Snowmageddon, The Snowiest Winter in History · Christmas 2009 Dear Asbury Associate ... It’s A...

By Jeanne North, Trott

In the Snowiest Winter, the ‘Spirit of Asbury’ Lives On. It’s official. According to

The Washington Post’s Capital Weather Gang, the winter of 2009-2010 is the snowiest on record for the D.C. area, pushed to that status by the storm of Wednesday, February 10. “With-out a doubt,” agrees Walt Albright, Chief of Protective Services, “this is the biggest storm the D.C. area has ever seen.”

Probably few of Asbury’s asso-ciates needed that confirmation

of their own experience. For many, just getting to Campus was an exercise in grit, determination and dedication to their work.

Mobilized by Campus leadership, associates rallied.

Stories of their heroic efforts to fulfill their obligations to Asbury were legion.

• One walked 30 blocks in a snowstorm to get to work.

• Another walked 3 miles, still another 4 miles.

• One, scheduled to take vacation, canceled plans and came to work to help out.

With one eye on the weather forecasts, Albright came to Campus prepared to spend a week. Susan Boettger, Adminis-

trator of Kindley Assisted Living, also spent much of the week of the Big Snows on Campus. An e-mail to supervisors from Asso-ciate Executive Director Henry Moehring spelled out the accom-modations available to staff stay-

ing over:• Male associates

would be put up on cots in the R e c re a t i o n Center on the lower level of Wilson, the

Adult Day Care Center, and in one apartment in Edwards-Fisher.

• Female asso-ciates would

sleep in the Wilson Social Hall (lower level), as well as in a designated portion of the Adult Day Care Center, and in one apartment in Mund.

• Towels for showers (in the fitness center) were available to all associates staying over, and breakfast, lunch and dinner could be had at the Russell Cafe.

March 2010Volume 17 Number 2

Residents, Associates, Families & Friends www.asburymethodistvillage.org

A NEWSPAPER FOR ASBURY METHODIST VILLAGE

By Hugh Andrew, Trott

T his is a different type of a war story. This is about a battle I had with Mother Nature. I was

flying some cargo from sunny South-ern California to Minneapolis, MN in December of 1961. The trip there was uneventful, but the weather was turning colder and snow was lightly falling when I landed in Minneapolis. By the time

the cargo was offloaded, the snow was

falling harder and the temperature was approaching zero.

I told the crew chief to get our plane refueled ASAP, and I went in to Base Operations to file a flight plan to get us out of there as we did not have any winter clothing with us and didn’t want to be stranded there

with a big blizzard being predicted.I got my clearance for takeoff, started

engines and headed for the runway. It was getting hard to see as I taxied out,

but I got to the end of the runway, checked my engines and told the tower I was ready for takeoff. The tower told me I was cleared for takeoff if I wanted to go or to cancel my flight and taxi back, as they were about to close the field.

By now I couldn’t see more than thirty feet ahead of me. There was a pristine layer of snow covering everything. I

Man Against Mother Nature…and the winner is…

Continued on page 11

Snowmageddon, The Snowiest Winter in History


2 March 2010 Village life

By Dan Muller, Villas

Remember the snow storm just before Christmas last year? I sat at the front win-

dow of my Villa and thought how great it is to live at Asbury when it snows, and some nice guy comes by and shovels my driveway and front walk.

I waited an hour or two after the snow stopped, and thought to

myself, why not shovel the front walk and driveway myself? After all, I’m a guy, and guys should do manly things, sort of equivalent to protecting the homestead. Aside from that, a bit of exercise would do me good.

So I opened the garage door, found a shovel, and got to work. After a minute or two, one of the Asbury Grounds staff drove by

in his truck, stopped, grabbed a shovel, and proceeded, very quick-ly and efficiently, to clear my driveway and front walk. While he did this, I managed to toss one or two shov-els of snow off the driveway.

I thanked him for helping me, and thought, with some

distress, he has taken my “guyness” from me. He took over protect-ing the homestead from me. Even after a few weeks, I was still sort of confused about how to think about this. Can any of you help?

Another guy type thing hap-pened a few weeks later on one of those days when the sun was shin-ing and the temperature was about 50 degrees, warm for January. I was leaving the main campus via one of the pedestrian gates to the Russell Avenue sidewalk, and there walking toward me was teen-aged girl with her dog. The important thing was she was clad in summer attire, shorts and a knit top.

My “guyness” immediately returned, and I thought to myself, how much I miss warm weather.

VILLAGELIFE

Editor

Linda Williams Aber

Director of Communications

Asbury Methodist Village

201 Russell Avenue

Gaithersburg, MD 20877

[email protected]

General information: 301-330-3000

Resident Editors

Rod Mills, Mund, Reporter

and Copy Editor

Marilyn Gaut, Trott

Norma Barr, Diamond

Gladys Silcox, Edwards-Fisher

Al Tholen, Park View

Homé Reitwiesner, Kindley

Resident Staff

Wallace: Keith Steele, Bob Bernero

and Mary Waldron.

Diamond: Ed Caffery, Martin Moon,

Marshall Grotenhuis, Harry Lowery,

Alma Stewart and Edith Isacke

Edwards-Fisher: Joan Dunlop,

Rosemary Pasek, Luella LeVee and

cheers to an original Asbury Clown

Betty Goen. who misses her friends

but not the snow.

Mund: Gil Snyder, Ann Porter,

Jim Porter and Judy Weaver

Trott: Jeanne North, Hal Gaut,

Joan Brubaker, Lois Lord

and Marjorie Brugger

Park View: Duane McKenna

and Tom McIlrath.

Villas: Reg Westlake, Carol Dennis,

Mary Anstead, Bob Hoff, Dan Muller

and Marolyn Hatch

Design/Layout:

Mina Rempe @ Electronic Ink

Printing:

Chesapeake Publishing Corp

Village Life is published by Asbury Methodist Village

Communications Department

“The mission of Village Life is to provide timely, interesting and entertaining news about the lives, concerns and activities of the peo-ple who reside, work and volunteer at Asbury Methodist Village.”

Oops!In the January/February

issue’s Grins and Grimaces column by Gil Snyder,

Mund, grandson Colin was mistakenly called Mike!

Colin, we’re sooooooo sorry!

2010 Calendar Report; Photography Alert!

We are happy to report a successful fund-raising campaign through our

wildlife calendar. Over $1200 went to the Foundation’s Benevolent Care Fund, and a like amount went to the Wildlife Habitat Project.

Monies from the latter will go toward the rebuilding of our bird-houses under the care of Ron Rho-des and creating splashes of peren-nial colors with pollinator plant-ings in places to be determined by

Dan McMurdo and his crew.The Foundation and the Market-

ing Department have agreed to underwrite another calendar for 2011. With this in mind, residents and associates are urged to col-lect their pictures of the campus and hold them until summer’s end when calls for photos for the proj-ect will be made.

Would you like to join the calen-dar committee? Ideally we’d have a representative from each build-

ing whose responsibilities will be helping to choose the photos, pro-moting sales of the calendars and distributing the final product.

By starting early in this year, we hope to recognize more of Asbury’s fine photographers in a well bal-anced group of pictures covering all seasons.

Please raise any questions by contacting Anita Taylor at 3101, or Lydia Page at 3134.

On December 18, the results of the 2009 Asbury Christ-mas Fund were presented

to the representatives of the vari-ous work groups on campus. Gifts were received by 755 non-supervi-sory Asbury associates. Each full-time Associate received a check for $371, with proportionally less for part-time associates. The total dis-tributed was $204,614.34.

Many residents and staff worked to make this possible. The “front lines” were manned by your Coun-cil Treasurers: John Stedman, Mer-

ritt Techter, Jim Porter, George Gil-breath, Jim Lordeman, Joan Muller, and Jim Robertson. When you spot one of them, give a big “Well done!” Margaret Davis, the CCAV Treasur-er, kept track of all your donations. And of course, a sincere “Thank you” to the many donors.

Each associate check was accom-panied by the following note:

Christmas 2009Dear Asbury Associate –

This gift comes to you from the

residents of Asbury Village, and their families.

All of you Associates work hard through the year to make Asbury our home. We wish we could see each of you every day to say “Thank you” for the many tasks you carry out. But, we can’t.

So, please accept this check as our thanks for all those things, both seen and unseen, which you do to help us during the year.

Sincerely, All the residents of Asbury

A Christmas “Thank you”

It’s A Guy Thing

Village life March 2010 3

The Elite Servers finally get their pancakes and sau-sages. David Denton with two diminutive Dentons on his lap and an array of staff around him, enjoys a meal like the ones they had been delivering to residents since 8:30 a.m. The day was the kickoff for the Foundation’s Benevolent Care Endow-ment Campaign.

