When ‘The Exorcist’ Came to Town

Robert Devaney • October 28, 2015

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During October 1972, “The Exorcist” filmed on location at Georgetown University for a week, part of a stay of about 20 days in and around Washington, D.C. William Peter Blatty, author of the 1971 novel on which he based the screenplay, and a 1950 graduate of the college, who heard of a possessed boy from Mt. Rainier, Md., and of attempts at exorcism at Georgetown University Hospital and in St. Louis, Mo., that occurred in the late 1940s.

For the film, Georgetown students were recruited for various crowd scenes. Nuns in traditional habit were seen walking along 37th Street (not a common sight then as well as now) and Jesuit priests and professors were used as extras. Neighbors also got some bit parts. One 35th Street resident, Emerson Duncan, who routinely walked his two Scottish terriers nearby, was asked if his dogs could be used as extras. He himself was ruled out; he looked too much like an actor.

Along with director William Friedkin, actors and crew worked inside and in front of Healy Building, where a student protest was part of the film within a film.

Other campus locations included Healy Circle, the Quadrangle, the facade of Dahlgren Chapel, Kehoe Field and the Lauinger Library steps, which one of the priest walked down in the fog during a spooky scene.

Elsewhere, the Mule Bridge over the C&O Canal was used, as was the courtyard of Christ Church on O Street. Other shots showed actress Ellen Burstyn walking along 36th Street to her home across from 1789 Restaurant. That famous house at 3600 Prospect St. NW was given a fake addition extending east towards the now-famed Exorcist Steps so that the window from which the priest jumped would be close enough for his fatal fall.

When the shoot was being set up for the fatal tumble down the steps, between the possessed girl’s house and the Car Barn, enterprising students monitored the gate to the Car Barn rooftop and charged admission for anyone who wanted to enter and watch from above.

“The Exorcist” premiered the day after Christmas, Dec. 26, 1973 — and, yes, all hell broke out. Some moviegoers fainted, vomited or ran from the theater. Some religious leaders proclaimed that the novel and film conjured up demonic forces.

A few years later, Rev. Robert Henle, S.J., president of Georgetown University during the 1972 filming, told editors of the student newspaper, the Georgetown Voice, that he regretted allowing the production on campus.

While Henle may have disliked any negative image the film might have given of the university, the steps are now a Georgetown must-see attraction — and a favorite of walkers and runners. For those so inclined, they are also the perfect spot to meditate upon the deeper meaning of “The Exorcist.”

Historic Black Church to Lead March to Cemetery

Robert Devaney •

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As part of its 200th anniversary celebration, Mount Zion United Methodist Church, one of Georgetown’s historic black churches, will lead a march to Mount Zion Cemetery, next to Rock Creek Park, this Sunday, Oct. 18.

Marchers will gather for a libation service, an ancient ritual of pouring water, to honor their ancestors. The cemetery opened in 1808; interments stopped in 1950. Today, it awaits restoration work by the church and other community groups.

The day will begin at Georgetown Dumbarton Methodist at 3133 Dumbarton St. NW. There, pastors and Revs. Mary Kay Totty (Dumbarton Methodist) and Johnsie Cogman (Mt. Zion Methodist) will begin a dialogue and start the march along Dumbarton Street to Mount Zion United Methodist Church at 1334 29th St. NW. A “worship experience” will be at 11 a.m., Cogman told The Georgetowner. There will a press conference at 12:15 p.m. Drummers and singers will commence the march to the cemetery at 27th and Q Streets at 12:30 p.m. After the libation service, marchers will return to the 29th Street church for refreshments and conversation—popcorn included.

Please see The Georgetowner’s cover story about Mount Zion Cemetery.
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Bradlee’s Good Life Celebrated at National Cathedral and Home

Robert Devaney • October 21, 2015

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As we waited in line a little before 10 a.m., Oct. 29, the sky-blotting western facade of the Washington National Cathedral seemed eager to hold inside the out-sized personality of the Washington Post’s Ben Bradlee, whose life was about to be celebrated by and in music, prayer, song, poetry, oration and personages. It seemed all of the great newsman’s surviving friends were here, and there was about to be a service that smartly and seamlessly balanced all the parts of Bradlee’s life.

The Post’s executive editor from 1968 to 1991, Bradlee died Oct. 21 of natural causes at the age of 93, having suffered from Alzheimer’s disease.

Yes, the VIPs of Washington, D.C. — from Vice President Joe Biden and his wife Jill Biden, Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer and Secretary of State John Kerry, Sen. Patrick Leahy, Rep. Steny Hoyer et alii — were there. Perhaps more importantly, here was the ultimate Washington Post-Newsweek reunion and then some, which shall never be repeated.

Outside the cathedral, as he moved pass the waiting line waiting to enter, former Washington Post publisher Don Graham joked, “They said we’re big shots,” and were allowed to skip ahead to the front. Later, inside at the lectern, the son of Katharine Graham, the Post publisher who hired Bradlee, said of the editor: “He was our hero … and he will be always.”

Before the Introit, Aaron Copland’s “Simple Gifts” was heard, later followed by “Evergreen,” written by Barbra Streisand and Paul Williams, which was a love song for Bradlee and his wife Sally Quinn.

