Library Board of Trustees

MARY RILEY STYLES PUBLIC LIBRARY LIBRARY BOARD MEETING March 20, 2024 GUEST SIGN-IN SHEET NAME ADDRESS EMAIL A~ m ee. rv\oV"o.c..n o....i~l y.-o~aoE?rr, ,..,_ y .AJa.. h r~~~ \a. ~ If\ an\J 'f CL Y\ Lf €? ,</ YY\0:1 1. (!.0 1\ ~ ~le;J 1 sku-~ .Sc>~ fPl b:fu\ler\z; JXt d-- 1 I ~!L-V~L-r / I , efv/./(;;i}c;,~. a-r ~ {/ Kkr-~ tN>scfJL 1/vltJ_ v h.-t , V'f'<l-7 cr.Je ~ U)" , ~- I t<(rd c-h~-~I\ Jvt1-t ·~J\~~ ' f-' ZJ\tDcJ®~- ~\t7_bo~~-zp_q:J_ ~ !$ (__,I v Page 1  ' ,Cindy Mester Cindy Mester's passion for community building, which she believes is the foundation of local government, is Cindy Mester evident in both her professional and extracurricular life in the City. That passion, that commitment, is Born: Lucinda Lee Mester (Cindy) , October given voice in the framed copy of The Athenian Oath 3, 1959- hanging on her office wall : "Thus, in all these ways, Spouse: Gary J. Mester we will transmit this City, not only, not less but greater Parents: Robert & Patricia Christensen and more beautiful than it was transmitted to us. " Children: Alex & Christian Mester Early and Personal Life Education: M.P.A Graduate Certificate Virginia Polytechnical Born in California in 1959 as Lucinda Lee University; Senior Executive Institute (SEI) and Christensen, Cindy, who has always gone by her Leadership, Education, and Developing (LEAD) nickname, spent the first part of her life living Certificates, University of Virginia ; M.Ed . wherever her father's Navy career took the family, Counseling and Development, George Mason moving in 1969 to Northern Virginia. She credits her University; B.S. Therapeutic Recreation , Longwood College. mother's model of leadership, her father's support, and two high school teacher-mentors for her starting Occupation : her church's youth group and eventually becoming Director, Community Relations and Legislative the first female acolyte and the first female to serve Affairs, Pension Plan Administrator, Falls Church , communion in the church at a time when women VA, 2023-present; Deputy City Manager, Falls "baked and were not leaders ." Church , 2005-2023. When she married in 1983, she moved to her current Civic Roles: home on a half-acre in Chantilly, Virginia, and worked Virginia Local Government Manager Association, for over twenty years for the Loudoun County president and other leadership positions; sits on government where she encountered, she recalled, Committees of International City County "the old boys' network" and had to earn their respect, Management Association one reason she now sees an important part of her City role is to mentor women , helping them to be very Advocate for arts and culture , including the Tinner intentional about their workplace goals. That she did Hill historic site and sidewalk, the South earn her Loudoun colleagues' respect is evident in Washington Street Transit Plaza history panels, the number of awards for outstanding service she Creative Cauldron , and the Falls Church Art and received before leaving to take her Falls Church Humanities Council. position on April 1, 2005 . While she has come to love the Falls Church community and feels connected in 2022 Grand Marshall. Falls Church Women's ways she does not in Chantilly, she would find it History Walk. difficult to leave her fully paid-off home, koi pond and flower Member, Falls Church Victorian Society; Friends of gardens. Cherry Hill Farmhouse; Falls Church Arts. Career and Accomplishments in the City Cindy began her career as General Manager supporting the Library, Recreations & Parks, Court Services and Housing-Human Services departments. Shortly thereafter, she became Deputy City Manager and Pension Plan Administrator, roles that involved her from day one in the life of the City.  Her wide-ranging responsibilities have included community engagement, special projects, capital ·· planning, federal and state legislation, ADA compliance, IT operations, environmental sustainability, affordable housing, and pension plans. Of the many general government projects she has worked on, two stand out: the Library and City Hall renovations, both many years in the making and, from the outset, requiring her full engagement in the capital improvement planning (CIP) and community engagement process. In her City Hall oversight role, Cindy drew on her professional and interpersonal skill sets to help develop initial plans with the planning commission and City Council, working with staff to identify funding needs, find grants, and gain community buy-in, while, at the same time, meeting regularly with stakeholders on each project to work out design features and costs. While she did not oversee the Library project, she was very involved in the project planning and funding . She has also been an integral part of transportation projects to improve bridges, roads, and intersections. Among her many other responsibilities are serving as legislative liaison with local politicians working at the state and federal level, a role that, again, requires not only professional acumen but also the ability to listen, collaborate, and negotiate, all of which Cindy does with great skill. Less visible is her work overseeing City pension benefit plans, insurance and claims. Attesting to her abilities are the many local and state-wide awards Cindy has received, including the 2009 Falls church Housing Corporation Affordable Housing Service Award, and, from 2015 to 2022, awards for Outstanding Leadership from the Virginia Local Government Managers Association. She is especially proud of being honored by the Falls Church Women's History Walk in March 2022 as a Grand Marshall in recognition of her civic engagement and unwavering commitment to the City. In 2023, Cindy's role was renamed to Community Relations and Legislative Affairs Director, a title that perhaps more accurately names not only her responsibilities, which remain much the same, but also her extensive work on building partnerships among community groups and identifying federal and state grants to fund City projects, including those which she is most passionate about-the Tinner Hill site, the S. Washington Street Transit Plaza, Creative Cauldron, and Falls Church Arts as well as the Arts and Humanities Council. In collaboration with Barb Cram, Marty Meserve, and Laura Hull, Cindy played a key role in establishing the first Arts and Cultural