PAGE ONE August, 2000 Inside Community Calendar p 2 SEU Graduation p. 3 Assalaam Opposes Building p. 3 Smithsonian Festival In SW p 4 Yard Sales In Southwest p. 6 Youth Basketball p. 7 Computer Classes At Library p. 7 AARP Cruise p. 8 SW: Then & Now; Photos At Waterside Mall The shopping mall at Waterfront Station is now part history museum, with 19 large panels on Southwest, D.C., today and yesterday. Photos of people and buildings in Southwest in the 1930s, 1940s and 1950s dominate the exhibit, showing how families lived and played before S.W. was the target of the "clear-cutting" that displaced everyone and tore down buildings, whether solid or flimsy. Many recent aerial photos show the 8 story apartment buildings and condos that have been built in place of the row houses and shops and churches that were here. A new History Task Force of the Southwest Neighborhood Assembly and the Arts and Culture group of the S.W. Task Force organized the effort to assemble the display. Margaret Feldman, chair of both groups, has supplied the following partial list of those active in the effort: Irene Alexander (Lewis Jefferson researcher), Eugene Bellin, Eugene Buehler, Ann Marie Czabra (Arena Stage),Joseph Curtis (historical photographer), Kim Holien (U.S. Army Historian),Perry Klein (Aerial photographer), Dale MacIver, Keith Melder, Christine Rourke, Vanessa Ruffin, Gottlieb Simon (researcher),Col. Turnbull, Richard Westbrook (Aerial photographer), Paula Williams (SW Health Clinic), Sheila Witkouski (researcher), Gary Young (researcher). Main installers were Jean Macdonald, Dorothy Taub, Barbara Murray, Lonnie Murray, Tony Murray, and June Saxton. (captions) One of the history panels on display during coming months at Waterside Mall, 401 M St. S.W. at the Waterfront station of METRO-RAIL. Irene Alexander spoke at the opening night reception for the history display. She prepared a separate display about Lewis Jefferson, an early 20th Century entrepreneur who ran tour boat lines from the S.W. waterfront. He is considered the first African-American millionaire in D.C. Visitors look at the panels on the history of Southwest. Part of the gathering in the old Roy Rogers space for the opening night reception of the S.W.: Then and Now display. Standing at the podium, facing the audience, are Rev. George E. Holmes, SWNA president, and Margaret Feldman, chair of the S.W. History Task Force. The Lewis Jefferson exhibit in the old Roy Rogers space in Waterside Mall shows pictures of his cruise ships, the Iron Steamer Angler, Steamer Jane Mosely, Steamer River Queen and E. Madison. His office is listed as 1910 First St. S.W. His home was at 1901 First St. S.W. Lewis Jefferson 1866-1946, early Southwest businessman Fish Wharf & Marina Get OK For Renovation The D.C. Dept. of Housing and Community Development has given approval to proceed with $3,000,000 in improvements to the Municipal Fish Wharf at 1100 Maine Ave. S.W. and Washington Marina at 1300 Maine Ave. S.W. The list of improvements include: "replacing the existing Washington Marina piers with floating docks; renovating the fish cutting house; demolishing the Maine Avenue Seafood building; constructing new public restrooms; regrading, repaving and reconfiguring parking lots; repaving concrete piers; upgrading walkways; replacing railings; removing underground storage tanks; repairing a section of concrete bulkhead; upgrading electrical utilities and relocating them underground; upgrading site lighting; replacing the Washington Marina building roof; and landscaping." Interim DHCD Director Othello Mahone's report lists the benefits of the improvements as promoting economic revitalization, increasing tourism, improving aesthetics, and improving health and safety conditions for the general public at the Southwest Waterfront area of Washington, D.C. Congress, in authorizing the Mayor to spend the $3,000.000 approved the use of the U.S. Corps of Engineers to carry out the project. PAGE TWO Repeat two want ads Repeat Bea Paget ad - PHOTO IN FOLDER Change date for ads and stories to Wed. Aug. 2 Repeat SAINI ad -CALENDAR Southwest Community Calendar (July-August) July 20, August 17 Thurs Police Service Area 110 - Partnership for Problem Solving (3rd Thursdays) 7 pm River Park Community room, 1301 Delaware SW August 5 Saturday Police Service Area Walkathon 10am - 12 noon Start at 240 M St SW, Thelma Martin Room July 22, August 5, 19 Saturday Komen Toastmasters Club (1st & 3rd Saturdays) 10 am Southwest Branch Library, 920 Wesley Place SW July 26, August 9, 23 Wednesday Fil-Am Toastmasters Club (2nd & 4th Wednesdays) 6:45pm Southwest Branch Library, Wesley Place & K St. SW July 27 3 pm Mall & Waterfront Task Force SWNA office August 1 Tuesday First District MPD Citizens Advisory Council "National Night Out" 7 pm DCPD, 415 Fourth St. SW, Community Room Aug. 14-18 Mon.