Stafford Magazine | December 2022/January 2023

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VOLUME 3, ISSUE 6

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KIDS

Stealing the Scenes

Local theater students head to regional competition once again

BY TRACY BELL

They did it again.

Stafford High School’s drama students are among 20 top high school theater groups set to compete in March at the Southeastern Theatre Conference in Lexington, Ky.

What got them there?

They were the grand champions in late October at the Virginia Theatre Association Conference, where they qualified after showing off their 2022 festival play,

“Metamorphoses.”

The students earned an outstanding rating, making it the second year in a row that Stafford took top honors at the state conference. Their success included nine individual and group awards, including best play, outstanding acting ensemble and technical merit, two best actor awards, three all-star cast acting awards and a “tech Olympics” gold medal.

Josephine Martinez, a sophomore who

won a best actor award, said her favorite part of the play is the final scene because of the feeling of accomplishment it gives her.

“What really helped our play be successful was the relationship between the cast,” she added. “We trusted each other and worked well together in a professional and social environment.”

Michael D’Addario, Stafford High School’s theater director, praised the students’ dedication and talent and said

Sophie Statler plays the Woman by the Water in Stafford High School’s production of “Metamorphoses.”

that winning and moving on to the regional conference is an honor.

“It amounts to winning a state championship and then competing for a national title,” he said.

“Metamorphoses” tells the story of a woman at the edge of a pool who calls upon the gods to help her tell the story of how humans are created, change and end. The story centers on a series of ancient myths about passion and love, and performers alternate with each story.

The switch is meant to show a transformation among and within the characters.

Students auditioned in May and spent the summer researching the play, the characters and the myths paramount to the play. By August, they faced a couple of challenges, including parts of the play that

included a bit of a mature theme.

The state judges commented on this, commending the students for tackling this challenge, according to D’Addario.

Emily Herod, a sophomore who won a

best actor award, said her favorite part of the play is the beginning. She plays the character Myrrha, when Aphrodite seizes her.

“I enjoy the emotion and adrenaline of it,” Herod said, noting that hard work, coming together and giving their absolute all is definitely “worth it in the end.”

The second challenge is that the play was written to be performed in a big pool of water.

Because the students had only 45 minutes to set up and perform during the festival, they pivoted to using hundreds of feet of flowing chiffon fabric to create the illusion of water.

Annamarie Bollino, Stafford County Public Schools’ coordinator of visual and performing Arts, said the Stafford theater program has an outstanding reputation.

“It is no surprise they have won backto-back state titles, as their commitment to excellence and dedication to their craft is impressive,” she added. “The division is beyond proud of our theater students and their directors.”

The annual Southeastern conference typically draws about 5,000 participants and offers more than 300 classes and workshops. This year’s conference runs March 1-5.

D'Addario said that the trip will be expensive and students are holding fundraising events, including a book fair, a production of “The Velveteen Rabbit” and a spirit night at a local custard shop.

“We greatly need the help and support of our community in order to attend and represent our school, our county and our state,” D’Addario said. “We are hoping that our community will support their efforts by attending an upcoming fundraising event.”

Tracy Bell is a freelancer who lives in Stafford County.

The Stafford High School theater group plans the following fundraisers:

“The Velveteen Rabbit” performance at Stafford High School, Dec. 9 at 7 p.m. and Dec. 10 at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. Visit staffordhs.seatyourself.biz for tickets.

Spirit Night at Freddy’s Frozen Custard 28 South Gateway Drive, Fredericksburg, Dec. 13, 5-9 p.m.

The high school also accepts donations:

By mail to Stafford HS Drama Boosters, Stafford High School, Attn: Michael D’Addario, 63 Indians Lane, Fredericksburg, VA 22405.

Online at gofundme.com/f/help-stafford-players-get-to-setc

(Clockwise from top) Tyler Gilkerson as Ceyx, Josephine Martinez as Pomona and Jackson Henry as Midas in the production of “Metamorphoses.” The play is written to be performed in a pool of water, but students used flowing chiffon fabric to create the illusion of water. STAFFORD HIGH SCHOOL

‘Service and Sacrifice’

Stafford plays major role in law enforcement film

BY TRACY BELL

They wear a badge, but they’re people, too.

That’s the message behind “Service and Sacrifice” — an emotional documentary that provides a glimpse into the lives of law enforcement officers.