Readings included Ecclesiastes 3 — “For everything there is a season . . . ” — Psalm 23 — “The Lord is my shepherd . . .” — St. Paul’s First Letter to the Corinthians on love — Second Timothy — “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith . . .”

Watergate reporter for the Post, Carl Bernstein spoke of the fearless Ben and the well known John Mitchell story during the Watergate investigations when the former attorney general warned about Katharine Graham injuring her breast. Bernstein criticized the current media and political climate and office holders. He recalled Bradlee’s 93rd and last birthday party, where they savored some memories and such Georgetown legends as Harry “Doc” Dalinksy who ran a pharmacy and Sunday morning breakfast club for pals Bradlee, Art Buchwald, David Brinkley and others.

The other half of the famed Watergate reporting team, Bob Woodward said, “I loved this man,” and he was happy to be part of “Club Bradlee.” “Ben prowled the newsroom,” he said, looking to talk to reporters about unreported or missed stories, and knew “no boundaries.”

Woodward told a classic Washington sketch. Not too long ago, Ben and he were at National Airport waiting in line, about to go through TSA screening. Bradlee only had a AARP card to present at which the TSA agent balked. Back in the line boomed a voice as loud and disconcerting as Bradlee’s could be: “This is Ben Bradlee. Let him through.” The booming voice belonged to Vernon Jordan. The two made the flight.

For Woodward, the passing of Ben Bradlee marks the end of the 20th century — and makes the world smaller.

Known for his novels on espionage, David Ignatius, Post writer and editor, said Bradlee combined the attitude of the two main characters in the movie, “Casablanca,” Rick Blaine and Captain Renault. To touch upon Bradlee’s use of salty language, Ignatius recalled an account of a secretary, who was typing a letter for her boss, and asked, “Mr. Bradlee, is ‘dickhead’ one or two words?”

Among those mentioning Bradlee’s signature Turnbull & Asser shirts, Tom Brokaw of NBC News let everyone know that it was wife Sally Quinn, who upped the executive editor’s style.

Ben Bradlee, Jr., said his father gave lie to the Greek philosophical phrase, “An unexamined life is not worth living.” Everyone seemed to smile or snicker at that remark.

As for the youngest son, Quinn Bradlee, he gave the most heart-tugging tribute to his father: The “huge man . . . was the simplest man I knew.” He said the song, “Happy,” described his dad’s demeanor. “I can’t see him anymore,” the young Bradlee said. “I can’t hear him. But I get the message: ‘Hey, buddy, it’s your turn. Get it right, kid.’ ”

The Cathedral Dean, Gary Hall, ascended to the main pulpit and summed up Bradlee by saying, “He was a blizzard of one,” referring to a poem by Mark Strand.

Solemn music and song was heard throughout the two-hour service. Fittingly at the end, as the casket was wheeled out of the cathedral, “The Washington Post March,” written by John Philip Sousa, was played. It seemed a joyful, appropriate relief.

Also fitting the day was the lunch get-together or repast at the home of Ben and Sally on N Street. The mood lightened, as old friends met after scurrying down to Georgetown. A photo of Bradlee from his book, “A Good Life: Newspapering and Other Adventures,” welcomed all at the foyer.

Out in the back yard, guests thanked widow Sally Quinn for her hospitality — and she remained composed and in full command of this affair. Indeed, the flawless sequence of the day was owed to her knowledge and genius at party planning, plain and not so simple.

Nearby stood new owner of the Washington Post, Jeff Bezos, a man not quite as social as Ben or Sally. He was greeted by the many media types, who walked under the tent that covered the tennis court and protected them from the afternoon’s light rain.

Of course, yet another great story — big or small — about Bradlee was heard amid the hundreds of guests. Everyone seems to have one.

Meanwhile, only a few blocks north of the N Street house rest the remains of Benjamin Crowninshield Bradlee in Oak Hill Cemetery on R Street. He may have left us, but he is in Georgetown — and in many a heart — forever.

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In Case You Missed It: Business News Over Summer

Robert Devaney • October 19, 2015

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In case you missed it over the summer, here are some of the recent entries for Business Ins & Outs as well as other business updates.

IN: Boho Chic Clothing Store, Free People, Opens

Free People, a Bohemian chic-inspired apparel and retail store that sells women’s clothing and accessories, opened its first store in Washington, D.C. – at 3009 M St., NW – on Aug. 21. The airy four-level store (an addition was built in the back alley) offers free-flowing dresses, shoes and other accessories. Owned by Philadelphia-based Urban Outfitters, Free People has more than 81 boutiques in the U.S. and two in Canada. It has six stores in the Washington area.

IN: Little Birdies Flies to Wisconsin Avenue

Little Birdies Boutique, which made its debut on P Street in 2014, has moved its children’s clothing store just around the corner to a smaller space (700 square feet) at 1526 Wisconsin Ave. NW. “We are thrilled to be moved into our new Wisconsin Avenue location,” owner Shanlee Johnson tells us. “Our new space offers in house custom monogramming by the local favorite, Whyte House Monograms, and we are looking forward to all the fun events we have planned for fall.  Join us in October for our grand opening party and enjoy discounts, swag bags and celebration.”

