “He told me once that every day was a struggle. That the addiction invaded his dreams,” Moira recalls. “For a mother to hear that from her son was heartbreaking.”

His seeming progress made Bobby’s death unexpected and bewildering. “We had always had an open dialogue with our kids. We didn’t think it could happen to us,” Moira says.

“I had to deal with it alone. Bobby’s father works for Delta Airlines and was out of the country. His brother Brandon was in South Africa, and his younger brother, Tully, was in Santiago, Chile.”

Since her son’s death, Moira has relived his life many times over, looking for subtle clues from his behavior that could suggest that he may have had an addictive personality.

“Whenever Bobby was interested in something, he dove into it with everything he had,” she says. She remembers that “on a trip to Sedona when he was young, there was a rope

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swing that the kids would use to swing into a river. Bobby was having such a good time that he must have swung on that rope for five straight hours.”

Since her retirement, Moira has stepped beyond the confines of her comfort zone and tapped into a source of strength she did not know she possessed to create Come As You Are (CAYA), a nonprofit organization that aims to bring together families with members suffering from addiction.

“Bobby was such a giving and available person. If you needed furniture moved, he would help; needed a ride, he would pick you up; needed some money, he would lend it to you.

I couldn’t let his giving nature end with him. I had to do something. Addiction is a big problem in our area. There are very young people with a lot of potential who are dying. I want to help these families,” says Moira.

“It is a resource that I wish had been available to me while Bobby was alive,” Moira goes on to say. “I was in a very lonely place for so long. Not only was I suffering from a tremendous amount of anxiety, but the information available on the internet was overwhelming.” CAYA is a nonjudgmental environment where families can share information or simply listen. “No one has to talk unless they want to. This is an anonymous group.” Families Overcoming Drug Addiction (FODA) is the name of the support group that serves CAYA. They are the support ‘arm’ of CAYA. This group was founded by Caroline Folker after the death of her daughter, Kathryn, last August to a heroin overdose at the age of 19.

Moira and Caroline team up to work together on the problem of addiction. Caroline serves on the board for CAYA and Moira has supported her in promoting FODA. The 2015 PRIDE survey, conducted by The Parents’ Resource Institute for Drug Education, revealed some sobering statistics about drug use in Fauquier County.

Students who used heroin, including 19 seniors who used it daily, comprised 79 of the respondents. The report also indicated that drug use is beginning as early as 13.2 years for alcohol, 13.7 years for tobacco, 13.8 years for prescription drugs, and 14.2 years for marijuana.

CAYA aims at creating programs that will positively impact these numbers by educating community members on drug awareness, providing resources for the families of drug users, and removing the stigma surrounding addiction.

CAYA also conducts the Revive Program, which instructs laypeople on how to recognize the signs of a drug overdose and administer the lifesaving drug Naloxone, which is sold under the brand name Narcan. Narcan blocks the effects of opioids, especially during an overdose. The drug is available as a nasal spray, simplifying its administration, and is currently available without a prescription.

In September 2015, less than six months after her son’s death, Moira began networking. “I spent five months speaking to people. I walked into meetings and said, ‘I don’t have a non profit, I don’t have a group. I lost my son to a heroin overdose and want to start a group to help families with addiction. I don’t know what I’m doing.” Meetings with The Partnership for Community Resources in Fauquier and

Healthy Culpeper were two groups that provided her with tremendous connections.

One meeting led to another until in February of 2016, Moira formed CAYA. “I picked the name Come As You Are because it is a welcoming and accepting phrase. Our logo is a big, rough, shabby Sasquatch with headphones. Bobby would always watch those Bigfoot story shows on The History Channel, and when I would tell him they were trash, he would tell me, ‘Mom, you gotta believe.’” The headphones are a nod to Bobby’s spinning hobby, which he did for friends’ weddings and at restaurants like The Red Zone in Warrenton and The Pier in Culpeper.

CAYA is preparing for its first fundraising event, scheduled for September 24, at Verdun Adventure Bound. The 5K Run for Your Life will help raise necessary funds to help develop and execute programs. The event will bring families with members who suffer from addiction together in an environment aimed at healing the body. “Rehab facilities often incorporate elements of physical fitness to help addicts recover,” Moira says. “Verdun is an ideal place for our event with its 5K trail through the woods.”

Honoré Hastings, the Executive Director of Verdun Adventure Bound, says that offering their venue at no cost for the event was a logical decision.

“We are one of 148 nonprofits in the tri-county area, and our facility exists for the community. It’s crazy not for us to support this group.”

Verdun Adventure Bound is also home to TIME Family Services, LLC, a mental health provider that serves individuals ages 5-18. “It is amazing to witness these individuals, who do not fit into the mainstream education system, progress and learn resiliency. When you take a group out of the classroom setting and bring them into nature, they encounter things that open up a whole new dialogue that can otherwise be challenging to access,” says Hastings.

It is also groups such as these children and young adults that can be more susceptible to an addictive lifestyle, whether to drugs or alcohol.

As Moira works through her grief by focusing on the future of CAYA and its potential to reach families in need, she continues to receive support from other nonprofit groups and county organizations working together towards the same goal. Borrowing from the words from her son, she simply says she has to believe that something good will

come out of something so tragic. Moira looks forward to future PRIDE surveys that will reflect the results of her hard work and dedication, and the work of related groups, showing a reduced number of drug and alcohol users within our region. ❖ If you are interested in volunteering with CAYA, please contact Moira Satre at moira@CAYAcoalition.org.

How Narcan Works Naloxone (Narcan) reverses an overdose situation. When someone has opioids in their system, the opioids attach themselves to receptors in the brain. This causes the Central Nervous System to become depressed thus causing a decrease in respirations or breathing to stop all together. When Narcan is administered it knocks off the opioids that are attached to these brain receptors and the person can become conscious and begin to breath. It is lifesaving. This medicine will have effect for about 35-40 minutes before the opioids can reattach themselves to these brain receptors and throw them back into another overdose situation unless medical help and treatment is obtained.

Partnership for Community Resources A complete resource guide designed to help residents identify and utilize the human services available in Fauquier County. The guide describes many categories of services provided by a wide variety of agencies, companies, programs and churches who address the most basic needs of our citizens. www.fauquierresources.com

Healthy Culpeper Healthy Culpeper is the networking nucleus of a community partner collaboration that is committed to working together to create a healthy, secure, and educated community. Their mission is the understanding that a healthy community is the responsibility of all of its citizens. The collaboration defines health in terms of the emotional, intellectual, physical, psychological, social, and spiritual needs of the community. This reflects our goal to ensure all of Culpeper is committed to being proactive in improving their health, their quality of life, and their community. www. healthyculpeper.com

Verdun Adventure Bound Verdun Adventure Bound is an adventure based experiential learning youth and adult retreat facility. Team building is at its core and from there branches out to relationship skills, philosophy, trust, communication, collaboration self-esteem, and nowadays, assisting in reducing the level of anxiety felt by both youth and adults. www.verdunadventurebound.org

Aimée O’Grady is a freelance writer who enjoys transforming stories told by Fauquier residents into articles for Lifestyle readers. She learns more and more about our rich county with every interview she conducts. She and her husband are happy with their decision to raise their three children in Warrenton.