The film is shown every hour at the National Law Enforcement Museum in Washington, and Stafford residents may recognize some of the faces in it. Jim Klock, a Fredericksburg native and veteran officer with the Stafford County Sheriff’s Office turned actor and filmmaker, co-produced the film.

“We want to shine a light on those doing it the right way, keeping people safe, saving lives,” Klock said.

Stafford sheriff’s Sgt. Carol Burgess and Alexandria Police Sgt. Gerald Ford – a former police partner of Klock’s – are interviewed in the film, along with a diverse group of officers from different parts of the country. A bulk of the film was shot in Stafford, along with Alexandria, Fairfax and Washington, as well as Ohio, Alabama and New York.

“Service and Sacrifice,” which spans 33 minutes, honors law enforcement officers serving today, as well as those who have lost their lives in the line of duty.

Interviews include the family of

Anthony Dia, a Toledo, Ohio, officer shot and killed while at work; Matias Ferrerira of Suffolk County, N.Y., who lost his legs in Afghanistan and later became a police officer; Anthony Johnson, who said he was on the wrong path in life and even disliked the police until a chance encounter led him to become a police officer; and the wife of Stephen Williams, of Moody, Ala., who was killed after responding to a motel domesticviolence call.

In the film, Burgess, a Black female officer, interacts with students at Stafford’s Kate Waller Barrett Elementary School, where she served a long stint as a school resource officer. She currently works in crime prevention and community engagement.

Burgess said she knows the effect she can have in law enforcement and approaches it by being herself and treating people how she would want to be treated. Children gravitate toward and inspire her, and it has always been adults, she said, who can be wary of police and sometimes stand back.

Klock set the film in motion after meeting Marcia Ferranto, CEO of the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund, also based in Washington.

Compassionate Care Right at Home HOAF Means Hope

A screenshot of Stafford County Sheriff’s Office Sgt. Carol Burgess being interviewed in the film shown at the National Law Enforcement Museum in Washington.

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They brought in two directors, Klock’s friends Chris Kenneally (“Already Gone”) and Chris Cassidy (“Out of the Shadows”), who have no ties to law enforcement, because Klock was sure they’d make the perfect film.

“We were coming to it from a blank slate,” said Kenneally, who is based in New York City.

Ferranto said that Klock and his team were the outliers – the clear choice for the job.

“‘Service and Sacrifice’ shows the pride from officers’ loved ones; it makes you wish you were an officer, it humanizes them and explains their commitment and sacrifice. That was the vision,” she added. “Once you watch this film, you won’t be able to pass a police officer without saying thank you.”

The film depicts what drives someone to become a police officer and what motivates their work.

It paints a picture of the risks and obstacles they take and how their families are affected.

The film will run daily at the museum for a year to 18 months, Ferranto said.

Klock said the directors did a great job on the film. “It’s a fresh perspective, and no one can say they have an agenda. If you make a propaganda film, you feel it.”

Propaganda films might get the message across, he said, but they lose honesty.

“It was important to make a movie that makes people understand and feel,” Klock added. “I think we achieved that.”

Kenneally – once a bartender who wrote his filmmaking dream down on paper and then made it happen with a documentary on competitive food eating – said that “when you create a documentary, you dive in.” He was touched by the officers’ sacrifice and commitment and wants the world to see them as both human and important to society.

Klock, who has worked on “Blue Bloods,” “The Wire” and “True Detective,” once made law enforcement a full-time job, but now shines a light on it with some of his films. He was a deputy and undercover narcotics detective in Stafford before pivoting to acting.

Although he now spends much of his time in Los Angeles – even calling Keanu Reeves a friend – he often returns to Virginia and still works as a part-time deputy for the Stafford sheriff’s office on projects, including the Special Olympics.

Two years ago, he made the horror movie “Slayed” at Abel Lake in Stafford.

“The Thin Black Line,” another Klock documentary, is set to come out next year. It centers on Stafford’s sheriff’s office and delves into how minority officers navigate

(Left) Co-producer Jim Klock (center) with Alexandria Police Sgt. Gerald Ford and his wife, Marlo, at the premiere of the movie. (Right) Marcia Ferranto, CEO of the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund, with Stafford Sheriff’s Office Sgt. Carol Burgess.

racial tension and public perception.