IN: Mad Fox Taproom Opens in Glover Park

Mad Fox Breweries opened its D.C. gastropub, Max Fox Taproom, at 2218 Wisconsin Ave. NW on Aug. 12. Mad Fox CEO and executive brewer Bill Madden and business partner Rick Garvin started Mad Fox in 2007 and since have become very active in the craft beer and brewpub community. Falls Church will remain the hub of the whole operation, as all of the beers will be brewed there in its 16-barrel brewery. The new location will showcase Mad Fox’s award-winning handcrafted beers with draught and English-style cast service, including up to 24 draught and cask options.

IN: West End Cinema Re-opens as Landmark Theatre

West End Cinema, the independent movie theater at 23rd and M Streets NW that closed March 31 after four years of operation, re-opened July 17 as part of Landmark Theatres. Headquartered in Los Angeles, Landmark Theatres is known for showing documentaries, independent and foreign films and operates 50 theaters — 229 screens in 21 markets — across the U.S. Its first spot in D.C. was E Street Cinema at 555 11th St. NW in Penn Quarter, and it also operates Bethesda Row Cinema. In 2016, Landmark’s footprint in D.C. will expand with new screens in the old Atlantic Plumbing building at 8th and V streets NW later this year and at the Capitol Point project at New York Avenue and N Street NE, one block from the NoMa/Gallaudet U Metro station.

Previously known as the Inner Circle triplex before Josh Levin revived the place as West End Cinema, the new theater in the West End neighborhood will have two screens, and its lobby service will include alcoholic beverages.
Landmark President Ted Mundorff said that the new venue with “bring even more films and events to the Dupont Circle, Foggy Bottom and Georgetown neighborhoods.”

IN: Baco Juice & Taco Bar

Baco Juice & Taco Bar is coming to 1614 Wisconsin Ave. NW. Owner Christopher Luceri promises healthful juices and smoothies as well as tacos, burritos and breakfast foods with a Mexican twist. He also wants to use the front of the property for a patio and outdoor seating, as the entrance is set back from the street. Baco’s other business location is in Pennsylvania.

IN: Belgian Restaurant, the Sovereign, to Move Into Former Champions, Blue Gin Space

The Sovereign, a bar and bistro to be located at 1206 Wisconsin Ave. NW in Georgetown, will open in the late fall, according to owner Neighborhood Restaurant Group. The restaurant will be in the building which once housed the famed Champions Sports Bar and later Blue Gin in an alley on Wisconsin Avenue, just north of M Street. The space has been vacant for almost four years.

“The two-story bar and bistro will be comprised of an 84-seat first floor dining room and 47-seat bar on the second floor,” according to the restaurateurs. “Known for his award-winning beer lists at Birch & Barley, ChurchKey, Rustico and more, beer director Greg Engert is curating and creating a Belgian beer list unlike any other at the Sovereign alongside a menu of classic Belgian cuisine from executive chef Peter Smith.”

“There is substantial talent behind this operation,” said investor and business partner Greg Talcott, who has been a Georgetown restaurateur for decades and was involved with Blue Gin and the Third Edition. Working with Mike Babin of NRG on some of the details to finalize plans for the bar and bistro, Talcott said, “Getting the process completed has taken a long time.”

The company noted its serious authenticity: “The Sovereign will showcase the widest array of drafts and bottles from the very best Belgian brewers. With 50 drafts and 200+ bottles, the beer program will feature the work of Belgian brewers who embody the standards, techniques, and innovative spirit that underpins the fabled Belgian brewing culture.”

IN: Peet’s Coffee Coming to 33rd & M Streets

Be on the lookout for Peetniks on M Street. Peet’s Coffee & Tea, a specialty coffee and tea company that started the artisan coffee movement in Berkeley, Calif., in 1966, plans to expand to Georgetown, landing at the busy intersection of 33rd and M Streets NW. The new location will be the seventh shop in the greater Washington, D.C., area in addition to the restaurants and retailers that carry the coffee to brew and sell. Plans call for an October opening.

Last year, Peet’s said it was opening 23 new stores in a phased rollout across the D.C. market. Its D.C. flagship store opened in April 2014 at 1701 Pennsylvania Ave. NW, steps from the White House. According to the company, its “entry into D.C.will become the company’s second largest retail market outside of California and its biggest East Coast retail footprint.” Peet’s is the official coffee of the Washington Nationals.

Next to the now-shuttered Rhino Bar and across from Georgetown Cupcake, the corner spot at 3299 M St. NW previously housed Red Fire Grill Kabob, which closed in 2013. It looked like the building might become a clothing store, but Sandro, a Paris-based fashion label for women and men, pulled out of its lease on the property a few months ago. Before its closing four years ago, the Indian restaurant Aditi was there for 23 years. The building has stood empty for two years.