Humanities Council and helped to negotiate the Pearson Square lease that provided a home for Creative Cauldron, which, in turn and as part of their strategic planning, will move to a larger space in the Insight Development. When asked what she is most proud of among her many community-building accomplishments, Cindy described her work with the Tinner Hill Heritage Foundation (THHF) and the 4-way lease she helped to facilitate with Fairfax County and Falls Church City, each of which owns a quarter acre of the Tinner Hill site, along with NOVA Parks and and the historical conservation easements protecting the site where Joseph Tinner's home once stood. It was in his living room that the first rural branch of the NAACP was formed with the Tinners, the Hendersons, and other community leaders in attendance. Cindy is also proud of her involvement in preserving the Tinner Hill arch and the sidewalk with inserted plaques detailing the 200-year history of African Americans in Falls Church. The sidewalk project involved three years of work with the landscape architect, the Pearson Square developer, and the Tinner Hill Foundation. Also time-consuming but a satisfying task, she noted, was creating the descriptions for each plaque, which were limited by the number of characters that could fit on each piece of the sidewalk. Only a short distance from the Tinner Hill site at the S. Washington Street  Transit Plaza, Cindy's deep interest in preserving Falls Church history can be seen in the eight panels • she worked to create, securing grant funding and researching key historical moments to be marked on each of the panels. The plaza also features a sunken garden that functions as a storm water retention pond, another of Cindy's many transportation-related projects. With the Plaza project having come to fruition. In her now clearly defined role as Director of Community Relations, Cindy is committed to creating open lines of communication, particularly important as the City embarks on the East End development plan which includes the Eden Center and a community that should have a strong voice. When asked about her interests outside of work, Cindy mentioned gardening and cross-stitching, and, not surprisingly, the pleasure she takes in her volunteer work as a member of the Falls Church Victorian Society and at the Cherry Hill Farmhouse, for which she has "my hoops and hairpieces and all of the accoutrements required of a Victorian lady." Thinking Forward Thinking towards the future and all that she has worked to accomplish and still has to do, Cindy expressed her hope that "future residents of Falls Church will see a community that is diverse, financially solid with affordable housing and good transportation options, a city with theater, restaurants, and a community center, a city that retains our collaborative civil way of operating, non- partisan and respectful of all views." References "Celebrating Women's History Month in the City of Falls Church." Falls Church News Press. March 18, 2022. httQ§://www.fcrlQ.com/2022/03/18/celebrating-womens-history-month-in-the-ctty-of-falls- church/ "F. C. Assistant City Manager Mester Receives Outstanding Achievement Award." FCNP. July 7, 2014. https:i/www.fcnp.com/2014/07 /07 /f-c-assistanl-city-manaqer-mester-receives-outstanding- achievement-award/ "In Brief: Falls Church Hires Mester as Assistant City Manager." Washington Post. January 24, 2007 . https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/local/2007 /01 /25/in-brief/865c38d7 -18f7 -4f94-8ffa- 6ad26e831 c13/ Interview with Terry Myers Zawacki. Zoom. September 29, 2023 .. "Meet Falls Church Government's Mover & Shaker." Falls Church News Press. March 5, 2024. https://www.fcnp.com/2021 /I 2/30/meet-falls-church-governments-mover-shaker/ "Mester's Message." VLGMA eNews. April 2021. https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5ef4d43f26e12c6968e893c4/ti6065e800rf5ae8365261 becf/161 7291265205/April+2021 +VLGMA+eNews.pdf "New Plaza, Intersection Improvements Completed in Falls Church." Patch. April 20, 2023. https://patch.com/virginia/fallschurch/new-plaza-intersection-improvements-completed-falls-church Mary Riley Styles Mary Riley Styles Early and Personal Life PHOTO Mary Riley Styles was born January 3, 1869 to Joseph Born January 3, 1869, and Mary Riley, both of whom had been residents of Washington, DC Washington, DC until moving in 1873 to Falls Church Died May 10, 1946 and into the home now known as the Cherry Hill Known for Chair and first Director, Farmhouse on Park Avenue. Mary Edwards Riley The Falls Church Library grew up at Cherry Hill, one of five siblings, and, in (renamed in her honor 1892 at the age of 23, she married Samuel Styles. 1977); civic engagement in Mary and Samuel and their two children, Elizabeth Town of Falls Church; gift of land for current library and son Francis, continued to live in Falls Church although not in the farmhouse, which was occupied Spouse Samuel Holmes Styles by her sister Margaret and her family. Children Elizabeth and Francis Having been an avid reader all her life, Mary was Parents Joseph and Mary Riley drawn to the efforts of the Falls Church Woman's Club to create a public library for the thriving small town, as daughter Elizabeth recounted for the book Cherry Hill Farm. Already an active participant in civic projects, in 1919, Mary became the Chair of the Library Committee of the Woman's Club, which had founded a small library in 1899 with an inaugural collection of several hundred books housed in a structure behind a private home on E. Columbia Street. It was to move two more times before, as Chair, Mary oversaw the return of the library to the former Congregational Church Building on Washington Street where it intersects with Park Avenue and not far from the home where Mary had grown up. Mary's activism was likely influenced by her father who had petitioned for Falls Church to be incorporated into a town. He had also led efforts to fund the first public school in the town. Accomplishments Under Mary's direction, the library eventually grew to house thousands of books. While initially open only four hours a week and supervised by volunteers until a staffer was hired in 1931, the Committee was busy behind the scenes creating policies and building the collection. Although the Town of Falls Church began supporting the fledgling library in 