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ServingServing Camps & Schools FairfaxFairfax AreasAreas ofof BurkeBurke Author Russ Banham is spending the week touring the county in support of his latest insideinside book, ‘The Fight for Fairfax.’ Classified, Page 18 Classified, ❖ Sports, Page 12 ❖ Schools Switch From PTA Calendar, Page 8 To PTO News, Page 3 Olympic Effort County For Local Skaters Sports, Page 12 Requested in home 9-25-09 home in Requested Time sensitive material. sensitive Time Attention Postmaster: Attention Scribe #86 PERMIT Martinsburg, WV Martinsburg, PAID News, Page 3 Postage U.S. PRSRT STD PRSRT Photo by Justin Fanizzi/The Connection www.ConnectionNewspapers.comSeptember 24-30, 2009 Volume XXIII, Number 38 online at www.connectionnewspapers.comFairfax Connection ❖ September 24-30, 2009 ❖ 1 2 ❖ Fairfax Connection ❖ September 24-30, 2009 www.ConnectionNewspapers.com Fairfax Connection Editor Michael O’Connell News 703-778-9416 or [email protected] Fairfax — An Author’s Muse Falling Russ Banham writes For Books about post-World War Literary event II history of county. expands beyond GMU Campus. By Justin Fanizzi The Connection by Photo By Justin Fanizzi The Connection uss Banham has just about seen it all in his 55 years. He was on Fanizzi Justin or the past decade, the Fall for Rthe field after the New York Mets Fthe Book Festival has provided won the 1973 Major League the Fairfax community with a Baseball National League Championship first rate literary experience. Now in Series. He has been commissioned by an its 11th year, festival staff has a big- iconic American family to write a biogra- /The Connection ger goal in mind: to bring that same phy about their patriarch, Henry Ford, and experience to the entire Washington, his circle of friends includes former “Brady D.C. metropolitan area. Bunch” star Christopher Knight. He also Over several years, the festival has directs plays, and acted in the cult movie expanded its reach beyond the City classic “Meatballs.” of Fairfax, forming partnerships with Though little can surprise or intrigue organizations such as The Writer’s Banham anymore, the history of Fairfax Author Russ Banham was in Northern Virginia recently to talk about Center in Bethesda, Md. and other County did just that, and it became the topic his latest book, ‘The Fight for Fairfax.’ groups. This year, however, the festi- of his 19th and perhaps most controversial val has teamed with area schools, li- book, “The Fight for Fairfax.” “It’s a concise, accurate history. It will make a lot of braries and has even acquired unused In the book, Banham focuses on post- retail space to expand its reach be- World War II Fairfax County, and the small people angry, but that’s a good thing. That gets the yond the George Mason University group of citizens who carried out their vi- campus. sion to make the county the “cradle of the heart going.” “We are trying to spread out geo- Information Age.” Banham did more than — Russ Banham graphically more than ever this year,” two years of research and interviewed more said Festival Manager Ruth Goodwin. than 200 people for the book, which de- week to appear at George Mason ing-class family. From the ages of 14 to 21, “We want to expand beyond the cam- tails the conflict between the pro-growth University’s Fall for the Book festival on Banham had a job at the old Shea Stadium, pus so more people can come and group and the county officials and organi- Wednesday, Sept. 23. Also on his itinerary working as a food vendor at New York Mets have this experience.” zations who fought to resist them. were book signings and meetings with sev- baseball games. Banham said that this job Started as a two-day event in 1999, “The book serves a historical purpose for eral local organizations, including the was “the best I ever had,” and said that his The Fall for the Book Festival was Fairfax County, Northern Virginia and Vir- Fairfax Committee of 100. skills as a vendor were unparalleled. organized by George Mason Univer- ginia itself,” Banham said. “It’s a concise, Before Banham became the skilled busi- “I was the best vendor there,” Banham sity and the City of Fairfax. Over the accurate history. It will make a lot of people ness journalist and best-selling author that said. “I ran track in high school so I had past 10 years, it has evolved in a angry, but that’s a good thing. That gets the he is today, he took a long and sometimes great stamina. I also had a great voice, so weeklong event that features lec- heart going.” arduous road to get there. Banham was tures, art exhibitions, performances, Banham was in Northern Virginia this born in Queens, N.Y. to a Catholic, work- See Telling, Page 15 poetry readings, film screenings and much more. As always, the festival welcomes scores