IN: Club Monaco Returning to Georgetown

Club Monaco is on its way to coming back to Georgetown. Four years after the Ralph Lauren-owned retailer left town, Club Monaco will return to 3295 M St. NW, an address which once held Rhino Bar & Pumphouse, which closed Feb. 28 after 18 years. The building for decades held a bar, more or less for college kids, such as Rhino or Winston’s.

The two-level store is aiming to open by early 2016. The new Club Monaco will mark the brand’s return to greater Washington. The company used to have stores in Georgetown and at Pentagon City. Also arriving at the block will be Peet’s Coffee & Tea next door.

IN: Riccardi Clothier Opens on M Street

Riccardi Clothier, formerly on Connecticut Avenue near Dupont Circle, has re-emerged at 1363 Wisconsin Ave. NW, next to BB&T Bank. The store specializes in Italian design — business attire and formal wear. There is a grand-opening sale on suits and sports jackets.

IN: Bar A Vin by Chez Billy Sud by Thanksgiving

Bar A Vin is scheduled to open in November on 31st Street NW, south of the C&O Canal.  The wine bar comes from Ian and Eric Hilton, the duo behind Chez Billy Sud and a number of other successful bars and restaurants in the area. The bar, to be located next door to Chez Billy Sud, will offer a range of French wines and cheeses in addition to beers and cocktails.  The space accommodates up to 50 patrons and includes a wraparound bar and a wood-burning fireplace.

IN: Dancing Goats Coffee on N Street at Mashburn

Dancing Goats Coffee Bar will move into 3206 N St. NW in partnership with Mashburn. The Washington State-based Batdorf & Bronson Coffee Roasters plans to set up the shop in November. Mashburn, a clothing store out of Atlanta with a Sid (men’s) and an Ann (women’s) section, will be coming to 3206 N St., NW, which is part of the Georgetown Court complex and in the former space of Neyla Restaurant and a long-closed Chinese restaurant. The store will stretch from Prospect to N Street. The coffee shop will be on the west side of the store, facing the courtyard. “Think L.L. Bean meets Starsbuck’s,” said an architect for Mashburn of its plans last year at a Georgetown-Burleith advisory neighborhood commission meeting.

OUT: Benetton Closes Its Georgetown Doors

Benetton, the fashion retailer that expanded across the U.S. during the 1980s and 1990s, has now dwindled down to one American store, following the sudden closing of its Washington, D.C., store in Georgetown. At the end of July, the store, located on the corner of Wisconsin Avenue and M Street NW, was abruptly boarded up with no explanation of its closing. The brand’s name has also been removed from the building’s exterior wall.

Though the Italian-based company still has an international presence—particularly across Europe and South America–the Georgetown closing signals the end of Benetton’s era in the American fashion industry, as its New York City store is now its lone retailer in the country. The dwindling number of American stores can be attributed to popularity of competing retailers such as J. Crew and Abercrombie & Fitch.

Benetton was a giant of children’s fashion, largely in part to its United Colors of Benetton clothing line. The collection boasts vibrant, colorful pieces and had garnered attention through the use of eye-catching yet somewhat controversial advertising, which aimed to promote social awareness. At its peak, the brand had more than 500 stores in the U.S.

The Georgetown Benetton was one of the first to be opened in the U.S. by retailer Iraklis Karabassis, who brought the clothing giant to White Flint Mall, its first ever spot in America. Head of IK Retail Group in Georgetown, Karabassis opened more than 100 Benetton stores in the U.S. and Canada. He sold his Benetton operation to the Benetton Group in 2008.

It is speculation that the Japanese retailer Uniqlo, which will open a Tyson’s Corner location next year, could become the next occupant of the three-story space, which was once the National Bank of Washington.

OUT: Georgetown’s Makeup Artist Carl Ray Splits for Downtown

Carl Ray, makeup artist to first lady Michelle Obama and other Washington, D.C., luminaries, has left George, the beauty salon for VIPs at the Four Season Hotel, for One80 Salon on K Street. Ray had worked at George for 16 years and told the staff at beginning of August of his departure.

Besides the first lady, Ray’s client list includes the famous and powerful in politics and entertainment: Nancy Pelosi, Justices Sonia Sotomayor and Elena Kagen, Valerie Jarrett and Bill Clinton as well as Queen Noor and Princess Hussein along with Natalie Portman, Claire Danes, Paul McCartney and Stevie Wonder.

“I want to be a part of this new wave of renaissance in fashion and beauty taking place in the city right now,”
Ray told the Washington Post. “There is a resurgence and energy that is downtown. I have watched this area grow, and I want to be a part of this movement.”

OUT: Bandolero Closes After 3-Year Run

Bandolero, the Mexican restaurant at 3241 M St. NW, closed July 20 after opening three years to great fanfare under the direction of celebrity chef Mike Isabella. Not much later, Isabella left Bandolero and continued his work at Graffiato, Kapnos, G Sandwich Shop and other restaurants. He was succeeded by chef Tony Starr, who has worked at Zaytinya, Neyla and Georgia Brown’s. The previous restaurant in that space was the well-regarded Hook. Owners Jonathan and Bethany Umbel left this message for fans: “Dear friends, neighbors, and customers, Bandolero is officially closed. We’d like to thank all of our loyal patrons who have come to Bando and supported us over the past few years. It has been an amazing three years serving everyone! Gracias por su apollo, hasta que nos encontremos de nuevo. Sigan comiendo TACOS y bebiendo TEQUILA.” [Translation: Thanks for your support. Until we meet again, keep eating tacos and drinking tequila.]