1928, it assumed full responsibility in 1940 when the Woman's Club Library Committee gifted it to the town. Mary remained in her role as Chair until she retired in 1945 when she was honored for her long service and spirited direction. That spirit also extended to her extensive work on other Falls Church civic concerns, including chairing meetings of local Red Cross during World War II. legacy After Mary's retirement the library was moved several more times until, in 1957, land was gifted by the Riley family's Cherry Hill Estate for a new building at its current location by Elizabeth and Francis Styles in honor of their mother, who died in 1946. Dedicated in 1958, the library, originally named the Falls Church Public Library, was the first building in Northern Virginia specifically intended for that use. In 1977, the library was re-named the Mary Riley Styles Public Library to ensure that her legacy would live on. The library was also enriched by another gift of 1/Virginiana" from the Riley estate, which became the foundation for the Virginia Room, now the Falls Church History Room. Mary Riley Styles died at the age of 77 on May 10, 1946. She is buried at Oakwood Cemetery in Falls Church, Virginia. After becoming an independent City in 1948, the City of Falls Church established a formal library board in 1954 References For a detailed description of the library before and after her tenure as Chair and Director, see https://www. mrspl.org/who-was-ma ry-ri ley-styles For Cherry Hill Farmhouse and the Riley family, see https://www.fallschurchva.gov/1585/About-History https://fallschurchva .gov/Content/LibraryI About/history .aspx?cnl id=3987 Bonilla, MonicaL. Early History ofthe Falls Church Library (Mary Riley Styles Public Library) 1899-1940. San Jose State University Press. 2017. Steadman, Melvin Lee . Falls Church by Fence and Fireside. Heritage Books. 1995.  Annette McDonald Mills Annette Mills Early life: Annette McDonald Mills was born in Born February 21, 1949, Palo Alto, CA Palo Alto, California. When she was a Spouse: David Eckert youngster, her parents moved to aChicago Children: Marta Capriles suburb where she attended elementary school, and then moved back to California where she Education: BA, History, Phi Beta Kappa, Stanford University went to high school. In 1967, she was a student at Stanford University at the height of the MA, Human Development, Pacific Vietnam War protests and the Black Power Oaks College Movement. She couldn 't help but be an activist, Parents: Donna Jean Davis Mills, Gary LeRoy she recalls, not only because of the times but Mills also because of her progressive parents who Major Civic Roles: were both community organizers, her father a professor at California State University at Los First Recycling Coordinator for City of Falls Angeles and a school board president who had Church been an outspoken critic of a local book Founder Operation EarthWatch, Elementary banning effort and her mother a member of the school Ecology Club, Recycling Block Captains League of Women Voters and active in the local program, Leaf Mulch program, citywide cleanups, Methodist Church. After graduating from recycling program at City Hall Stanford, Annette jointed VISTA, and, as a Board member of the League of Women Voters of volunteer, worked in a small rural Oklahoma Falls Church community with a predominantly African- American population. Board member of the Village Preservation and Improvement Society Annette and her husband , David Eckert, were Founder and chair, Neighborhood Tree Program married in 1978. During the early 1980s, Annette joined the Beyond War movement, organized and chaired by professionals who took leaves from their jobs to run the movement, which focused on "how the whole planet is connected, and so we need to act accordingly.·· This movement, her experience teaching school from 1973-1982, and the birth of her daughter taught her to "think big picture, " which, in turn, led to her passion to find a way to organize in order to help people "to be connected to the earth. " In October 1988, the family moved to Falls Church for Dave's work . Annette had never lived east of Illinois and yet she trusted him with the move and also to buy the house on W . Westmoreland Road, which she had not seen prior to their purchase and which they eventually turned into an environmental showpiece. Career and Accomplishments: It didn't take Annette long to become involved in the community, starting part time as Falls Church's first "litter prevention and recycling coordinator." Having learned about other municipal litter prevention programs in Virginia, she worked with Mayor Carol Delong to create the Recycling and Litter Prevention Council, which subsequently became the Environmental Services Council, and she assumed the role of Environmental Programs Specialist. In that role, a large part of her job was outreach to the community. She recruited volunteers to serve as recycling block captains who passed out handouts announcing recycling initiatives. She built upon the city's curbside collection of newspapers, expanding it to include cans and plastic bottles, the latter a first in Northern Virginia. Working with a corps of dedicated volunteers, she led the development of a bi-annual Recycling Extravaganza, for which she researched outlets that would accept specialty items such as textiles, electronics, and bicycles. As a result of these efforts, she took the community from a waste reduction rate of 39% in 1991 to a rate exceeding 65%, winning national recognition when Falls Church was featured with one of the best recovery rates in the country in the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's "Cutting the Waste Stream in Half: Community Record-Setters Show How." Annette herself was recognized by the Virginia Recycling Association (VRA) for her outstanding service in 1992 with a Comprehensive Community Award. She continued to be honored in subsequent years with an Outstanding Institutional Program Award, the President's Award, Outstanding Community Volunteer Program Award, and, in 1999, Leadership of the Year Award. But Annette's community outreach efforts did not end with her recycling initiatives. In 1993, with her emphasis on community engagement a particular passion, she worked with members of the Recycling and Litter Prevention Council to launch Operation Earthwatch, a