Klock also worked in law enforcement in Alexandria, where Ford was his partner for almost four years and became the inspiration for “The Thin Black Line.” Ford said he didn’t realize he was the inspiration until the movie previewed, which had him looking around for tissues.

He was also featured in “Service and Sacrifice.”

Ford said officers do relate to the people they encounter on the job and understand struggle.

“It’s not personal,” added Ford, who has been a police officer for 28 years. “We are human beings. Putting that badge on does not make you a robot. We do care.”

But Ford, Kenneally and Klock acknowledged that law enforcement isn’t perfect. All cops aren’t bad, they said, but some of the negativity is understood.

“The good outweighs the bad dramatically,” Klock said. “Behind the badges, there are brave, amazing people making the world a better place.”

As the film’s opens, a police officer’s voice is heard: “We have the opportunity to meet people at their lowest of low and elevate them,” he said. “It’s the most rewarding job in the world.”

As “Service and Sacrifice” notes, being a police officer is a calling. They are safekeepers of the community, the film explains, but not bullet-proof superheroes. They are someone’s son, daughter, mother or father, with families, dreams

The film “Service and Sacrifice” is shown every hour on the hour at the National Law Enforcement Museum in Washington.

and fears. They’re regular people, the film notes, but they’re exceptional, too –putting themselves at risk to make their communities better and safer places for all.

For Ford, the job involves dedication but also sacrifice, danger and worry, missing events and time with family and never knowing when something will happen. He recalled being at a funeral with his wife when he was called to a barricade situation.

“This is not TV,” he said. “It’s the real world and the world is a dangerous place.”

Tracy Bell is a freelancer who lives in Stafford County.

Want to Visit?

The National Law Enforcement Officers Museum is at 444 E Street NW in Washington.

The film “Service and Sacrifice” plays on the hour every hour.

Museum hours: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Thursdays through Saturdays

More information: nleomf.org

Taking Panes

Local firm makes stained-glass windows for Louisiana church

BY DAVID FAWCETT

When customers ask Stessy Jones to restore, repair or build an item for their church, the request typically comes from somewhere local.

Christ Lutheran Church in Fredericksburg. Grace United Methodist Church at Hartwood. Warrenton Bible Fellowship. St. George’s United Methodist Church in Fairfax. Our Lady of Angels Roman Catholic Church in Woodbridge. Aquia Episcopal in Stafford. The owner of Blue Bird Glass Studio in Stafford County has done or is doing work for all of them.

But in April, Jones’ clientele expanded beyond the immediate surroundings when a woman named Truly Marks contacted her out of the blue and asked if she could make six stained-glass windows for Our Lady of the Rosary Church in the Louisiana city of Jeanerette.

Blue Bird has rarely ventured out of the area for a church-related project. In 2014, the studio, led by then-owner Colleen McElfreash, made two 57x57x57-

inch triangles (St. George and the Dragon and old Ironside) for the United States Army Sergeant Major Academy Memorial Chapel at Fort Bliss, Texas. Fort Bliss officials had reached out to Blue Bird based on a recommendation from the chaplain’s office at Marine Corps Base Quantico. The triangles are backlighted within the chapel.

The Louisiana project, though, took Jones and her staff in a new direction. As Blue Bird’s current owner, Jones had never built a stained-glass window herself from scratch. But the

opportunity was too special to pass up.

“Church windows are the past, present and future,” Jones said. “It's the history of the church and a way to teach that. Church windows last for hundreds of years and are a way to keep that history alive.”

Marks lives in Woodbridge, but her mother, Annie, attended Our Lady of the Rosary Church. Marks attended the church as well as a young girl before leaving the area with her husband, Tommy, a retired 24-year Army veteran.

Marks set on this mission as a way to honor the memory of her mother, who passed away in July 2021. In considering different options, the parish priest, Father Francis, suggested stained-glass windows. He also suggested Marks oversee the project. A self-starter, Marks went to work. Marks began her search without any clue who to talk to. She reached out to a number of places, looking for someone who could make the windows at a reasonable price. Eventually, Marks found Blue Bird Glass Studios through a Google search.

Before she took the final six panes to Louisiana, Marks met Jones only once in person to look at glass Blue Bird had picked out. But she and Jones took the necessary time to ensure all needs were met.