The Unreliable SourceBy Jeanne North, Trott

Photos: Jeanne North

Thinking Girl Scout Things, but No G.S. CookiesOne troop representing Norway was

serving lemon mini muffins; another with a France motif offered bread and Boursin cheese; the table for Croatia tempted pass-ersby with a kind of doughnut hole on a stick. At the Spanish table hungry folk picked up small cup of rice. Around all the tables swirled high-energy girls aged about 5 to 12, first- to eighth-graders,

There was more than just food at the Girl Scout Thinking Day, organized by Cadette Troop 3867 under Leader Gail Velez. Eight troops from the Gaithersburg area came together in the Hefner audi-torium on Sunday, Feb. 21 to learn about

the culture and customs of other coun-tries—Australia, Croatia, France, Italy, Israel, Norway and Spain. Girls from the various troops exhibited crafts or foods at their tables and then one after anoth-er, presented a dance, a song or a game for the assembled crowd. Alyssa Velez led the girls in Scout songs; Katrina Valentine, as Mistress of Ceremonies, presided over the crowd.

Good show, girls! That creative, orga-nizational talent is going to stand you in good stead in life.

Sorry, folks, no Girl Scout cookies. No sales allowed on Campus.

Dr. Marsha Benshir, optometrist with Adventist Rehab Hospital and Center for Vision Development, New Market, MD, talks with Residents Marjorie Mills and

Ching-Ye Lee after her presentation.

Are You A Safe Driver?

Are you brave enough to take this test*? It might tell you if you’re a safe driver.

_____1. I get lost while driving.

_____2. Other cars seem to appear out of nowhere.

_____3. I have trouble seeing signs in time to respond to them.

_____4. Other drivers drive too fast.

_____5. Other drivers often honk at me.

If you checked any of the above state-ments, your safety may be at risk when you drive.

Our grandchildren may not be the only ones in need of Driver’s Ed. Grandpar-ents too can benefit from some instruc-tion! How do ailments, medications, eye conditions, declining cognitive functions affect our performance behind the wheel? Should we be taking a road test after, say, age 75? This 5-week continuing education series helped us confront this issue. Last class was on March 1, but AVTV taped the lectures and will be airing them in the future on AVTV.

*Test adapted from Adventist Rehabil-itation Hospital of Maryland, Driving Assessment and Rehabilitation Program, Rockville, MD. 240-864-6200. For more information, contact Shememe Williams, x 4113, or Amy Ostrolenk, x4747.

With roses in their hair, Brownie Scouts dance to Spanish rhythms

Junior Scouts check out the Australia table

The Clowns at Work

Asbury Clowns hover around the bake sale on the day of the Foundation’s Kickoff for the Endowment Campaign. Can you figure out who they all are?

Pancake Breakfast “For Love of Neighbor”


By Marolyn Hatch, Villas

One of the joys of living near a large metropolitan city is the variety of res-taurants at which one can explore the

universe of foods. “Foodies” as people are called who search for new dishes and venues have an added benefit in the DC area. Washington has drawn a fair share of immigrants who bring with them their regional cooking.

People who have worked in international development look for opportunities to direct immigrants who are working on their English proficiency. Two such occupational areas where success is possible and often lucrative are engi-neering which requires numeric literacy, and the culinary arts. The latter have relied on two mutually supportive truths: everyone eats and many immigrants are eager to share their cul-tures’ many recipes.

In the past decade or two the simple foods of India, Vietnam, China, Mexico, the Middle East and other areas have given a great number of immigrant families the opportunity to reach for

the American dream. Initially, these budding chefs set up within the neighborhoods of their fellow immigrant families. Who, when traveling overseas, doesn’t know the pleasure of eating an occasional burger or piece of KFC.? This same need to taste the food of one’s soul has led many an immigrant to open a small ethnic restaurant. It is these little places that are the attraction of the Foodies.

About four months ago, a monthly, ethnic lunch

group was started in the Villas. Being the busy place that Asbury is, the thirty original members winnowed down due to conflicts in calendars to a steady twenty. The third Thursday of each month, the group gathers at a local ethnic res-taurant to indulge and sometimes experiment in a “foreign” taste.

The local places are delighted to share their heritage with our group. Menus are translated when necessary; recommendations are made with palates and age in mind; and we are encour-aged to linger after the meal to continue the many conversations that develop over good food. So far we have explored Indian, Chinese, Burmese, and Italian food, most of it simple and all of it inexpensive. We are quite democratic in our restaurant selection and encourage people who have had a good experience or read a good restaurant review to recommend a future site.

If anyone would like to set up such a club in their “neighborhood,” please call Marolyn Hatch at 4875. It is really easy to do, and you and your taste buds will be delighted.

By John Paul Eberhard, Vice Chair CCAV

T he Partnership Advisory Committees (PACs) of Asbury act in an advisory

capacity by initiating, evaluating, reviewing, recommending, plan-ning, and communicating on the quality of activities in nine areas. They are co-chaired by residents and associates. They meet once each month and report on their activi-ties at the CCAV forum designed for that purpose.

Beginning with the January 2010 CCAV meeting, the PACs will be providing verbal reports on the key activities within their area of inter-est. These reports are televised by AVTV and reported in the minutes of the CCAV. My intention will be to provide highlights of the PAC activities that would seem to be of special interest. But, first I would like to provide a little history:

In 1926 the Home of the Aged and Orphans opened with six residents. In 1928 Dr. Herman M. Wilson became Superintendant of the “Home”. His philosophy was to make the Home one of the first in the country to keep its aged residents active. He encouraged residents to take part in all sorts of activities and to develop new programs on a voluntary basis. He said “Asbury has never been a place to fold one’s hands and rock one’s life away.”

In 1945 the Westminster, Cassell and Gaithersburg homes for the aged were merged into one place called Asbury Methodist Home for the Aged. In 1969 (thankfully) the

words “for the Aged” were dropped, and in 1974 we became Asbury Methodist Village and independent living units began to be built.

In 1980 the Board of Trustees developed the concept of a Coor-dinating Council that would deal with matters relating to the entire apartment community. In 1986 the Coordinating Council of Asbury Village Apartments (CCAVA) was formed to work with the Board of Trustees, the Administration, and staff to make AMV “the best of its kind in the world”. To accomplish this goal seventeen committees were established.

Under the leadership of Execu-tive Director Lynn O’Connor a Part-nership Agreement was developed in the 90’s to outline the roles of the AMV Board of Directors, Admin-istration, and residents. Partnership Advisory Committees (PACs) were created to provide a communica-tions exchange between residents and associates. This agreement has been modified a number of times in the past ten years, but this essen-tial purpose still holds.

Here are activity reports for each of our nine PACs:

The Health & Wellness PAC co-chair, Bob Hartman, will be visit-ing each resident building council meeting to emphasize the need for each of us to carry medical infor-mation at all times. He will be pro-viding blank wallet cards that can

be used for this purpose.

The Security, Reception & Transportation PAC believes that some way must be found to alert all drivers that only a single car should expect to get through the gates at the Russell Avenue entrance on a single opening.

The Spiritual Life PAC with sev-enteen members deals with issues as wide-ranging as the care of the twenty pianos and organs on the campus to recruiting a number of divinity students to help with the ministries at Wilson and Kindley. They are presently seeking input from residents for the Book of Reflections, devotional literature, and the Prayer Card Ministry.

The Future Projects PAC is co-chaired directly by David Denton. They currently are dealing with the completion of the Edwards-Fisher remodeling project, the remodel-ing of the Hefner dining room, and helping to fulfill the goals outlined by the Wildlife Management Plan.

The Marketing PAC has been informed by Andrew Morgan that sales have met or exceeded goals for 2009 and that the Courtyard units will soon be under construc-tion (when the snow gets out of the way).

The Dining and Nutritional

Services PAC is encouraging the organization of a series of focus groups to discuss potential revi-sions to meal plans with the goal of providing more flexibility for residents. The PAC is also reviewing menus in various dining rooms — including the elegant dinners.

The Building and Grounds PAC is working on an environ-mental master plan for the campus that includes how to improve the ease of getting around the campus (once the snow is gone), how to support the “healthability” aspects of the campus, and how to support the wildlife habitat.

The Communications PAC has submitted suggestions for Master Calendar scheduling improvements which are being reviewed and incorporated into the revised pro-cedures. The COMMPAC approved the AVTV survey distributed to resi-dents. On February 1, Joon Kim, AVTV Station Manager launched the AVTV Telephone Announcement Line, extension 4500 that can be called for daily updates on events and menus. COMMPAC is working on an updated campus directory.

The Asbury Foundation PAC has just conducted a special day devoted to a celebration of the Benevolent Care program at AMV. It began with a well-attended “pan-cake breakfast” and ended with an “elegant dinner”. The goal of the Foundation is to raise $5 million for the Endowment Fund.

Villa Foodies in Search of Flavor

KEEPING UP WITH THE PACS

Photo: Marolyn Hatch


By Luella LeVee, Edwards-Fisher

Just as surely as one snowflake follows another, “Smiles” con-tributions have been floating

in to me.The most recent was a note from

Alma Rhodes, Edwards-Fisher, whom most of you know as the accomplished pianist who plays at many Asbury functions. Her contri-bution read:

“A Smile”My granddaughter at age nine in

fourth grade told me she wanted to learn to play the French horn. ‘Why the French horn?’ I asked. ‘Well, our music teacher played on lots of instruments to let us hear what they sounded like. The sound of the French horn made me smile!’