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set the

TABLE

STONE TOWER

By Steve Oviatt

S

tone Tower Winery began as an attempt to retain some of the rural heritage of Loudoun County when the 300 acre Wind Swept Hill cattle farm went up for sale. Neighbors Mike and Kristi Huber (owners of Belfort Furniture) purchased the property and, after extensive research, decided to start a vineyard and winery.

Ten years later, there are 60 acres of vineyards and more being planted every day. Stone Tower produces 10,000 cases of wine annually now, while still growing. Under the leadership of Napatrained Tim Crowe, Stone Tower’s goal is to produce world-class estate wines.

Two tasting venues feature the same wines. The whites are highlighted by the amazingly light and soft Wild Boar Sauvignon Blanc, which pairs well with shellfish, salads and goat cheese, and the Wild Boar Chardonnay, which is a great poultry and seafood wine with its fruity taste and creamy finish. Try this

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also with pasta carbonara and brie. The Stone Tower Estate Rosé has proven wildly popular and is versatile enough to pair with dishes as diverse as salmon and lamb.

Red wines of note are the Wild Boar Pinot Noir, which stands up to venison and big cheeses, like blues and stiltons.

Two other wines will appeal to collectors who want to put them into their cellars for several years. These include the Estate Wind Swept Hill, a right bank inspired Bordeaux style blend, and the Estate Hogback Mountain, which is made up predominantly of the local Cabernet Sauvignon.

Groups and events of all sizes can be accommodated in a range of venues on site. Check the website for the wide variety of events hosted at the winery.

Families with children, dogs, Frisbees and picnics are welcomed in the Harvest Barn. The neighboring Tower View is reserved for adults. ❖

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ADDRESS: 19925 HOGBACK MOUNTAIN ROAD LEESBURG, VA 20175 PHONE: 703-777-2797 HOURS: THURSDAY – MONDAY 11AM – 6PM TUESDAYS & WEDNESDAYS BY APPOINTMENT ONLY WEBSITE: STONETOWERWINERY.COM

Steve Oviatt is Past President of the Haymarket Gainesville Business Association who runs his own consulting business in addition to working with a number of local and international wineries. Steve acknowledges his daughter taught him everything he knows about wine. He lives in Catharpin with his wife, Nancy.

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the local

COMMUNITY

Dan ng on t‫ה‬ World’s S ge Warrenton’s Own Irish Dancer, Rosie Hutchison

By Kate Granruth Warrenton resident and Wakefield School senior, Rosie Hutchison, has over a decade of Irish dance under her belt. At 17 years old, she already has a long and triumphant history with the sport, most notably qualifying to compete at the 2016 World Irish Dancing Championships in Glasgow, Scotland this past March.

Hutchison’s passion for Irish dance began twelve years ago, when her mother enrolled her in some classes as a fun activity. It didn’t take long for Hutchison to fall in love - first with the athleticism Irish dance requires, then over the years with the competition. “I love to compete against other girls, and I love to win.

Whenever that happens,” she adds, smiling.

It would appear that winning happens often for Hutchison. In 2012, she qualified to dance in the Preliminary Championships, the fourth of five levels of competition within her dancing organization. Two years later, Hutchison qualified for Open Championship, the highest of the five levels. Alongside these achievements, Hutchison was competing in the Regional Championships, also known as Oireachtas. In 2014, Hutchison scored in the top 50 percent at Oireachtas for the first time. Then in 2015, she competed at the National Championships where she also placed in the top 50 percent.

Hutchison qualified to dance at the World Championships at the 2015 Oireachtas, where she competed against one hundred and thirty dancers, and was one of 12 to qualify. The qualification came as a happy surprise to Hutchison, who says that hearing her name called was “completely unreal.”

Qualifying came at a time when Hutchison was getting discouraged with her dancing, and dancing in the actual competition became truly motivating for her. “Getting to see that level of talent was mind-blowing to me. The girls over there are amazing dancers and getting to see them was such an inspiration to me. Even though I didn’t win or place, just seeing them and getting to see them practice showed me what is out there and showed me what I can work towards,” Hutchison recalls excitedly.

Traveling to Scotland was an incredible experience for Hutchison, who was enamored by the beautiful countryside and the exquisite architecture of Glasgow. Although she spent most of her time inside practicing and watching other dancers, what Hutchison did see of the city and its quaint streets lined with shops and restaurants she loved. For Hutchison, however, the highlight of

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her trip came when she and her family travelled to Scotland’s capital city of Edinburgh for some sightseeing. There she was able to visit the Elephant House, a coffee shop known around the world to Harry Potter fans as the spot where J.K. Rowling wrote bits and pieces of her iconic story. Hutchison, a diehard fan of the series, was awed to be in the same headspace as her favorite author. “I love Harry Potter almost as much as I love to dance,” she laughs.

Outside of actual competitions, dance is a full time commitment for Hutchison. She makes many sacrifices for her sport, enduring tough injuries and putting stress on her body and mind. She’s suffered three sprained ankles along with numerous shin splints over the years. She has felt the helplessness of not being able to dance, of being forced to step back and recover. Injuries are frightening territory for any athlete, bringing along with them the fear of losing stamina, of getting out of shape and practice.

“It’s really discouraging and not fun because you have to sit and watch other people dance and get better, and all you can do is sit-ups in the corner,” says Hutchison.

Keeping up with schoolwork has also proven to be a challenge, as on any given day Hutchison can be in the studio late into the night. When asked how she does it, she jokes, “I stay up really late!” In all seriousness, Hutchison credits the flexibility of Wakefield with keeping her on track. Hutchison started at Wakefield School when she was in Pre-Kindergarten, and acknowledges the fact that over her twelve-year dance career, all of her teachers have been extraordinarily accommodating and very helpful in making sure she has the resources to balance her dance schedule and her rigorous course curriculum.

When she’s not competing, practicing, or doing homework Hutchison is still involved with the Irish dance community.

She often works with her instructor, helping to teach the young beginners how to dance. “I love getting to teach the kids because, it kind of takes me back to the basics and I remember the techniques that have sort of faded since I was a beginner,” she explains. Her favorite style of dance to instruct

the beginners is soft shoe, a style that is danced with shoes similar to ballet slippers and incorporates Hutchison’s strong suit of jumping. Hutchison prefers to tutor this style because she likes to spread the joy to the kids who are just starting out.

In the free time she does have, Hutchison enjoys playing field hockey and lacrosse at Wakefield, as well as spending time with her friends. She can also be found working at Great Harvest Bread Company in Warrenton. This school year, she will begin her senior year, and the time-consuming process of looking at colleges. Although Hutchison will continue to practice and participate in Irish dance competitions after graduating, dance will not be the decisive element in her choosing a college. “It’s important to me to keep up with dance after high school,” she says. “And while finding a dance school won’t be the deciding factor in my college decision, it will play into it.”

Irish dance has become more than just a hobby for Hutchison, who credits the sport with developing some of her core values, including diligence, persistence, and patience.

“I’d say that the biggest value dance has taught me is how to discipline myself,” she says. “Dance has also taught me how to work towards a goal, which I can only hope will be helpful to me later in life.” Hutchison has a lot of goals she’s set for herself in terms of her dancing, from qualifying for the World Championships again to improving her overall rank and placement. But for her, the greatest goal is that she always enjoys the sport. “My number one goal with dance is to never get to the point where it’s not fun,” she says. “I always want to have fun with it and I want to always be able to keep improving and keep bettering myself.”