of esteemed literary figures and performers, all with the purpose A Different Way to Do Things to provide an in-depth look at the works of favorite authors and intro- Woodson PTA as well. The money that both duce new ones. Authors E.L. Woodson High, South County Secondary Henderson and Curry referred to is the Doctorow and Sherman Alexie head- $3,000 dollars in dues that PTA member line the festival, receiving the Fairfax parents vote to form PTOs at their schools. schools must pay each year. According to Prize for lifetime achievement and Curry, the due money does not go back into the Mason Award for extraordinary the school, but rather goes to fund advo- contributions to bringing literature to By Justin Fanizzi Though representatives for both PTA groups cacy efforts at the state and national level. the public, respectively. The Connection cited multiple concerns with the affiliation, “The [Woodson] PTA prided itself on vari- In addition, lectures and readings money was the mitigating factor for both ous political actions and lobbying for chil- from acclaimed writers like James wo area schools have added the groups. dren, but a lot of our members are only Ellroy and Ernest J. Gaines, the fes- Tnext chapter to the parent-teacher “In evaluating our expenses, we deter- worried about what goes on at our school,” tival will also host approximately 150 association debate, as South mined that the cost of continuing our affili- Curry said. “It’s just a different viewpoint, other poets, political theorists, his- County Secondary and Woodson High ation with the PTA did not justify the ben- whether you want to be a part of a county/ torians and even Cake Love founder School parents have voted to branch out efits we received,” said Nanette Henderson, state/national lobbying association or not.” Warren Brown. and start parent-teacher organizations. second vice president for the South County “We have stuff for children all the The decisions, which have been months Secondary School PTA (SCSS PTA). “We THE TALK of starting at PTO at Woodson way up and we try to address all dif- in the making for both institutions, call for could better utilize those dollars within our arose, according to Curry, at a March 10 ferent tastes,” Goodwin said. “We the creation of independent student advo- school.” Woodson PTA meeting. At the meeting, par- spread it around so that everyone can cacy organizations as an answer to the prob- Nell Curry, president of the Woodson High ents voiced their concern that the money See Fall, Page 18 lems created by an affiliation with the School PTO, echoed this sentiment, saying county, state and national PTA hierarchy. that money was a major factor for the See PTA to PTO, Page 18 www.ConnectionNewspapers.com Fairfax Connection ❖ September 24-30, 2009 ❖ 3 News Week in Fairfax Contributing to Deliquency Of Minor Charges Filed Inova Fair Oaks Expands Valerie Roesler, a 27-year-old teacher at Hayfield Secondary School and a former teacher at Hospital opens medical Paul VI Catholic High School, was arrested and charged with office building, parking being drunk in public and con- Police Photo garage. tributing to the delinquency of by Photo a 15-year-old boy Sunday, Sept. 20. By Bonnie Hobbs According to the Fairfax The Connection Bonnie Hobbs County Police Department, a Valerie Roesler patrol officer from the nova Fair Oaks Hospital has some new arriv- Franconia District Station ob- als, but they don’t need to be burped or served Roesler, an Alexandria resident, and the minor sit- changed. These new additions are a four-level, ting in a parked car at 1:50 a.m. in the 7900 block on I $21 million, medical office building and a Gunston Hill Lane in Lorton. Because of the suspicious na- $17.1 million, five-level, energy-efficient and secu- From left, Certified Surgical Assistant ture of the scene, the officer approached the car and an rity-monitored, 950-space parking garage. Adrian Jones and Clinical Director of investigation ensued. On the second floor of the office building is a Nursing Linda Frix stand by a monitor that “[Roesler] was apparently intoxicated when the officer 23,209-square-foot Ambulatory Surgery Center. It’s shows videos of surgical procedures. arrived,” said Officer Tawny Wright. “But there was no for outpatients and contains four operating rooms physical evidence of alcohol in the car nor was there alco- plus physicians’ offices. It’s already up and running, McGovern said doctors also appreciate the new hol in their possession.” and John Fitzgerald, senior vice president, Inova facility’s convenience for them. For example, he said, Police said that the two first met in the last semester of Health System, and CEO, Inova Fair Oaks Hospital, “Physicians can see patients in the new medical build- the 2008-09 school year.