-Fri. Project Wonder Summer Bible Camp 10am - 3pm St. Matthews Luthern Pre-school - 2nd; St. Vincent de Paul 3rd Gr - 6th Gr Note: NARFE, SWNA Assembly, AARP, and other usual meetings without schedules listed above will not meet until September. Please submit calendar items for the next issue by Wed. August 2 to C.W. Hargrave 554-8284. Rev. Wendy Shenk-Evans At Christ Methodist A new pastor has been assigned to Christ United Methodist Church, 900 4th St. S.W. Rev. Wendy Shenk-Evans along with her husband and son, arrived in D.C. from North Carolina and started her new assignment July 2. Rev. Esther M. Holimon, who has been at Christ United Methodist Church for the past 7 years, has been reassigned to Union Memorial United Methodist Church in Baltimore. (caption - p 2 Alberta White and Dorothy Taylor at the AARP cruise aboard the Spirit of Washington. (See more pictures on p. 8) The newly painted pedestrian crosswalk at Waterside Mall is ignored by these delivery trucks. Mary Levy and Phillip Blair spoke for and against, respectively, on the school charter question at the SWNA town meeting in Bowen School. Arena 50th Anniversary Gala Invitations have gone out for the $500 + + + black tie dinner and opening night performance of The Great White Hope, the start of Arena Stage's 2000-2001 season, its 50th. By check or credit card "supporters" can get single seats for $500 or 10 seat "Anniversary supporter tables" for $5,000. "Patron" seats are $1,000 each and "Anniversary Individual Patron tables of 10" $10,000, including a listing in the gala program. Tables of 10 are also available for Corporate Patrons, for $10,000; Golden Corporate Sponsors" for $25,000, and "Leadership Circle" members for $50,000. Cocktails at 5:30 and dessert and dancing following the performance are part of the gala package. Although this is the official opening night for Great White Hope, tickets will be sold for preview performances, which commence August 25. Individual tickets go on sale Monday, July 31. The printed invitations include this: "Come revel in the past as we celebrate the Opening Night of this revival of Arena Stage's most notable play, The Great White Hope. It rocked Washington in 1967, spurred two young actors - Jane Alexander and James Earl Jones - to fame and catapulted Arena Stage onto Broadway and into the national spotlight." "Come celebrate our future as we look to the next 50 years of artistic excellence as Washington's largest producing theater." "It's more than a local theater; it's a national treasurer." For information on the gala, call 202-554-9066. PAGE THREE New video ad in folder SEU Holds 84th Graduation Ceremony By Maurice Cook Southeastern University at 6th and I Streets, S.W., held its 84th graduation ceremonies on the afternoon of Sunday, June 25th at the DAR Constitution Hall at 18th and D Streets N.W. Southeastern awarded undergraduate and graduate degrees to 330 men and women graduating in such disciplines as accounting, information systems management, computer science, business administration, and public administration, to name a few. The degree recipients reflected Southeastern's ethnically diverse student body. They included graduates from not only the Washington metropolitan area, but also countries as distant as Eritrea and Mongolia. In all 26 foreign countries were represented at the graduation ceremony. Presiding at the ceremony was Dr. Charlene Drew Jarvis, Southeastern University's president since 1996 and a long-time member of the D.C. City Council. Dr. Drew Jarvis personally congratulated each degree recipient. Photo: Left to right: Dr. Charlene Drew Jarvis; Ms. Elizabeth Lisboa-Farrow, chairperson, Board of Trustees; Reggie K. Aggarwal, commencement speaker and recipient of the honorary Doctor of Laws degree.