Former Montgomery County Councilmember, School Board Member Blair G. Ewing Passes Away

Blair Ewing with Montgomery Councilmember Marc Elrich at the Silver Spring Blues Festival (photo by Alan Bowser)

Council President Andrews: ‘His Impact on Public Education in Montgomery Was Greater Than Any Other Single Person’

ROCKVILLE, Md., June 30, 2009—Former Montgomery County Councilmember and former member of the Montgomery County Board of Education Blair G. Ewing passed away today. Mr. Ewing, until very recently a member of the Maryland State Board of Education, was 76.

Mr. Ewing was elected as an at-large member of the Montgomery County Council in November of 1998 and served through 2002, chairing the Council’s Health and Human Services Committee and serving on the Transportation and Environment Committee. He lost in his bid for re-election in a September 2002 Democratic primary.

Prior to his election to the County Council, he served 22 years on the Montgomery County Board of Education. He was elected to the Board of Education six times and twice served as the board’s president.

Mr. Ewing, a native of Missouri and graduate of the University of Missouri, retired from the federal government in 1998 after 28 years of service, 22 as a senior executive in four federal agencies (the Department of Defense, the Office of Management and Budget, the Office of Personnel Management and the Department of Justice).

“Blair Ewing provided so many years of tireless service to the residents of Montgomery County. His unparalleled service made a lasting impression in the County,” said Council President Phil Andrews. “He made lasting contributions in public education, mental health services and integrity in government, among other areas. He was highly intelligent, gracious, effective and had a delightfully dry sense of humor. His impact on public education in Montgomery County was greater than that of any other single person. I had the pleasure and honor of serving on the Council with Blair Ewing for four years. The community has lost an outstanding leader who always put the public interest first.”

Mr. Ewing constantly said, “Education is the highest of all priorities in Montgomery County.”

Mr. Ewing was strong proponent of what has become known as “Smart Growth.” In an assessment of County priorities he issued in November 2001 as Council President, he said, “We must use all the tools at our disposal to place growth where it belongs, near transit and transit stations, require developers to pay a fair share of the costs of growth, use the Adequate Public Facilities Ordinance and the Annual Growth Policy to restrain growth until we have truly been able to find the funds to build the needed schools and roads, build stronger protections for open space and for air quality, water quality and protections against noise pollution.”

Mr. Ewing came from a long line of public servants. One grandfather was the chief justice of the State Supreme Court in Missouri. His father was the mayor of a small town in Missouri and served for more than two decades as a school board member. His uncle, James T. Blair, was a governor of Missouri. Mr. Ewing traced ancestors who lived in Montgomery County to 1700, including those who helped found St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, Rock Creek Parish, in 1712. [That church is now in Washington, D.C.]

Mr. Ewing, who lived in Silver Spring, is survived by his wife, Martha Brockway.

He was a member of the Montgomery County Human Relations Commission, the Education Foundation’s board of directors and a civic association in Silver Spring.

Following his election as Council president in December of 2000, Mr. Ewing told The Journal Newspapers: “I am a big believer in the role government can play in the solution of problems. I am not one of those who subscribes to the notion that government is the source of the problems.”

Officials to seek funding for long-delayed bike route - Business Gazette

Metropolitan Branch Trail would connect downtown Silver Spring with downtown Washington, D.C.

by Jason Tomassini | Staff Writer | Monday, June 29, 2009

County officials will push for capital funding in next year's budget to continue a long-delayed bike trail that would run from downtown Silver Spring to downtown Washington, D.C., but residents say the county's efforts are overdue.

After preliminary designs for the Metropolitan Branch Trail, also known as the Georgetown Branch Trail, were completed three years ago, transportation officials said the project halted because it would be affected by the different proposed alignments for the Purple Line, a planned rapid-transit route between New Carrollton and Bethesda.

http://www.gazette.net/stories/06292009/montnew154419_32554.shtml

Buy Local Silver Spring

Sunday's Buy Local Silver Spring event was a great success. Located in the Arts Alley, behindd 8030 Georgia Avenue, local merchants and residents came together to encourage support of local Silver Spring businesses. There was live music on the Gallery Restaurant & Lounge Outdoor Terrace featuring Afro Beat Hip Hop from Kahli Abdu and Pidgin English; as well as Roadhouse Oldies’ own DJ Scooter Magruder and DJ Slow Roll spinning the Best of Old School and Older (Needle to the Groove Productions).

