the face of fandom
a winter wonderland?
colonial beach’s andre watts’ enthusiasm for his alma mater knows no bounds. Page 4
While some enjoyed the snow that fell on the region last week, others were not too pleased to deal with its consequences. Page 8
T he Volume 39, Number 9
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Colonial Beach • Westmoreland
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Wednesday, February 25, 2015 50 Cents
celebrating black history month Westmoreland has share of prominent African-Americans Phyllis Cook Every February, the nation celebrates Black History Month and takes the time to recognize the contributions members of the AfricanAmerican community have made to the history of our nation. Our region has its share of such groundbreakers and leaders. Here are a few of them.
Staff report
A witness to a changing society Growing up in Westmoreland County, Darryl Fisher experienced the disappointments facing young African-Americans in those days: Massive resistance, separate but unequal schools and the inability to eat a sandwich at the drug store lunch counter in Montross. Today, as chairman of the Westmoreland County Board of Supervisors, as pastor of the Jerusalem Baptist Church and the fourth generation owner operator of the Fisher Funeral Home, Fisher is one of the reasons Westmoreland County has progressed so far since those challenging times. “I have just been fortunate to be a part of the change,” he said. A father of five and a grandfather of 11, Fisher is proud of the successes Westmoreland has had in improving the lives of all of its citizens. “Each day, we’ve moved one step closer to having a better place to live,” he said. “For my part, I have tried to be progressive, but remembering the past and understanding that change doesn’t come rapidly.” Fisher, who has been on the board of supervisors for 24 years, grew up in the village of Kremlin near Hague in the eastern part of the county. He said real change began after the county’s schools were integrated in 1971. “I was amazed at how well Westmoreland handled the transition,” he said.
Phyllis Cook photos
Westmoreland County Board of Supervisors Chairman Darryl Fisher, above left, seen at last year’s Montross Fall Festival, is a successful politician and businessman. Val Foulds, below left, is the first African-American and first woman to be town manager of Colonial Beach. Dashan Turner, below right, has had an immediate impact on Washington & Lee High School since taking over last fall.
a trailblazer on several fronts She is the first African-American and the first woman to fill the position of town manager in Colonial Beach. When Foulds took the position in February 2009, she already had been the previous town manager’s assistant for three years and acting town manager for six months. In her six years in the job, Foulds has accomplished many things, including the unglamorous task of beginning repairs to the town’s water and sewer infrastructure, which had been in serious disrepair since the 1950s. Through her leadership, the town has secured several grants, including the Safe Routes To School Grant and a $750,000 Community Development Block Grant, which is helping to upgrade the downtown boardwalk area. Foulds and her husband, Lloyd, bought their
CB clinic opening delayed again
home in town in 1995 after she retired from Bank of America. The transition from banking to public service seemed very natural to her, she said. Foulds said the quality that has helped her to become a successful career woman is “the tenet of not taking more than I give back and I work hard to earn the trust of the people I lead. “Never take more than you give back. This applies to your employer, your relationships and to your community.
A triumphant homecoming Dashan Turner, the principal of Washington & Lee High school, is one of the leaders young people turn to when trying to understand how to be successful. A former W&L student, Turner returned to Westmoreland this year to help calm troubled waters at W&L. “I tell students they have to do what it takes to reach their goals, their dreams, whatever
those may be,” Turner said. “Kids today have to commit to the goal of achieving.” Turner is a former principal of Westmoreland County’s Washington District Elementary School. Before returning to Westmoreland last fall, he had been serving as director of schools in Petersburg. As a former W&L student and a parent of daughters who currently attend Westmoreland See HISTORY, page 8
happy birthday to the father of our country Costumed workers at the George Washington Birthplace National Monument in Westmoreland County, left, passed out birthday cake and cherry punch to local Boy Scouts who attended a Feb. 22 celebration of Washington’s birth. Our first president was born Feb. 22, 1732 — 283 years ago — at the tobacco farm in the Northern Neck. Washington was a surveyor, a military leader, a Virginia planter and the first president of the United States, but at heart he remained a farmer because of the time he spent at Pope’s Creek, Ferry Farm in Stafford County and later Mount Vernon. The day’s events featured cake at the park’s historic Log House, a flagraising ceremony at the visitor’ center and demonstrations of hearth cooking, blacksmithing and other aspects of Colonial life during the time of Washington’s birth. “The Log House is seldom open to the public,” said Superintendent Melissa Cobern, “and this party was a wonderful opportunity for everyone to enjoy the beauty of this special place.” The George Washington National Birthplace Monument, a member of the national park system, serves as a living memorial to Washington and a teaching platform for its visitors.
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The Colonial Beach Community Care Clinic opening again has been postponed. Company President Arlene Jacovelli said the clinic still is awaiting all its credentials from various agencies and it may not be ready to open its 700 McKinney Blvd. location until June 1, she said. “I find it very frustrating as we have the equipment, the computers, the rent, utilities and the lab in place and it’s costing money but we can’t open because of all the bureaucracy involved with credentialing,” she said. “At the time we set our target opening dates, we were incorrectly informed that we would be able to open under our current credentials. . . . No matter how hard you push government agencies and insurance companies, the answer is still they’ll get around to it when they do.” The term “credentialing” covers all myriad agencies and providers a medical practice and its providers must submit, which can result in hundreds of pages to multiple agencies and companies to simply file for authority to receive reimbursement for services, Jacovelli said. Community Care Clinic currently has a working list of about 35 providers to which it must submit requests. Local patients still can go to the nonprofit company’s King George location, off Route 3, until the local clinic opens. The clinic hopes to replace one that closed in December after its previous owner closed for financial reasons. Originally, it was set to open Jan. 19 and then Feb. 2, but the credentialing delays have prevented that, Jacovelli said. When the Colonial Beach location opens, it will feature primary physician services, walk-in urgent care, same-day appointments and a walk-in lab. School and sport physicals, flu immunizations and allergy shots also will be offered. It plans to have at least one doctor on-site at most times, along with certified medical assistants and walk-in laboratory services, Jacovelli has said. She also said the clinic will accept more insurance companies than the Colonial Beach Medical Center did. The Community Care Clinic accepts Medicare, Medicaid, Anthem, Tricare and most other insurances, with selfpay patients also welcome.
Linda Farneth
The Colonial Beach Community Care Clinic has faced several obstacles in its attempt to open, its owners say.