OUT: Developer Drops Latham Hotel ‘Micro-Unit’ Project

Local developer SB-Urban has dropped its plan to convert the Latham Hotel at 3000 M St. NW in to a “micro-unit” apartment complex. The Latham Hotel micro-unit project was one of three that SB-Urban is developing in Northwest Washington targeting affluent young people with small but well-furnished apartments located in desirable neighborhoods. The company’s two other developments, slated for Blagden Alley in Shaw and at 15 Dupont Circle in the historic Patterson Mansion, are still ongoing, with plans to begin construction on both this year.

SB-Urban bought the Latham Hotel building in November 2013 for $45.4 million. After the purchase, the company went through a number of hoops, gaining the approval of the Old Georgetown Board and the Board of Zoning Adjustment to renovate the space into a development consisting of 140 units with 330 square-foot floor plans.

OUT: Hudson Trail Outfitters Rides Into the Sunset

Hudson Trail Outfitters, a retailer of outdoor gear and clothing, will close within weeks, as sales begin for the remaining Tenleytown, Arlington, Fairfax and Rockville stores. A pioneer in active outdoor sportswear, the business stated in 1971.

OUT: All We Art Goes Online

The innovative art gallery, All We Art, at 33rd Street and Wisconsin Avenue has ended its retail presence after a year. It will maintain its online business — AllWeArtStudio.com — and gave its friends and patrons a unique valediction for its retail venture: “Wanderer, your footsteps are the road. Art is an everchanging way of expression, and so is the art market in our ever-changing world. All We Art, following its mission and its destiny, is going forward. We are moving online. Our Art Space will no longer be open to the public for walk-in purchases in Georgetown. Soon, you will able to shop art and handicrafts at our renewed website. We thank you all for your support, and we hope we’ll see you soon over the cloud. We art keeping you posted as always. Thanks, gracias, mercy!”

OUT: Crime Museum Receives Death Sentence

National Museum of Crime & Punishment has lost its lease and will close its doors at 575 7th St. NW after more than seven years on Oct. 1. The museum of crime-related exhibits, at once hands-on and eye-catching, could ask an admission price of $20. “We are incredibly disappointed that we were asked to leave our building and did everything possible to try and work with our landlords to stay,” stated Janine Vaccarello, chief operating officer of the Crime Museum. The museum will continue its walking tours and other educational programs.

BUSINESS NOTES

TAA’s New Digs on M

TAA PR, formerly known as the Aba Agency, has moved around the corner from 30th Street to 3112 M St. NW. The public relations firm, working in strategic communications, experiential marketing, branding and other services, has clients which include the Smithsonian, Cirque du Soleil, Shake Shack, DBGB Kitchen and Bar, Fiola Mare, Mazza Gallerie, Tyson Galleria and Mercedes Benz. Congratulations to Aba Kwawu and her associates for choosing an office on Georgetown’s busiest street.

Beasley Opens in Palm Beach

Beasley Real Estate, a luxury real estate leader in the Washington, D.C., metropolitan area, has now moved beyond being solely a regional firm and opened an office in Palm Beach, Florida, at 515 North Flagler Drive. “The Palm Beach market has always been synergistic with our core client base, and we are excited to be present in this vibrant marketplace,” said managing partner Jim Bell.

Hop, Cask & Barrel Seeks Extended Hours

Hop, Cask & Barrel, the liquor store at 1717 Wisconsin Ave. NW that replaced Wagner’s Liquors, asked the Georgetown-Burleith advisory neighborhood commission for the opportunity to extend its hours past 10 p.m. on select dates. Business co-owner Ankit Desai and lawyer Andrew Kline spoke at the Aug. 31 meeting. Kline argued the Hop, Cask & Barrel was a good neighbor and had poured $400,000 into renovation work at the store. (The business group also owns Sherry’s on Connecticut Avenue and Metro Wine & Spirits on Columbia Road.) Desai thanked the neighborhood for its welcome. He is working with community groups on mutual events.

Halcyon Incubator Honored by the SBA

The U.S. Small Business Administration named Halcyon Incubator — part of the S&R Foundation at 3400 Prospect St. NW — a winner of the National Growth Accelerator Fund Competition Aug. 24. “The Halcyon Incubator is designed to support social entrepreneurs with big game-changing ideas to critical 21st-century challenges,” the SBA wrote. “Social entrepreneurs are an absolutely essential piece. They develop radical new business modules and approaches to solving today’s major social issues throughout the nation and world. By helping social entrepreneurs transform audacious ideas into scalable and sustainable ventures, the Halcyon Incubator acts as a catalyst for measurable social outcomes.” Recently, the SBA recently announced a total award of $4.4 million to startup accelerators representing 39 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico, including those that fill geographic gaps and also foster entrepreneurship among women and other underrepresented groups.

