GREAT FALLS CEREMON& REMEMBERS LIVES LOST, CHANGED IN 9/11 ATTACKS: More than 160 members of the Great Falls community and surrounding areas turned out for the annual commemoration of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.
The event and vigil was held at the Great Falls Freedom Memorial.
“I was one of the lucky ones,” said retired U.S. Navy Adm. Lou Crenshaw, who was in the Pentagon when it was struck by a hijacked airliner.
Others, he noted, were not so fortunate, including six Great Falls residents who were in the hijacked plans that day: Ann Judge, Lisa Rains, George and Diane Simmons, Barbara Olson and U.S. Marine 1st Lt. Richard Gabriel.
“They are all heroes in my book,” Crenshaw said, urging attendees to be prepared for challenges and “develop a mindset to help others by doing things that put other people first.”
“When you see or are involved in the next crisis, or emergency, or difficult situation – turn toward it,” he said. “Because you have discarded the ‘me-too’ attitude, you have the tools to deal with the problem and you remember the footprints left in the sand by Ann, Lisa, George, Diane, Barbara and Richard. That’s the most fitting way to honor them.”
Among those participating in the event were members of Boy Scout Troop 55 (color guard), Erin Gantt (leading the National Anthem) and Jonathan Torres (presenting Taps). Great Falls Freedom Memorial board president Andy Wilson welcomed dignitaries.
FOUNDATION DONATES $75,000 FOR NEW FIRE ENGINE IN McLEAN: On the anniversary of the 2001 terrorist attacks in which many firefighters risked and lost their lives, the Patricia A. Henriques Charitable Foundation on Sept. 11 made a $75,000 grant to McLean Volunteer Fire Department (MVFD) to help purchase a new, state-of-the-art fire engine.
Robert Freda, an estate-planning attorney and MVFD administrative volunteer, presented a check to Patricia Moynihan, the fire department’s president. The donation was the largest ever in the department’s 103-year history.
The charitable foundation’s benefactor, Patricia Henriques, died in 2020, and her charitable foundation is managed by Freda and his wife, Tricia.
“My admiration for McLean Volunteer Fire Department is well-known, and it was always noted by my dear friend and colleague Pat [Henriques],” Robert Freda said. “For 40 years, she lived by the Pentagon, and making this grant to assist the heroes of this department on the 23rd anniversary of the attack would thrill her. Personally, it’s very moving to me to be the bridge between her undying spirit and the spirit of this great department.”
Moynihan said the department was “very grateful” for the generous donation, which will go a long way toward purchasing the $500,000 fire engine. Department officials expect delivery of the new engine in 2027.
“We will go from one to two fire engines to serve the people of McLean and greater McLean area,” she said. “This added capability will allow us greater flexibility to respond to emergencies as the number of residents and businesses in the area continues to increase.”
NEW MINISTER ARRIVES AT ST. FRANCIS EPISCOPAL: Rev. E. Weston Mathews on Sept. 3 began his ministry as priest-in-charge with St. Francis Episcopal Church in Great Falls.
Rev. Mathews was born and raised in the Shenandoah Valley. He attended the College of William and Mary, where he earned both a bachelor of arts in history in 2004 and a master of arts in education in 2005.
Mathews served as a high-school history teacher and coach in Nelson County, Va., before entering Virginia Theological Seminary, where he was ordained in 2014.
Rev. Mathews served as the 21st rector of Grace Church in The Plains from 2017 until earlier this year. In the years following the COVID-19 pandemic, the budget of Grace doubled, annual giving grew by 75 percent and Grace developed a successful food-ministry program and LGBTQ+ grants program.
In 2020, the Episcopal Diocese of Virginia recognized Rev. Mathews with its annual “Meet Me In Galilee” award for reconciliation in honor of his work as co-director of the Interfaith Alliance for Climate Justice.
Rev. Mathews succeeds the church’s fourth rector, David Lucey, who is retiring from parish ministry and had served at St. Francis for nearly 10 years.
For additional information on the church, see the Website at http://www.stfrancisgreatfalls.org.
FESTIVITIES TO MARK BIRTHDAY OF ‘OLD FIREHOUSE CENTER’: A celebration of the Old Firehouse Center’s 34th anniversary, an adjunct of the McLean Community Center, will be held on Saturday, Sept. 21 from 1 to 4 p.m. at the center.
Games crafts, music, food, amusements, giveaways and more will be part of the event. Admission is free.
The center is located 1440 Chain Bridge Road. For information, see the Website at www.mcleancenter.org.
‘HARVEST HAPPENINGS’ FESTIVAL ON HORIZON: The McLean Community Center will host its Harvest Happenings festival on Saturday, Sept. 28 from 10 a.m. to noon at the center.
The indoor-outdoor festival will feature live entertainment, a petting zoo, crafts, games and a pumpkin patch, where pumpkins can be purchased for on-site decorating.
The event is free. For information, see the Website at www.mcleancenter.org.
ADMISSION FREE AT GREAT FALLS PARK FOR NATIONAL PUBLIC LANDS DAY: In observance of National Public Lands Day, admission will be free on Saturday, Sept. 28 to Great Falls National Park.
The next free-admission day will be Veterans Day (Monday, Nov. 11).
For information, see the Website at go.nps.gov/greatfallsevents.