Today, Hutchison is working to do just that. She continues to spend hours on end in the studio perfecting every step, memorizing every routine, and becoming the best dancer she can possibly be. Irish dance not only serves as an outlet for Hutchison’s creative and athletic energy, but stands as a testament to the discipline, dedication, and perseverance that Hutchison applies to her life on and off the dance floor.

Kate Granruth is a senior at Wakefield School in The Plains, Virginia. She intends to pursue creative writing and journalism when she goes to college next fall, and has studied creative writing for four summers through the UVA Young Writers Workshop. She currently resides in Marshall with her parents, sister, and two dogs, Hunter and Zoey.

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Nursing community R involvement Rachel Pierce and Families4Fauquier

By Rebekah Grier

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achel Pierce always wanted to be a nurse. Instead, she’s become one of the most active and philanthropic community members in Fauquier County. This past January celebrated six years for Families4Fauquier founder Pierce; and although she still thinks about how life would be had she become a nurse, Pierce couldn’t be more excited about the success and future of Families4Fauquier. “I wanted to be able to support the community, but also help families find out what’s here. We don’t have a lot for families here. It’s getting better, but still I wanted a powerhouse for families to find out what’s going on,” Pierce said.

After moving to Warrenton from Manassas in 1998 as a newlywed in her early twenties, Pierce worked in insurance until she and her husband’s first daughter was born. Since then, Pierce has been a stay-at-home mom and a leader in two local moms’ groups. “I’m not fancy. I’m just a stay-at-home mom that wants to make a difference in our community. I mean, there’s nothing business or anything about me,” said the very humble mom of three.

After leaving the moms’ groups, Pierce wanted to focus more on the community and at the very end of 2009 she started brainstorming. In January it all came together with the name, Families4Fauquier.

Over the past six years, Families4Fauquier has become more than just

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“

I’m just hoping that they think, ‘Oh, someone does care about us. Someone took the time to come out here and do this. Even if it’s a little thing. They took the time to care about us to come out here and do this.’

When asked how her husband feels about Families4Fauquier creating such a busy family life, Pierce answered, “He likes it, but I think he gets a little overwhelmed with it at times. Just because it’s always like, it’s our life. But I’m pretty intense about it. But he’s really helpful. He’s really the backbone to a lot of things I do. He builds things for me. He makes things for the kids to make crafts.

My parade float. He sets up my canopy.

He does a lot that people don’t see behind the scenes.”

Pierce’s youngest daughter is also often on-hand and looks to be taking after her mother. “She’s very much like me. She likes to volunteer and everything with me that I do. Rosalyn really enjoys going with me and helping.”

While in some ways Pierce is surprised that not many people seem to know about Families4Fauquier, she was completely overwhelmed this last year when their drive to fill boxes for the Wounded Warriors at Walter Reed National Medical Center jumped from 28 containers in 2013 to 916 containers in 2015. “We could have done more. But we got to the point we didn’t have storage. We were having a problem being able to transport them. We were running out of containers. We were running out of cards. We made handmade ornaments for all of them. I had no idea. I planned on making 300, so when we came up with 916, that was pretty amazing.”

When asked what she hopes people feel or take away after being helped by Families4Fauquier, Pierce said, “I’m just hoping that they think, ‘Oh, someone does care about us. Someone took the time to come out here and do this. Even if it’s a little thing. They took the time to care about us to come out here and do this.’”

Although Families4Fauquier is specifically named, it doesn’t keep Pierce from helping anywhere she can. “I’m all over helping anywhere, wherever. If someone said to me, ‘Hey, So-and-so in Culpeper needs something,’ we would probably go and help. There’s no limit

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a side project, it’s grown to take over most of Pierce’s time...and house.

Although Pierce doesn’t pay herself a single dollar from any of the donations to Families4Fauquier, the planning, scheduling, and coordinating demands almost full-time hours. Especially during the holidays when Families4Fauquier hosts some of their most popular drives, the Pierce home literally runs out of space.

“At Christmastime you cannot walk in my living room or my dining room because we collect gifts for the families in the community. They’re floor to ceiling. I didn’t realize it would be as popular and as many people would get involved, so that’s kind of changed a little bit. Initially I thought it would be myself and family doing the projects, but people in the community really like it and want to get involved and help.”

Pierce is looking forward to raising enough ongoing supporting funds so that Families4Fauquier can rent their own space instead of relying on churches, parks, and other locations to host events.

“That would be really, really great. I think that would open a lot more doors for what we can do, because I’m limited on space.

I am getting some donations of crafts and things like that, but I’m working out of my dining room, so I’ve kind of run out of room. It’s my home, but it’s also that (Families4Fauquier), too.”

But for Pierce, Families4Fauquier is definitely more than just fun events, even more than just community service.

It’s a teaching tool for her children. “I’m trying to teach them that no matter what you have going on in your life, someone’s always got it worse. And sometimes if you stop thinking about your problem or your sadness, and help someone else, it makes you feel better. I know it helps me a lot. If you can make someone else smile, lighten up their day for even a minute, then it’s worth it.”

Children and families are close to Pierce’s heart - a priority clearly evident in her own family. Pierce’s husband, even though he works in D.C., is very involved with their son’s Boy Scout troop while Pierce can often be found taking their daughter to dance lessons. “Between scouts and dance and Families4Fauquier and if there’s a school activity, we stay pretty busy.

It’s a challenge some days. We just do the best we can. Most of the time it’s fun.”

really. Primarily we focus on events and activities in Fauquier, but if there was something in Culpeper or Haymarket or Gainesville, we would definitely promote that if it came through and we knew about it.”

Pierce said that having children run up and give her hugs at events is one of the most rewarding aspects of Families4Fauquier. “That makes me feel really good, that they know I’m in the community and I’m a community helper.”

Even after her own children are grown, Pierce said as long as people are engaging with it, she plans to keep Families4Fauquier up and running.

Because nursing familial community involvement is exactly what she was meant to do. “Making people smile is a big plus to me. They’res just a lot of sadness in the world. If you can just make someone smile and happy for a minute.

Like I always say, we can all help in little ways that can add up big.”❖

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The Past Comes to Life In the book Shenandoah: A Story of Conservation and Betrayal

By Deborah Cosby

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A

near-neighbor of Shenandoah National Park, I have long treasured its beauty and relished the abundant native plants and wildlife as I hiked its trails.

The idea of a national park in the east was born in the early 20th century, but it was not until the 1930’s that a park took shape in the southern Appalachians. The Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia were chosen as the site on the condition that the state purchase the land and present or “gift” it to the federal government.

Earlier this year, eager to explore the history of the Shenandoah National Park, the John Marshall library book clubs read Shenandoah: A Story of Conservation and Betrayal by Sue Eisenfeld, a Northern Virginia resident, to learn more about the human stories in the park’s past.

At the time work began on the park, 400 to 500 families, many of whom resisted relocation, lived in or near the proposed park site. These landowners, tenants and squatters were required to relocate, leaving behind homes, farms, orchards and over 100 cemeteries. The newly formed Civilian Conservation Corps was tasked with removing the homes, barns and outbuildings left behind. Decades later, however, haunting clues remain of the lives of the people who once lived

here. As renowned park historian Darwin Lambert reflected, what was left behind reveals “touching eternal realities of nature and humanity.”

Sue Eisenfeld’s decades-long love of the park and her passion for hiking, history and nature led her to dig into the past. She and her husband, Neil, hike “off-trail,” a form of exploration recommended to only the most experienced hikers.