With two years of private lessons and much practice, her French horn sound makes me smile, too!”

g g g g g g gAll the volunteer receptionists

(at Mund, Trott, and Edwards-Fisher) have been nominated for a Smiles tribute by Marilyn Gaut, Trott. “We hope the resident desk receptionists know how much they are appreciated,” said Marilyn. “They give so much of their time. They are the concierges who give

directions and information and handle our packages. As we go and come, they brighten our days with smiles and kind words.”

g g g g g g gSometimes a Smiles salute goes

to people off campus. (Asbury resi-dents aren’t alone in doing kind deeds that evoke a smile.) One of these incidents was reported by Bobbie Carr, Diamond:

“I was taking my friend Jocie to Reagan National Airport so she could catch a plane home to Col-orado. We left campus at 4 a.m. in the dark. Somehow, we missed the exit for the G.W. Parkway and I was headed for Dulles before I realized it. At a red light, we pulled up behind a cab and I quickly ran up and asked how to get to Rea-gan. The cab driver said, ‘Follow

me, Lady!’ and reversed directions. I did follow him, smiling all the way.”

g g g g g g gTwo employees of Congressio-

nal Country Club recently went all out to help me. The same Bobbie Carr was taking me there for our monthly luncheon with friends. She stopped her car in the parking lot and brought my walker from her trunk to my side. Because someone else had jammed something heavy into the trunk, my cute little walker was damaged. It was collapsed and could not be brought to its usual upright stable condition. It just lay there, like a wounded child. I quickly shot a prayer heavenward.

One concerned passerby tried but failed to fix the walker, then went on saying he would send someone

from the Engineering Dept. to help. Two smiling men appeared shortly afterwards, helped me inside, and repaired the walker during lunch. With pride, they presented it to me with a new part, whole, and able to do its job.

Thanks to them and to all of you who act out of the kindness of your hearts.

g g g g g g gLen Jakubczak, Edwards-Fish-

er, says it makes him smile to think of the kindness of an anonymous donor of the stainless steel sculp-ture “The Crosswinds” in the area just outside E-F. He was also grate-ful that the recent snows never did completely cover it.

Most of us grew tired of snow after snow in the snowiest Febru-ary in history in the D.C. area, but we never lost sight of the tremen-dous troubles many of our neigh-bors in the Outside World were undergoing — loss of electricity, heat, accessibility to grocery stores, etc. To be here at Asbury, where all of our needs are met, makes us feel blessed. This is a great big Smiles salute to all — from Administration to housekeepers to wait staff. God bless you.

By Barbara Tenenbaum, Mund

Is your mouth watering just thinking about them? Mine is. We have eaten

them all our lives. This delicious and nourishing sandwich came into being dur-ing the 1930s and 1940s. World War II brought it to the forefront. As you may remember, we had ration books for food during those years. Many things were in short supply such as sugar, meat, butter, oils, margarine and lard.

Mothers, knowing that their fami-lies needed protein, turned to pea-nut butter which was not rationed and was inexpensive. Our service-men, overseas during those years, added jelly to their peanut butter sandwiches making them even more palatable. Upon their return, their wives and mothers took note of this and started putting jelly on bread along with the peanut but-ter, and our number one American sandwich was born.

Wondering what this is all leading

up to? Three years ago the Montgom-ery County Coalition for the Men’s Homeless Shelter put out the word

that they needed peanut and jelly sandwich-makers. Asbury Methodist Village and its resi-dents responded wholeheartedly and this service project came into

being. It has been nurtured and has grown over the last three years as another way for residents to give back to their community.

Every Monday afternoon at 1:00 p.m. Asbury associates, volunteers and residents gather in the lower level of the Wilson Health Care Cen-ter and make one hundred and fifty sandwiches. Sharon Bennett of the Volunteer and Activity Office deliv-ers the sandwiches.

This is just one of the many ser-vice projects in which Asbury Meth-odist Village and its residents par-ticipate. If you would like to join us you will be made very welcome. Contact Sharon Bennett at exten-sion 4223 for more information.

Are you interested in sto-ries of places near and far, told through gor-

geous photography and enchant-ing music? If so, you will enjoy Photo Essay 2010, an after-noon of photographic stories and scenes presented by the North Bethesda Camera Club at Asbury.

Photo Essay 2010 will be held at Asbury MV as a result of an initia-tive by John Villforth, a Park View resident and an active member of the North Bethesda Camera Club, and Shememe Williams, Director of Programming. The show will be held in the auditorium of the Rosborough Cultural Arts and Wellness Center from 3-5:30 pm on Sunday afternoon, March 21st. There will be a short intermission and light refreshments will be served at a reception afterward. All residents of Asbury and their guests are welcome. There is no admission fee.

The Photo Essays, ranging from 3 to 5 minutes in length, were prepared by members of the North Bethesda Camera Club and cover a wide range of places and topics. This year the show will include essays about the coast-

lines of Norway and Alaska; the penguins and icy mountains of the Antarctic; the rice terraces and ethnic minorities of southern China; the lifestyles of Morocco and Tunisia; the unusual Shet-land region and the rugged Isles of Scilly in Ireland; the divided and combined worlds of Ramal-lah and Jerusalem; and fascinat-ing people of the world “caught by the camera”. Essays in the US will include the wilds of Utah; gardens of Chanticleer; the White Mountains of New Hampshire in the fall; birds of Florida; the Jersey shore; and the Eastern Shore of Virginia. Thematic essays include an abandoned psychiatric prison; a “neon graveyard”; and an inter-pretation of “beaches”. Finally, NBCC will present a legacy essay combining a spectacular journey with humor and whimsy. You will need to attend the show to find out what this is.

All of the photographic essays are accompanied by music, also ranging widely, from jazz, blues, and all manner of classical and popular music genres.

For further information, please contact John Villforth.

Photo Essay 2010Peanut Butter and Jelly Sandwiches…yum yum!


Planning for a Wildlife-friendly CamPusBy Rod Mills, Mund with informa-tion and details provided by Anita

Taylor, Park View

In 2007 the Asbury Methodist Village administration decided to take active steps to maintain

and enhance the wildlife-friendly character of our campus. Specific projects to achieve that goal began in 2008 and are continuing.

To help implement this pro-gram a planning group of residents and associates was created. Some of these residents were chosen because of their presence on the Building and Grounds PAC or Future Projects PAC, the two PACs con-cerned with the program, which by now has come to be called Asbury’s Wildlife Management Plan. Other residents were chosen because of their interests or expertise in some aspect of the Plan. The current members of the group, including the associates, are as follows: Dick Evans (Diamond), Wally Jobusch (Edwards-Fisher), Marjory McGuire (Villas), Betty Mullendore (Mund), Lydia Page (Park View), Anita Taylor (Park View), David Denton (AMV Executive Director), Lenny Hines (Director of Plant Operations and Maintenance), Elaine Kielman (Director of Volunteer Services at the Wilson Health Care Center), and Dan McMurdo (Supervisor of

Grounds and Landscaping).Before drawing up its Plan, AMV

became a member of a national nonprofit organization called the Wildlife Habitat Council. This orga-nization gave advice on drawing up the Plan, gives advice on its imple-mentation, and certifies whether a member’s projects undertaken are successful. AMV has so far received a two-year certification, extendable for subsequent periods if future projects are successful.

The Plan as of now involves sev-eral projects, of which two and part of a third have been implemented and others are in various stages of planning.

The first project was to increase the amount of plants on our cam-pus that attract butterflies, bees, and hummingbirds, creatures that are vital to the pollination of plants. A plot of perennials (asters, butterfly weed, black-eyed Susan’s, coneflow-ers, coreopsis, and liatrus), measur-ing 288 square feet, was planted in 2008 on the hill near the fence along North Summit Avenue, on the southeast perimeter of the campus. (This plot is sometimes referred to as the “pollinator garden.”)

The second project was in part to take advantage of the forested areas on our campus to improve the habitat for birds and for small mam-mals and insects that attract birds.

Since the grubs that live in dead wood are essential to the survival of certain bird species, the project envisions a middle way between a completely natural wooded area and a mowed landscape beneath the trees. A limited number of dead trees will be permitted (but not where they might be a safety haz-ard), and some fallen limbs and branches will be allowed to create brush piles that provide cover for small mammals and birds. Another part of this project is to continue a program begun earlier of planting a variety of native trees in various spots in the nature reserve area of the campus.

Building houses to attract birds, three species in particular, consti-tute the third project. Ten bluebird houses have now been installed, while houses for purple martins and screech owls are in planning stages, perhaps to be realized in 2010.

Making improvements to the ponds will be the fourth project. These will involve introducing native fish species into the ponds; fighting erosion and invasive plant species by widening by a couple of feet the strip of reeds and long grass on the banks of the ponds; building up and giving more sup-port to the small island in the upper pond near the gazebo, since some of it has eroded; and introducing basking logs for turtles. The pond improvements are slated for 2010, the budget permitting.

