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By • June 10, 2025 One Comment 113
Georgetown Village Honors Elizabeth Miller
Honoree Elizabeth Miller flanked by Georgetown Village’s Executive Director Lynn Golub-Rofrano and Board President Judith Bunnell. Photo by Lien James.
Georgetown residents came out in droves to celebrate community and honor Elizabeth Miller at the Georgetown Village Spring Gala, held at the penthouse of Nancy Taylor Bubes and Alan Bubes on May 8. Despite beginning with rain, the day cleared beautifully — just in time to shine on the honoree and guests.
A devoted Georgetown advocate, Miller has been a tireless supporter of Georgetown Village. Her leadership roles include serving as chair of Advisory Neighborhood Commission 2E. She currently co-chairs the Georgetown Coalition for Public Spaces and remains actively engaged in local and national community efforts.
During the celebration, Georgetown Village — a nonprofit that “provides social connections, programs and services to those 55 and older” — presented Miller with a commemorative plaque that captured the impact of her public service. On the plaque: “As a creative force and champion of connection, your work has inspired us and helped shape a stronger, more caring neighborhood.”
In her remarks, Miller said that connection is her “love language,” stating: “Georgetown Village’s work has a profound and positive impact on our community. I like to say they’re the best private club in Washington, D.C. — where everyone who wants to join is always welcomed.”
Claire Wilson Named Ministry Center Executive Director
Georgetown Ministry Center Executive Director Claire Wilson.
A haven for homeless individuals, Georgetown Ministry Center has named Claire Wilson its executive director.
According to GMC: “With over 15 years of leadership in nonprofit, association and government sectors, Wilson brings a wealth of experience, a deep commitment to social justice and a proven track record of driving meaningful change in the lives of vulnerable populations.”
Wilson joins GMC following her tenure as executive director of Minneapolis’s Loppet Foundation, “where she expanded equity-focused programming and grew the organization’s staff and budget significantly,” continued GMC in a statement. “Her leadership through the pandemic strengthened the organization’s infrastructure and community impact, connecting over 80,000 Minnesotans with nature-based, inclusive programming,”
Prior to that, Wilson served as deputy commissioner of the Minnesota Department of Human Services, where she oversaw supportive housing, mental health and disability services. Her work resulted in major policy reforms and increased investments in critical services for underserved communities.
Epiphany Celebrates 100 Years
Rev. Paul Lee and Rev. Stefan Megyery cut the birthday cakes. Photo by Robert Devaney.
A standing-room-only centenary Mass on May 18 filled Epiphany Catholic Church with singing, reverence and joy. Led by Bishop Roy Edward Campbell Jr. of the Washington Archdiocese, the Mass, with six concelebrants, was followed by a parish feast and social gathering that extended the joyous milestone with fellowship. Of course, there was a birthday cake or two.
A historically Black church, Georgetown’s Epiphany is celebrating 100 years with a rich history of diversity and overcoming the odds. The parish was founded in 1923, when — due to the bigotry and segregation of the times — about 300 Black parishioner families left Holy Trinity Catholic Church to form their own community.
“They only wanted to be able to worship in the structured, religious teachings of the church without being humiliated or attempts being made to give them feelings of inferiority,” recalled Neville Waters Jr., son of Gertrude Turner Waters, one of Epiphany’s founders.
In 1925, the church was canonically established and its building, featuring a stained-glass window depicting the Epiphany, was constructed at 2712 Dumbarton St. NW.
MacArthur High to Be Renamed for John Thompson
Coach John Thompson Jr. at the 2016 groundbreaking for the athletic center named for him. Courtesy Georgetown University.
After almost two years, the new MacArthur High School at 4530 MacArthur Boulevard NW is going to be renamed for Georgetown University men’s basketball coach John Thompson Jr. Brought up in naming discussions, the Hoya legend led his team to a 1984 NCAA championship. Thompson was coach at Georgetown from 1972 to 1999; he died in 2020.
Last week, the school’s Thompson rebrand “garnered unanimous support in the D.C. Council, where a bill to rename the school was approved on first reading,” according to the Washingtonian.
Kitty Kelley’s New Bag
More than 100 writers crowded into Kitty Kelley’s backyard for food and drinks before the annual meeting of Biographers International Organization (BIO) on June 5. There, the hostess with the mostest and renowned biographer brought two groups together: BIO and Washington Independent Review of Books.
Georgetowner Cathy Alter, author of “Crush,” and WIROB President Jenny Yacovissi presented guests with book bags, designed by Alter and bearing the image of Kelley along with the phrase, “Read and Write Fearlessly.”
The party swag was described by Kelley (her words, not ours) “as a new bag from an old bag.” The Kitty Kelley Book Club has been a regular feature in The Georgetowner for almost a decade.
Kitty Kelley
Author Kitty Kelley shows off her new bag at her Dumbarton Street home. Photo by Robert Devaney.
Way to go,Kitty! You are treasure to Georgetown .