(Photo (c) by Jim Johnson). Assalaam Also Opposes 2nd St. SW Building Ahmed Assalaam, ANC Commissioner, feels that the new office building and apartments next to Ft. McNair, which are in his ANC district, are "of little to no benefit to my constituency, and shrouded with ulterior motives and personal agendas." He states in a letter to The Southwester that he "completely abstained from voting on the matter" at the ANC meeting where it was discussed. Mr. Assalaam's letter in which he feels that the Southwester report on the meeting was inaccurate follows. He states, "Commissioner Westbrook was not the only one opposed to the development." "ANC-2D06 - 116 P St. S.W. #1 Washington D.C. 20024 "Monday, June 26, 2000 "Dear Editor, I am addressing this letter to you regarding a matter which I find to be of grave concern to both the constituency who I represent on the commission, as well as to myself as a resident of Southwest and rightful subject of legislation of the District of Columbia, native born. In your last issue of the Southwester dated July 2000 and circulated in June, there was a full page article on page four titled: 12-Story Apartments, 10-Story Office Building To Overshadow Ft. McNair. In this article you wrote about Advisory Neighborhood Commission 2D, of which I am the Secretary, discussing this matter at its regular monthly meeting held in June. You state that "commissioner Richard Westbrook argued against the project" and that "he was out voted by other ANC members." Near the bottom of the article you have a three column picture of the Commissioners Near the bottom of the article you have a three column picture of the Commissioners including myself, with an underlying caption which states; "ANC Commissioner Richard Westbrook moved to oppose the building proposed to be built alongside Ft. McNair, but other ANC members did not support him. He is shown at the right, with white hair, at an earlier ANC meeting." I must state that I believe this article has done a great disservice to the community by misrepresenting the facts as I have actually portrayed them. Therefore, I am particularly compelled to address this issue, even more especially since I have been called to account on numerous occasions because of it. For the record, at the June monthly meeting of the ANC your report on the vote of the commission is very misleading. Commissioner Westbrook was not the only one opposed to the development. Your article failed to mention the overall vote of the Commission because if you did then you would have indicated in your report that I voiced my concern for the issue by thoroughly questioning the representatives of the development, and then completely abstained from voting on the matter which I saw was of little to no benefit to my constituency, and shrouded with ulterior motives and personal agendas. It is my hope that in the future your pictures and community news articles regarding ANC 2D actions will be more factual in content in order that they will not create bias. As a retraction, I formerly request that you publish this letter in its entirety in the very next issue of the Southwester. Sincerely, Ahmed Assalaam" Ed. Note: Commissioner Westbrook made a motion to oppose the new building. The motion failed for lack of a second. The Southwester regrets its report was not more complete. PAGE FOUR (try to duplicate fonts and sizes for three lines of heading) About 600 people attended the Jazz Night at Westminster Church on June 30 as guests of the Smithsonian Folklife Festival and the D.C. Commission on the Arts and Humanities. At the Jazz concert Dorothy McSweeney, chair of the D.C. Commission on the Arts and Humanitieis and Anthony Giddens, executive director of the commission, greeted the audience and reported on the corporate sponsors that made the free concert possible. At left are the dozens of Jazz concert patrons, some inside and some at the overflow tables at the Jazz Night in SW as part of the Smithsonian Folklife Festival June 30. At right is Rev. Brian Hamilton who hosts the Jazz Night in Southwest every Friday at Westminster Church. The Front