Fond Farewells to Fantastic Fall Fare

Posted by Phil Whiteway

I can’t believe we’ve already closed the curtains on the first three mainstage shows of our 2007-08 seasons. Wasn’t Labor Day just last week? Time flies when your audiences are having fun. (Special thanks to iweiss.com for letting us borrow the interactive graphic. Please visit them for all your theatre supply needs.)

The first show to take its final bows was Stuart Little at the historic Empire Theatre, followed about an hour later by Deathtrap at Hanover Tavern. We bid adieu to both of these crowd-pleasers on Sunday, October 21. I attended the last Stuart performance (it was great!) and then hustled out to Hanover to join Bruce in raising a glass to our wonderful and talented Deathtrap cast and crew (pictured above and to the right) at their closing festivities.

This past Sunday, October 28, it was time to make my famous chili for the wedding reception--The Member of the Wedding, that is. And I actually remembered to bring my camera this time.

Gathered around the groaning board (as Nancy Kilgore's portrait sings a supportive tune) are (left to right) cast members Joe Pabst, Carl Calabrese, Lexi Langs (arm only), Katy Burke, Erin Kate Bradner, David Bridgewater, Katherine Louis (holding her beloved grandbaby), and Eric Evans in the red t-shirt.

To the left, our brilliant and beautiful Berenice Sadie Brown (Katherine Louis) beams in the embrace of her two biggest fans - her equally beautiful daughter and granddaughter. Quoting from Crowns, her last Barksdale show, Katherine called to everyone's attention the way her granddaughter was "workin' that hat."

In the photo to the right, our stage manager Bo Wilson sneaks a hug with our other leading lady, 13-year-old Lexi Langs, with Pete Kilgore's portrait keeping a watchful eye. Joe Pabst (standing to the right of the photo) filled in as Lexi's stage father for the last two weeks of the run, and was a perfect stand-in for Dave Bridgewater, who had been called south for two weeks for some film work. Dave's movie schedule allowed him to come back to town on Sunday so that he could see the show from out front.

Lexi's real-life mom, who lived with Lexi for nine weeks in the comfortable company housing provided by our good friends at Studio Plus Deluxe Studios, smiles for the camera with Jill Bari Steinberg, Lexi's on-stage aunt.

The man of the hour was our Wedding director, Scott Wichmann, (standing to the left in the photo below and to the right) who is not only a gifted theatre artist but also, clearly, a connoisseur of great chili. A quick plug--Scotty, Joe Pabst and Dave Bridgewater joined co-star Joy Williams and director Steve Perigard yesterday to begin rehearsals for the next show in Barksdale's Signature Season at Willow Lawn, Moonlight and Magnolias, a hilarious comedy about the making of Gone with the Wind.

And please note the two stellar theatre talents located just behind Scotty's stage right shoulder. As is so frequently the case, they are in dim lights and in the background. But they are invaluable members of the Barksdale family and add immeasurably to the success of our productions. They are Renee Jones (wardrobe chief and dresser to the stars) and Linwood Guyton (light board operator extraordinaire).

Many, many thanks to all the terrific artists who made Stuart Little, Deathtrap and The Member of the Wedding the great shows that they were. Please know how much we appreciate and value your talent, dedication and hard work.

--Phil Whiteway

Everything's Coming Up Halenda

Posted by John Steils

Kathy Halenda, the wonderful Richmond-raised actress who starred in Barksdale’s recent productions of Mame and Disney’s High School Musical will be lighting up another stage about an hour down the road next week. Kathy is starring as Mama Rose in the national tour of Gypsy (see photo), stopping for one night at Charlottesville’s Paramount Theatre.

Her national reviews thus far have been unanimous raves:

“Gypsy has at least three things going for it -- the beautiful melodies of Jule Styne, Stephen Sondheim's witty lyrics, and American stage veteran Kathy Halenda, a woman big-voiced enough to sing the U.S. national anthem at Fenway Park, and bold enough to make us care about the original stage mommie dearest.” – London Free Press

“Great sets, great costumes and a great Rose!” – Binghamton Sun-Bulletin

“Everything’s Coming Up Rose!” – New Haven Advocate

“Halenda—taking charge the moment she arrives onstage—brings exuberance, energy and physical bravado to her character, making Rose larger than life. The other actors rarely show as much depth as she does, and rarely command such attention.” – Yale Daily News

Also appearing in the national tour of Gypsy is another Barksdale all-star. Rachel Abrams plays Mazeepa (the stripper with the helmet to the right of the photo). Rachel starred with Barksdale during each of the last two summers. She played Janis Joplin, Connie Francis and others in Beehive in 06, and the Baker’s Wife in Into the Woods in 07. In Gypsy, she’s also understudying Kathy as Mama Rose.