Educational activities make up

the fifth project. These comprise visits to various places, attend-ing workshops being held in this area, and inviting outside experts to speak on our campus. Such activities began in 2008 and are continuing.

The sixth project is to improve the condition of the stream that drains the forested area and parts of Gaithersburg city and empties into the lower pond, ultimately flowing off campus near the intersection of Odend’hal and North Summit Avenues. One problem is that the banks have badly eroded. Another is the effect of the run-off from streets, lowering the quality of the water and bringing debris. As the stream is integral to Gaithersburg water management, the improve-ments will be a project of the city. AMV’s part in the project will be advisory, primarily to ensure pro-tection of existing grounds and enhancements.

Finally, the Plan as submitted for certification envisions expanded walking trails, to enable recreation-al and educational use of the habi-tat, especially the wide variety of trees on campus. Two Boy Scouts have worked, as part of their Eagle badges, to inventory and tag all trees on campus (well over 2,000 trees). The next steps will be to decide on locations of the trails, and to establish educational sig-nage as well as a web presentation of walking routes to view the trees and information about them.

Yiddish folklore offers a tale about gossipers. One such rumor-monger had told so

many malicious untruths about the local rabbi that, overcome by remorse, he begged the rabbi to forgive him. “Tell me how I can make amends.”

“Take two pillows, go to the public square and cut the pillows open. Wave them in the air and then come back.”

The rumor-monger quickly went home, got the two pillows and a knife, hastened to the square, cut the pillows open, waved them in the air and hastened back to the rabbi’s chambers.

“I did just what you said,” he reported to the rabbi.

“Good,” the rabbi replied. “Now to realize the harm that is done by

gossip, go back to the square and collect all the feathers.”

Martha A. Brown, Director of Pastoral Care

Inspiration PointIf You Don’t Have Something

Nice to Say… Cut A Pillow Open Mac and Zil


By Jeanne North, Trott

It’s not like I didn’t have good intentions. At the beginning of last year, I did sign up

for HealthAbility, and struggled through the tests they gave us all:

the 8-Foot Up-and-Go Test—how many seconds does it take you to get up from a sitting position, walk 8 feet, round a cone and return to a sitting position? the 2-Minute Step Test— how many knee lifts can you do in two minutes, marching in place, lifting knees to the top of the hip bone? That was just the begin-ning. After the tests the program

began. You started on an exercise regime: the treadmill, the nustep, circuit weights, or the Wet Yet class in the pool, or Light & Easy Aero-bics with Instructor Nancy Brouil-lette, or more.

Sound easy? For those who stuck with the program or those whose inner disci-pline simply spurred them on to regular exercise, the rewards came at the Golden Sneaker ceremony on January 29 in the Rosborough Theatre. For those of us who didn’t follow through with a solid exercise routine throughout the year, watching the awards ceremony, where our fellow res-idents received the accolades of teach-ers and friends alike, along with plaques and/or ribbons, was less a reproach for sloth than inspi-ration for persis-tence and diligence. Now why didn’t I

stick with it?!!! Each of us has our answer to

that question. We all know in our hearts and minds the benefits of exercise. We’ve heard over and over again that exercise is good for us: it improves strength, skin, hair, posture and muscle tone; activ-ity helps avoid stress and bore-dom (though can anyone really be

bored at Asbury? seems unlikely); exercise reduces the risk of dis-ease, can improve stamina and flex-ibility, help us look and feel better and generally improve our quality of life.

The Fitness Team, Anika Jameson, James Warner, Alton Smith and P.J. Petrovic, headed by Cathy Moxley, came up with 33 award catego-ries—everything from Couple of the Year to Early Bird to Brain Fit-ness to Gym Nut—with 43 win-ners out of a total of 95 nomi-nees. Plaques and ribbons went to elated winners.

The ceremony began with a musi-cal introduction as Cathy and Nor-man Heim played Antonin Dvor-ak’s Slavonic Dance Number 4, and closed with two dance exhibitions, one by the Light & East Aerobics class, and the other by the Toe Tappers. After the show, winners and nominees and admirers alike adjourned to the Rosborough com-munity rooms for refreshments: a congratulatory cake and punch. For health nuts, there was also fruit available.

New resolution: more exercise in the New Year!

2010 GOLDEN SNEAKER AWARDS (MEDALS, PLAQUES & TROPHY)

CATEGORY # OF MEDALS PLAQUES & TROPHY (Category name only) (Individual Names)

1. Couple of the Year 4 Chuck & Bonnie Schneider2. Early Bird 1 Hope Marindin3. On Golden Pond 1 Dorothy Warner4. Pool Sharks 2 Victor Lehtoranto5. Can’t Keep a Good Man Down 1 Vince O’Leary6. Can’t Keep a Good Woman Down 2 Valerie McIlrath7. Superman 2 Henry Lucas8. Superwomen 2 Artha Snyder9. Brain Fitness 2 Al Tholen10. Two Right Feet 2 Elizabeth Vail11. I Get Around 2 David & Janet Lingrell12. Most Congenial 2 Chuck Taylor13. Fleet Feet q 2 Susan Lester14.Gym Nut 2 Mary Anna Culkin15. Light & Easy Aerobics 2 Marjorie Mills16. Pace Yourself 2 Dorothy Feinberg17. Wet Yet 2 Elizabeth Prestemon18. Stretch & Tone 2 Esther Sigler19. Better Balance 1 Bob Hartman20. Total Body Tune Up 2 Julie Pittman21. On Your Seat 2 Ellen McCrorie 22. Water Walking 2 John Bankson23. Circuit Weights 2 Irene Stuart24. Inspiration Point Award 2 Jim Pierce25. Longevity Award 1 Stephanie Martenson (Acrylic Trophy)26. Resident of the Year 1 Mia Schulman27. Better Balance - Villas 2 Mary Anstead28. Post Rehab Strength 0 Hugh Woodward29. Walk Aerobics 1 Ann Lundholm30. Body Blast Circuit Training 2 Vince & Lihua Yu O’Leary31. Senior Fitness Test Award 0 1. 2 Minute Step Larry Machlan 2. 2 Minute Step Artha Jean Snyder 3. 8 Foot Up & Go Bob Wood 4. 8 Foot Up & Go Janet Lingrell 5. Arm Curl Bob Wood 6. Arm Curl Phyllis Laumaillet 7. Chair Stand Bob Wood 8. Chair Stand Mary Waldron

33. HealthAbility Success Award 0 1. Carl Marca 2. Edith Isacke

TOTAL 53 39 Plaques & 1 Trophy

Oh Those Golden Sneakers!

Photo: P.J.Petrovic

Couple of the Year, Chuck and Bonnie Schneider

Photo: Tom McIllrath

Mac and Minette Macullough were happy participants in this big event.


By Rod Mills, Mund

In the Rosborough Center for Arts and Wellness , next to the rotunda, is the Residents’ Art

Gallery. Almost always on display there are pieces of jewelry made by Mia Schulman of the Villas. I refer to it above as “knockout” jew-elry because the artistry is stun-ning enough to knock your eye out.

Mia didn’t start to make much of her artistic talents until later in life than most jewelry makers. After her birth in Brooklyn and a short stay in New Jersey her fam-ily moved to Rochester, New York, where Mia grew up. On finishing high school she preferred to enter the business world, so she spent a year at the Rochester Business Institute and earned a certificate as a medical secretary. This led to an opportunity to work as a dental assistant, which she did for a num-ber of years. After her marriage to Murray Schulman (then a graduate student and currently Dean of the Keese School at Asbury), the cou-ple spent a few years in Queens, New York before coming to the Washington, D.C. area in 1962 when Murray started working for the U.S. Atomic Energy Commis-sion. (When the AEC was split in two in 1968, Murray’s part became first an independent agency and then, in 1974, part of the newly formed Dept. of Energy.)

It was after they had been living in this area for several years that Mia’s life took a shattering turn, in the most literal sense. In 1966 they went to Vienna, Austria, where Murray had been seconded for a couple of years to the UN-related International Atomic Energy Agen-cy headquartered there. Both of

them enjoyed horseback riding and took riding lessons in Vienna. One day in 1968 their instructor inadvertently did something that made Mia’s horse shy so violently that he threw her off. With her left foot caught in the stirrup, the result was a broken hip. Since that accident Mia has had her hip oper-ated on no fewer than eight times, and has had two implants. Until

the last one about five years ago, successive procedures failed to bring about the desired result.

The hip fracture forced a change in the kinds of jobs that Mia could do, since she could no longer stay on her feet all day. She realized that if she were a dental techni-cian she could work while seated. Accordingly, after returning from

Vienna in 1968, Mia enrolled part-time in Montgomery College’s Dental Technology Program, and about three years later graduated with honors, allowing her to work as an orthodontic technician. Not long afterward she started up her own orthodontic laboratory, first in her home and then, as of 1982, in Shady Grove Professional Park. She operated her lab until early 2007, when she closed the busi-ness after moving to Asbury. As evi-dence of the high regard in which she was held by her peers as a technician and lecturer, she served as president of the Maryland-DC Dental Laboratory Association and for eight years was Eastern District Councilman for the National Asso-ciation of Dental Laboratories.