Traveling through the backwoods of the Blue Ridge, they search for signs of settlement before the park.

Frozen winter ridges and hollows and the earliest spring days allow the evidence to stand out, before the beautiful vegetation hides it from view.

After more than 15 years of exploring the park, Eisenfeld reflects on the day, while “cradled in the faded-blue folds of the gentle Appalachian ridges” she decided to write her book about the park and its people. “I decided I wanted to write the stories of what I have seen, heard, touched and discovered as a hiker in a de-peopled and re-wilded park - a place that was once unfound and inhabited and is now ‘back to nature’ once again.”

HITTING THE TRAILS

This spring, following Eisenfeld’s advice, the Marshall book clubs embarked on an early spring hike to look for signs of the displaced mountain people. The Fox Hollow Trail, starting across the road from the Dickey Ridge Visitor Center, provided a perfect pathway to appreciate the beauty of the mountains while seeing traces of generations of the Fox family. Forest has reclaimed the cleared farmland of the 1930’s, but lilies, periwinkle and daffodils, planted long ago, bloom as evidence of a family cemetery, and perhaps a nearby home. Stone walls trail through the forest and lead to a crumbling barn foundation.

A broken washtub lies by the edge of the woods. A narrow dirt trail, overgrown and shaded by trees, was once the road that led down the mountain to the town of Front Royal.

And perhaps most poignant, a single sheltered apple tree blooms beneath the towering forest. These remnants whisper of the past. Shenandoah National Park has been called “The Gift,” but it is one that surely required great sacrifice by the givers.

Standing on the mountainsides and in the hollows of our park, it is possible to visualize those who lived here just one lifetime ago.

MEET THE AUTHOR

Author Sue Eisenfeld

Sue Eisenfeld is a five-time Fellow at the Virginia Center for the Creative Arts and teaches at Johns Hopkins University. Her work has appeared in the New York Times, The Washington Post, Gettysburg Review and other publications. She will be visiting the John Marshall branch library Sunday, September 25, at 2 p.m. to discuss Shenandoah: A Story of Conservation and Betrayal. The event is free and open to the public.

MORE TO EXPLORE

If you are interested in learning more about the history of the Shenandoah National Park, you may enjoy The Undying Past of Shenandoah National Park by Darwin Lambert, the first employee hired by the Park Service at Shenandoah. Another look at the history can be found in Shenandoah Secrets: The Story of the Park’s Hidden Past by Carolyn and Jack Reeder.

For a close look at one of our more popular mountains, Old Rag, you might check out In the Shadow of Ragged Mountain: Historical Archaeology of Nicholson, Corbin, and Weakley Hollows by Audrey Horning. A trip to the Byrd Visitor Center, near Big Meadows, offers an extensive exhibit documenting the creation of the park, including the saga of the displaced people. ❖

Deborah Cosby, librarian and Branch Manager of the John Marshall Library, recently marked 30 years at the Fauquier County Public Library. A proud Baltimore native, her years in the book world began as a reference librarian at the University of Maryland. A move to Virginia brought her to the public library and the community that she now enjoys. Deborah’s friends know her as a tree-hugger who loves all creatures great and small.

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close to

HOME

oadto RRECOVERY

Hal Hunter is one of 21 Road to Recovery volunteers who are available to drive cancer patients to their treatment appointments.

E

very day, thousands of cancer patients need a ride to treatment, but some may not have a way to get there. Richard Shrout, MSN, RN, Oncology Nurse Navigator at Fauquier Hospital, realized that lack of transportation to and from appointments was a significant obstacle for many cancer patients. When Richard met with hospital chaplains and community leaders in both counties, “my dream of resurrecting the American Cancer Society Road to Recovery Program became a reality. We are closing this gap for cancer patients.” Now, at

Providing transportation for cancer patients

By Robin Earl

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least 21 local volunteers are putting their vehicles in gear to fill the need.

The American Cancer Society Road to Recovery program provides free transportation to and from treatment for people with cancer who do not have a ride or are unable to drive themselves. Volunteer drivers donate their time and the use of their cars so that patients can receive life-saving treatments.

The local program – serving Fauquier and Rappahannock counties – has already held two training sessions, with more on the horizon. Rev. Dennis Di Mauro, of

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Trinity Lutheran Church in Warrenton and a volunteer chaplain at Fauquier Hospital, is coordinating the training sessions. He has been reaching out to churches in the area to enlist their help in finding drivers. “We have had more than 50 people register for training. The response has been great.”

He said, “Training is about an hour and a half.

Participants learn what to do and not to do. For instance, volunteers are only to drive patients to and from their treatment appointments.

They are not to make extra stops for groceries or medicines. Since all patients in the program must be able to walk, volunteers are not required to do any lifting.

And, of course, neither patient nor volunteer may smoke in the vehicle.”

Rev. Di Mauro said that the Cancer Society will check each volunteer’s insurance, do a background check and make note of availability before approving the volunteer to transport patients. He added that it’s important for those who take the training to arrive with driver’s license and insurance information in hand, so the process can get wrapped up that same day.

Volunteer Hal Hunter is leading the way in Rappahannock. The 81-yearold was already spending time delivering hot lunches to the Rappahannock Senior Center and helping the

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Rappahannock Food Pantry (which he founded); he thought he’d add the Road to Recovery to his long list of volunteer gigs.

He has driven a few patients from Rappahannock to Warrenton for cancer treatments so far, but expects that as the program becomes more well-known, he’ll be called more often. “I’m here, and I’m ready.”

Richard Shrout is thankful for volunteers like Hal and “looks forward to a day when no cancer patient will worry about transportation to and from their needed treatments.”

Rev. Di Mauro became involved in the Road to Recovery program, “to support the patients of Fauquier Hospital. There are a lot of folks, particularly in southern Fauquier and in Rappahannock, who don’t have transportation to their appointments at Fauquier Hospital, Culpeper Hospital, or the Cancer Center at Lake Manassas. What’s worse than getting a cancer diagnosis, then finding out you don’t have a way to get to your treatments?”

Those who would like to arrange for transportation for themselves or a loved one can call the American Cancer Society’s Road to Recovery program (800-227-2345) to be connected with a driver.

For more information about the local program, call Rev. Dennis Di Mauro at 703-5683346. ❖

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Who is eligible for transportation assistance?

Patients must be traveling to an appointment required to begin or complete cancer treatment, or to an appointment for complementary therapy during cancer treatment.

Transportation cannot be provided for followup appointments after treatment has been completed.

Patients must be able to walk unassisted to and from the vehicle, or have an accompanying caregiver to assist.

Patients under the age of 18 must be accompanied by a legally responsible adult such as a parent or caregiver.

A four-business day advance notice is required (not including the date transportation is needed).

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Retirement Notice At the age of 96 I have decided to truly retire as of September 30th this year – starting with my honorable discharge from the U.S. Army in 1946 – on to my being an Executive with the Boy Scouts of America in three different councils, a Director of Public Relations for the New York State Department of Education, a Federal Research Psychologist for the U.S. Army Research Institute and, ultimately from my final career, 25 years as a Clinical Psychologist in Virginia. I thank the thousands of patients I treated in this last responsibility for showing faith in me.

This decision was made partly because of my age and partly because of my desire to move on to other interests. In line with my doctoral specialization I continue to be concerned about the need for promoting life-span development as well as the allied need to prevent drug abuse.