Rickshaw Rider on Olympic Trek Across World Arrives in Georgetown

Robert Devaney • October 18, 2015

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We’ve all heard of a slow boat to China. Well, this is the story of a long ride to Brazil.

Chen Guanming, a 58-year-old from Jiangsu Province in eastern China, was seen bicycling Oct. 8 on Wisconsin Avenue in Georgetown. He stopped briefly to look at the footwear at Comfort One and Mephisto Shoes and show his press clips. His ultimate goal? The Rio de Janeiro Olympic Summer Games in 2016.

The farmer—who had never traveled beyond his village—become so inspired by his nation’s 2008 Olympic Summer Games in Beijing that he began pedaling his tricycle rickshaw, at first around China, and then he decided to ride across Asia and Europe to London in May 2010.

With just his tented rickshaw and his belongings stored behind his seat, Chen biked through Vietnam, Laos, Tibet, Pakistan, Iran, Turkey, Greece, Italy, France and to England in time for the 2012 London Olympics. By that time, his journey for the Olympic spirit had gotten noticed. Well-wishers chipped in and bought him a ticket for the opening ceremony of the London Summer Games.

The smiling, energetic Chen has no sponsors to speak of and accepts the kindness of strangers all around the world. He gives rides on his bike and does little jobs to keep his trip going. He speaks Mandarin only and knows a few English words like “email” (he thinks that includes “press clips” in his folder), “toilet” (good to know), “thanks” and “good luck” (which surprised and delighted people say to him).

After taking time out to care for his father back home, Chen returned to his global quest, leaving Liverpool in June 2013 for Halifax, Nova Scotia, with his bike in a cargo ship (another simple gift from some he met). In Canada, he biked to Vancouver, then entered the U.S., going from Washington to California, and then he turned east for New York City and then turned again south for Washington, D.C. Soon enough, he will be traveling through Mexico and Central America for his destination in South America: Brazil. Chen’s way of mapping his trek is not along a straight line. Shunning GPS, he uses traditional road guides and maps.

Chen was last seen biking north up Wisconsin Avenue. Hmm, Rio is south, the other way. Not to worry: after thousands upon thousands of miles, Chen will no doubt attend the Aug. 5 opening of the Games of the XXXI Olympiad. The slogan for the 2016 Summer Games are—appropriately enough—”Live your passion.”
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Britches of Georgetowne Founder Plans to Revive Brand

Robert Devaney • October 15, 2015

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For decades, it was the smart mark of the well-dressed man, a stylish retailer with a well-heeled attitude that could get both father and son wearing its clothing, Britches of Georgetowne—which added “Since 1967” on its labels from the very start. It is about to be revived almost 50 years later.

Britches of Georgetowne co-founder Rick Hindin, a businessman and entrepreneur, is known around Washington, D.C., for the iconic Georgetown clothing store as well as for Adworks, Chicken Out Rotisserie and Hinsilblon Laboratories—and the causal version of the men’s clothing store, Britches Great Outdoors.

“We can do this again,” said Hindin of the Britches revival. “It is a heritage brand, a legacy brand,” he said. “Manufacturers are seeking licenses for such brands. We have been working on this for a little over a year. The clothing will be targeted to millennials and baby boomers. There will be separate models for each segment with the same fabrication—ages 25 to 65 with the same taste level.”

Hindin bought the trademarks for Britches and with Stephen Wayne will revive the label and its apparel with sales expected to begin before the end of 2016.

Britches was sold by its founders Hindin and David Pensky in 1983 to the retail specialist, CML Group, although the two ran the business until the late 1980s. When they left, Britches, including Britches Great Outdoors, numbered 100 stores. The company formally declared bankrupty in 2002.

The first Britches was at 1245 Wisconsin Ave. NW—today, appropriately, the space occupied by Ralph Lauren. Its second store was at 1219 Connecticut Ave. NW, not far from Raleigh’s, Burberry’s and other men’s clothing stores, some still in business, others not, but all classic for their times.

Now a business consultant with his Asterisk Group, Hindin lives in Chevy Chase, Md., but he added that he was most proud of another thing he helped to found in Georgetown. In the early 1970s, Hinden along with John Laytham (Clyde’s), Richard McCooey (1789, the Tombs), Jim Weaver (Weaver’s Hardware) and Paul Cohn (J. Paul’s, Old Glory, Paulo’s) started the Georgetown Business Association.

While Hinden knows the power of ageless style and of nostalgia, he is also betting that baby boomer and millennial can agree on the branding power of Georgetown, D.C.

Georgetown’s Rabbi White, 83, Remembered for Bridging Faiths

Robert Devaney •

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Georgetown University’s Rabbi Harold White, the first full-time rabbi at a U.S. Catholic university and highly regarded for his interreligious teachings, died Aug. 31 of complications from a stroke at the age of 83.

In 1968, White began as the school’s Jewish chaplain not so much for the few Jewish students at the time but for all students—to promote understanding between Judaism and Christianity and beyond.

A Freedom Rider in the civil rights movement, White many years later helped to found the Program for Jewish Civilization in 2004. He retired in 2010.