By the early 1990s, with her

laboratory up and running, Mia’s leisure time turned increasingly to her hobby of creating eye-catch-ing, sophisticated jewelry. To hone her skills she took a course in met-alsmithing at Montgomery College, and later a course in enameling, as well as workshops in other ven-ues. Her jewelry creations today include necklaces and pendants, bracelets, occasionally rings, and pins that can also be worn as pen-dants with a special device. She works principally in silver, but often her silver creations are cov-ered to a greater or lesser extent by enamel in lovely colors. The enamel actually bonds to a very thin piece of fine (almost pure) silver, and when completed can be bezeled and attached to a sterling silver backplate. Mia also creates

jewelry made of beads, which are “stitched,” as it were, into a flexible layer that can be shaped as needed. This involves working with minis-cule beads often smaller than a peppercorn, and a seemingly hair-thin needle and beading thread. The beads, of various colors, are positioned and threaded in a way

that keeps the rows from pulling apart as well as producing the desired color pattern. Some of her pendant designs require between 300 and 900 beads, and several were featured in a national maga-zine two years ago.

Mia has sold jewelry at vari-ous regional locations and events, including Asbury (Jewelry Holiday Event in Rosborough), the Bauer Drive Recreation Center in Rock-ville, the Art Barn in Kentlands, the

The Lady of the Knockout Jewelry

Here’s Mia, the artist in residence at Asbury.

Beadweaving created with tiny beads (about 1mm in size)

Enamel on copper

Enamel on Fine Silver

I cut the stone and then used tiny beads for the bezel (frame). It has a leather back.

This is a real puzzle of enamel on copper with felt backing on each piece. It fits on the wood-en board with copper (fencing

to keep it from sliding off.)

The Byzantine pattern is used in making chains but I used the seed beads in place of

silver wire.



Ruth Lotz, DiamondMixed Watermedia

Jean Emery, WallaceWatercolor

The Rosborough Cultural Arts and Wellness Center is

home to an ever-changing gal-lery of arts and handiwork cre-

ated by our residents. Stop by and see what’s new.

With 12 display cases to look at, there’s something for

everyone to enjoy. Here’s this month’s sampling of art.

This Month in the Gallery

Mary Wood, VillasWatercolor

By Carol Dennis, Villas

In early March, an art show will once again grace the back wall of the entrance to the Hefner

Auditorium. About three years ago, Susan Herron came to Asbury to teach the popular Keese School Watercolor Class. Things haven’t been the same since. Each spring we now have a special art show featuring works of the students. The display is just outside the Hef-ner Auditorium so that as people walk into the 415 Hefner Build-ing they are greeted with a peek at these paintings. And each year the art show gets better and better. Because of the quality of the paint-ings, it’s worth taking a stroll over to the wall to see what the show is all about.

Expecting to find a few “Sunday painters” when she came, Susan was delighted to find an energet-

ic and vital art community with a wide range of experience. Some students are professional artists who want to keep up their skills; some come because they “used to paint,” or have “dabbled” in paint-ing or have always wanted to paint. Whatever the reason, they are find-ing a wonderfully creative outlet for their artistic inner selves.

Susan Herron is a professional painter who teaches at the Art

League School located in the Torpe-do Factory in Alexandria, VA, and at Glen Echo’s Yellow Barn. Because of her reputation as both artist and teacher, students from the commu-nity are happy to also participate in the program, although as always, Asbury residents have first choice in signing up for the class. The mingling of residents and commu-nity people gives the class a pleas-ant camaraderie with both young

and old, amateurs and profession-als exchanging ideas and having an enjoyable and creative time together. Susan keeps things mov-ing along by demonstrating tech-niques and critiquing the results of each week’s painting assignment. In addition, she presents two work-shops each year in acrylics, collage and other artistic media.

The students’ results are truly amazing. You will be impressed! Remember, only the Keese School Watercolor Class students are exhibiting in this show. In May, there will be the ever popular Resi-dent Art Show open to all Asbury residents. Meantime, why not feed your own artistic inner self by admiring the beautiful paintings of our very own Watercolor Class Art Show held during the month of March in the Hefner Building?

No prob-lem. Viv-

ian Otto and her committee organized a party for Dia-mond residents suffering from cabin fever on one of the snow-bound afternoons. There was singing, quiz-zes, a potato relay race and refreshments.

Art Show Of The Keese School Watercolor Class

Susan Herron (center) is surrounded by talented Asbury artists.

All Dressed Up and SNOW Place to Go?

Potato racers outran cabin fever! The men sang up a storm!


The Sun Needs Some Help!Vitamin D:

n Reduces the risk for many illnesses, including osteoporosis, certain cancers, autoimmune disease and cardiovascular dis-eases.

n Necessary for absorption of calcium by the body, helps to prevent osteoporosis.

n Less sun exposure and use of sunscreens affects U.S. citizens’ blood levels.

n Obese individuals store Vitamin D in body fat, making it unavailable to the rest of the body.

n Over half of independently living seniors affected.

n Persons with Vitamin D levels less than 20ng/ml are consid-ered at risk.

n 77% of all Americans have inadequate levels.

n Ask your physician to test your blood level of 25-hydroxy Vitamin D. Levels of 32-100ng/ml are considered adequate.

How much does a person really need—And how can they get it?

n Current recommendations of 600U/D, commonly found in One-a-day vitamins, are inadequate.

n Sun exposure in northern latitudes is an insufficient source in winter.

n Food sources are not enough. Dairy products provide only 100U/serving. Fatty fish (herring, wild salmon offer 800-1300U/ 3-ounce serving.

n You cannot get too much Vitamin D from sun and foods.

n Do not exceed 2000IU/day from supplemental vitamin D unless recommended by your doctor.

n An effective source is a 1000U Vitamin D3. tablet, taken once

daily with meals.

www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/druginfo/natural/patient-vitamind.html

Bob Hartman, M.D. Retired Family Physician/Geriatrics Specialist

Ask Dr. Bob

By Mary Anstead, Villas

Last Fall I looked on with a bemused expression as a groundskeeper hammered

long stakes, with orange paint at the top, in the ground. Later that evening, my husband and I chuck-led over the need for such long stakes in an area that closes down with a dusting of snow. Today, Feb-ruary 10th, the stakes are hardly vis-ible above the piles of snow.

Growing up in this area, Wash-ington was known as a sleepy, southern town. Today, it might be called a cold, snowy, northern city. But, even those folks who traveled south to avoid the cold are report-ing colder weather than normal, with rain rather than sun.

The joke around this area is that ‘if you don’t like the weather, wait a minute’. I’m waiting!

My husband has often mused about living in the far north-ern New England states. When I

reminded him that the snowfall might keep us housebound for long periods, he put aside such a minor inconvenience. Did I hear him say as he came in from clean-ing off the roof of the car: “Enough, already, enough!”

How often have we chuckled when a dire weather prediction is broadcast by the weatherman? How often have we mused that the statistical predictions are just another ‘way to lie with numbers’? I’m eating my words as the snow that all those computer models predicted piles higher and high-er! I admit those statistics were right on!

Is this the time to say “STOP” to global warming?

But let’s not laugh at our decision to move to AMV where our grounds crew have worked, and worked, and worked to keep us from being snowbound like all those people on the ‘outside’. Many, many thanks to our groundskeepers!

SightingsBy Jeanne North, Trott

T hree plump Robin Redbreasts outside my patio door, cocking their heads, listening in vain for the sound of a worm wiggling under the deep piles

of snow. Wait, no, now there are six, fluttering and flap-ping their wings, bathing in a puddle on the service drive behind Trott. Don’t American Robins migrate? Back in the Midwest, their arrival signals a sign of Spring. Perhaps, as the internet tells us, American Robins do migrate, but their year-round range covers nearly all of the continental U.S. Go figure. I still like the idea that these Robins are telling us that Spring is on the way. Watch for them. They flock and you can surely see them!

Photo: Mary Anstead

Orange you glad they put this stake here?

Last Laughs…

Phot

o: Jo

hn V

illfo

rth

Jewish Community Center Shop in Rockville, Colorfest in Thurmont, Maryland, and the Cre-ative Craft Council in Strathmore Hall. Every year she is invited to a one-week retreat at Wildacres, near Ashville, North Carolina, to teach two classes in beading. She has also held beading classes at Asbury and is a member of our Fine Arts and Crafts Committee.

Mia and Murray came to Asbury in December 2006, after more than 30 years in their home in Gaithersburg. They are surrounded by family, with daughter Lori in Mt. Airy and sons Ben and Cory in North Potomac and Germantown, respectively, and they have five grandchildren.

JEWELRYContinued from page 8


Chit ChatterFrom the AMV Historical Society

By Keith Steele, Wallace

When meeting new or not-so-new residents while sharing a table

in the dining room I am surprised that some of them have never heard of Williamsburg Lane much less where it is. Some have passed it going to the Clothes Closet or the Print Shop and never really noticed it.