Please do not misunderstand this notice.

I have not retired from life or from the community. It would be great to hear occasionally from any of my friends and/ or former patients along with my regular communication with my grandchildren and great-grandchildren in upstate New York. I would enjoy speaking before your organization at any time. You choose the topic. Email me at rbiallok@earthlink.net.

My life has centered around Fauquier County for 35 years. This is my final home.

Thank you for your warm friendship.

- Robert B. Iadeluca, Ph.D. { September 2016 |

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know your

HISTORY

CHARLES BURROUGHS ASHBY, known as the King of the Free State, 1854-February 28, 1931.

PROUD TO BE AN

Ashby

The long and interesting history of the Ashby family

By Aimée O’Grady

M

iss Maureen Ashby Lawrence has helped organize Ashby family reunions for the past 36 years, a celebration that the Ashbys have been celebrating for over 310 years. Today, they are held in Marshall on the first Sunday in October, and anywhere from fifty to one hundred Ashby family members attend the annual event. At every reunion, one

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can hear their theme song, “Proud to be an Ashby.” It was written in 1990 by Ashby cousin Thelma Adams Bussey and mentions famous relatives and includes lyrics that highlight the family’s enjoyment of “laughing, talking, hugging, kissing, and eating.”

Maureen Ashby Lawrence is a 9th generation Ashby. Her family can be traced back over 330 years to Captain

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Thomas Ashby, who was born in England in 1680. He came to Paris Mountain from the Virginia Tidewater area and settled in a white cabin with a long front porch that faced a large pond just off present-day Route 50. The cabin is just west of the Ashby Gap, a wind gap in the Blue Ridge Mountains and demarcation for Clarke, Loudoun and Fauquier Counties that was named for Thomas Ashby.

Thomas Ashby’s cabin, which still stands, has been in her line of the Ashby family for over 300 years. The cabin and surrounding area was settled

by Thomas Ashby’s family.

From Paris Mountain, the Ashby family moved to Delaplane, where Thomas’ son Robert operated a Tavern named Yew Hill. One of the Ashby family cemeteries is situated on the property of Yew Hill, which is currently undergoing restoration. The greatgrandson of Robert Ashby, Nimrod Ashby, married Adelia Smith from the Free State community of Fauquier County (see sidebar) in Marshall. The

Charles B. Ashby holding his shotgun and proudly displaying some horns from a recent hunt.

couple owned 1,000 acres between them and bequeathed approximately 100 acres to each of their children. The Ashby family remained in the Free State for many years.

Maureen Ashby Lawrence’s family line moves from Thomas Ashby through seven Ashby men before arriving at Charles Bryan Ashby (1900-1971), Lawrence’s father (see family timeline). Maureen and her late husband, Jim, a 9th generation Lawrence from Middleburg, married in 1963. They ultimately settled in

Marshall, where Lawrence still lives in the house her husband and uncle, an architect, built. It is here, on ten acres, that they raised their two sons, James Lee “Chuck” and Paul.

Her legacy to her boys will be her family history. “I can give them family possessions, but my greatest gift is their family story,” she says. The story is contained in a large, three-ring binder filled with historical family documents including marriage certificates, social security cards, photos, Civil War documents, and so much more.

The book dates back to Thomas Ashby from Paris Mountain and concludes with photos of her sons’ weddings. “This is their heritage,” she continues. “Today, people don’t know where they came from. We are losing our values. I want them to be proud of their history. Having a family history makes the story whole.”

Lawrence and I enjoyed sweet iced tea and cookies served on a silver tray on her sunporch one hot June afternoon as she recounted family stories. Among them is the story of her great-great Uncle Charles, who was born in 1854 in the Free State. Uncle Charles, known as one of the Kings of the Free State, lived on a farm called Loch Lomond and was somewhat of a renaissance man. Well-versed in politics, he could also pull teeth, both human and animal, was a fine marksman, a casket builder, and enjoyed his whiskey. To keep abreast of political events, he would hitch a pony up to his cart and make regular trips to Richmond to attend legislative meetings.

Uncle Charles died in 1931.

The following year, a guest from his wedding to Mildred “Millie” Morehead of New Baltimore submitted her memories of the celebration to the Fauquier Democrat. Charles and Millie were married on November 28, 1876, and the wedding guest detailed the story, including the fine fall weather and

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the party the eve of the wedding that lasted well into the night. She recalled that the morning of the wedding, the guests breakfasted at 9am. By 10:00, the six bridesmaids were dressed and lined the doorway to provide an entrance for the bride.

Following a “short and solemn ceremony,” the wedding guests returned to the bride’s family home via carriage and were ushered into a large room with floor to ceiling velvet curtains and a roaring fire in the large fireplace. For three days and nights, the guests enjoyed music, dancing, riding, and feasting. The old family servants attended to every want from the guests. Old Mammie roasted possum and sweet potatoes.

The servants were former slaves from Charles’ grandfather, Nimrod Ashby.

The eldest was over 100 years old and had been born in Africa.

Charlie Ashby was well-known in Fauquier County during his life.

Following his death, a tribute was written about him in the local paper that describes him as: “the last remnant of the age of chivalry, a singer, dancer and fiddler. He was a kind neighbor, and in times of epidemic was the dependence of the community as a volunteer nurse. In another age and other circumstances he might have won undying fame by the same gar and gallant spirit, which is now only a fragrant memory.”

Uncle Charles was very fond of Lawrence’s grandfather, Nimrod Ashby. Charles had no children of his own, and he asked Maureen’s grandfather Nimrod to care for him and his wife Millie. In exchange for caring for them, Charles would leave his farm, Loch Lomond, to Nimrod. It was at Loch Lomond that Lawrence’s father, Bryan Ashby, was born in 1900.

Lawrence’s maternal grandfather, Jackson Bernard Anderson, was a doctor who settled in Orlean in a farmhouse on John Barton Payne Road.

The farmhouse still stands today. Dr. Anderson treated patients, including surgeries, in one of the home’s large front rooms. His medical equipment

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was kept in two large built-ins with glass doors flanking a mantel that once sat atop a wood stove. The logfoundation farmhouse dates to the late 1800s and sits on 52 acres enclosed by a stone wall. The farm has one set of large double-iron gates and one singleiron gate at its entrance on John Barton Payne Road. “The double gates were for the carriages to come through,” Lawrence explains. “Iron pig tails on the walls of the home were for drivers to hitch their horses.”

In the early 1920s, Dr. Anderson relocated to McLean with his wife and children, two daughters and three sons.

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When his daughter, Eugenia, married Bryan Ashby in 1932, Dr. Anderson bought the family home back as a wedding gift so Eugenia and Bryan could raise their family there. Their son Bryan Hunt Ashby, was born in 1935, and Maureen followed a few years later on November 18, 1938. Her family book includes a tribute to a Dr. Wade Sinclair, the doctor who “brought me into the world.”

Maureen Ashby as a toddler in 1940 at an Ashby family reunion. Bottom: Miss Maureen Ashby Lawrence today in her home in Marshall.

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In Orlean, Maureen and Hunt grew up in a quintessential country lifestyle. “Our day began at 5 a.m.,” she remembers. “Daddy had a grade two dairy farm, and my brother and I would get up to milk the cows and feed the chickens before school. When our morning chores were done, we would walk about a quarter mile to the Rector Store, now the Orlean Market, to catch the bus at 7:30. After school, I would treat myself to my mother’s homemade tomato juice with crushed soda crackers, change my clothes, and continue with my afternoon chores.”