The university will hold a memorial service for White 10:30 a.m., Sunday, Sept. 20, in Gaston Hall.

“Rabbi White’s devotion to our shared values and our mission as a community was unparalleled,” said the university’s president John DeGioia. “His leadership and vision in creating opportunities for dialogue strengthened our community and helped build the ethos of engagement that characterizes our campus ministry today.”

The following are portions of a news release by Georgetown University that tells the story of White’s life and influence.

EMBRACING DIFFERENCES

The rabbi, whom students called “Rabs,” also co-taught a popular course in the theology department with Rev. Dennis McManus, a Catholic priest and visiting associate professor at the School of Foreign Service, and Georgetown’s Imam Yahya Hendi on the many similarities as well as differences among the Abrahamic faiths.

“The goal of interreligious dialogue,” White once said, “is not to just look for similarities, but to see the differences and be able to embrace the differences.”

Hendi shares a “first” with White as the first Muslim chaplain hired by a Catholic university. “The rabbi was a close friend and an amazing confidant,” Hendi said. “He taught with integrity, and love for the truth.”

STUDENTS’ BEST SELVES

McManus had been with White recently – they had traveled together to Poland this past summer to visit the Jan Karski Educational Foundation’s sister organization in Warsaw. (Karski, the Polish World War II resistance movement fighter who taught at Georgetown for four decades until his death in 2000, made the first reports of Nazi atrocities to the Polish government and Western allies.)

“Rabbi White had a unique gift as a teacher,” McManus said. “He could draw out what was best in his students even before they asked him a question. The result was always the same – as they became their best selves at his invitation, they could only ask their best questions. Every professor envied this gift.”

HALLELUJAH, JESUIT SHABBAT

A tireless promoter of interreligious understanding, Rabbi White also started new traditions at Georgetown, including Hallelujah Shabbat, a traditional Shabbat service every January that invites choirs – including gospel choirs – to participate. And during Jesuit Heritage Week every February, he created a Jesuit Shabbat and invited Jesuits to share their personal religious journeys as he shared his own.

“Georgetown is unique,” White said in a Georgetown Witness to History video in 2008. “The leadership of this university are people who proudly affirm and assert their religious identity and that is what makes Georgetown so very, very special.”

ENCYCLOPEDIC KNOWLEDGE

Many Georgetown faculty members noted White’s encyclopedic knowledge of Judaism.

“Everything in the immense universe of Jewish civilization interested Rabbi White – from Kabbalah to the Jews of China, from Rabbinic Midrash to the more radical theologies that developed in the wake of the Holocaust, from the writings of Moses Maimonides to the philosophy of Martin Buber,” said Jacques Berlinerblau, director of the School of Foreign Service’s Program for Jewish Civilization. “In particular, Rabbi White was greatly influenced by the teachings of his mentor, Rabbi Mordecai Kaplan. He brought all of these influences to bear in his tireless work with generations of Georgetown students.”

FRIEND, TEACHER, RABBI, THERAPIST

White performed countless interfaith marriages throughout the Washington area, including many Georgetown students but also many who simply sought him out. The rabbi served as spiritual advisor to the Interfaith Families Project of Greater Washington, D.C., Area. In his “spare time,” he served as scholar-in-residence at Holy Cross Abbey in Berryville, Virginia, and at Mercersburg Academy in Pennsylvania.

Israel Klein posted a tribute on Facebook. “A handful of folks were able to visit the rabbi between his stroke and hospice care,” Klein wrote. “He spent his last days in a beautiful hospice facility on the Long Island Sound in Connecticut. He was surrounded by friends and family and natural beauty. … Emerson said, ‘It is not length of life, but depth of life.’ Rabbi had both. He’s a person we were blessed to know and love.”

INTERFAITH MARRIAGES

Erik Smulson, Georgetown’s vice president for public affairs, first met White as a child. The rabbi was a friend of his father, Mark Smulson, a longtime research scientist and professor of biochemistry at the university’s medical school who passed away four years ago.

“Rabbi White served generations of Hoyas,” Smulson said. “The High Holidays services that he created were the only free services in the city.” Smulson recalls that Gaston Hall, where the services were held, was full of Jewish students, members of Congress and interns from Capitol Hill who had nowhere else to go.

While a student at Georgetown, Smulson fell in love with Jennifer Beard, a Catholic. Because both students valued their religious backgrounds, they asked White and a Catholic priest to marry them.

“For many years, he was the only rabbi willing to perform interfaith marriages,” said Smulson, now a father of three. “He met with me and Jen as we prepared for the wedding, and talked to us about love and respect and faith.”

A GREAT LIGHT

The free High Holiday services continue under Georgetown’s Rabbi Rachel Gartner.

“A great light has gone out in the world,” Gartner said at a Jewish prayer service at Georgetown in White’s honor. “We knew Rabbi White by his smile and his work, his friendship and his leadership, his life and his vision.” She said his Hebrew name meant “life” and “peace.”

“He really pursued peace and understanding really every day of his life,” Gartner added. “We were blessed to have him in our presence, and I know that we’ll carry his light on in our different ways and in all the work that we do.”
Georgetown will announce a larger memorial service in the near future.