uniquely local environmental action program for elementary-age students. At the same time, she and her husband Dave started an Ecology Club for elementary school students. True to her passion, she involved organizations and members of the community in fall and spring city-wide cleanups, as well as city walks to learn about city history while picking up litter from streets, parks, and streams. As the Environmental Services program she led expanded from waste management to water stewardship with the requirements of the Clean Water Act, she began doing watershed education, educating the community about native plantings and composting, and initiating a leaf mulch delivery service. In 2000, Annette approached the Village Preservation and Improvement Society (VPIS) to assist in founding a Neighborhood Tree Program, a program she chaired for many years and that is still thriving today. Early on, the City named her Employee of the Year, and, perhaps more meaningful, in 2006, the year she moved to Oregon, the City proclaimed her an Environmental Champion, an acknowledgement of all that she had accomplished. When asked which of her many accomplishments she was proudest of, Annette said it was the volunteer base she had created through her job, comprising some 500 members when she left the City and dubbed "Annette's Army" by Council member Marty Meserve. Mentors and Learning from others: When asked about mentors and what she had learned from others to guide her actions, Annette was quick to give credit to others in the city and around the country who had inspired her as she developed volunteer initiatives. Of particular note was League of Women Voters leader Peg Jones, who encouraged Annette to establish and chair the Sustainable Development Study Committee, which subsequently published, with the League's backing, a well-regarded report that included recommendations for actions the City ·- should undertake, many of which are still in practice today. On a more personal note, Annette remembered Peg 's having two grand pianos in her living room, and they met regularly on Sunday mornings to talk about community issues and to play the piano together. In 2006, Annette and husband Dave Eckert, also a dynamic community organizer, moved to Corvallis, Oregon to be closer to their daughter. Annette remains committed to community service, and, just two short months after moving, she co-founded the non-profit Corvallis Sustainability Coalition, a network of nearly 400 partner organizations, including the Corvallis chapter of the League of Women Voters, as well as 12 action teams. Annette is also the subject of an oral history narrative written by students in an undergraduate class at Oregon State University and recognizing her many achievements since moving from Falls Church. Asked by a former City Public Works Director why she was so committed to all of this work, she replied, looking at the photo of his child that was on his desk, "That's why. I want to make sure that your daughter and all of our children have a livable future ." References Annette Mills: https://www.linkedin.com/iniannette-mills-89044594 Dave and Annette: https://www.fcnp.com/2006/1 0/04/editorial-dave-a-annettei Dave and Annette Hailed: https://www.fcnp.com/2006/1 0/04/annette-rnills-dave-eckert-hailed- as-they-leave-for-contributions-to-fc/ History 365 Oral History Annette MacDonald Mills. Oregon State University: https://media.oregonstate.edu/media/UO_26xqs 1ed Interview with Terry Myers Zawacki & Julie Krachman. Zoom. September 21, 2023 Neighborhood Tree Program : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G80hRxSNI- s&list=PL 7S4NZ4ez1 NE-n24qQa09Zc2th9AQ5qjt&index=2&t=439s Operation Earthwatch: https:l/sites.google.com/view/operation-earthwatch/Operation Earth Watch Oregon Social Justice Interview: https://blogs.oregonstate.edu/oregonsocialjustice/annette- mcdonald-mills/ Parting Words by Dave and Annette: https://www. vpis.org/wp-content!uploads/2018/01/Village- Way-Voi-39-No-3.pdf Recycler of the Year: https://www.solidwaste.com/doc/recycler-of-the-year-annette-mills-0001 Recycling Record Setting Programs: https://ilsr.org/recycling-record-setters-prograrn-profiles/ She Has an Army: https://www.corvallisadvocate.com/2014/annette-mills-she-has-an-army/ Release Form: Women 's History Group Project Name: The Falls Church Women's History Group's History Project Project Purpose: The Women 's History Group is collecting histories (audiO, ViSUal, and/or printed) Of women who contributed to the historical, cultural, and social development of the City in significant ways . These histories and related materials serve as a record of the contributions of women to the growth of Falls Church and are a scholarly and educational resource for the general public. By signing the form below, you give permission for any digital recordings, photographs, transcripts , and/or other written material made during this project to be used by researchers for public education purposes. Note that transcripts may be edited for clarity and concision prior to being made public. You have the right to review any and all materials before public release . These histories will be made available to the public through the Mary Riley Styles Library, the Falls Church City Public School System , through the Women 's History Group website and the Women's History Walk signs , and through other public platforms. I agree to the uses of these materials as described above. Name: Annette Mills Signature: Date: March 1, 2024 Elizabeth "Betty" Cesnik nee Havlik Betty Havlik Early and Personal Life 1806, Wonewoc, Wisconsin Belly Havlik was born and raised in rural Wisconsin on l he Spouse: Michael ,Janws Cesnik Havlik Family Farm in Wonewoc near Hillsboro. She attended the very same one room country school that her (M. 1859: Div. 1988) father and grandfalhN attended before her. Parents: Harold Havlik Public service is an integral part of Betty's family culture, Margaret Agnes Slama and shr was steeped in it. Her parents and grandfather Children: Margaret McGuigan were all committed civic activists who served on the local S<uah C0snik MPjac school hoard, the town council, the hank council, and l he Michael Cesnik, cooperalivr creamery board. All three vohmlrcrcd as eiPclion poll workers during election cycles. They instilled Education: Ilillsboro Iligh School in her the