Maureen began milking cows at the age of six, and she laughs when she recalls churning the butter on the back porch. “That butter wouldn’t churn if I had a date to go on. It would take forever!”

Although the family used automated milkers once the farm had electricity in the early 40s, she continued to do most of the milking by hand. “Even the milkers needed someone to attend to them since they would fall off when the milking was done,” she remembers.

Today, Maureen Ashby Lawrence enjoys spending time in her garden, in sunny Florida, or with her four grandchildren, which include three boys and one girl. Her granddaughter will carry the Ashby family name as her given name. “Ashby Elizabeth Lawrence is the first girl in my line of Ashbys in 72 years,” Lawrence says proudly.

Undoubtedly, the children will also inherit the family history, meticulously maintained by Lawrence over the decades, and will attend family reunions over the years and sing beside their Ashby cousins of their pride to be an Ashby. ❖

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Top: Ashby relations in August 1946. Bottom two: Ashby family reunions in 1940.

BROAD RUN LIFESTYLE

Aimée O’Grady is a freelance writer who enjoys transforming stories told by Fauquier residents into articles for Lifestyle readers. She learns more and more about our rich county with every interview she conducts. She and her husband are happy with their decision to raise their three children in Warrenton.

}

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{ September 2016 | BROAD RUN LIFESTYLE } 37 www.piedmontpress.com

set the

TABLE

Local Eatery Serves More Than Great Cuisine The Railstop continues to refresh the community

By Aimee O’Grady

T

om Kee’s life is going to the dogs. In the past three years alone, The Plains resident has adopted five rescue dogs.

Kee’s tally includes two Pit Bull mixes, one Boxer, and two Jack Russell terriers, which were born under his bed. The animal welfare advocate admits that he has had to “unfollow” the Facebook pages of rescue groups advertising dogs that need homes. His house simply can’t handle any more.

Shortly after adopting the two puppy Pit Bull mixes, a cable repairman visited Kee’s house. But “not five minutes after the repairman left, the TV wouldn’t turn on,” Kee recalls. “I went outside, and sure enough the cable was chewed in half.”

The repairman returned, fixed the cable, then buried it again, running part of it through a pole that was also partially buried.

“Today, the cable has been dug up again and a hole dug around

Pan Seared Colossal Shrimp with Jasmine Rice

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the pole, but the TV still works,” laughs Kee. Over time, the dogs have torn the decorative lattice off the deck of Kee’s house. His remote control sometimes goes missing, and his dogs also whisk his shoes outside without Kee noticing. Only to be retrieved later with the heels chewed open.

But Kee simply can’t help himself. His heart goes out to man’s best friend, and when a dog needs a home, Kee finds it hard to say no. “I will send money to an organization,” Kee says, “but after a point I wonder if I’m just better off adopting the dog and bringing it home.”

When the single blueberry bush in his yard began to bear ripe fruit, Kee added them to his homemade ice cream.

Unfortunately, the bush came under attack. His two energetic puppies put an end to both the blueberries and the ice cream they were being used for.

Kee’s homemade ice cream wasn’t for his personal enjoyment, however. It was just one of the items Kee makes fresh every day for his restaurant, The Railstop, which is located on Main Street in The Plains. Kee’s kitchen staff, many of whom have been with him for upwards of sixteen years, assist him in making the breads, pastas, and desserts The Railstop offers to local patrons and guests charmed into visiting the quaint town.

Kee has been owner and chef at The Railstop for over twentyone years. “I can’t believe it’s been that long,” he reminisces.

“When I first came to The Railstop, I rented the dinner shift from Kevin Whitener, who had been here about fifteen years at the time. And I thought that was a long time!” The Railstop is a constant in The Plains. It was a greasy spoon before Kee overhauled the eatery, which has been a meeting place for locals for over three decades.

Kee came to The Plains via Washington, D.C., where he practiced his trade after completing culinary school at L’Academie De Cuisine in Bethesda. He began working in The Plains at The Fiddler’s Green, which is now Girasole. During his three-year stay at Fiddler’s Green, Kee increased earnings at the restaurant by $700,000, raising the eatery’s take from $300,000 to a million dollars. “After leaving Fiddler’s Green, I went back to D.C. for a year before returning to The Plains and renting the dinner shift from Whitener at The Railstop,” explains Kee. After managing the dinner shift for a few years, Kee took ownership of the entire restaurant in partnership with Robert

Duvall. “Mr. Duvall used to eat at The Fiddler’s Green when I was the chef there, and we struck up a friendship,” Kee says.

“When I came back to The Plains, Mr. Duvall offered me housing on his farm, and when I began renting the dinner shift at The Railstop, he would come in.”

Today, patrons who visit the restaurant are greeted by the same friendly faces, who know their repeat customers down to their preferred seats. Many of the current staff have been at the restaurant for many years, so Kee does very little hiring. “It’s unusual to have so little turn over in a restaurant,” says Kee. “I joke that our staff’s kids will be working for us soon.”

Because of the consistency in staff, Kee has had the opportunity to assume the role of mentor. “My current kitchen staff began as dishwashers, moved up to prep, then the line, and then the line dinner,” he says. Today, they are responsible for desserts and bread and are encouraged to try new recipes.

Kee even likes to find evidence of a new recipe in the trash. “It doesn’t happen often, but it proves to me that they are going for a certain level of quality. Not everything works out.”

The Railstop has evolved with the times thanks to Kee, who keeps abreast of the latest changes happening within the food movement. Today, this means supporting local farmers. “I have six or seven local vendors that I buy from consistently, and they are all within five miles of the restaurant,” Kee says.

It also means offering dishes heavy on vegetables, in addition to carrying time-tested patron favorites. “Eating habits change.

We noticed a few years ago that people were asking for no sauce and double veggies. So we have had to accommodate those new tastes.” In another nod to patron’s healthier eating habits, The Railstop also incorporates many organic ingredients into dishes.

“We keep trying to improve, whether it’s the options on the menu or the décor. We like to keep things refreshed.”

The success of The Railstop is well documented. It has been featured in clips from The Late Show with David Letterman, appearances on the Food Network, and even a mention on the Oprah Winfrey Show. The January 8, 1999 episode featured John Travolta and Robert Duvall, who mentioned the restaurant.

The Oprah show’s film crew even came to The Plains to do some filming at the restaurant. “Oprah didn’t come,” says Kee, “but it was still a highlight for the restaurant.”

Kee likes to turn The Railstop’s spotlight on groups in The Plains like the local fire department. “We hold a raffle with a New Year’s Eve drawing. The winner receives dinner for two, once a month, for a year. The proceeds are split 50/50 between the Fire Department and The Railstop. To date we have donated about $7,000 to the volunteer department,” he explains.

He also donates gift certificates to silent auctions for local organizations holding fundraisers.

So whether you have four legs or two, if you live in this community, chances are that Kee has touched your life.

Through his steady employment of area residents, his care of one of the best local meeting places for friends, his purchase of produce and meats from area farmers, and his charitable partnership with the local fire department, few are outside the reach of Kee’s philanthropy. And both local residents and diners from afar give back to the restaurant with their patronage. “We have a lot of loyal customers who have been coming for years,” says Kee. “Without them, the restaurant would not be the success that it is.”❖

(above) Crème brûlée , (left) Tom Kee, Owner

Tom’s “kids”, Rox, Daisy, Bella and Lucy, and Boo.