Called “the greatest of all American musicals” by the New York Times, Gypsy is the story of a quintessential stage mother, her dreams for her children, and the daughter who dared to live her own dream. From the first trumpet blast to the last hot spotlight, this classic Broadway show packs a powerful wallop, serving up one popular standard after another—songs like “Everything’s Coming Up Roses,” “Let Me Entertain You,” “You Gotta Have a Gimmick,” and “Together Wherever We Go.”

The Paramount performance will be Wednesday, November 7 at 8 pm. A group from the cast of Mame is planning on going up, and we hope lots of Richmonders will drive to C’ville to welcome Kathy back to her home state.

Gypsy was written by three virtuosos of American musical theater: Arthur Laurents (book), Jule Styne (music), and Stephen Sondheim (lyrics). The original production starring Ethel Merman and directed by Jerome Robbins was an instant hit when it opened at the Broadway Theatre in 1959. Subsequent revivals have garnered a total of three Tony Awards and featured such talents as Angela Lansbury, Tyne Daly and Bernadette Peters in the role of Rose.

Tickets are $58.50, $61.50, $64.50, and $69.50. (Barksdale's prices are starting to look pretty good, aren't they?) Half-price student rush seats and group discounts are also available. Tickets are currently on sale online and through the Paramount's box office at 434-979-1933. Also, as of this writing, Chase Kniffen has a couple or three great seats that he needs to sell. You can reach Chase at C.Kniffen@BarksdaleRichmond.org.

--John Steils

Another Fantastic Cabaret at the Empire Theatre

Posted by Billy Christopher Maupin

I am often accused of not sharing information early enough, so even though there are a lot of exciting things going on next Friday for First Friday at the Empire, I wanted to start getting the word out about the cabaret that will be playing in the lobby FOR FREE (which seemed to be the big question last time: "How much is the cover?"). FREE ENTERTAINMENT; How cool is that?
We featured an incredibly well-received cabaret for First Friday in September; so well-received, in fact, that we are featuring another next week, with several returning faces/voices and several new ones as well.

This time around Corey Davis (most recently of Stuart Little at Theatre IV and Austin's Bridge at the Firehouse Theatre Project, also to be seen in the upcoming Rumpelstiltskin's Daughter at Theatre IV),

Billy Christopher Maupin (seen in Mr. Marmalade and Austin's Bridge at the Firehouse Theatre Project and earlier this year in Smoke on the Mountain at Barksdale Theatre at Hanover Tavern),

Audrey Snyder (Stuart Little with Theatre IV, Frankenstein Lives! at the Carpenter Science Theatre, Where's Charley? at Barksdale Theatre),

and Chloe Williams (Barksdale Theatre's smash hit production of Mame) will return to the stage.

And the vibrant new voices of Taylor Baltimore (currently rehearsing as Petra in Stephen Sondheim and Hugh Wheeler's A Little Night Music with Live Arts in Charlottesville),

Catherine Dudley (who just closed as Snowbell in Stuart Little),

Jacquie O'Connor (recently seen in The Full Monty and Scapino! at Barksdale, as well as I Love You, You're Perfect, Now Change at Swift Creek Mill Playhouse),

and Jonathan Spivey (Barksdale's Cyrano de Bergerac, numerous performances at the University of Richmond, and a stunning Lady #3 in Paul Deiss' adaptation of The Magic Flute with Theatre IV) will join them.

The upcoming cabaret will feature songs from Cabaret, Chicago, Dreamgirls, Side Show, South Pacific, Thoroughly Modern Millie, and more!

So come check out all the exciting things happening, grab a drink at the cash bar and check out a fine cabaret. Life is, after all, a cabaret, ol' chum. So...(yeah...you're singing it...)

Friday, November 2, starting at 7:30PM at the historic Empire Theatre in Downtown Richmond!