To get things started, Marks gave Jones a drawing of the Virgin Mary and the Rosary they wanted for one window image. Jones designed the other five panes. The images of the cross and Joseph are Jones’ designs. The other two renderings were based on suggestions from Our Lady of the Rosary Church.

The two communicated primarily through Facetime to make sure each design fit with Marks’ desire.

From beginning to end, the process took about six months. Our Lady of the Rosary Church paid for the windows when money was available. Each window cost

Stessy Jones (far left) and staff members at Blue Bird Glass Studio with some of the stainedglass windows they made for Our Lady of the Rosary Church in Jeanerette, La.

BILL KAMENJAR

How to make a stained-glass window

“Once the design is completed, we begin the process by selecting glass. The glass selected will not only filter light into the church, it will bring the images to life. We print out two full-size images of the design with numbers to designate each piece of glass to be cut. One [image] will act as a guide, while the other is cut up to use as a pattern to cut the glass. The cut-up numbered pattern pieces are organized according to the corresponding piece of glass that is to be used. The image set as a guide is tacked down to drywall, and layout blocks are placed around the outside edge to ensure that we maintain the appropriate overall measurements of the windows. Then, the pattern pieces are traced onto the glass and each

piece is hand cut and ground to fit into place.

“Once a section of the window has its glass in place, lead came [H-shaped material that holds separate pieces of glass together] is bent, cut and formed to provide connecting strength and support. The pieces of lead came are soldered together at the joints. This process continues until all of the pieces of glass are connected by the came.

“The outside edges are connected with zinc framing to ensure additional support and strength. Window glazing is applied to ensure the security of each piece of glass. The zinc framing is darkened via a chemical process, and the window is buffed and polished and ready to install.”

inches tall and 32 inches wide. Two windows depict Jesus, two depict Mary, one is of Joseph, Jesus’ earthly father, and the other is one of a chalice in the middle of the frame.

Over two trips to Louisiana, Marks and her husband, Tommy, safely delivered the panes to their new home. The first two arrived in April and the last four the weekend of Oct. 28.

“[Stessy] is a godsend,” Marks said. “The work she’s done. It’s really amazing.”

Marks, who describes herself as the handy person in the family, then installed them herself at the nearly 40-year-old small, rural church of 200 members 35 miles southeast of Lafayette. Marks likes renovating houses as a hobby on the side. It’s something her father taught her at a young age.

“I love turning something old into new and making people happy,” Marks said.

But fitting the six windows into place at the church took on special meaning.

between $2,000 to $4,000, depending on the design required.

Using their various skills, Jones and her staff – Joe Urena, Cheryl Fontaine, Lisa Pappas, Suzanne Kramer, Karen Fox,Judi Oliver, McElfreash, Rene Moeller, Juli Timmons, Ellen Brandon, Erin Windsor, Clinton Harris and Liz Harris – all played a part in the project. The windows weighed between 30 and 50 pounds each and were 44

“[My mom] would be so happy to see them, to know we cared enough to do something like this in her memory,” Marks said. “I’m so grateful to Stessy – that I found her and she was so helpful. She was just the sweetest person to do that. It was an awesome job.”

Jones said she felt like her time with Marks and Our Lady of the Rosary Church felt akin to a mission from God.

“It almost feels like it,” Jones said.

Dave Fawcett is sports editor of InsideNoVa and lives in Stafford County. He can be reached at dfawcett@insidenova.com.

Dr. Joshua Cole,

Dr. Joshua Cole

Sentara Therapy Center

Blue Bird Glass Studio’s Stessy Jones explains the process:

Three of the stained-glass windows in place at Our Lady of the Rosary Church in Jeanerette, La.; (below) Blue Bird Glass Studio employees work on one of the windows; (right) Stessy Jones checks the work before the windows are shipped.

BILL KAMENJAR BILL

NEIGHBORS

//

Work ethic, Germanna put Stafford man on road to success

BY TRACY BELL

All the while, Brar was working to bring his family to the United States. Twenty-two relatives eventually joined him, immediately starting businesses to make do.

And when some of his family wanted to get commercial driving licenses, Brar jumped on board with a dream to start his own CDL school.

“She would say, ‘You took all these classes. Now you need to do this, or do that,” Brar recalled. “She was a big help.”