Williamsburg Lane ( in fact it was at one time called Williamsburg Street) was completed in 1962. The Asbury Home Guild was respon-sible for the complete financing of the project. Currently only a small part of it remains. At one time it included a hat shop and gift shop; a flower room; an intriguing doll col-lection; a small laundry room; the post office; a beauty salon;an old fashioned ice cream parlor; a clock room with many stately timepieces;

an antique room with an amazing collection of Bibles, trunks, baby carriages, etc.; the china room; and a dining room for the use of Asbury residents when family visited them.

At one time all these things were scattered throughout the Home. By moving them all to the lower level (Williamsburg Lane) space for nine new bedrooms became available.

Only a few of the rooms remain as they were at their inception. The rooms are kept locked for security reasons. It is the hope of the His-torical Society that some time in the future we can reorganize what is being displayed and have the rooms open perhaps once a week to start with.

In the meantime, if you would like a quick tour of what is there now call Genevieve or Keith Steele at 6628 and we will make the nec-essary arrangements.

Grins and GrimacesBy Gil Snyder, Mund

As I sit down to write this on 13 February, I’m informed over TV that 49 states now

have snow and that 67% of the ground in the US is snow-covered. This means that we here at AMV are not alone and it reminds me of one of the reasons for my coming here: I don’t have to do any shovel-ing, at least of snow, here.

Growing up in mid-western Penn-sylvania in the 1940’s and 50’s, I’m used to the amounts of snow cur-rently on the ground here. As a kid it meant sledding, skiing, and ice skating; in fact the city of DuBois would close several streets to through traffic to enhance the sled-ding experience and I lived only a half block from one. Most streets remained snow-packed throughout the winter because salt was not used; instead, ashes were used to provide traction and chains were not an uncommon sight. I remem-ber putting on chains to get to the main highways and having to remove them so as not to destroy them as one drove on. In all my twelve school years in DuBois, the system shut down once due to ice forming on and bringing down electrical wires.

From DuBois, I went on to State College to attend Penn State and in my four years there, school never shut down. Now, class might be cancelled because the professor couldn’t get in from Tyrone, Belle-fonte, et. al.

My first job after college was with a major aerospace company in Baltimore and in my first win-ter there, the company shut down for several days during what was considered a major snow storm. After trying to get around local-ly, I headed for Pennsylvania and

although it had been hit by the same storm, once I hit the border on IS 83, it was clean sailing all the way to Williamsport where my folks then lived.

In 1963, I moved to Montgom-ery County where I managed to survive several winters living in an apartment. After buying a house in the late 1960s I took upon myself the task of not only having to shovel my car out after snow storms, but also the tasks of shovel-ing walks, driveways, areas around down spouts and even a roof sev-eral times. Working for the Depart-ment of Navy during this time, I never missed work unless the com-plete government shut down; even then I would go in to respond to a Fleet request.

February 5, the day the first of the two major storms started, was my granddaughter Samantha’s third birthday; my son Sean picked me up about 1:00 PM that day to attend a party for Samantha that evening. Although it was evident that I would have to spend that night at his place, I spent the next two nights also. I must say that I thoroughly enjoyed spending all the time with Samantha and her parents, but come Monday I was ready to come back to Asbury and I’m sure they were not unhappy to see me leave.

My car is currently mostly snow-covered and snow- blocked in its parking place; I will be leaving on a short trip to Charlotte on the 18th so I’ll wait for nature to free it up; after all she’s responsible for its present state.

DON’T FORGET TO THANK ALL THE ASSOCIATES THAT PROVIDED THE GREAT SERVICE THROUGH THESE TIMES!

Resident Facility Date of Death

Ruth Halpine Kindley/WHCC 1-20 -10

George Porter Wallace 1-20-10

Gilbert Echt Wallace 1-21-10

Robert Staten Diamond 1-23-10

Rose Hartwigsen WHCC 1-24-10

Betty Baker Kindley/Trott 1-25-10

Annie Mary Webb WHCC/Kindely 1-31-10

Ruth Stetler WHCC/E-F 1-31-10

Dorothy Arey WHCC/Kindley/Diamond 2-1-10

Ila Coss WHCC 2-3-10

Joannah Machlan WHCC 2-3-10

Gordon Livingston WHCC/Kindley/Trott 2-7-10

Ialeene Boggs WHCC 2-10-10

Patricia Booth WHCC/Diamond 2-10-10

Dorothy Camp WHCC/Kindley/E-F 2-17-10

In Memoriam

told the tower to turn on the run-way lights and I would take off by staying right between the runway lights until I got up to a speed of 80 miles an hour, when I could lift off the ground. I told the tower not to turn off those lights until I got airborne, when I would call them. So I got in position with the runway lights equally spaced on each side of the plane and put the throttles on

full power and started moving. The runway lights were spaced about 50 feet apart, and as I passed one set of lights the next pair would appear. At 80 miles per hour, I pulled back on the controls, the plane lifted off the runway, and I climbed upward, flying totally on instruments.

At about 7,000 feet, I broke out of the clouds to a beautiful, clear moonlit night sky, and we were on our way back to sunny southern California.

Just another routine day at the office.

NATUREContinued from page 1

ENOUGH, ALREADY


By Marolyn Hatch, Villas

One of the reasons people give for joining the Asbury family is the support that

AMV offers through its continuing care practices. While we all enter expecting to lead rich lives among

vigorous contemporaries, we know that for some the benefit of a good, on-campus, wellness center, wheth-er for short term recovery from hip surgery or more long-term conva-lescence, is very important. Thus the community is most pleased to

welcome as Director of Nursing (DON), a position that AMV has sought to fill for some time with a permanent employee.

Like many of us, Janet arrives at Asbury after living many years in other areas. Born on Long Island, graduated with a BA in Divisional Science from Hollins College in Virginia and with an MS in Nurs-ing from the New York Medical College, and Director of Nursing, Long Term Care certification, Janet brings strong and varied profes-sional experiences to the Wilson Health Care Center (WHCC.)

Janet explains that the New York Medical College master’s program required her to complete her med-ical rotations in several different institutions in such places as New York City, Peekskill, NY, and Stam-ford, CT. Most nursing programs limit their degree candidates to a single hospital. By varying the sites, Janet was able to study different medical facilities’ operations and systems, learning that became very important as she developed her career. She also related a require-ment that each patient’s care plan that she designed had to be backed up by research and footnoted with a bibliography to demonstrate the merit of her ideas. Such strong requirements again have served her well in later positions of deci-sion making.

For example, for the past six or seven years, Janet worked for LW Consulting, Inc. and served in several care management facilities as the interim Director of Nurs-ing and as a professional advisor to other DONs. Having experi-ences in different systems allowed Janet to bring successful practices from those systems to each of her jobs and grow those practices that served the locations well. These positions also developed her man-agement, evaluation and analytical skills, all of which she hopes to employ at WHCC.

Independently from LW Consult-ing, Janet was also one of three DONs at the Hebrew Home in Rockville, a 558 bed facility. She notes that she has recently met WHCC staff whom she knew at the Hebrew Home and who, like Janet, have chosen to work at AMV.

And when asked what a DON actually does, Janet chuckled and responded, “everything.” Technical-ly, Janet has responsibility for nurs-ing care at Wilson. She carefully acknowledges that many compe-

tent people provide the care, but that her nursing license is required for them to do their jobs at Wil-son.

Janet states that she chose to come to WHCC permanently because she saw a strong staff, good systems already in place and the opportu-nity to stabilize this foundation and enhance care. She wants WHCC’s state and federal ratings to reflect what Wilson really is.

She acknowledges that the job will be challenging and will focus on a “culture change,” a nation-wide movement that is happening across the continuing care com-munities. Janet would like to make Wilson less like a hospital and more “homelike.” It is, after all, a resi-dence with a Resident Council and a sense of community. She would like to break the stereotype of a patient facility by changing such simple things as having staff refer to “residents” not “patients” or by diagnosis or needs. She would like to offer choices to the residents in such areas as when meals are served and how they can remain in contact with their Asbury friends. Janet wants the residents and their families to consider WHCC as a friendly home.

On the professional side, Janet is looking forward to the May instal-lation of an electronic medical records system that will assure pri-vacy, accuracy, and availability of resident information. Again, this is not unique to Asbury, but it will require training the staff on input and use of computer data. She looks forward to upcoming re-cer-tifications and expects that WHCC will demonstrate its capabilities.

We look forward to her success and her efforts on our behalf.

Idle ThoughtsBy Reg Westlake, Villas

In this spot you shall find a variety of ponderings from a man who hails from the other side of the “pond.” We’re

glad he’s on this side of the pond now!

A Softer Touch

C urrent TV, often consisting as it does of commercials interspersed with programs, offers us a wide variety of advertisements for autos. They all have something in common. They are couched

in terms of superlatives or superiority. For example: The most dependable The most powerful Better performance The most fuel efficient Highest ranked and so on.After all this sort of thing the advertisements tend to blur into one

another in the memory and it is hard to distinguish between them – which is not what the manufacturers want. So perhaps a quieter tone, by its contrast from the rest, might help remember and take note of the advertised car.