value of participating in local government and UnivNsil y of Wisconsin-Sl out in volunle('l"ism and were Belly's earliest mentors and role Class of' 19r58 13A Ilome Economics models. Work Life and Civic Activism Occupation: IlomemakPr Accountant: Bl'll y lived in Falls Church for 24 years from 1966 to 1990. Iler h11sband ,Jim Cesnik was a reporter with the No. Va. S&L Controllpr's Office Minneapolis Trib11ne and his career brought the family to c:i rca l!J80 the Washington area. BeLly's three children WNP born in Nationa l Ofl'ice for Social Responsibility Minneapolis but grew up in Falls Church and all ended Alexandria, VA Falls Church City Public Schools. During this time the circa 1982 family lived at 303 Sycamore Street and later Belly livrd a l 126 Chane I Terrace, !02. National Crime Prewntion Council Circ(l H.l88 Belly says joining l he IPague of Women Voters was l h~· beginning of her politic(lllife. During lklly's tenure, the Major Civic Roles: lrague advocalrd for election law improvements, juvenile justice issuPs, (llld good government in general. LPague MemhPr & Clwirman Falls Church City School goanl mpmbrrs served as volunteer registrars at loca l libraries MPmhN of the F(llls Church City Council and (I[ weekend events at local grocery slorl's. MemlH'r {; Prrsidenl of l hr FC League of Women Volprs SubS('lJIIenlly Belly served as a member of the local Falls Church Chapter of I he League of Women Voters !'or 24 TrPasure of the Virginia SlalP League of Women Voters years, and as President from 1971-1972. She was also as a mPmber of' l he Stale of Virginia League of Women Vol crs for 24 years and served one term as the League's Stale Trcasurrr. Throughoullhis lime, Betty worked diligently at the stale levPllo promote voting rights and ell'clion rd"orm. And , in the 1870s she marched in a r(llly lo the Virginia Slate Capitol in support of the Equal Bights Amrndnwnl as it W(IS being debated in the Virginia General Assembly. Belly reports her mentors in Falls Church were the iiHlef(lligable and widely-(ldmired Carol Drl.ong. the first woman mayor of' Falls Church, (lnd Belly 131ystone. Bolh women had servl'd as Mayor and as City Councilors. IJplly 131ystone had also served as a member and Chairman of the Schooll)omd. Belly Havlik was appointed to the Falls Church City Schooll3oard in197G ami served 6 yp(lrs as a member fromi97G- 1982 and (IS Chairman froml979-1981. Following in her mentor's footsteps, shl' was Plecl('d to the Falls Church City Council inl982 ami sprved two terms from1982-1984 & 1986-1990. During her lenmP,Iklly represented lhe City on the Metropolitan Council of Governments (lnd served as Secretary of the Council from1877-1880. Belly's widely varied civic aclivilies in Falls Church did not slop at rlectrd office: • 1970 -1990- Member of Citizens for a lkller City • 1870-1880- Member of' the Falls Church DPmocralic Committee • 19GG-1990- An active member or the St. ,James Parish Community and of lhr St. ,Jamrs Church Liturgy Committee. • HJGG- A founding member and board member of the Montessori School of Northern Virginia. • Playrd 011 the First Church Wome11's Soccer Team Jn1990. this indel'al ig:1ble and wi(IPiy-mlmired Hetty moved back to her nalivc Wbconsin and like her lllClllOrs has carried on with her commu11ity activism. She has co11li11ued her work as a11 election poll worker. has scrwd on the Cou11ty 13oard all(l with the Volu11leer AmbulaHce Board. lklty has also been active i11lhc Ilillsboro Area Ilislorical Society. lktty wrotc that music a11d singing in the choir, both church <1nd school, have been the one of her greatest joys. And, she reports in 1996, her college alumnae choir was invited to sing at CC1megie Hall which was the thrill or a lifetime. During her 24 years in Falls Church, lktty was a tireless <1nd e11lhusiastic participant in democracy, inspired- her daughter Sarah says- by President ,John F. Kennedy's call to "ask... what you can do for your cou11try." lklty did so by bei11g involved in local government and the many other civic <1ctivit ies ill which slw fervently believed - includi11g bei11g an election worker at the polls in Falls Church just as her mother, father, a11d gra11dfalher did in their nC1tive Wisco11sit1. To illustrate this point, here is C1n opinion piece l3elty Havlik wrote in Feb 2017 for The Wisconsin SlC1le ,Journal: "We protested Trump in small town, too ... February 10,2017 It was huuuge" More llwn40 wome11, men and children marched in Hillsboro in ,January lo protest the many positions of thr new administration n'garding the Al'fordable Health Care Act, women's rights lo equal pay and reproductive health care, and education and environmental issues. In this small city of 1,400 people (and surrounding areas), we joined with Women's Marches in Washington, New York, Los Angeles, 13oslon, Madison, LaCross<'. Milwaukee and cities around the glohe from London and Paris lo Sydney, Australia. AJO;)-yf'ar-old woman here in Hillsboro was protesting that she could nol volt' lwcause she did not havl' documenls for the photo identification requirement. Al'ler voting for 80 years, shP was not able to participal<' in the voting process. One young woman in a wheelchair was seeking attention for people ·with disabilities. One young marcher was celehraling her eighth birthday that day, <1ccompanied by hrr 10-year-old brother and her parents. Writing letters to our representatives and senators on these issues was also planned. This is a local and p<'rsotwl way to he involved in the decision-m<1king process in our slate and in our Congress. 