Today, Brar is the proud CEO of a national trucking business with more than 30 vehicles. The 55-year-old lives with his family in the Stafford Lakes neighborhood off U.S. 17 in south Stafford. His wife arrived from India in 2003. They have two children – one who attends Colonial Forge High School and another who attends the University of Mary Washington in Fredericksburg.

Brar’s business, 2020 Driving School on William Street in Fredericksburg, runs the gamut in driving services. There’s a commercial side that teaches people to obtain their CDL so they can drive a truck or bus, but also in-car driving lessons for teenagers and adults learning to drive or needing a Virginia license. The business also offers classes required for people who get speeding tickets.

Brar’s business also helps 12 to 20 refugees a month from Afghanistan earn truck- and bus-driving credentials through classes so that they can support their families. Brar said that Catholic Charities refers interested refugees to him, and he helps them through the process to get their CDL licenses.

Brar also employs Afghan immigrants as instructors so there are no language barriers. Some of his instructors and students were even interpreters for American forces until the United States pulled out of Afghanistan. Some evacuated during the final days of American presence there.

“They are grateful,” Brar said. “You can see in their eyes they know they’ve achieved something.”

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hen Stafford County resident Babu Brar arrived in the United States from India in 1995, he had just $200 in his pocket and no place to live. The youngest of five siblings, he had made his way from Punjab, India, seeking a better opportunity – to work and support his family back home.

W

“I work hard and never look back,” he said.

“One job, two jobs, three jobs. No time off.”

In 1999, Brar still had multiple jobs but started taking classes at Germanna Community College in Fredericksburg. Because the jobs took most of his time, the road to a degree was slow. Class after class. Job after job. Repeat.

For three years, Brar worked three jobs at a time, seven days a week. He worked from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. every day, at a 7-Eleven, a gas station and a Jiffy Lube, where he became manager of the year.He picked up all the hours he could at work, saving money along the way.

“Germanna was the starting point for everything,” said Brar, a Sikh electrical engineer and Indian Army veteran who served overseas before coming to the United States.

He had already taken some necessary classes for that at Germanna, including driving, business and English courses, so he went back to Germanna for more. In all, Brar took classes for 19 straight years at Germanna, took a couple of years off, and then eventually graduated with an associate’s degree in the spring of 2021.

Tina Lance, dean of workforce development at Germanna, credited Brar’s “perseverance and dedication.”

“He is truly an example of the entrepreneurial spirit,” she added.

Lance taught several of Brar’s classes years back and encouraged him along the way.

After graduating from Germanna, Brar transferred to the University of Mary Washington and is now working toward a bachelor’s degree. He took the fall semester off, but this spring it’s back to the books.

Thinking back on his journey, Brar said that when he came to the United States, he was most surprised by American food.

“It was a shock,” he said. But just like his approach to life, he said, “Let me try it” and dove right in.

Tracy Bell is a freelancer who lives in Stafford County.

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20 STAFFORD MAGAZINE • DECEMBER 2022/JANUARY 2023 STAFFORD MAGAZINE • DECEMBER 2022/JANUARY 2023 21

Droning On

Israeli company opens U.S. facility in Stafford

BY ERIC ALTHOFF

Given Stafford County’s proximity to the nation’s capital, it’s little surprise defense contractors see the area as an attractive place to do business. Indeed, this fall, Israeli drone manufacturer UVision Air Ltd. opened up shop at the Quantico Corporate Center, conveniently located a short distance from Marine Corps Base Quantico.

Jim Truxel, CEO of UVision USA and a Virginian his entire life except for a stint in the Marines, knew this would be the perfect location for UVision to come to America.

“The commonwealth and the county of Stafford provided us the best opportunity for growth. And the economic incentive [and] programs they put forward were very attractive,” Truxel said. He added that the proximity to Quantico was an extra benefit because the Marine Corps is a major client, and Virginia’s port in Norfolk provides convenient access to transportation for possible foreign military sales.

UVision was founded in 2011 to make aerial “loitering munition

(ABOVE)

UVision’s

(left to right): Yigal Kelman-Avni, director of marketing and sales North America for UVision; Dov Hoch, executive director, Virginia Israel Advisory Board; Yonatan Yaron, vice president of marketing and sales for UVision; Avi Mizrachi, CEO of UVision, and Jim Truxel, CEO of UVision USA. (LEFT) A launch of one of UVision’s Hero series of drones, and a drone in flight.

systems.” The pride of the company’s portfolio is the HERO drone series, designed for unmanned, precision attack capabilities using onboard navigation and on-the-ground support. Assembly of the drones themselves will soon be underway in Stafford, with the warheads connected by a firm called Spectra Technologies in a highly secure facility in Camden, Ark.

