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T he
Colonial Beach • Westmoreland
Volume 40, Number 34
helping you relate to your community
Wednesday, August 24, 2016 50 Cents
Hot cars, hot weather for Rod Run New high school
cost uncertain
Richard Leggitt Cars, cars and more cars. Colonial Beach hosted the 37th Annual Rod Run to the Beach last weekend. The event on Town Hill attracted large crowds of car enthusiasts to the Beach to examine, antique cars, classic cars, custom cars and hot rods from Virginia and several adjoining states. The Colonial Beach Chamber of Commerce sponsored the two-day event, and with the help of the original Colonial Rod Club raised funds for scholarships for graduating seniors from Colonial Beach High School. Over the years, the yearly event has raised hundreds of thousands of dollars to help deserving students. "It was a very good weekend," said Westmoreland Supervisor Larry Roberson, who lives in Colonial Beach. "Very pretty cars. There was a beautiful 67 Mustang fastback that See Run, page 2
Image courtesy of Westmoreland County Public Schools
School board still in planning phase
Photo by Richard Leggitt
Marla Gustafson, left, holding one-year-old Griffin, and husband Eric were among the exhibitors at the Ron Run to the Beach. The Gustafsons, who live at the Beach, displayed a vintage 1954 white Corvette and Marla’s 1972 classic blue Corvette.
Paul Mountjoy, well known Westmoreland journalist dies Richard Leggitt
Paul Mountjoy of Kinsale, a wellknown journalist who was recently elected president of the Montross Tea Party, died suddenly last week of a heart attack. Mountjoy was a former editor and columnist at the Washington Times. A big, gregarious guy who loved to tell a funny story and loved to hear one, Mountjoy was seen frequently bouncing around Westmoreland County in his old SUV with his dog, Dogbert, at his side. Mountjoy was a determined journalist and had served as a reporter and columnist for the Westmoreland News and more recently was the publisher of the Northern Neck Free Press. He was also noted for frequently helping the less fortunate. "Paul had a powerful way of helping people, sometimes without them even knowing he was helping," said Darlene Nichols of Warsaw, a coworker at the Free Press. "If Paul was your friend, you had a friend for life." "I just can't believe he is gone," See Mountjoy, page 2
An artist’s rendering of plans for the new W&L High School. cost of the project remains a question. "I have been going to all of the meetings, but I have yet to hear a price," said Westmoreland SuperviRichard Leggitt sor Woody Hynson. "We are waiting The Westmoreland County Board to see what the school board comes of Supervisors and the Westmore- up with." "We have seen concepts and we land School Board are steadily prohave seen drawings," said Supervisor ceeding toward the building of a new Russ Culver. "[The Westmoreland Washington & Lee High School and sports complex in Montross. But the See School, page 2
Colonial Beach resident one of nation's first female rangers Schuck volunteers on 100th anniversary of park service Richard Leggitt Colonial Beach's Pocahontas Schuck, 76, was honored last weekend to work as a volunteer at the National Park Service's Humpback Rock Visitors Center on the Blue Ridge Parkway, reprising the role she filled as a 29-year-old who was one of the nation's first female park rangers. Schuck said she was inspired to take one last turn working for the Park Service because this year the NPS is celebrating its 100th anniversary. "The Park Service people are some of the greatest people on earth," Schuck said. "They don't make a lot of money, they do it for the love of people and the love of nature," Schuck said. A high school science teacher, Pocahontas joined the Park Service as a summer employee in the late 1960s at a time when the U.S. Department of Interior employed few woman as park
Mountjoy
See Ranger, page 2
Photo by Richard Leggitt
Pocahontas Schuck of Colonial Beach examines her photographic memories from her time as one of the first women park rangers for the Department of the Interior and the Park Service.
Vietnam War Commemoration event celebrates Retired Gen. Wilma L. Vaught Phyllis Cook
Retired U.S. Air Force Brigadier General Wilma L. Vaught captivated an audience of 75 people on Aug. 11 speaking with force and humor about her long and distinguished career in the military, and about women in military service during the Vietnam era and the challenges she and others faced. The midday event at the University of Mary Washington-Dahlgren campus was hosted by NSWC Dahlgren Division as part of multiyear national commemoration of the 50th Anniversary of the Vietnam War to honor Vietnam veterans, former prisoners of war, those missing in action and their families with appropriate ceremonies and activities. General Vaught retired from the Air Force in July 1985 after a distinguished 28-year historic military career. Following retirement from military service, she served for 29 years, from 1987 to January 2016, as
president of the board of directors of the Women In Military Service For America Memorial Foundation Inc. Vaught was largely responsible for raising the funds, building and then operating the Memorial and Education Center, located at the gateway to Arlington National Cemetery. Dedicated in 1997, the memorial is America’s only major memorial to tell the story of women’s service to the nation, beginning with the American Revolution. Some 260,000 women’s records of service are registered with the Women’s Memorial, which honors all the women who have served courageously, selflessly and with dedication in times of conflict and in times of peace — women whose achievements have for too long been unrecognized or ignored. “Women deserve that recognition, as do the men,” Vaught said. Tens of thousands of visitors from around the world annually come to the memorial.
Vaught, herself, continues to be recognized as one of the most-decorated military women in U.S. history. Her awards and decorations include the Defense and Air Force Distinguished Service Medals, Air Force Legion of Merit, Bronze Star, Meritorious Service Medal, Joint Service Commendation Medal, Air Force Commendation Medal with Oak Leaf Cluster, Joint Meritorious Unit Award, Vietnam Service Medal, Republic of Vietnam Gallantry Cross with Palm and Republic of Vietnam Campaign Medal. She was the first and, for 22 years, the only woman promoted to brigadier general from the comptroller career field, in September 1980. She was also the first woman to deploy with a Strategic Air Command bombardment wing on an operational deployment, 1966 and ’67.
See Vaught, page 2
Photo by Phyllis Cook
Retired Brigadier General Wilma Vaught, left, with retired Navy nurse Barbara Fuscaldo next to her, with a group of Vietnam veterans/family from the audience invited to come forward and accept pins for the Commemoration of the 50th Anniversary of the Vietnam War, with NSWCDD Commander Capt. Brian Durant on the far right.
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