(Pictured at right, from September's cabaret are Robin Harris-Jones, Billy Christopher Maupin, Russell Rowland, Janine Sears, Andrea Ross, Audrey Snyder, Corey Davis, Chloe Williams, and Keydron Dunn.)

(NOTE: Headshots appear in order of mention and not necessarily adjacent to name.)

365 Days/365 Plays gets Shoutouts from STYLE Weekly and Richmond Times-Dispatch

Posted by Billy Christopher Maupin

Thanks to our incredibly awesome publicist, Judi Crenshaw, I have done three phone interviews this past week with three different publications (Richmond.com, STYLE Weekly, and Richmond Times-Dispatch). I constantly feared saying something incredibly ridiculous and then reading the article saying to myself "Wow[or some other word that I shouldn't publish here], did I really say that?" But these fantastic writers, Karri Peifer, David Timberline, and Celia Wren, respectively, have written articles that illuminate the project in such an exciting, beautiful, intriguing (how I could go on) way! The Richmond.com link I posted last week, so here lie the links to the article that appeared in STYLE Weekly yesterday and the article that appears in the weekend section of the Times-Dispatch today.

David Timberline's piece in STYLE can be read here.

Celia Wren (who was so absolutely incredible to speak with) 's article in today's Times-Dispatch can be read here.

And just so you don't have to hunt back to last week, here is the link to Karri Peifer's feature on Richmond.com.

I also want to give a shoutout to the two other directors in our 365, Darius T. Epps and Kaye Weinstein Gary, who have two of the most unique, refreshing visions that I have encountered.

(Darius is pictured to the left. Kaye is pictured to the right.)

"Stuart Little" Delivers Presents from Iraq

Posted by Bruce Miller

From the It’s a Small World After All Dept. …

Sgt P. J. Whiteway IV, Barksdale and Theatre IV’s envoy to Iraq (through the Virginia National Guard), was discussing “folks back home” with a friend and fellow guardsman, Sgt Ernest Woods, earlier this week. Sgt Woods happened to mention that his son and wife were looking forward to an upcoming school field trip to Richmond to see Stuart Little.

Bells of recognition rang in P. J.’s head, and he told his buddy that the son and wife must be going to Theatre IV. P. J. knows these things because, although he may look like a soldier today [that's Peej 2007 in the photo to the left], it wasn't long ago that he played a Munchkin on the Empire stage. After P. J. 'fessed up to his TIV connections, the two military men came up with the seed of a plan.

Sgt Woods missed his son Jacob a lot. Was there any way that P. J.’s contacts at Theatre IV could obtain and deliver a small present to Sgt Woods’ son as a surprise gift from his dad in Iraq? (The photo to the right was taken by Mike Morones for the Free Lance-Star at the most recent deployment of the Virginia National Guard.)

After a couple of inter-continental phone calls and emails, it all came to pass. Yesterday morning, as the bus from Central Elementary in Palmyra, Virginia pulled up to the Empire to unload, Jennings Whiteway (P. J.’s sister and Theatre IV’s Events, Access and Food Services Manager) was on hand to identify covertly the targeted mother and son.

Before the show began, Andy Boothby took the stage. After the familiar theatre manners speech, he continued:

“We’re especially happy this morning to welcome two new members to the Theatre IV family, only they don’t know it yet. Will Amanda and Jacob Woods please stand?”

With looks of surprise on their faces, they both arose.

“One of our longstanding family members here at Theatre IV, Sgt P. J. Whiteway IV, is serving with the Virginia National Guard in Iraq. We’re proud of him, and think about him every day. We were pleased and surprised earlier this week to hear from Sgt Whiteway, and learn that one of his best pals in Iraq was thinking about Amanda and Jacob Woods, and their upcoming field trip to see Stuart Little right here at Theatre IV.

Jacob’s father, and Amanda’s husband, is Sgt Ernest Woods, also with the Virginia National Guard. After he learned that his friend and fellow soldier in Iraq was part of the Theatre IV family, Sgt Woods asked if he could work with Theatre IV to send a special gift to his son and wife, to let them know that he was thinking about them and missing them every day.

So Amanda and Jacob, we’re honored to pass on to you this small present from your husband and dad, who asked also that we tell you that he can’t wait for the day when he’ll be home with you again.”

Jennings Whiteway then delivered a gift bag (Theatre IV t-shirt, etc) to the startled mom and son, and everyone in the audience applauded. The applause was for Amanda and Jacob Woods, I’m sure, but also for the tens of thousands of men and women who represent our nation abroad and the tens of thousands more who wait for them back home.