Among the participating merchants and organizations were: Photogroup, Mayorga Coffee Factory, Hook and Ladder Brewing Co., Gallery Restaurant & Lounge, Moorenko's Ice Cream, Roadhouse Oldies, Needle to the Groove Productions, Kahli Abdu and Pidgin English, Pyramid Atlantic Art Center, Space 88, South Silver Spring Neighborhood Association, SilverSpringPenguin.com, Washington Gardener Magazine, Steve Hanks, Silver Spring Historical Society, Willow Street Yoga, Silver Spring Volunteer Fire Department, Montgomery County Fire and Rescure Service

Block party promotes ‘Buy Local' campaign - Gazette

Jason Tomassini and Jeremy Arias | Wednesday, June 24, 2009

The "Buy Local Block Party," an indoor-outdoor neighborhood celebration to promote Silver Spring's "Buy Local" campaign, will be held 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday at the Arts Alley, 8030 Georgia Ave. in Silver Spring.

Admission is free and the event will feature performances from Silver Spring hip-hop group Kahli Abdu and Pidgin English and Roadhouse Oldies record shop's DJ Scooter Magruder and DJ Slow Roll. County Councilwoman Valerie Ervin (D-Dist. 5) of Silver Spring will also be in attendance.

The event will also feature a Hook and Ladder Beer Garden at Mayorga Coffee Factory, treats from Moorenko's Ice Cream Café, pet portraits at the Photogroup Studios, a Pyramid Atlantic Community Arts Market, a potted plant sale from Washington Gardener Magazine, interactive art projects for kids and adults, live portrait sketches and live yoga demos with Willow Street Yoga instructors.

The Silver Spring Historical Society's new book "Historic Silver Spring" also will be on sale.

For more information, details and updates, visit the Buy Local Silver Spring Web site at www.buylocalsilverspring.com. The event is also sponsored by The Veridian at Silver Spring Metro.

For more information, e-mail Buy Local program manager Emily Adelman at eadelman@ledcmetro.org or call 202-540-7425.

http://gazette.net/stories/06242009/silvnew191900_32534.shtml

Sligo Creek Golf Course Meeting at Margaret Schweinhaut Senior Center

In a meeting at the Margaret Schweinhaut Senior Center organized by the North Hills of Sligo Civic Association, representatives of MSI and an advocate of disc golf made presentations of possible reuses of the golf course. The individual who was to talk about community gardens did not attend. Golf course issues were not discussed.

MSi suggested the establishment of six soccer fields, covering approximately 1/3 of the 65 acre space. Four artificial turf fields would be lighted and sited along the beltway, away from residential properties. There would be two natural turf soccer fields along Sligo Creek Parkway, near the parking lot.

Brad Beeson, a disc golf aka Frisbee golf advocate, suggested an 18 or 27 “hole” disc golf course, alongside an arboretum with public art.

Community questions focused on lighting and traffic impacts of the recommendations, storm water management, financing, youth activities, and preservation of open and green space.

About 40 people attended the session, including Montgomery County Councilmember Valerie Ervin, State Delegate Jeff Waldstreicher, and Friends of Sligo Creek President Bruce Sidwell. Residents of the Woodside Forest and Park Hills also attended. Representatives of the Parks Department were also present.

Free Outdoor Movies This Summer at Pyramid Atlantic

SILVER SPRING, MD - Pyramid Atlantic Arts Center and the Silver Spring Regional Center are joining forces this summer to present “Screen on the Lot.” The free outdoor movie series will feature three exciting movies for the public presented on a large outdoor screen in the Pyramid Atlantic parking lot. The public is invited to bring a blanket, lawn chairs and a picnic to enjoy the cinematic experience. The schedule of movies is as follows:

Wednesday, July 8th at 9 pm: School of Rock: Directed by Richard Linklater and starring Jack Black, Adam Pascal, and Lucas Papaelias. A wannabe rock star in need of cash poses as a substitute teacher at a prep school, and tries to turn his class into a rock band. Rated PG-13