Porch at Smithsonian's Folklife Festival. Stories of the olden days in Southwest were reported on the National Mall on the stage above, appearing as the front porch of a house. Left to right are Margaret Feldman, Vanessa Ruffin, Carl Greenwood, Herbert Holmes (standing), Dan (whose folks had a 5 & 10 at N.J. & L SE), Coralee Farlee and photographer J. Owen Curtis. Ms. Farlee and Dan had come up from the audience. PAGE FIVE Repeat Tiber Island ad from July/00 Repeat Townhouse ad from July 00 New ad - in folder - 2 col x 4 1/2 inches - Fitness Co. Will your scanner darken the light blue enough? Would scanning the zerox enclosed be better? In any case we have to delete the two lines "50% off ..." and "call for trial..." and substitute the words Monthly specials for July and August $1 per day They don't have to be reverse (white on black) (caption) Stained glass artist Rev. Brian Hamilton of Southwest demonstrated his craft at a booth on the National Mall as part of the Smithsonian Folklife Festival. PAGE SIX Repeat Ralston ad - photo in folder Repeat Cable ad Yard Sales Popular In Southwest Three of the frequent yard sales in Southwest took place on the same Saturday in June, as shown in these photos. (captions) A musical group pepped up the large yard sale held each year in the sheltered area at Riverside Condominium, 1425 4th St. S.W. Prizes and a bake sale were handled by sponsors at Riverside. A section along the sidewalk on 4th St. S.W. had several booths of River Park Mutual Homes residents' treasures for sale. Town Square Towers Condominium had an extensive yard sale, both under cover of the apartment building and in the sheltered yard. PAGE SEVEN New John Fanning ad - may be in folder or may be E-mailed to Karen - (Because the fine print on the add may not come through, we should put on the bottom or edges: "Paid advertisement, Committee to Elect John Fanning, Jack Schardein, Treas., (202)234-9461" Youth BB The youth basketball league is winding down. Adult basketball planned a double elimination and championship game at King-Greenleaf court, First St. S.W. off M St. Kids At Boys & Girls Club No. 4 Need Help Registration fees for dozens of pre-teen and teenage football players and cheerleaders - $25 per child - are due now, and many families - especially with several kids - can't raise the money. Besides, football uniforms are expensive - helmets $52, shoulder pads $36, team jerseys $500 a team and team pants $360 a team. The club doesn't have that kind of money. YOUR contribution should be mailed to Metropolitan Police Boys and Girls Club #4, 101 M St. S.W., D.C. 20024, Attention, Alvin E. Hudgens, director. (Phone 202-727-4618) Last year the four weight groups of football players (65 lb - 105 lb.) totaled 122 kids. There were 14 cheerleaders. You can see the size of the need. Please help NOW. Learning To Use Computers At The SW Library Learning to use computers and to browse the internet in the Southwest Library can be in a free class of adults or just one-on-one with a man and a boy. For individual practice in the children's room, ask at the desk. For organized classes for adults, call 727-6976. They have had both morning classes and evening classes in the past. PAGE EIGHT Repeat World Cyber Tech ad Repeat Jenny's ad with change of date on coupon - August 31, 2000 AARP Cruises On Spirit Of Washington B Alberta White For its annual luncheon cruise the SW chapter of the American Association of Retired People boarded the Spirit of Washington for a noon hour of bingo, watching the musical performance and enjoying a delicious buffet. At the end of the cruise the group did the electric slide and danced to the tune of Mood Indigo. AARP 4751 meets on the 3rd Wednesday of the month at St. Matthews Lutheran Church at 3rd and M St. S.W. After a summer break the chapter will meet Wed. September 20. Everyone age 50 and over is welcome, even if the retirement bug hasn't bitten you. caption p 8 Enjoying the buffet on the AARP cruise are, left to right - Dr. Estelle Taylor, Barbara Hawkins, Thomas Hawkins, Jane Jones (back turned) and Margaret De Berry. Aboard the Spirit of Washington are: (left to right) Arthuryne Taylor and Marjorie Henderson, AARP co-presidents; James Patton and Beatrice Washington.