For example, the scene is a car showroom where the sales-man is talking to a young couple about the car he is demonstrat-ing. The picture does not have one of those 0% financing signs in very large characters, with at the bottom several lines of very small type not on the screen long enough to read, even if one could, and limiting the 0%.

The salesman would be say-ing something like this.

“This is a nice car, very reliable and with good mileage per gallon. Nom-inally a 4-seater it can take 3 people on the back seat. It has all the usual features such as front and side airbags, remote locking and unlocking of doors, alarm system etc. But it also has some conveniences not always present in other cars but which make life a lot easier. The seat belts are easy to do up, no more irritating fiddling around; the dip stick is easy to see and reach and put back when checking the oil level, as is topping up the radiator and the windshield washer reservoir. The instrument panel is not cluttered, the light switch is distinctive and easy to find in the dark. Everything to make for uncomplicated driving and maintaining the car.

When it comes to price and financing, you will find us very com-petitive and if you have a car to trade in we offer a very good price. I would be happy to discuss these matters if you would like to come into the office.”

There is of course not the slightest chance that any auto firm would go for this tone of advertising; it would be heresy to any sales division. But a soft-pedal approach would be such a departure from the usual lan-guage in car commercials that it might register more tellingly. It would be interesting to know.

Meet Janet Dykstra, Asbury’s New Director of Nursing


Janet Dykstra


Margaret Hickerson Mund 209, x5831

Margaret moved to Asbury Village from Rockville in Septem-ber, 2009. She was born and raised in Rockville, attended Richard Montgomery High School, married David Hickerson and lived and worked in Rockville her entire life. Some years ago she received a certifi-

cate of appreciation from the Rockville United Methodist Church for 50 years of faithful atten-dance and service.

Margaret began her working life as a teller at the Farmer’s Banking and Trust in Rockville and advanced to the point that when there was a problem with reconciling figures at one of the two branch banks, the President, Richard F. Green, would call on Margaret to find the prob-lem. After 28 ½ years at the bank, she resigned and went to work for the Montgomery County government for 18 years as assistant to the Investment Officer.

She had been married for 29 years when her husband died in 1981.

—Anne Porter, Mund Reporter

Robert and Catherine Johnston

Villa 582, x5932Bob and Catherine Johnston moved to Asbury

on October 30,2009 from nearby Potomac where they had lived for 37 years and raised a family of two sons who both live in the Poto-mac area. Seven grandchildren keep them busy attending their various activities.

Bob is a distinguished scientist/engineer who received his BEE and PhD degrees from Cor-nell, worked at GE in Syracuse on computer research and later at Avco Corp. in Boston on space research. Bob then joined the staff of the National Science Foundation with respon-sibility for their solid state physics programs. He also served on the committee which estab-lished the criteria and procedures for award of the Congressionally established National Medal of Science first awarded in 1963 by President Kennedy.

In 1969 Bob joined the faculty and staff of Washington University in St. Louis as Vice-Chan-cellor for Research. In 1973 he returned to Washington to serve the National Academy of Sciences on science policy matters until he retired in 1987.

In earlier years Bob was an accomplished classical and theater organist and both are wide-ly traveled abroad and domestically.

Catherine, a charming lady, obtained a B.S. degree in nursing from Keuka College. After graduation she worked at the Boston Lying-in Hospital as a teacher and supervisor, meanwhile doing graduate work at Boston University. After a move to Washington, DC, with her husband she was associated with the Washington Hospi-tal Center as an Instructor and volunteered for the American Red Cross and Hospice.

She later joined the Montgomery County School System where she was instrumental in establishing and administering a Health Careers Program for junior and senior high school stu-dents which gave them the opportunity to learn basic medical skills and experience medical practices in a hospital setting. During the 17 years Catherine was involved in this program I am sure that many students made a decision that a medical career was or was not for them. She retired from the school system in 1992.

Catherine is also an active member of the St. Francis Episcopal Church in Potomac and is also a member of the Mary Washington Chapter of D.C. DAR.

—Bob Hoff, Villas Reporter

Don and Barb Woodward Diamond 208, x5948

After living in Derwood, MD for 21 years, Don and Barb moved to Asbury on December 3, 2009. In considering a retirement community, Asbury seemed to be the ideal choice because it was near their home, they had friends living here, and they were pleased with the facilities and beautiful campus. Also, they were familiar with the campus because Barb’s mother lived in Edwards-Fisher in 2000. Barb and Don have two sons and two grandchildren. David, his wife Jen, and their children Jessie and Dylan live in Paoli, PA and Bob lives in Philadelphia.

Don was born in Ogden, Utah. He received BS and MS degrees in Civil Engineering from the University of Idaho. Career highlights include: 38 years plus with Natural Resources Conserva-tion Service (NRCS) and retired as a National Hydraulic Engineer. He worked in many loca-

tions in the United States and had various for-eign assignments. Don’s hobbies and interests are in building models, travel, volunteer work with his church, and stamp collecting.

Barb was born in Englewood, NJ. She received a Bachelor of Music in Church Music at Wil-lamette University, Salem, OR. She is a church organist and is currently the Assistant organist at Gaithersburg Presbyterian Church. She is a member of Mu Phi Epsilon, a professional music fraternity, and the American Guild of Organists. Besides being involved in music, she enjoys read-ing, knitting, needlepoint, bridge and travel.

—Edith Isacke, Diamond Reporter

Vivian and Marshall Woods Trott 614, x5136

Information acquired from a long acquain-tance and visits at Asbury with former E-F and current Kindley resident Stephanie Martenson helped Vivian and Marshall Woods with their decision to take advantage of Asbury’s 2009 incentive program. They completed arrange-ments for Trott apartment 614 in November. They moved here January 13, 2010, and have been busy selling their home. They lived in the Bethesda area for over 40 years.

Vivian was born in Williamson, W.Va. She began her life-long career in retailing during high school when she worked in her father’s shoe store. Her older sister Shumla with broth-er-in-law Eli Bassitt jointly managed a cloth-ing, shoe and dry goods store in Milan, MI for many years.

Vivian received a B.A. from Marshall Univer-sity, and an M.A. from the University of Pitts-burgh, PA School of Retailing. While at a School of Retailing party she met Marshall Woods. Viv-ian joined Woodward and Lothrop Department Store in Washington DC in 1956 as a manage-ment trainee. She held several positions in mer-chandising and took early retirement in 1986 as Senior Vice President in Merchandising.

Marshall Woods was born in New Kensington, PA. He received his B.A. in secondary education and a M.A. from the University of Pittsburgh. Starting in 1952 he served with the U.S. Army as a clerk in the U.S. and Germany. He was separat-ed from service in 1954 and joined Woodward and Lothrop in Washington, D.C. in 1956. He held various positions in Personnel, the deliv-ery department and Purchasing. He took early retirement in 1988.

Welcome New Residents

Continued on next page


Photo: Hal Gaut


Welcome New ResidentsVivian and Marshall were married in 1958.

They have no children. Their family includes Shumla and Eli’s children Stephanie and David and several grand nieces and grand nephews.

After retirement, Vivian found more time to devote to the Soroptimist club and the Fashion Group International. Marshall found more time for his “do it yourself” projects and gardening. They both love to travel and made many trips overseas. Highlights were trips to China, Israel and the Millennium trip on the Concorde to London for Christmas and then through the Chunnel to Paris for New Years.

They look forward to their new life at Asbury, and expect to participate in some of its many stimulating activities.

—Bob Hartman, Trott Reporter

Mary Stavish Trott 603 x6518

In January, Trott building welcomed its seventh “Mary” name-ly Mary Wade Stavish. Mary explained that she’s 100 percent Irish even though her maid-en name of “Wade” may be deceiving. She grew up in Northeast Washington near the Catholic University of America. Hers was a happy and safe child-

hood and when she graduated from St. Antho-ny’s High School she enrolled in Washington’s Wilson Teachers College. For four years she taught elementary education at Bunker Hill School near her home. One evening when Mary attended one of the St. Martin’s popular Friday night dances, a young man named Ted asked her to dance. He kept her in conversation all evening. From that night, he was the only one for Mary; Ted felt the same, and soon they were married. Ted came from Pennsylvania and was “100% Polish”, the perfect combination for this “Irish lass”, claims Mary.

Being an only child Mary wanted a large fam-ily. They settled in their home in Twinbrook and were blessed with five fine boys and a lovely daughter - Ted, Tom, Brian, Michael, Matthew and Margaret. Meanwhile Ted was working in DC at the Dept. of Agriculture. When her chil-dren entered school, Mary opened a licensed daycare center in their home. After ten years she made a change and worked for another eleven years in daycare at the Jewish Commu-nity Center in Rockville. Ted retired and spent time playing golf at Redgate. When Mary retired they enjoyed traveling and just being together. Mary lost her beloved Ted a year ago this Feb-ruary and made the decision months later to make her home at Asbury. She has a lovely apartment filled with pictures, keepsakes and furniture that bring her wonderful memories of her childhood and her 55 years with Ted.