Retired Maj. Gen. Avi Mizrachi, CEO of UVision Air Ltd., spoke about the program via video conference from his offices near Tel Aviv. He said the handling of the explosives can’t be done in Stafford, hence the outsourcing to Spectra, which has bunkers and warehouses to store the weapons.

“If we find in the future a closer facility that does those hard integrations, we will of course look if we can move it closer,” Mizrachi added.

Mizrachi visited Stafford in October to cut the ribbon on the 25,000-square-foot facility, where he was joined by municipal and business leaders, as well as entities such as the Virginia Economic Development Partnership, the Port of Virginia and the Fredericksburg Regional Alliance.

Tinesha Allen, who represents the Griffis-Widewater District on the Stafford County Board of Supervisors, welcomed UVision, saying she was proud that “this small, specialized business [will serve] our U.S. military combat operations. … Thank you for your investment in Stafford.”

Cutting the ribbon at the grand opening of

Stafford office are

The company’s vision for the next few years entails taking advantage of the deep bench of engineering and technical expertise in Stafford to staff up its ranks.

Currently UVision USA employs but a single hire, Truxel.

“My title is CEO, but I do everything from take out the trash to strategy, and everything in between,” the former Marine said with a chuckle.

However, manufacturing a drone is far from a one-man job, and Truxel plans to hire about 50 local workers. “We figure it will take

us about three years to completely build out, plus some of the contracts we are working on will be fully mature by that time.”

Truxel applied for the position in 2018.

Over the holidays that year he was flown from chilly Virginia to tropical Tel Aviv, where he met and was interviewed by Mizrachi and UVision’s board of directors.

On the first leg of his trip back to America, he stopped in France to meet with the firm’s owner for additional vetting. Back in Virginia, still recovering from jetlag, Truxel learned he’d been hired to set up UVision’s

U.S. operations.

“There’s not a playbook, I can tell you that,” Truxel said of founding the local outlet for an overseas defense contractor. And while he might have been biased to work in his home state, Truxel said he also looked farther afield to Maryland, Alabama, Mississippi, Florida and Indiana before settling on Virginia for the production and training facility.

“Stafford provides us with a great location,” he said. “We’re 40 minutes from D.C.; we have Manassas, Fredericksburg, Culpeper, Dahlgren, [and] Richmond isn’t too far away. So being able to pull in resources for hiring we see as being very central.”

Given his local knowledge, Truxel is also able to cut through the bureaucratic red tape, which came in useful for his coworkers six time zones away – including Mizrachi, who studied at Harvard and lived for several years in both New York and Washington.

“From a manpower perspective, we need some technicians and engineers, and I think this area can support us with the human resources that we need,” Mizrachi said of UVision’s American base.

Truxel said engineers in Stafford will work with U.S. customers to integrate technology that can’t be taken offshore. “So we’ll be able to do that R&D and integration work here in that facility.”

Mizrachi added that he hopes the Stafford facility will be manufacturing close to 2,000 drones annually in a few years time – and such output can be ramped up in times of crisis. The retired

general says UVision’s technology will be a gamechanger in the defense drone sector, not just on price point but in the quality of its deliverables.

“You see what’s going on in Ukraine… so we’re in the right position to be in the market at this time,” he said. “I don’t [advocate] for open war, but it happens. Everybody wants this kind of system, and it’s good for the company [and] if I put some facilities in Virginia, it’s good.”

UVision also has facilities in India and is looking for a European location as well. The firm’s global reach will allow it to head off supply chain problems, Mizrachi believes, and allow UVision to employ even more people down the line, including in Stafford.

“We do understand that in order to do business in the States, we need to [participate in] the economy and create jobs and an independent supply chain,” he said, adding that hiring Virginians “with no Israeli accents” will allow for a more seamless blending here. “It’s easier to train the workforce, it’s easier to communicate [within] the same culture.”

Mizrachi hopes that UVision USA will be independent and self-sustaining within a half-decade as it fulfills contracts with the Marine Corps and the Department of

Defense in addition to international orders.