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close to

HOME

BITE BACK!

Identifying Tick Diseases In Dogs

by Charlotte Wagner

T

he leaves are beginning to tumble off trees as the dog days of summer come to an end.

The incoming milder weather has us out playing in the leaves with our dogs, taking long walks in the woods, and tossing ball with Fido in the yard. With an increase of outdoor activity also comes a significantly increased risk for tickborne illnesses, which can affect humans and canines alike.

Thousands of pets become infected yearly when ticks attach onto dogs and transmit disease.

Amongst the most common conditions seen in our area are: Lyme Disease, Anaplasmosis, Ehrlichiosis, and Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever. Understanding symptoms, regular screening, and prevention is key to ensuring our safety and the wellbeing of our pets this autumn.

Lyme Disease is caused by the bacteria Borrelia burgdorferi and is associated

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with the Deer Tick. It is commonly believed that a tick must be attached to your dog for approximately 48 hours inorder for disease transmission to occur.

Common symptoms include: lameness, fever, swollen lymph nodes and joins, and loss of appetite. In more extreme cases kidney disease, heart issues, and neurological symptoms may appear.

Ehrlichiosis is transmitted by the Brown Dog Tick and Lone Star Tick and has been seen worldwide. Dogs may suffer from depression, reduced appetite, fever, lameness, stiff and painful joints, and bruising. Unlike other tick-borne diseases, symptoms often appear within less than a month.

Anaplasmosis is carried by Deer Ticks, Western Black Legged Ticks, and Brown Dog Ticks. Signs and symptoms are similar to those of Ehrlichiosis and include joint pain, fever, vomiting, diarrhea, and loss of appetite. The disease may present itself in as little as 2

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weeks after infection.

Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever is transmitted by both the American Dog Tick and the Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever Tick. Disease transmission can occur in as little as 5 hours after the tick has attached to the dog. Signs of infection include: fever, reduced appetite, depression, joint pain, vomiting, diarrhea, difficulty getting up. More developed cases may include heart abnormalities, pneumonia, kidney disease, declined liver function, and neurological symptoms.

Diagnostic Tools Due to the high prevalence of tick disease in our area, veterinarians are encouraging basic screening as part of a regular annual wellness exam. Some species of ticks, such as the Deer Tick, can even carry multiple diseases at once.

A general reference of Lyme Disease, Ehrlichionsis, or Anaplasmosis exposure can be seen when conducting a basic

heartworm test (often referred to as a snap test). Although this test detects the presence of antibodies in the blood, it is not a conclusive diagnostic tool. Further testing to establish more accurate antibody levels will better help determine diagnosis, prognosis, and treatment plan.

Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever and more uncommon tickborne illnesses are not identified on basic testing. If your pet is showing signs of potential tick disease ensure to discuss more extensive blood panels with your vet. In most tick-related conditions symptoms will not appear until multiple months from the initial bite or infection. It is vital for pet owners to know the options when it comes to disease intervention and prevention as some extreme cases of tick diseases may be fatal.

To all our loyal customers, We thank you for making us part of your outdoor living experience by purchasing plant material or design services from us. As we move forward, we will be focusing more on the design/build outdoor living business. We are also pleased to announce that we are building a farm brewery! This is an exciting time here at the farm. Stay tuned for more details.

Sincerely, Bill DeWitt

2016

VOTE FOR US!

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HISTORY

THE QUIET VOICES OF A GENERATION Recalling the life of World War II veteran Johnny Sekelsky

By John T. Toler

I

n his book The Greatest Generation, award-winning news correspondent and author Tom Brokaw writes about “… the men and women who came out of the Great Depression, who won great victories in World War II, and then returned home to begin building the world we have today.”

The characteristics – as well as individuality – of those of the Greatest Generation can be seen in the example of John Thomas “Johnny” Sekelsky of Warrenton, who indeed grew up during the Great Depression and served in the Armed Forces in World War II.

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After the war, Johnny took advantage of educational opportunities to develop his talents as an artist and musician, married and raised a family.

Now 93, Johnny has been a resident of Amerisist of Warrenton, an assisted living facility, since 2013. His son Alan and daughterin-law Diane live in Warrenton, and visit him at Amerisist, as well as taking Johnny to local Veterans Day and Memorial Day observances.

A first-generation American, Johnny was the son of Andrew and Anne Sekelsky. He notes that his father was a native of Czechoslovakia

The crew of Miss Memorial, a B-17G heavy bomber, served together until the end of WWII. Front row, from left: Tech/Sgt. Johnny Sekelsky, Sgt. Roy L. Clement and Sgt. Marvin Elke. Back row: Sgt. Raymond Parker, Sgt. Norman Olsen, Lt. Robert Parks and Lt. Leon Owens.

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and served in World War I – in the Austro-Hungarian Army. Andrew came to the United States in 1919 and settled in Punxsutawney, Pa. where he met Anne Wargo, a young widow who was also from Czechoslovakia. They were soon married, and Johnny was born there in 1923.

The Sekelskys moved to Cleveland, Ohio, where they attended the Nativity of the Virgin Mary Catholic Church, founded several years earlier by Slovak immigrants. Johnny served as an altar boy, and attended the parish school.

It was there that one of his teachers, Sister Anastasia, organized an accordion band. Johnny, then in fifth grade, was one of 50 boys who joined. Instruction was provided by a professional musician. It was also during his high school years that his talent for drawing was revealed, and he furthered his artistic training at East Tech High School in Cleveland.

Johnny was barely out of high school when the U.S. entered World War II. Until he was drafted into the U.S. Army in 1943, he worked as a technical illustrator for a wartime contractor that manufactured aircraft parts.

THE WAR IN EUROPE After Army basic training, Johnny transferred to the U. S. Army Air Forces, where he underwent training at an airbase in South Dakota as a crewman on the B-17 “Flying Fortress” bomber. His primary duty was as the aircraft’s radio operator, but he was also trained as a waist gunner (firing .50 caliber machine guns from a position on the side of the aircraft) and as a mechanic.

Promoted to Tech/Sgt., Johnny was assigned to a new B-17-G bomber (448524) nicknamed Miss Memorial, and was soon on his way to the European Theater as part of the “Mighty Eighth” Air Force.

Johnny would spend his entire combat tour flying in the same aircraft, and with the same crew.

B-17 crews consisted of nine airmen.

On board the Miss Memorial were pilots Lt. Leon Owens and Lt. Harry R. Swanson; navigator Lt. Robert L. Parks, and bombardier Lt. Norman J. Weledniger. In addition to Tech /Sgt. Johnny Sekelsky, the enlisted personnel were Sergeants Marvin E. Elke (flight

engineer/mechanic/gunner), Norman T. Olsen (airplane armorer/gunner), and Roy L. Clement and Raymond O. Parker (aerial gunners).

Arriving overseas, Miss Memorial and her crew were assigned to the airbase at Lavenham, England, as part of the 487th Bomb Group, 838th Bomber Squadron, and designated Crew 56.The 487th Bomb Group arrived at Lavenham in April 1944, and flew its first combat mission on May 7, 1944. It was one of the few bomb groups in the 8th Air Force that flew both B-17 and B-24 aircraft.