The lights went down, and Stuart Little and company began their joy-filled message of family and friends and growing up. The message seemed to resonate with the children in the audience even more than usual. And as Stuart rode off in his toy car into the sunset, all of us said a silent prayer for the safe and speedy reunion of all families now separated by the troubles of our world.

--Bruce Miller

Extra! Extra! Read all about it!

Posted by Billy Christopher Maupin

We just got our first press piece about our involvement in 365 Days/365 Plays! Richmond.com's Karri Peifer has composed a really nice feature story that you can find (as of today) on Richmond.com. Judi Crenshaw, our publicist, has really dones an incredible job with getting this project visibility! She rocks my world a bit.

No need for me to keep going. I'll let you read what Ms. Peifer has to say! On to the story:

Read Richmond.com's Feature about Barksdale Theatre's production of Week 50 of 365 Days/365 Plays by Suzan-Lori Parks.

Theatre Calendar - Oct 7 - 14, 2007

By Tuesday of this week, NINE of our TEN fall shows will have opened! Here are the highlights of the next seven days at Barksdale Theatre and Theatre IV.

Sunday, Oct 7:
in performance –
The Member of the Wedding (Willow Lawn – 2 pm)
Deathtrap (Hanover Tavern - 2 pm)
Stuart Little (Empire Theatre – 2 pm)

Monday, Oct 8:
in performance -
Hugs and Kisses (Richmond schools)
Jack and the Beanstalk (Orange schools)
Tales as Tall as the Sky (Wake County NC schools)
The True Story of Pocahontas (York schools)
in rehearsal -
Dinner Plans (Bifocals Theatre Project)
The Song of Mulan
meeting -
Fairy Tale Ball Committee

Tuesday, Oct 9:
in performance -
The Member of the Wedding (Willow Lawn – 10 am)
Deathtrap (Hanover Tavern – 7 pm)
Hugs and Kisses (Richmond schools)
Jack and the Beanstalk (Chesterfield schools)
The Song of Mulan (Charles City schools)
Tales as Tall as the Sky (Dinwiddie schools)
The True Story of Pocahontas (Clarke schools)
in rehearsal -
Dinner Plans (Bifocals Theatre Project)
meeting -
Brochure and Poster Design - Acts of Faith
speech -
Whiteway at Rotary Club of Richmond

Wednesday, Oct 10:
in performance -
The Member of the Wedding (Willow Lawn – 8 pm)
Stuart Little (Empire Theatre – 10:30 am)
Hugs and Kisses (Richmond schools)
Jack and the Beanstalk (Accomack schools)
The Legend of Sleepy Hollow (Ridgefield CT)
The Song of Mulan (Hanover schools)
Tales as Tall as the Sky (Nottoway schools)
The True Story of Pocahontas (Warrenton VA)
in rehearsal -
Dinner Plans (Bifocals Theatre Project)
meetings -
Set Design - The Little Dog Laughed
Alliance for the Performing Arts

Thursday, Oct 11:
in performance -
The Member of the Wedding (Willow Lawn – 8 pm)
Deathtrap (Hanover Tavern - 8 pm)
Stuart Little (Empire Theatre – 10:30 am)
Hugs and Kisses (Westmoreland schools)
Jack and the Beanstalk (Loudoun schools)
The Song of Mulan (Chesterfield schools)
Tales as Tall as the Sky (Isle of Wight schools)
The True Story of Pocahontas (Fairfax schools)
in rehearsal -
Dinner Plans (Bifocals Theatre Project)
meeting -
Virginians for the Arts

Friday, Oct 12:
in performance -
The Member of the Wedding (Willow Lawn – 8 pm)
Deathtrap (Hanover Tavern - 8 pm)
Stuart Little (Empire Theatre – 10:30 am and 7 pm)
Hugs and Kisses (Caroline schools)
Jack and the Beanstalk (York schools)
The Legend of Sleepy Hollow (Elmira NY)
Tales as Tall as the Sky (Hanover schools)
The True Story of Pocahontas (Rocky Mount NC)
in rehearsal -
Dinner Plans (Bifocals Theatre Project)
meeting -
Virginians for the Arts - Board of Directors

Saturday, Oct 13:
in performance -
The Member of the Wedding (Willow Lawn – 2 pm and 8 pm)
Deathtrap (Hanover Tavern - 8 pm)
Stuart Little (Empire Theatre – 10 am and 3 pm)
Jack and the Beanstalk (Onancock VA)
travel -
TES Theatre Weekend in New York

Sunday, Oct 14:
in performance –
The Member of the Wedding (Willow Lawn – 2 pm)
Deathtrap (Hanover Tavern - 2 pm)
Stuart Little (Empire Theatre – 2 pm)
The Song of Mulan (Greenville OH)
travel -
TES Theatre Weekend in New York

See you at the theatre!