The firm will start working to get its special security agreement with the United States, required of foreign companies. He noted that currently he must leave the room when certain issues of U.S. national security are discussed.

“It’s OK,” he shrugged, “I’ll share the profit.”

The firm also hopes to eventually have a public offering of stock on the U.S. exchanges.

For his part, Truxel says he plans to source as many materials as possible from the area for drone assembly. The company is looking to not just be an employer but an active member of the Stafford community and support fellow small businesses nearby.

“I’m excited that we’ve put a stake in the ground here in Stafford,” said Truxel, who was born in Norfolk. “The Quantico Corporate Center is a great location. We’re happy to be here, and we look forward to working with local businesses to get this fully up and running.”

Eric Althoff is a freelancer who lives in Stafford County.

It’s okay not to be okay. We’re here to help find a spark of light when things seem hopeless. www.rappahannockareacsb.org

Hope is here.

UVision’s multi-canister launcher was on display (left photo) at the grand opening of its Stafford facility and is shown being used (right photo) to launch one of the company’s Hero 120 drones.

Beauty Bleach Boutique opens in Falmouth area

The Beauty Bleach Boutique, a salon and boutique shop, opened in November in the Falmouth area. The business, at 104 W. Cambridge St. Fredericksburg, was started in 2020 by Bree Adams in her house. She previously had over a decade of experience in a traditional salon environment.

“The opening of the salon and boutique shop was inspired by my loyal and supportive clients,” Adams said. “Our salon services and retail business are driven by our desire to offer an affordable and quality experience.”

Beauty Bleach Boutique is located in a nationally registered historic building built in 1833 called the Lightner House. The building, across from Amy’s Cafe, was a country store, lunchroom and ice cream parlor that operated from the late 1800s.

The new salon is open Tuesdays through Saturdays, and the boutique shop offers clothing and accessories for women, men and children.

Sentara opens therapy center in Stafford

Sentara has opened a multi-specialty therapy center in Stafford County.

The center offers physical therapy, chiropractic care, occupational therapy and speech therapy. It is the fourth such center opened in the area by Sentara, which operates Sentara Northern Virginia Regional Medical Center in Woodbridge. The healthcare company also has two therapy centers in Woodbridge and one in Dumfries.

The Stafford center is at 95 Dunn Drive, Suite 123. Walk-ins are welcome, or to make an appointment, call (855) 852-9066. For more information, visit sentara.com/therapy.

Testbed attracts software developer

Visit InsideNoVa.com for more news from around the region.

Mary HealthcareWashingtoncollaborates with Germanna

Mary Washington Healthcare and Germanna Community College are collaborating to create a non-clinical medical office specialist pilot program.

The program consists of students taking online flexible learning classes to obtain a Certified Billing and Coding Specialist credential, a hands-on four-week internship and the opportunity to move into a new full-time office position at Medical Imaging of Fredericksburg or Mary Washington Healthcare Revenue Cycle.

The first pilot program drew 43 applicants, seven of whom were selected. The program started in August and will end in December.

“We are excited to help our associates create career paths that let them grow, develop, and use their talent here at MWHC,” said Kathy Wall, chief human resources officer of Mary Washington Healthcare. “We are excited about the new pipeline programs that are in the works such as surgical technologist, behavioral health technician, phlebotomy, and patient care technician.”

Dr. Shashuna Gray, vice president of academic affairs and workforce development at Germanna, said the program is part of the school’s mission. “MWHC is an essential part of our community, and their employees are our heroes. We are honored to be able to support them in their desire to grow professionally.”

Cocoflo, an internationally recognized tech software developer, is opening its first U.S. headquarters in Stafford County.

Jonathan Levitt, Cocoflo’s vice president for growth, said the Virginia Smart Community Testbed attracted the company to Stafford.

Based in Canada, Cocoflo provides cloudbased city services to governments across North America and partners with local government organizations to digitally transform and refine their community functions.

Over the past six months, Cocoflo has worked with the Testbed and Stafford to design a local pilot project that, when deployed, will improve Stafford’s critically identified flood zones. With the help of Cocoflo, the pilot project will provide smart community and Internet of Things flood sensor modeling that will be designed to notify area residents to prepare for flooded roads and provide alerts to use for emergency management.

