People

Alexandria: Obituary

Marie Elizabeth Krafft, Aug.15, 1956 - Nov. 9, 2014

Marie Elizabeth Krafft, the Martin A. Schwartz Professor of Chemistry and Biochemistry at Florida State University, 58, of Tallahassee, Fla, died Nov. 9, 2014 after a two-year long struggle with brain cancer.

Alexandria: From Leaf Piles to Mulch

Trucks vacuum up autumn’s droppings.

The gray vacuum hose weaves back and forth across the pile of leaves like an elephant trunk searching for a peanut.

Chantilly: ‘Only Excellence Is Good Enough’

CPMSAC celebrates its 30th anniversary.

The Chantilly Pyramid Minority Student Achievement Committee (CPMSAC) has come a long way in 30 years — and there’s more work to be done. But Sunday night, it took time out to celebrate three decades of dedication to area youth.

Alexandria: Friends Mourn Death of David Abshire

Ambassador and public policy leader dies.

For a career spent around the world, David Abshire always considered Alexandria home.

Traveling Purses Raise Domestic Violence Awareness Around Fairfax County

“Victoria” moved to the United States eight years ago with her husband. (Her name has been changed for protective anonymity.) At the beginning, he was the perfect gentleman: holding doors, full of compliments, telling her he loved her. She quit her job to be with him, her first love. Their future in a new country seemed bright.

Scouting for Food in Centreville

The annual Boy Scouts Scouting for Food drive was Saturday, Nov. 8. More than 900 Boy Scouts plus more than 800 other volunteers collected, packed and delivered nearly 59,000 pounds of food to Western Fairfax Christian Ministries for its food pantry for local families in need.

Mount Vernon: Boy Scouts Stack Shelves at Rising Hope

Decked out in full Scout regalia complete with kerchiefs and insignia patches, the Boy Scouts and Cub Scouts of Troop 1509 turned out in force Saturday morning, Nov. 8, to fill the shelves of the “Milk & Honey” Food Pantry at Rising Hope.

Jean R. Packard Remembered at Meadowlark Gardens in Vienna

Jean Packard was Frank Roberts’ first boss. He was 13, she was 22 and the acting editor of her father Dave’s Clermont Sun newspaper in Batavia, Ohio. “I was a ‘devil’s rat,’” Roberts said, responsible for odd gofer jobs around the office. “I was trying to hide from work and she’d track me down. She was a tough boss.”

Chantilly: ‘And Then There Were None’

Westfield High presents Agatha Christie mystery.

Something is definitely amiss after 10 people are invited to a party on an isolated island in Maine and are killed off, one by one. That’s the premise of the classic mystery by Agatha Christie, and it’s Westfield High’s upcoming play.

Charlotte’s Story of Survival

Five time open heart surgery survivor raises funds for medical causes.

When Charlotte Woodward was born, her mother thought she was the most wonderful baby in the world. And she still thinks so. Charlotte, who is 24 today, was born with high functioning down syndrome and has been subjected to nearly a lifetime of heart problems. Despite the adversity she has faced, she is raising money through bake sales just to give back to those who have helped her.

Community Gardens for Herndon

County will hold public meeting for possible garden plots.

Barbara Welsh wants to see a community garden in Herndon. The Herndon Environmental Network (HEN) vice president has been working for the past two years to allow community garden plots in town. County Park Authority will hold a meeting on Dec. 1 to find out if the rest of the community does, too.

Brightview Opens in Great Falls

Senior community allows residents to stay close to home.

Brightview Senior Living opened with a party and a full house. As Great Falls’ first senior living community, the assisted living complex’s grand opening on Nov. 6 gave local seniors the option to stay close to their loved ones.

‘Flourishing After 55’

From Arlington Office of Senior Adult Programs for Nov. 24-30.

Flint Hill School Dessert Theater to Present ‘Midsummer/Jersey’

Flint Hill School Dessert Theater will present “Midsummer/Jersey,” Nov. 14-15. The play, written by award-winning playwright, Ken Ludwig, is the hilarious, high-octane retelling of Shakespeare’s “Midsummer Night’s Dream” set on the boardwalk of a seaside town in modern-day New Jersey.

Art at Walter Reed Senior Center

Eight local artists, students of 92-year-old artist Blanche Kirchner, held a showing of their works, Saturday, Oct. 25, at the Walter Reed Senior Center. According to Marcia Kot, center director, the senior artists presented more than 50 oil, acrylic and watercolor paintings.

The Connection