Hail and Farewell to Betty Ann Grove

Posted by Bruce Miller
On Friday at noon, a small group of us met for lunch to toast our lovely, charming and funny friend, Betty Ann Grove, who moves this week to the Actors Home in Englewood, New Jersey. Going left to right, that's me, Robyn O'Neill, Lauren Leinhaas-Cook, Janine Serresseque, Eric Williams, Larry Cook and Betty Ann. Phil's the one taking the picture.

On the Richmond theatre scene, Betty Ann has been the cream in our coffee for just over 16 years now. We celebrate with her during this transition, and we look forward to hearing all the news about her new New Jersey adventure. We especially look forward to bringing Betty Ann back home to Richmond for an upcoming production or special appearance.

Betty Ann was a cultural treasure in our very midst, and thankfully we had the good sense to appreciate her. She appeared at Swift Creek Mill in Driving Miss Daisy, Something’s Afoot and Smoke on the Mountain. She joined us at Theatre IV in Da and The Music Man. Most recently, Betty Ann dazzled our Bifocals’ audience with her one-woman presentation, My Life on the Great White Way.

So what was Betty Ann’s showbiz life like before she and her late, beloved husband Roger Hunting brought their good will to Richmond? Well, I wouldn’t be telling a lie to say that for about five years in mid-century, Betty Ann Grove was America’s sweetheart. The photos of Betty Ann scattered throughout this post are merely what I could find in one evening on eBay.

She graduated with stars in her eyes from Cambridge Public Schools in Massachusetts just at the end of WWII. To tell the truth, there must be something in the water up there. Other Cambridge graduates include Walter Brynnan of The Real McCoys, the great American poet e e cummings, Peggy Cass of all those game shows we used to watch in the 60s, Donald Regan (Chief of Staff for President Ronald Reagan), Olympic Gold Medalist and NY Knicks superstar Patrick Ewing, Orson Bean (I seem to remember him with Peggy Cass on those game shows and also in Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman), and a couple of mugs named Matt Damon and Ben Affleck.

Within three years after graduation, Betty Ann found herself starring on the hit TV variety show, Stop the Music. Cole Porter saw her, loved her, and selected her to replace Lisa Kirk in the major role of Bianca in Broadway's original Kiss Me, Kate (see photo to the left), a gig that she continued until 51.

For a while, she was starring on TV (Stop the Music, The Bert Parks Show [see photo to the right]) at the same time she was starring on Broadway, dashing from TV studio to Broadway playhouse and often just making it in time for curtain. One day when her TV broadcast ran late, she had to start changing into her Broadway costume as she was running down the New York streets.

After Kiss Me, Kate closed, it was back to the small screen for Betty Ann. She starred in The Big Payoff (51), The Red Buttons Show (52 – 54), Summer Holiday (with co-star Merv Griffin in 54), and the Jane Froman Show (she shared guest host honors with John Raitt while Jane was on vacation). For a while, she and Merv Griffin co-starred again in the Merv Griffin / Betty Ann Grove Show (see photo above to the left).

In 1953 she made the cover of TV Digest. Shortly thereafter, she was on the cover of Look Magazine as one of “America’s Most Televised Women.” Her recording of Waltzing Down the Aisle was a chart-topping hit.

In the late 50s, she co-starred on radio with Jim Backus in The Jim Backus Show. In the early 60s she moved on to regional theatres and the straw hat circuit, starring in stock productions of The Sound of Music, Hit the Deck and many others.

In the late 60s, it was back to Broadway, where she created the role of George M. Cohan’s mother in the hit Broadway musical George M!, starring with Joel Grey and Bernadette Peters. Shortly after George M! closed, Betty Ann married the love of her life, Roger Hunting, a successful trial lawyer and, eventually, New York City Civil Court Judge.