Cocoflo is creating two jobs in Stafford with plans for future expansion.

Five county schools earn Purple Star designation

The Virginia Council on the Interstate Compact for Military Children has awarded five Stafford County Public Schools with the 2022 Purple Star Designation.

The Virginia Purple Star Designation is awarded to schools that demonstrate a major commitment to students and families connected to the nation’s military.

The Stafford schools honored were Margaret Brent Elementary and North Stafford High School, each for the first time, and Rockhill, Widewater and Winding Creek elementary schools, all for the second time.

“Military families face unique challenges when entering and exiting our school division, and I am exceptionally proud of all our Purple Star Schools for reinforcing our unconditional support of military families,” said Thomas W. Taylor, superintendent of Stafford schools.

The Purple Star Designation is valid for three years. Schools must continue to demonstrate a commitment to the military community and reapply for designation. Other Stafford schools holding the designation are Anthony Burns, Conway, Falmouth, Rockhill and Rocky Run elementary schools.

Rudolph, Charlie Brown and Zu Zu’s petals

treasures on other networks.

In fact, no holiday prompts as many TV specials, specialthemed episodes of popular shows or movies as Christmas. No sitcom can run long without a Christmas episode, and all those TV specials done way back when, just like “Rudolph,” keep running year after year.

100 American films.

And it seems everyone, in every medium, does their version of “A Christmas Carol.”

The Charles Dickens classic about Scrooge and his three ghosts was perhaps the first modern Christmas story.

and Fred Flintstone have all taken on the role of Ebenezer Scrooge.

BY DAVID S. KERR

Iremember the first year it aired. At the time, I didn’t know it was the show’s premiere, or that it was the start of a national holiday tradition. I was a little boy, and I just knew that I wanted to see it.

My parents, who were going out that Saturday just before Christmas in 1964, told my babysitter to make sure I saw the show. It was the NBC version of “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer,” which premiered on the General Electric “Fantasy Hour.”

The show, done in what’s called a stop-motion format, was the familiar story about a reindeer whose nose was so bright that it could serve as a headlight for Santa’s sleigh.

The story, by the way, was written in 1939 as a Christmas promotion for Montgomery Ward, a national department store chain from times past. But that didn’t matter. It was about Rudolph, and the story was perfect for a 6-year-old who was totally enamored with Christmas.

Since that first airing, NBC has shown “Rudolph” annually for 58 years, joined by many other TV and movie Christmas

“A Charlie Brown Christmas” debuted in 1965, and like “Rudolph,” is still shown without fail each year. It’s a wonderful production. The same is true for “Frosty the Snowman,” complete with the voices of Jimmy Durante and Fred Astaire.

When it comes to movies, Christmas has been a theme no producer seems able to resist. Alas, some are distinctly forgettable. Thing is, they’re so bad you can’t.

For instance, does anyone out there remember “Santa Claus Conquers the Martians”? It came out at Christmastime. I do and must admit that in 1965 I went to see it.

Fortunately, though, most films have done better. Perhaps my favorite is Jimmy Stewart’s 1946 classic, “It’s a Wonderful Life.” Sure, it’s sappy and melodramatic – with Mr. Potter, Zu Zu and her petals and, of course, the angel-to-be, Clarence. But it’s still one of my favorites.

It was also, according to the star of the movie, one of his favorite films, too. The movie wasn’t popular at first – perhaps the public was still a bit too dazed by World War II - but it’s now rated by the American Film Institute as among the top

In the early to mid-19th century, Christmas had fallen out of favor, but Dickens’ story, first published in newspapers in 1843, has been given credit for turning the holiday into the modern-day celebration we know so well.

“A Christmas Carol” has prompted numerous motion pictures, several stage plays and a host of TV specials. And, in some strange twists that can happen only on television, even cartoon characters such as Donald Duck, Mr. Magoo

You might think that with the hundreds of TV episodes, the specials that come back year after year and the long list of movies, perhaps Christmas as a theme for modern media is nearly exhausted. But thank goodness, I don’t see any indication of that so far, and that suits me just fine. Hollywood seems to enjoy Christmas as much as I do.

My only request is that they keep showing “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer.” Christmas isn’t complete without it.

David Kerr is a Stafford resident and an adjunct professor of political science at VCU. He worked on Capitol Hill and for various federal agencies for many years.