STUDENT OF HESCHEL, BUBER

Born in 1932 in Hartford, Connecticut, White received his bachelor’s degree in philosophy from Wesleyan University, his rabbinical degree from the Jewish Theological Seminary and a certificate in pastoral counseling from Bellevue Hospital in New York City.

Before Georgetown, he was rabbi of Beth Israel Congregation in Ann Arbor, Michigan, as well as Jewish chaplain at St. Joseph Mercy Hospital and American University’s rabbi. He served as a U.S. Navy Chaplain at Parris Island, South Carolina, and with the 7th Fleet in the Pacific.

At the seminary, he studied under the well-known Polish-born American Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel, considered one of the leading Jewish philosophers of the 20th century, as well as equally revered Jewish philosopher Martin Buber and Rabbi Mordecai Kaplan.

Before he died, White asked that all donations in his name be made to the Program for Jewish Civilization.
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Happy 100th Birthday, Frida Burling, Georgetown’s Centenarian!

Robert Devaney •

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We are all denizens of the perpetual, virtual reality of momentous times and events that recede. We are in the moment and anticipated all at once: another momentous Republican debate will be held tonight, Europe appears awash in refugees from Middle East wars, and right on schedule Pope Francis is coming to Washington next week.

Here is another piece of news: Georgetowner Frida Burling is one hundred years old today. Now, that’s something worth celebrating.

Burling, who wrote her autobiography, “Finally Frida,” several years ago, is worth celebrating, especially in Georgetown. 

When people talk about legacies and life stories, usually the tale is about how you lived your life, and what your markers there are along the way that tell your story and note what you bear your participation in your life and in your community.   

Here at the Georgetowner, we’ve always felt, ever since we encountered Frida Burling in her first forays into making something iconic, lasting and permanent out of the yearly Georgetown House Tours, that in many ways, she represented an ideal of community and citizen here.  Not just because of the tour itself—although she always gave the yearly celebration of Georgetown history and essence her full energy—but because she embraced the idea of community service and identity with place with all the joy she could muster, which was considerable.  

Burling is and has always been, even now, with some of that beautiful energy unavoidably diminished, a Georgetowner who represents her town and herself more than well.  She has a deep, abiding love for the place where she lives and has never been afraid to show it—and to be persuasive in her efforts to get others  to join her in her various efforts that included the Georgetown Ministry Center as well as the homeless programs at St. John’s Episcopal Church. When she came looking for volunteers and help for the tour, whether to host patron’s parties, or have homes on the tour, she was pretty hard to resist, because Frida has and always had an immense reservoir of charm, humor and knowledge and a sense of life’s duty and rewards.  

When we sat down with her two weeks ago at her 29th Street home—which is one of those sunny, stylish, bookfilled residences that perfectly reflects the life she and her late husband Edward Burling shared there—she still had that empathy in her eyes and certain certitudes also.  She had led a life which allowed her to dive into causes with fervor that was fueled by compassion, as well as self-assurance—she was at the 1963 Civil Rights rally and historic Martin Luther King, Jr.’s  “I Have a Dream” speech. In her book, you will find a picture of her gleefully holding up a sign (“Money for Jobs Not War”) at a rally protesting U.S. policy.

Burling’s lifetime now spans  17 presidencies: Wilson, Harding, Coolidge, Hoover, FDR, Truman, Ike, Kennedy, LBJ, Nixon, Ford, Carter, Reagan, Bush 1, Clinton, Bush 2, and Barack Obama. And her health allowing, she will see the inauguration of the 45th president.  She remains firm about her loyalties and preference. Asked who her favorite president during the course of her life was, she emphatically said, “Barack Obama.”

This is not a story about biography,  except to suggest that a long life such as Burling’s produces a sense of continuity, a feel for its history, detailed and otherwise, and that burgeoning consistent warmth provided by family. In Burling’s case one that produced a fair-sized clan and tribe from two marriages, both by any measure fruitful and well-shared.

But knowing Frida and knowing about her also gives you a sense of her values and the values and history of the community which she championed with sustained energy—she was still seen exercising in the gym in her nineties. 

On this day remembering and celebrating her 100th birthday, we will save  biographical details and deeds and accomplishments for more appropriate times. This is not even a time for history.  It’s a celebration.

So: Happy 100th birthday to Frida Burling! We join her and all who love her in wishing her as many more birthdays as possible. 

Biz Group Salutes Bank of Georgetown’s 10 Years

Robert Devaney •

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The Georgetown Business Association met for its monthly networking reception Sept. 16 at the rooftop of the Bank of Georgetown headquarters on 30th Street to help celebrate the hometown bank’s 10th birthday.

GBA president Sonya Bernhardt welcomed the rooftop crowd to congratulate the bank employees at their anniversary and especially Bank of Georgetown CEO, chairman and co-founder Mike Fitzgerald. Along with GBA members and guests, Bernhardt also wished past GBA president, Riyad Said, good luck in his new job and life in California.

Guests were treated to heavy hors d’oeuvres by Occasions Caterers as well as a beautiful sunset.
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