on to the state meet
a winter wonderland?
More than 20 King George track and field athletes qualify for tournament. 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
POSTAL CUSTOMER
King George
helping you relate to your community
Wednesday, February 25, 2015 50 Cents
celebrating black history month King George has its 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 African-American 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.
Some members favor the move, others oppose it
a voice for the voiceless Cedell Brook, Jr. is the most senior member of the King George Board of Supervisors, representing the Shiloh district for more than 23 years. When first elected in 1991, he was the youngest African-American in Virginia to be elected to a county board. “I’m always concerned about the well-being of others. I’ve tried to be a voice for those who didn’t have one,” Brooks said. When his term ends in December 2017, he will have 26 years on the governing body, making him the county’s longest-serving member. Yet Brooks isn’t about setting records. “I always try to be a listening ear. I don’t always have all the answers, but I’m honest with people and tell them where I stand,” Brooks said. Brooks owns and operates Cedell Brooks Funeral Home in Port Royal. He established the business in 1998 after managing another funeral home for nine years. He is active in the King George NAACP, currently serving as its vice president, and served a lengthy stint as its president. an unexpected dream come true King George County Treasurer Alice Moore will finish her fifth term at the end of this year, retiring after 20 years in office. The King George native mostly worked in banking prior to becoming treasurer. “Holding elected office, this was nothing I dreamed of,” Moore said. She said she was encouraged by the members of the King George NAACP to run for office, but lost her first race for court clerk to Vic Mason. “I wasn’t upset,” Moore said.
School board mulls stipend increase Phyllis Cook
Phyllis Cook photos
King George Supevisor Cedell Brooks, above, will be the county’s longest-serving supervisor — 26 years — when his current term ends. Alice Moore, below, served the county for 20 years as its treasurer. Yet, she persevered when she heard thentreasurer Walter Gallahan was retiring. “He said that’s more my style and encouraged me to run,” Moore said. “I ran in 1995 and took office in 1996. And the rest is history.” Moore is a widow of 10 years. She and her husband raised three children and now she is enjoying her seven grandchildren. Moore said she wants to travel, and a lot of that travel will be combined with family time. “I have always been adamant about supporting my kids in sports,” Moore said. “A couple of my grandchildren are active in travel sports, softball and volleyball.” She said she has loved her time as treasurer, which has seemed to fly by. “King George has been wonderful to me and I’ve enjoyed the job tremendously,” Moore said. 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 flag-raising 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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Saying, “This will probably not be the most popular comment,” King George school board member TC Collins recently proposed members take steps to increase their own stipends. School board positions are part time in King George, with a stipend of $3,600 per year, and an additional $500 going to the chairperson. Collins posed the topic during the Feb. 9 meeting. I figured out my rate of pay is $2.64 an hour,” Collins said. “I was, like maybe, trying to get $3 an hour.” “I’m not in favor,” Ken Novell said. “It bothers me when I see Congress giving themselves raises, and I wouldn’t want to be hypocritical.” Chairman John Davis said it may be an issue worth pursuing. “It’s fine with me,” he said. “I mean, it’s a Virginia law, so we’d have to look at it. If you want staff to look into it, that’s fine with me.” Mike Rose was opposed to the idea. “To me, I’d rather the money go to funding education,” he said. “I never really thought of this being a paid position anyway.” “I understand you don’t do it for the money, but the amount of time spent - even a little more would be helpful toward doing a lot of mileage in the county and going to training all the time,” Collins said. “I would like to leave it the way it is,” Rose said. “It’s more trying to do what’s right, what’s good for the county.” School board members contacted subsequently by The Journal said the amount of time they spend varies, with about five hours per week suggested by Tolliver to 30-40 hours most weeks coming from Davis. This time included going to training seminars, visiting schools, research, board meetings and attending sporting events and productions, as well as other activities connected to the job. That would be a range of between $2 and $14 per hour based on the stipend. No decision was reached and it was unclear if the topic will be pursued in the future.
Clarification Dale Sisson has not been required to file any financial reports since his last campaign ended in 2011. A sentence in the Feb. 18 issue of The Journal was unclear on that point. We regret the error.