Fortunately some of Mary’s children live in

the area. She is looking forward to engaging in some of the many activities Asbury offers and is already acquainted with many of her Trott neighbors. We wish her happy days here.

—Joan Brubaker, Trott Reporter

Constance Bynum Edwards-Fisher 416, x5469

Do you remember life at Asbury before our record- break-ing snow storms? Constance Bynum does. She moved into Edwards-Fisher apart-ment 416 on Decem-ber 8, 2009, a cold, crisp and snowless day. She was born in Nor-wood, New York and graduated from Russell Sage College in Troy.

Connie’s working career began with doing social work at Pilgrim State Hospital in Brent-wood, Long Island. She married and moved to Chicago, Illinois where she worked in person-nel. Two years later, after a move to Cleveland, Ohio, her daughter was born. Later, Connie began her teaching career in Hudson, Ohio, where she taught math and science to sixth graders for twenty-four years. She then moved to Chevy Chase, Maryland.

Connie loves to travel, but when she’s at home she enjoys reading and playing duplicate bridge. Asbury was highly recommended to her by friends and her lawyer, but it was the friendly and helpful attitude on the part of Edwards-Fisher residents that made her decide Asbury’s 403 Russell Avenue was the place for her.

—Joan Dunlop, Edwards-Fisher Reporter

Eleanore and Carl Olson Edwards-Fisher 305, x5796

No leaves to rake and no snow to shovel, the move of Eleanore and Carl Olson into Edwards-Fisher Apartment 305 on October 20, 2009 couldn’t have come at a better time. Cam-bridge, Massachusetts is Eleanore’s birth place and she is a graduate of Bryant and Stratton Business School in Boston, Mass. Carl was born in Dedham, Mass and did his undergraduate

work at Lowell Institute at MIT, receiving his BS degree from the University of Massachusetts and an ED.M degree from Boston University. He also took graduate courses at Stanford, Tufts, Harvard, Northeastern and University of Con-necticut.

Eleanore was Guidance Department Secre-tary at Wellesley, Mass. Middle School for 16 years. After a stint as a mechanical engineer at Watertown, Mass. Arsenal, Carl became Director of Industrial Arts in the Braintree, Mass. public schools and continued this public school career in Wellesley, Mass. He was a mechanical design engineer at the MIT Instrumentation Lab and served in the US Army during World War II. His tour of duty took him to the Aberdeen Proving Ground, Ft. Belvoir and Picatinny Arsenal before he returned to Wellesley where he and Eleanore lived for 43 years.

While the Olsons first met in Sunday School, it was not until many years later that they resumed their friendship, dated and married, raising a son and a daughter. Carl and Eleanore love to travel, visiting relatives in Sweden, Nor-way and Finland. While Europe and the fifty states have great appeal, Hawaii is their vaca-tion favorite, but now they enjoy spending time in their home on Cape Cod. Eleanore enjoys swimming, walking and socializing, while Carl favors golf and photography.

Eleanore has worked with both Girl and Cub Scouts and served as a hospital aid. Carl was President of both the Mass. Industrial Education Society and the Mass. Technical Drawing Teach-ers Association, Vice President of the American Industrial Arts Association and Treasurer of the Boston Chapter of Phi Delta Kappa, the Interna-tional Education Honor Fraternity.

The Olsons served as deacon and deacon-ess at the Covenant Congregation Church in Boston, where Carl was Treasurer and a choir member. They are currently members of the Cape Cod Covenant Church. Eleanore and Carl joined us here at Asbury in order to be closer to their children, which is something the Edwards-Fisher family identifies with and treasures.

—Joan Dunlop, Edwards-Fisher Reporter

Barbara Olson Trott 808, x5988

Barbara, whose favor-ite hobby is reading, was delighted to learn about the Asbury Book Discussion group and attended our February meeting the afternoon of her interview. We’re always pleased to gain a new contribut-ing member. Baseball is another one of her interests, increasing the number of sports

enthusiasts at Trott.Barbara was born in Waukesha, Wisconsin, but

the family soon moved to Madison. She gradu-

Photo: Hal Gaut

Photo: Hal Gaut

Photo: Rosemary Pasek

Photo: Rosemary Pasek


Welcome New Residentsated from high school there and obtained a B.A. in chemistry at the University of Wisconsin. After her marriage, the couple moved to Kens-ington, MD to be close to her husband’s job in Washington, D.C. When the Bureau of Standards moved into Maryland, the family, with their three young sons settled in Gaithersburg.

After being a full time mother for ten years, Barbara attended the University of Maryland and obtained another degree, this time in Account-ing. Soon she was an office manager at ASHA (American Speech Language-Hearing Associa-tion) for 20 years. Her sons graduated from Gaithersburg High School. One is located at the Census Bureau nearby, while another is active in the computer field in California. The young-est son is in grad school in North Carolina. Her husband died six years ago.

Barbara is quite familiar with the Gaithers-burg area and happy to be settled in her Trott apartment before the snow storms swept the area. She expressed her appreciation to the Asbury staff for their excellent work during this period. We welcome Barbara to Asbury and

there is no doubt that she will continue to be a contributing member on our campus.

—Lois Lord, Trott Reporter

Gladys H. Fuller Wallace 202, x6428

Gladys was born in Manhattan and raised in the Bronx. She was educated there and entered Hunter Col-lege with her major in mathematics and statis-tics. She received her B.A. degree in math-ematics and entered graduate school.

Gladys met her hus-band, Everett G. Fuller, in graduate School at

the University of Illinois where she received her M.A. in Physics; they were married in 1947.

They moved to Washington D.C. where both of them were hired by the National Bureau of Standards (later to become the National Insti-tutes of Standards and Technology.) As a con-dition of employment the married couple had to work in different sections of the NBS; he as an experimentalist and she as an abstract-er of technical publications for the nuclear data group.

Gladys and Everett settled in Bethesda, Mary-land in 1950 where they raised their three chil-dren, two girls and a boy, all of whom live in this general area.

Gladys has maintained her strong interest in science, particularly in astronomy and geol-ogy. She served as a docent in gems and min-eralogy at the Museum of Natural History here in Washington.

Gladys’ husband Everett passed away in 1995, after staying in the Wilson Health Care Center.

Gladys was baptized a Methodist; raised as a Presbyterian, and later lived as a Congregationalist.

—Bob Bernero, Wallace Reporter

Never did the residents have to go unfed. In fact, writes Senior Executive Chef Gus (Evaristo Gustines) on February 11, “We knew the storm was coming so we ordered a week ahead so we wouldn’t run out of food....We still serve 1675 meals a day plus we also feed 300 staff mem-bers.” Finally, he comments, “Staff members are tired but morale is high, they love what they are doing and our residents really appreciate it.”Amy Ostrolenk, Director of Health & Well-ness for Residential Living, writes that about 15 associates in the [Care Management Depart-ment] stayed over and two more were picked up by Walt and Klarika [Ellsworth]. “All of those associates,” she says, “received hot meals (break-fast, lunch and dinner) from the Cafe and/or Crawford dining room (the associates were very grateful for receiving those free meals).

In an e-mail on Friday, February 12, Protec-tive Services Director Albright draws a dramatic picture of how the Asbury staff rose to the chal-lenge of the Big Snow of 2010:

“The Transportation Department

has been staffed during the snow storm and has had to work on a modified scheduled each day, based on the weather and road conditions. Security was also on the campus. Many, many of our associates have been here for a week. Some will even be here longer, such as our outstand-ing Grounds Department.

“We rent 4-wheel drive vehicles for the big snow storms to make sure critical personnel are on campus at all times.

“We probably had an average of six associates from Security, the Gatehouse and the Call Cen-ter who stayed over each night. Many associ-ates from all over the Campus spent the entire

week here and slept in vacant apartments, the Guest House, activity rooms in Kindley and Wil-son Health Care Center, their offices and in the old Adult Day Care space.”

The worst and best parts of this event? “I am only going to address the best part of being here,” says Albright, “and that was our associates. Associates from across the Campus and in every department made an effort to get in to work. Some associates on their days off called in to offer their help. Some walked to work during the height of the storm. There was a sense of dedication and obligation to get the job done. As the days wore on, you could see the fatigue in everyone’s face. The manner in which all associates worked together was fantastic. I was proud to be part of this and was even more proud of our associates. The ‘Spirit of Asbury’ was alive and well during the past seven days in the form of our associates, and for that we should all be thankful.”

SNOWContinued from page 1

Photo: Bob Bernero


Asbury Methodist VillageCommunications Department201 Russell AvenueGaithersburg, MD 20877-2801

Non-ProfitOrganizationU. S. Postage

PAIDRockville, MD

Permit No. 4297A NEWSPAPER FOR ASBURY METHODIST VILLAGE

VILLAGE LIFE: A NEWSPAPER FOR ASBURY METHODIST VILLAGE

Tea T

ime

Photos: Peg Lawrence

Teacups hold more than tea at Peg’s house! Peg Lawrence, Villas, creates these Tea-riffic garden sculptures and fills them with birdseed. Things are wild at Peg’s, that’s for sure!

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