Wednesday July 22nd at 9 pm: Transformers: Directed by Michael Bay and starring Shia LaBeouf, Megan Fox, and Josh Duhamel. An ancient struggle re-erupts on Earth between two extraterrestrial clans, the heroic Autobots and the evil Decepticons, with a clue to the ultimate power held by a young teenager. Rated PG-13

Wednesday August 5th at 9 am: Iron Man: Directed by Jon Favreau and starring Robert Downey Jr., Terrence Howard and Jeff Bridges. When wealthy industrialist Tony Stark is forced to build an armored suit When wealthy industrialist Tony Stark is forced to build an armored suit after a life-threatening incident, he ultimately decides to use its technology to fight against evil. Rated PG-13

For more information, email jdominguez@pyramid-atlantic.org.

Background: Pyramid Atlantic is a 501(c)(3) non-profit contemporary arts center located in the Arts & Entertainment District in downtown Silver Spring. Pyramid’s mission is to promote and nurture artistic excellence through imaginative programming in the visual arts for people of all ages, backgrounds, and abilities. For more information, visit http://www.pyramidatlanticartcenter.org.

Park Hills' Rain Garden Tour

In this picture, Diane Cameron, Jim Anderson, Jenny Reed and Paul Guinnessey.

On June 20, 2009, the Park Hills neighborhood of Silver Spring conducted its first "Rain Garden" tour with experts from the Audubon Naturalist Society and Friends of Sligo Creek.
The purpose of the walking tour was to check out sites where stormwater is causing problems of erosion, pollution, and flooding, and where opportunities for native plants (flowers, shrubs or trees),downspout diversions, and rain gardens can make a difference by slowing and cleansing the flow of water to Sligo Creek.
We identified candidate sites and will do follow-up visits to figure out where the Rain Garden/ native plant experts can cooperate with homeowners and Montgomery County to do actual projects.
During the walk-through, we offered advice to any homeowner who walked with us and wanted to show us their stormwater, erosion and drainage problems. Likewise we were interested in street runoff problems and planting opportunities in street right-of-ways and curb extension areas.

Diane Cameron of the Audubon Naturalist Society, along with Jenny Reed of the Friends of Sligo Creek storm water team accompanied neighbors from Park Hills. Jenny is the co-founder of Natural Resources Design, Inc.

Community Day in East Silver Spring

James Harden Daugherty, Buffalo Soldier

On Friday, June 19, 2009, there was an evening discussion in Kefa Café with James Daughterty, longtime Silver Spring resident, former Buffalo Soldier, and author of The Buffalo Saga, newly published. The discussion was sponsored by a great local Silver Spring business, Silver Spring Books, and its owner Cynthia Parker.

James Harden Daugherty is a World War II Buffalo Soldier. His military awards include a Bronze Star Medal for heroic achievement and a Combat Infantryman Badge for outstanding performance of duty in action against the enemy. Following his discharge from military service, he has had a distinguished career serving in administrative positions in the United States Public Health Service. He has had an appointed position in the state of Maryland, and an elected position in Montgomery County, Maryland, both in the field of education. He currently lives with his family in Montgomery County, Maryland.


He was nineteen years old when he was drafted into the U.S. Army during WWII. He is a Black American, so it means that he must fight for a country that regarded him as an individual with no rights in the U.S. that white American were bound to respect. He was one of the Buffalo Soldiers, who belong to the 92nd Infantry Division, an all-Black unit whose highest-ranking officials were white. They were assigned to northern Italy, where they fought against German and Italian troops. They served with great distinction from late 1944 until the end of the war, with many killed and wounded. But he and some of his fellow Buffalo soldiers survived the devastation of war. Despite the hardships and challenges of WWII, the experiences they had made them stronger when they came back to the country – a still segregated United States of America.

That is author James Harden Daugherty’s story – and he shares it all in THE BUFFALO SAGA.

In this true story of hope and change, Daugherty believes that this and other Buffalo Soldier stories will push towards the tearing of prejudice and discrimination. The Buffalo Saga is just one of the many gripping stories that portray the past’s role and influence in the present.

http://buffalosaga.com/index.htm

Longtime merchants hold critical key to black history - Gazette

Historical Society seeks African-American business owners for connection to Silver Spring’s past

by Agnes Jasinski | Staff Writer | Wednesday, July 30, 2008

The Rev. Samuel Myers decided he would open his own business when he was still a teenager, growing up in a small town in South Carolina and learning the dry cleaning trade from his father.

