2018 Georgetowners of the Year
By • December 19, 2018 0 914
The naming of Georgetowners of the Year has been a tradition of The Georgetowner newspaper for decades. This year’s group, selected by the editorial board, includes one of America’s most famous journalists, a foundation dedicated to restoring and commemorating African American history, a community leader and historic preservationist, a restaurateur whose tavern is a Georgetown icon and a corporation — and its founder — “in business to save our home planet.”
Pamla Moore: Model Citizen
Pamla Moore, again the president of the Citizens Association of Georgetown, served as board chair for Georgetown Heritage, which is committed to a C&O Canal renovated and reborn. This historic preservationist and former Peace Corps staffer is a member of the Georgetown Business Improvement District board and its Georgetown 2028 Steering Committee. Georgetown is beyond grateful to have this smart and gracious woman in its midst. For such accomplishments — above and beyond — Pam Moore is a Georgetowner of the Year for 2018.
Photo by Patrick G.Ryan.
Billy Martin’s Tavern: 85 Years
“Restaurants are in my blood,” says Billy Martin Jr., the fourth to be part of the Georgetown landmark, which opened in 1933. He started work at the tavern, owned by his father, Billy Martin, in 1982. He bought the business in 2001 and has made it a Georgetown icon for neighbors and visitors. Martin’s Tavern is our rock, founded in the year Prohibition ended and still in the same spot, thanks to the same family. For such accomplishments — above and beyond — Martin’s Tavern, along with its owner Billy Martin and staff, is a Georgetowner of the Year for 2018.
Neville Waters, sixth-generation Washingtonian, promoter of the Black history of Georgetown.
Mt. Zion-Female Union Band Society Historic Memorial Park Inc.: Saving Black History
The board members of this nonprofit, incorporated in 2005 to manage the preservation and commemoration of the Mt. Zion and Female Union Band Society Cemeteries, are: Vincent deForest; Neville Waters, president; Alicia deForest, secretary and treasurer; Dr. Thornell Page, vice president; Vernon Ricks; and Dolores Greene. Active from 1808 to 1950 and historically African American, the two cemeteries share a plot of land near 27th and Q Streets, adjacent to Dumbarton House and Oak Hill Cemetery. The small cemeteries are being revived and reimagined by the foundation, formed to resurrect the wealth of stories, preserve historical artifacts and restore this American treasure. For such accomplishments — above and beyond — the Mt. Zion-Female Union Band Society Historic Memorial Park is a Georgetowner of the Year for 2018.
Patagonia: Responsible Corporation
Patagonia: Responsible CorporationYvon Chouinard, founder of outdoor apparel retailer Patagonia, set aside the company’s additional $10 million in profit from President Donald Trump’s “irresponsible tax cut” for assistance to local groups that fight climate change and promote organic agriculture. “Our government continues to ignore the seriousness and causes of the climate crisis,” Chouinard said in a statement. “We need an agriculture system that supports small family farms and ranches, not one that rewards chemical companies intent on destroying our planet and poisoning our food.” For such accomplishments — above and beyond — Patagonia, along with its founder Yvon Chouinard, is a Georgetowner of the Year for 2018.
Bob Woodward: Without Fear or Favor
Bob Woodward — of Washington Post and Watergate fame — is a prolific author, whose books range from “All the President’s Men” and “The Final Days,” both co-written with Carl Bernstein, to “Bush at War” and “Obama’s Wars.” This steadfast, thorough writer, who has lived through some intense days of American history, resides on Q Street with his wife Elsa Walsh. “I get to see her magic in daily life,” he writes in the acknowledgments section of his most recent best-seller, “Fear: Trump in the White House.” Woodward, it seems, is as good a neighbor as he is a writer. For such accomplishments — above and beyond — Bob Woodward is a Georgetowner of the Year for 2018.