Betty Ann returned to Broadway in 1979 with I Remember Mama, opposite Liv Ullman, and again in a revival of Rodgers and Hart's On Your Toes in 83 and 84, appearing with Natalia Makarova and Dina Merrill.

In the early 90s, Betty Ann and Roger moved to Richmond, and we fell in love with the both of them.

Betty Ann, please know how much we’ll miss you, and how much more we’ll be thrilled to see you again when you return to us down here and/or we visit you up there. You’ve earned your way into our hearts, and no matter how famous you are on the national stage, all of us in the Richmond theatre community will always claim you as one of our own.

--Bruce Miller

The Paul and Phyllis Galanti Education Center at the Virginia War Memorial

Posted by Bruce Miller

On Thursday evening, Phil Whiteway and I had the privilege of joining hundreds of Richmond’s finest to honor our very dear friends Paul and Phyllis Galanti, pictured on the February 1973 Newsweek cover to the left. As many of you know, Paul was a POW in the Hanoi Hilton for seven years during the Vietnam War. The story of Paul’s captivity and Phyllis’s international efforts to force the North Vietnamese to abide by the Geneva Convention provided the subject matter for the original musical Four Part Harmony, which received its World Premiere at Theatre IV in 1993.

On Thursday evening, it was announced that the new Education Center that is to be built at the magnificent Virginia War Memorial is to be named in honor of Paul and Phyllis Galanti. This is a tribute that is both fitting and well deserved. Phil and I could not be more proud of our friends. Phyllis has been an exemplary Theatre IV Board member for upwards of 25 years, and Paul has stood beside her in support every step of the way.

Ross Perot made the keynote speech at Thursday’s celebration, standing at the foot of Memory, the inspiring statue that is the War Memorial’s centerpiece. He spoke movingly of Paul’s heroism and Phyllis’s exemplary national leadership of the POW wives. Perot’s impassioned tribute and Phyllis’s and Paul’s gracious responses brought tears to many eyes, including mine.

In a time when the subject of torturing prisoners of war is once again making headlines, it was viscerally moving to be in the presence of men who were subjected to such torture (many of the American POWs were present) and a woman who fought with all her might on the national and international stage to ensure that the torturing of prisoners would not continue unopposed.

K Strong, who played a role based on Phyllis in Four Part Harmony, was also present and beaming with pride. Bruce Rennie, our highly respected Tech Director, was on hand to oversee the effective operation of sound and lights. Former Theatre IV Board President (and recent Theatre IV Board returnee) Bill Garrison and his wife Mary were in attendance, as were Barksdale stalwarts Tom and Carlene Bass.

The Galantis’ adult sons, Jamie and Jeff, were there, of course, to honor their parents, along with Jeff’s new bride. Jeff and his wife are in the photo to the left, along with Phyllis. Mayor Wilder, Dr. E. Bruce Heilman (my good friend and U of R Chancellor), and countless legislators and dignitaries added gravitas.

During our college days at U of R, Phil and I joined hundreds of thousands of students of our generation in wearing POW bracelets on which were etched the names of American servicemen who were being held captive in Hanoi. We pledged not to remove these bracelets until the POWs came home. The name on Phil’s bracelet was Cdr. Paul Galanti. When Paul came to speak at the University after his release, Phil, who had just completed his first summer as a Navy officer candidate, had the honor of giving Paul the bracelet he had worn for so many years. (That's Paul and Phil in the photo above and to the right.)

Because I’m about to mention politics, I’ll now speak only for myself. I am a liberal-leaning Democrat, and deeply embrace the principles that inform my political thinking. Paul and Phyllis Galanti are conservative Republicans, and embody heart and soul the tenets that lead them to their political beliefs. I hope I’m not being presumptuous in saying that, for over 30 years, the Galantis and I have been the closest of friends. I could not have more respect and affection for Paul and Phyllis than I do. Even when we disagree on politics, perhaps especially when we disagree, I treasure our relationship and will always value and honor their character and opinions.

The remarkable tribute that is being paid to Paul and Phyllis Galanti with the naming of the new Educational Center at the Virginia War Memorial is well deserved. I know first hand that both of them are leaders and citizens of the highest caliber. It was my honor to join them on Thursday for the unveiling of plans for the War Memorial expansion.

--Bruce Miller