13et ty Ilavlik, Ilillshoro" ht l ps:/ / madisotl.com/ wsj/ opinion/ mailbag/ we-prot est ed-t rum p-i n-sma Il-l owtt-l oo----het ly-ltavlik / artick 27e0cc6f-3732-5c2d-a6bf-fdfc3Ga45lc7.html References: Ann'sl ry.com CI3C 1D82 Campaign handout- MHS Library  'Talis Church Ol'l'icialto Start New Life 011 WiscoHsiH Farm," Fairl'ax ,Journal 6-18-1984 ·- IHI'ormalioll l'or Valls Church Ol'ficials, Circa 1986, MHS Library "Wp prolest0d Trump in small town too- Brtty Havlik," Madison.com/ Wisconsin Stale ,Journal, Feb 10,2017 "Ces11ik Besig11s City Council," Northern Virginia Su11 6-14-1984 Press Release !'rom City Ilall8/88 - MRS Library Havlik, I) ell y- Tek'pho11c i11tervicw, February 20, 2022 a11d leller recPived, September 202~3 Mejac, Sarah, 13Pll y's Daughter- email February 24, 2022 "Farewell and I! clio Council MembNs." Frills Church Focus- Sepll982 -lssuP ISO Leah Porzel Leah Porzel Throuohout her lon~ life, Lenh 1\utll Dinnison Porzel was a 1U15 Manclw~ter, ~ew YorK (l~eply committed community activist. She has been -nom Died October 9, 2016 d('SCTihed as having a vibrant personality - open and rngaging, gracious and gPnial. Others relate she was Parents: Waller Dinnison modrsl and unassuming but always full of fun. Leah Louise Prquignot Dinnison PorzPIIivrd to he 98 years old. Francis lkrnard Porzcl, HJ40- 199;.3 Leah and Francis Porzel, l1er husband of 53 years, were widely admired by the Falls Church commtmit.y !'or their Children: Phillip Porzel, Leah Louise Stephenson, many contributions to the City and wider metropolitan Lynne Porzrl. Walter Porzel, ar0~1. Marie Kavanaugh. Elainr Morin, Paulrtte Freeman Early and Personal Life Education: University of' Idaho HJ:.3H Lrah was born 1918 in Manchest er, New York to Walter Dinnison and Louise Pequignot Dinnison, but was raised in Occupation: Homemaker PiPIT<', Idaho, a small town of 500 where her parents had Din•ctor of Fairl'ax llousr moved from New York to homestead when she was only 18 Major CMc Roles: months old. After running a small farm on the outskirts of town, her father returned to Pierce whrrc he builL and Founding Membrr & Chairman of Aurora llousr oprrateclthe local saw mill. ller mother opened and ran Prrsident, Northrrn Virginia Mentalllealth Association th!' local confrclionary. As a cl1ild Leah helped served the customrrs. standing on a box behind the counter, and it Branch President of AAUW, l!JG8-1972 was herP she devrloped hrr strong work rthic. Prrsidrnt Greater Hillwood Civic Association Slw graduated from thr University of' Idaho inl939 and returned to Pirrcr to t rach English and home economics. 75-year Member Tri Drlta Sorority In 1940 shr married Francis lkrnard Porzel, a young Army ol'ficer. Francis Porzel was later selected by the US Army to sludy f'or ;m advancrd degrt'!' at Princeton University. llr becamr a Los Alamos Nuclear Physicist. Thr Porzrls lived many years in Nrw Mexico and Chicago hef'ore landing in Falls Church in 19Gl. They lived in a large hou~c al 500 Hillwood AvPnur on the corner of llillwood nnd Chrrry Strrrls, which is stilllherr today. Work Ufe and Civlc Activism Profrssionally Lrah was lhP administrator of' Fairfax llouse f'or ],5 years. Fairfax HousP was a Fairf'ax County I n•alnt('lll f'a cillty f'or lloys will\ mental health and emotional problems. During this lime l.eah also served as President of the Northrrn Virginia Mental Health Association. Most importantly for Falls Church City, Leah was a leader in the establishment of Aurora House. According to the Aurora llousr 131-ochurr ... "Aurora llouse is a communily-basrd residential counseling cenlrr l'or girls agrs 13-17. Certil'ied by the Virginia Drpartment of' JuveniiP Justice, Aurora House ol'f'ers short-term and long-t rrm communit y-basrd treatment to girls rrl'rrrPd by the JuvcniiP Courts of' Arlington County. and the Citirs of' Falls Church and Alexandria, as wrll as l'rom thP Drpartnwnt of' Human Srrvin•s for the above jurisdictions and Fairfax County. The success ol' the Aurora House program stPms from its uniqur combination of' nurturing, structure. and support that has provPn rffrctive in assisting fpmale adoiE>scrnts addn•ss a varirty of court-relatrd di!Ticultirs, as well as behavioral and substance ahusr issue's. For almost three' decades, Aurora House has providrd trPn girls and their families a safe environment in which to makr positive changps toward a brighter f'ulun•." l.rah was the founding mrmber and chairman of' the Aurora llouse Advisory Committrr and mc•mbrr rmeritus until her 1 dt>signing. budgeting, building, and Lhe furnishing of Aurora l!ousC', and in the hiring ol' it~ !'ir~l director. ~llC laler ICll a2- yrar pffort to improv0 recrralional programs ror Aurora House residents. And, for the remainder of her Iif(', she worked ceaselPssly on f'undraising for the Olom College Scholarship Fund which provides tuition assistance lo any young women who has IJ('!:'n a resident of Aurora House. l.eah Porzel was an aclivP member of th!:' Association of AmPrican University Women (AAUW) fur G0 years, participating as: • lkanch President of the MUW from WG8-1872. • FCAAU\"' rcprt•srntaliv!:' lo and s!:'cretary of the AAUW Metropolitan Mass MPdia commillel', evaluating and honoring locally producrd newspaper, radio, and TV j)fOducUons. • lntrrnalional He lations Chairman. • GrPal. Decisions Study Group Chairman. • Topic Chairman. • Cookbook Chairman for scholarship fund raising. I.Pah was also a 75-Year l'vkmber of'Tri Della Sorority, whose primary philanthropic mission is to support St. .Jude Children's Hese;nch Hospital and the DC Candlelighters Childhood Cancer foundation , providing support groups for families of' children with cancPr. She sprved as President of the Greater llillwood Civic Association- hrr neighborhood association. She was a 20-year memlwr of St. JamPs Catholic Church Choir. She was an18-year l!:'ader of the Girls Scouts of Americ<1. She was a M(•mher of Lifetime Learning Institute, providing free continuing education for adults ovPr 50 years of age. She was <1 Docent for Cherry Hill Park. Lrah hosted countless events on behalf of many organizations at her gracious Falls Church home- nol<1bly to wt•lcom(' diplomatic spousPs in the DC international community. She could sing, dance, and S!:'W and participated in community theatre prior to her years in Falls Church. Awards and Recognitions • For her 15 years of' service to Fairfax House, Leah was awardpd the A. Onlhank MPmorial Award for merit. F<1irf'ax County's highest award for county Pmploypes. • For dislinguishPd achievement and sPrvice, she was awarded thp Silver and Gold Award from hPr alma maiN, Ihe Uniwrsily of Idaho. • She recPiVPd the Alumnae Award for distinguished service from the Idaho's llome Economics Association. • From the Tri Delta Sorority, she w<JS awarded tlw Ernestine Block Grigsby Award !'or dedical ion and outstanding sprvice lo their local chapter. • Sh<' wa::; nutninalcd l'ur the Mallie Gundry Award in the City of Falls Church by the Falls Church C'haptcr of' i\AUW. o The Gundry Award was given by I he F<1lls Church Commission for Women every year from W!J4-2002. The award was in recognition for sPrvice "furthPring the standing of' women in the conHllllllity." • The Falls Ch11rch City Council passed a memorial proclamation honoring her lil'elong service to the Falls C:hurC'h Community, renaming the A11rora llousc College Scholarship Fund lo include her namr, now The Olom-Porzl'l Colll•ge Scholarship Fund. From the proclamation, "Mrs. Porzel provided unwavering s11pport and compassion l'or A11rora llouse n•sidenls and thP program by serving on the commiUee ClS an original meml)('r, ch<1irperson, and laiN a tnPmber emNitus, llntil hN death in201G." To quote !'rom Leah's Mallie Gundry Award Nomination," ... thro11gh these and all her activities, Mrs. Porzel's warmth, PnNgy. and mth11siasm haw Pnriched the lives ofwonwn and familiPs in Falls Church." In addition to all hN othPr achirvemenls and accolades, L!:'ah Porzel raised 7 children. had 22 grandchildren and lG gn•at grandchildren. References: AAUW's Mallie Gundty Nomination, Falls Ch11rch City Co11ncil Memorial Proclamation, Obilm11y, A11rora llouS(' Brochllrt', Email from da11ghter, Leah Louise Stephenson, Emails !'rom AAUVV tm•mbers Anne 13axter and lkcky Gaul. Edith Abramson Edith AbraTnson "Edith R. Abramson, was destined to become apioneering Born \0\·emher n.1918 in Carrollton. t\L civic leader and passionate advocate for Women's Rights in Falls Church since her birth in 1918. Even her parents Died ,June 8. 2001 foretold the positive imp~ct of lwr future Benjanlin lsrial Rapport accomplishments by naming her afler Lhe heroic Brilish Eula \lcGee nurse who saved the lives of many soldiers during World War I, Edith Cavell, and who paid for it with her life at the Spouse: Joseph :\bramson. 12-8-!=3 to 6-9-78 hands of a German firing squad in 1915." Children: DaYid Lachtennan. 2-18-44 to 0-20-91 s Slep!Jen J AiJramson, EdU!J son Jacqul'line Benton Early and Personal Life SteplH:'Il J . Abrarnson Edith Cavelle Happort was born November 22, 1918 in Education: Graduate RamsaY High School. Carrolllon, Alabama not far from 13inningham. She was Birmingham . ...\lab a ma the third of 6 children born to her parenls Benjamin Isrial Happort and Eula McGee. Occupation: Homemaker Office \tanager for Desir nina \\·omen Edith's father, Benjamin was a Hussian Jewish emigranL arriving in the United Stales in 1903 when he was just 18 Maj.QL Ci\j_~]ol~_~; years old. In a few short years Ben BapporL had become a \!ember & Chair of Falls Church Democratic Committee prominent local businessman- highly regarded by his community. lie began his career opera Ling a movie house Founding \!ember of Citizens for a Better CitY in Dothan, Alabama and went on Lo become an influential Founding \!ember ofTemple Rodef Shalom newspaper man. lie was the editor and publisher of bolh the Pickens County Herald and the Meridian Dispatch. 1"1 Chair of the Fall Church Commission for \\-omen Edith's mother Eula McGee was born and raised in RecipiE'nt of First \lattie Gundn·.-\\\·ard Carrollton, Alabama. The Tuscaloosc1 News printed the BapporL's wedding announcement on January 16th 1914: "Marriage of Dr. Bapport and Miss McGee. The wedding is of grral interest in this city where Dr. Bapport is well known .... Dr. Bapport is Lhe editor the Pickens County Ilcrald, one of Lhe brighLesl and most up-Lo-date weeklies published in the slate. lie is prominent citizen of Reform and has done much along progressive lines for his home town. I! is bride is lhe daughter of Mr. and Mrs. John McGee, influential citizens of Carrollton and is a young woman of rare charm." The Happorl family of 4 girls and 2 boys was reported to be a happy and loving one. Another illuminating quote, regarding Edith's father, from The 7£rsca/oosr1 Newson Jan19, 1922 read, "lknj, I. Bapport, editor of the Pickens County Herald, is being urged to make lhe race for stale senator from Lhat district ... Happorl is a valiant worker for his county and if he concludes to enter the contest would no doubl be elected. lie would prove a valuable member of the upper house." IL would seem Edith's lifelong interest in journalism and politics began at home. In 1936, while Edith was the editor of her Hamsay High School newspaper in her senior year, she won a scholarship Loa prestigious summer journalism internship for high school stud<:~nts aL Northwestern University. Only 2,5 students were selected nationwide from hundreds of applicants. Ben Happort eventually became such a successful insurance agent he was able to purchase the company for which he worked, The Old Bepublic Credit Life Insurance Company. But, in1933, tragl'dy struck when 13enjamin died suddenly and unexpectedly at the age of 48, leaving Eula alone to raise 6 children ranging in age from 18 to 8. She was just 38 years old. The family fortunes musl have suffered, as the 1930 census rrports the Hapports living in a home they owned worth $35,000 on Clairmont Avenue whereas the 1940 census reports the family living in a rented house in a less affluent parl of town. And, the eldest son Ben did not return to college after the end of his freshman year in 1933. World War II created major opportunities for the state of Alabama. Its temperate climate and cheap land made il an ideal location for military bases and airfields. As a result, lOs of thousands of servicemen from all over the US headed to Alabama for training. In 1941, Edith married her first husband, Second Lieutenant David Lachlerman, an Army aviator from the Bronx, New York. Ile too was the child of Russian Jewish emigrant parents. Ile had been enrolled at St. Joseph's School of Law when he joined the service. David was the navigator of the IH7 Flying Fortress "Pal Hand" which look off from Snetterton Heath airfield in the UK on September 151943 and tragically was shot down by German flak near Paris. lie was killed in the crash. At the Lime, Edith was pregnant with their first child David Happorl Lachlerman, who was born February 19, 1944. In April of 1946, Edith married her second husband, Joseph Abramson (12/8/13- 6119178.) Joseph had been stationed in Birmingham during WWII, serving in the US Army as a projectionist. Originally from the Brooklyn, New York, he also was the child of Hussian Jewish emigrant parents. Joseph had been employed as a projectionist and photographer in Falls Church, Virginia bd'ore the war and had also worked as clerk for Interstate Commerce Commission and for the Capital Camera