The crew of Miss Memorial would fly 28 combat missions, but their first – an attack on Berlin, Germany on Feb. 26, 1945 – was the most memorable.

“The objective was the transportation system of the German capital,” according to Ivo De Jong in The History of the 487th Bomb Group (2004). As part of a massive attack by elements of the 8th Air Force, 40 aircraft of the 487th were involved.

Crews were awakened at 2:45 a.m., ate breakfast and were called in for a briefing. “I went to a meeting where they picked out the crews that were going on the mission,” Johnny recalled.

“They pulled down a big map showing where we were going to fly that day, and it was to Berlin,” said Johnny. “A bunch of the guys said, ‘Oh, no!’”

Loaded with bombs and ammunition, the raiders took off

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At the airbase at Lavenham, England, pilot Lt. Leon Owens talks with tailgunner Sgt. Raymond Parker before heading out on a mission.

The rendering of ‘Rough ‘n’ Ready’ was painted on the tail of Miss Memorial

by Tech/ Sgt. Johnny Sekelsky.

Top: Painting by Johnny Sekelsky depicts Miss Memorial, a B-17G, and Chief Wapello, one of the 487th Bomb Group’s B-24 heavy bombers, over the airfield at Lavenham, England in early 1945. Aircraft in the 487th BG were recognized by the large white ‘P’ in a black square on their tails. Bottom: Johnny Sekelsky’s wife, Elizabeth ‘Elsie’ Hamilton Sekelsky, photographed in New York in the 1950s. Elsie, a native of Scotland, was a visiting nurse at a hospital in England when they first met.

from Lavenham at 8 a.m. However, due to engine and other mechanical problems, five B-17s had to abort and return to base. The remaining 35 continued on to the target, “…which was hidden by a complete undercast…they dropped 408 500-lb. GP (general purpose) and M-17 cluster bombs at 12:31 p.m.,” according to De Jong.

As they approached Berlin, Johnny moved from the radio room to the waist gunner position in case they were attacked

by German fighters. But aerial combat with the Luftwaffe would not be what nearly brought Miss Memorial down.

After the bombs were dropped, Miss Memorial encountered “…moderate but fairly accurate flak (anti-aircraft artillery)

in the target area,” wrote De Jong. Four other B17s suffered minor damage, but Miss Memorial was hit in the starboard outboard engine, and fell from the formation.

“From then on, we had to keep flying on just three engines,” Johnny remembers. No one onboard was wounded, but in order to lighten the load, the crew threw out all of the loose equipment except two guns. They headed to the airfield at Grimberghen, Belgium north of Brussels, where they made an emergency landing.

Belgium had been liberated by Allied forces by September 1944, and the field at Grimberghen provided a safe haven a lot closer than Lavenham. “When we landed, Belgian children ran up to the airplane, asking for cigarettes and candy,” he recalled.

One other B-17 on the mission was running low on fuel, and landed at Antwerpe-Deurne. The rest made it back to Lavenham by 5:30 p.m. – one of the longest raids undertaken by that time.

According to De Jong, 8th Air Force planes dropped several hundred tons of bombs on Berlin that day.

At the Grimberghen airbase, Miss Memorial’s damaged engine was replaced, and the crew was soon on their way back to Lavenham. They would complete 27 more missions before V-E Day, May 8, 1945 – the end of the war in Europe.

Having experienced much during their

tour of duty, the crew of Miss Memorial “…was like a family,” notes Johnny. He recalls that three of the bombers in his group were lost while they were overseas.

De Jong states that “…232 members of the 487th Bomb Group paid the ultimate price for service to their country.”

“I was in England when the war ended, and the Colonel asked me if I still wanted to fly,” said Johnny. “I told him that I did, and they put me in B-29s as a radio operations instructor.” It is likely that some of the men Johnny trained carried the war to Japan, which surrendered in August 1945.

The rest of the crew of Miss Memorial flew home in the bomber, which likely ended its days in storage at Kingman, Arizona.

While on furlough in England, Johnny was introduced by a friend to Miss Elizabeth “Elsie” Hamilton, a Scottish visiting nurse who worked in the operating room of a hospital supporting the Mighty Eighth. Their friendship grew, and he visited Elsie in Scotland, which he remembers as a very beautiful country.

HOMECOMING AND CIVILIAN LIFE After Johnny returned to the U.S., he sent for Elsie. They were married in New York and started a new life together there.

They would have four sons – Andrew, Alan, Robert and David, and a daughter, Anne.

Johnny completed his training in art and music at the Cleveland School of Art, which was sponsored by the Carnegie Institute of Pittsburgh. He then commenced a long and successful career

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Left: A versatile artist, Johnny Sekelsky painted fine landscapes as well as commercial art projects. Hanging on the wall of his room at Amerisist of Warrenton is his painting of a fisherman’s home in Kennebunkport, Maine. Top Right: With a stock of art supplies in his room, Johnny Sekelsky still produces an occasional still life, and other artwork. Bottom Right: While he doesn’t play as much as he used to, Johnny Sekelsky likes to perform for his friends at Amerisist, and they appreciate it. ‘Johnny is an excellent accordion player,’ notes fellow resident Roberta “Boogie” Hitt. ‘He has played for us in the hallway and the television room, and accompanied a barber shop quartet when they came to sing for us.’

as a commercial artist in New York City.

His work covered a wide range of projects, from catalogues to advertising.

In addition, he produced a variety of portraits and landscapes, and a body of aviation art. For many years, he and Elsie lived in Croton-on-Hudson, N.Y., and he commuted to his studio in Manhattan by train each day.

Johnny was without his accordion when he first arrived overseas (his mother later shipped it to him), and upon his return to the States, Johnny resumed playing.

He was invited to perform at various venues and events in New York, including weddings, dances and other celebrations.

He went by the stage name “Johnny Silk,” and counted over 4,000 songs in his accordion playbook.

The Sekelsky children grew up, left home to start their careers, and married.

Johnny and Elsie continued to live at Croton-on-Hudson for several years. But after Elsie’s passing, the children urged Johnny, by then 90, to move into an assisted living facility, and Amerisist of

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Warrenton near Alan and Diane’s home was selected.

As part of the Amerisist community, Johnny enjoys the company of his many friends. He is known for his musical talent on the accordion, which he plays for the staff and residents. One especially memorable experience was when a group of residents made the trip to Skyline Drive in the big Amerisist van – which echoed with a variety of polkas, waltzes and popular old classics as it rolled down the road.

Johnny also has a drawer in his room filled with art supplies, and produces stilllife drawings and other artwork and cards for special occasions, like holidays, and Halloween.

In the years after World War II, Johnny attended a number of “Mighty Eighth” and 487th Bomb Group reunions. But with the passage of time, fewer and fewer of those who served in that epic conflict were able to come, or still alive. Nearly all who have survived are in their 90s, like Johnny, and they remain a National Treasure.

“If we are to heed the past to prepare for the future, we should listen to these quiet voices of a generation that speaks to us of duty, honor, sacrifice and accomplishment,” wrote Tom Brokaw in The Greatest Generation Speaks (1999).

Johnny Sekelsky of Warrenton is one of those “quiet voices.” ❖

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John Toler is an author and historian who has served Fauquier County for over 50 years, including four decades with the Fauquier-Times Democrat. Toler is the co-author of 250 Years in Fauquier County: A Virginia Story, and author of Warrenton, Virginia: A History of 200 Years.

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