Decades later, Myers, 93, can boast to any doubters along the way that he has run his own shop in Silver Spring for 36 years – Jim Dandy Cleaners and Formal Wear on Bonifant Street.

‘‘You have to stand up and get knocked down, but you don’t lie down,” said Myers of Silver Spring, a black business owner in the downtown area since 1972, when there were few minority-owned shops.

He is known in the area by his ‘‘trade name,” Jim Dandy, which he said is more ‘‘catchy” than his formal moniker, and has also worked as a bellhop, night clerk, farmer and shop steward. ‘‘I was always out there, doing something,” he said.

Myers’ accomplishment is serving as a starting point for the Silver Spring Historical Society in its efforts to gather information on black history in the community’s business districts.

Jerry McCoy, president of the historical society, said it has been difficult to find material on black history in the area. The historical society hoped to speak to black business owners about finding materials and documents of the ‘‘African American presence as it applies to downtown Silver Spring” to eventually compile, learn from and display.

Historically, Silver Spring has been a predominantly Caucasian community, McCoy said, and the minority presence did not become visible until the 1960s and 1970s.


‘‘There was certainly a diversity along that corridor on Ellsworth Drive before the revitalization,” said Andrea Bray, a Silver Spring resident for the last 35 years and owner of Andrea’s Fine Hats on Eastern Avenue for the last 18 years.

Bray, who grew up in segregated Pittsburgh, Pa., in the 1960s, spent most of her life in broadcast journalism, moving from one television station to another, often as the only black woman in the newsroom. By the time she left journalism to open her own business – hats have been a lifelong passion, she said – the community was much more diverse and welcoming to minority business owners.

‘‘I don’t think I ever realized what was happening for me, personally. ... My parents did, and my community did, but it never really hit me,” she said of her experience in majority-white newsrooms.

Roland Dawes, the 80-year-old owner of Roland’s Unisex Barber Shop in Takoma Park since 1986, said when he was working to move up in the barber business, it was inconceivable for a black man to rent a shop, much less buy a building even in an area that was more diverse than most.

He described the Washington, D.C., area as ‘‘breaking loose” since, and the former ‘‘rules” on who was able to buy property became more lax in the decade before he opened the barber shop.

‘‘People may try to discourage you, tell you you can’t do this or that, but you just have to keep moving ahead,” said Dawes, who has run barber shops or refuse businesses since the 1950s, including a hair-cutting business in the Takoma neighborhood of Washington, D.C. Dawes has lived in Takoma Park since he was 3 years old.

In 2002, about 12 percent of the businesses in Montgomery County were black-owned, compared to nearly 16 percent statewide, according to the U.S. Census Bureau’s latest statistics on minority-owned businesses. Jerome Love, vice president of the African American Chamber of Commerce of Montgomery County, said it was not tougher or easier for black men and women to run their own businesses today than it was 30 years ago, just ‘‘different.”

‘‘We’ve still got some work left to do, but it goes in both directions,” said Love, the CEO of Germantown-based AdCast Inc. ‘‘The owners of minority firms, they have to be willing to reach out to the county.”


Silver Spring resident Lisa Hoston, a black business owner of Concierge Transportation Services in Silver Spring for the last three years, said it is now less of an issue of minorities opening businesses, and more about being an entrepreneur in a difficult economy.

‘‘Of course, everyone told me it would be difficult; my parents said it would be hard,” she said. ‘‘But it was more about being able to get a plan together, get your finances in order.”

Myers agrees. The last eight years have been particularly troubling, as rents and utility costs have continued to increase. But Myers, who described himself as ‘‘slow to age,” has no plans to close his shop. Rather, he wants to expand into a larger site where he would be able to take on more customers and offer more services.

‘‘My daughter, she tells me to retire all the time,” he said. ‘‘I tell her, ‘And do what?’ I have no experience in loafing. Not a bit.”

http://www.gazette.net/stories/073008/silvnew194603_32356.shtml