Exchange. Joseph had a young daughter from a previous marriage, who lived with and would be raised by Joseph and Edith. In 1947, the Abramsons moved Lo Falls Church with their 2 children- most likely for Joseph to resume his career as projectionist at several local movie houses (The Stale theatre and The Jefferson.) The Abramson bought a new house at 217 South Lee Street where Edith lived until the late 1990s when she moved to The Jefferson in Arlington. Their Wd child Stephen was born in Falls Church in 1949. Civic Engagement Edith's involvement in community affairs began in the late ,SOs. She was an early founding member of the Citizens for a Better City and was active in the 1959 election victory that led to the first CI3C majority on the Falls Church City Council. In 1962, the Abramson's were among a small group of families who founded Temple Rodef Shalom in FC, now the largest Jewish congregation in Virginia. At one point, Edith served as President oft he Temple Sisterhood. With 3 children attending the Falls Church City Public Schools. Edith became active in the local PTAs serving as President of the Oak Street School PTA in1960 and as the President of George Mason High School PTSA in 1965/1966. Striving for the advancement of women inspired Edith's deep commitment to Democratic polilics on the local, staLe and national levels. Edith became known locally as "Mrs. Democrat," during her long tenure on the Falls Church Democratic Committee, serving as Chairman, Vice Chairman, and Precinct. Chair. Her thorough understanding of' precinct operations and her voter turnout strategies were legendary. Over many years, Edith chaired numerous campaign committees l'or candidates on all levels. During campaigns seasons, she could always be counted on to the staff the headquarters of her democratic congressional district. In 1968, Edith was elected as a delegate for Lhe 10 Congressional District of' Virginia to the Democratic National Convention. She had been planning to work in lhe Convention's Office of Women's Activities while she was there, but when Edith arrived she was instead asked by the National Democratic Party to serve in a key post as one of three coordinators of the Convention Press Box, "very interesting ... very exciting ... a big experience ... I learned a lot," she later enthused. Due to Edith's well known, longstanding commilmenllo the empowerment of' women, she was appointed by the Falls Church City Council as Chairwoman of the Commission on the Sta Ius of Women in Falls Church (CSW) in 1974. The panel's report lead Lo the formation of the Falls Church Commission for Women in 1975. Edith was its first chairman. •, According Lo her son Stephen, Edith was quite proud to sport a license plate on her car which read "ERA" for both her initial and the those of the Equal Rights Amendment. ln1979, she worked wilh the FC school system's Community Education program to obtain a state grant to present a day-long seminar called "Women and Work." Held aL George Mason High School (now Meridian High School), it included a presentation by a professional historian and discussion sessions designed to solve probl~~ms that women encounter while re-entering the work force. In 1994, Edith became the very first recipient of the city's prestigious Mallie Gundry Award, given lo honor one woman each year who made significant contributions over lime in advancing lhe equality, interests and empowerment of women in the City of Falls Church. On March 28th, 1994, Edith received a letter from Senator Chuck Robb of Virginia staling "This award couldn't have gone loa more deserving person. Your long-standing interest in and commitment lo issues concerning women have literally brought change to age-old attitudes, and for that commitment, all of us have reason to thank you." Edith died June 8, 2001 at Dawes House in Alexandria, Virginia of Alzheimer's Disease after a lil'elime of public service. Resources "A Key Post," Northern Virginia Sun Vol31 # 288, September 1968 "Abramson Wins Gundry Award," falls Church Nevvs Press, March 31, 1994 "Ben I. Happort, Jr. Short Story Writer," Pickens County Herald and West Alabamian, November 23,1933 "Benj. I Rapport," Tuscaloosa News, January 19, 1922 "Benjamin Rapport, Anniston," The Anniston Star, January 26, 1933 "Edith Abramson; Democratic AcLivisL"- Obituary, Washington Post June 15,2001 "Falls Church Dems will be Uncommitted," Northern Virginia Sun, April4, 1968, Vol ~~'(1, #160, pages 1 &2 "Former Theater Man Here Dies," Dothan Eagle, January 25, 1933 "Marriage of Dr. Rapport and Miss McGee," Tuscaloosa News, January 16, 1914 "Mrs. Abramson Heads Democratic Committee", Northern Virginia Sun, January 3, 1964, Vol27, #76, page 5 "National Women's Agenda Day," Falls Church Focus, Dec 1975, Issue 81 "Rapport Hites Held," The Birmingham News, January 27. 1933 "Happort Services Will Be Held Here," The Birmingham News, January 26, 1933 "What I Stand For," Pickens County Herald and West Alabamian, march 16,1922 "Wins Scholarship," 'I'he Birmingham News, June 4, 1936 Abramson, Stephen J., Interview, September 27, 2023 & Written Communication, March 2021 Ancestry. Com Encyclopediaofalabama.org- World War II and Alabama Letter from Charles Hobb, March 28, 1994 US Census 1920, 1930, 1940 USWarMemorials.org VirginiaChronical.com  Wo\\\e«.:~-*~h>"tj WcJfc..H-o"-0~ 1014 Abramson, Edith Henderson, Nikki Graves Sprague, Nancy Allan, Betty Hockenberry, Lindy Stock, Nancy Amaker, Alma Hudson, Viola Styles, Mary Riley Blystone, Betty Hull, Laura Tatum, Mary Lee Brice, Harriet Jackson, F ranees Thackrey, Jessie Budetti, Maureen Kaye, Cathy Turner, Harriet Foote Cherry Hill Gang: Kaye, Merelyn Wang, Midge Bolster, Ruby Kerfoot, Caroline White, Mary Kelly Audrey Leake, Mildred Tinner Wiant, Cay King, Mary Madeline Meserve, Marty Wilson, Derrica Pope, Mildred Mester, Cindy Wren, Sarah Cole, Sally Mills, Annette Wright, Jackie Bong Cram, Barbara Naff, Alixa Yochim, Marie Hirst Cronin, Ardith Newcomb, Doris DeLong, Carol Olom, Sue Dexter, Jane Phillips, Sally Frady, Edna Porzel, Leah Garner, Cynthia Read, Betsy Gavin, Mary Richardson, Fran Gundry, Mattie Riley, Mollie Hardy, Tanya Gaskins Rodgers, Ruth Havlik, Betty Salsbury, Ellen Hawxhurst, Ida Saunders, Lola Henderson, Emily Scully, Jane Henderson, Eliza Selby, Marian Costner Henderson, Louisa Shaw, Mary Ellen Henderson, Mary Ellen Smolinski, Edie