Family photo From right, Ana Ward with her father, Gordon Ward, and family friend Laurie Baker. Ana Ward recently finished a biography of her father, a veteran of the Marine Corps who fought in the battle of Iwo Jima during World War II.

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CleanupB060811B_RGB Anthony Castellano/The Gazette Michelle Fish (left) of Potomac and Jennie Bentz of Darnestown help build up a trail near the River Center at Lock 8 on the C&O Canal as volunteers from Potomac Conservancy, Mid-Atlantic Hiking Group and REI participate in trail maintenance on June 4. The Potomac Conservancy has adopted the area around the River Center as part of a new Canal Stewards Program. "This is the stuff that our maintenance crew canít get to all the time. So people that use the park want to give back. It's a big help," says Geordie Newman, Palisades Volunteer Coordinator

Family photo From right, Ana Ward with her father, Gordon Ward, and family friend Laurie Baker. Ana Ward recently finished a biography of her father, a veteran of the Marine Corps who fought in the battle of Iwo Jima during World War II.

 

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Ana Ward is trying to keep her father alive, and she hopes she found a way to keep him around forever.

Her father, Gordon Ward, 87, of Kensington, is suffering from congestive heart failure and failings kidneys, she said. He entered hospice care eight months ago and told he will likely survive another six months. He is still there today, his health often wavering, Ward said.

During that time, Ana Ward said she has been penning his biography, a tale his life in the U.S. Marine Corps, starting with the battle of Iwo Jima in World War II, and moving to when he lived in Kensington and spent his time volunteering as a tour guide at the popular statue of the battle he fought in, located in Arlington, Va.

She said the book was the product of interviews with her father and other veterans, where she learned much about the man she calls dad. She learned about his time living in Cuba during the 1950s, where he fled during the revolution that brought former long-time president Fidel Castro into power.

“It was weird. ... It was an emotional experience,” she said of interviewing her father.Ward said she was glad to be able to finish the book while her father was alive and hopes to present him with a copy soon.

The book, titled “Uncommon Survivor: From Sand to Bronze,” was self-published and is expected to be available at the website www.xlibris.com this month.

Chevy Chase native to be on Bravo show tonight

Britt Kurent always loved to cook. Recently that passion became a challenge a television challenge.

Kurent, 31, of Chevy Chase, cooked up her favorite dishes on a new show, "Rocco's Dinner Party," which pits the creme de la creme of the culinary field against each other to whip up the best dinner party meal for chef Rocco DiSpirito and friends. Kurent lives in New York City, where she runs a catering business, Kurent Events.

"My day-to-day life is a lot of pressure, but there's usually not cameras and things like that," Kurent said.

Despite her experience in the kitchen, Kurent said the television challenge was unlike anything she had ever done before.

But rather than ruin the surprise of what she made and how her fare fared, Kurent recommends tuning in to the show's first episode tonight, 11 p.m. on cable network Bravo.

Campus Congratulations

Zoe F. Getzels of Chevy Chase, a sophomore at Beloit College in Wisconsin, was named to the spring dean's list at the school.

Peter Albert Sturtevant III, son of Amy and Peter Sturtevant of Bethesda, graduated from Haverford College in Pennsylvania. The St. Albans School graduate received a bachelor's degree in religion.

Jeffrey Wexler of North Potomac was awarded a bachelor's degree from Connecticut College.

Claudio F. Nally of Potomac, son of Aldo Nally and Ana Maria Valle, and a 2006 graduate of Gonzaga College High School, graduated with a bachelor's degree in civil engineering and a bachelor's degree in anthropology from Bucknell University in Pennsylvania.

Hilary Elliot Malson, daughter of Robert Malson and Laurel Malson of Bethesda, and a graduate of The National Cathedral School, earned a bachelor's degree in growth and structure of cities from Haverford College in Pennsylvania. She minored in anthropology. The title of Malson's senior thesis is Union Brand: Food and the Imagined American Identity. Malson worked at the Haverford College Women's Center, where she was the head of the Women of Color division. She also completed an internship with The Library Company of Philadelphia, where she worked on developing the library's digital collection, Portraits of American Women. Malson received the Bolton Senior Award, from Bryn Mawr College, in recognition of her academic achievements.

Katherine Relle, of Potomac, was named to the spring semester 2011 dean's list at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C.

Jennifer Eileen Siegrist, of Bethesda, was named to the University of North Carolina, Asheville, spring 2011 dean's list.

Nathan Liu, a freshman at Walt Whitman High School, received a scholarship from the National Security Language Initiative for Youth, a merit-based award from the U.S. Department of State. Nathan will study Mandarin in China for six weeks this summer.

Kara M. Vetrano, daughter of Debra and Frank Vetrano of North Potomac, was named to the dean's list at Hamilton College in Clinton, N.Y. for the 2011 spring semester. A sociology major, Vetrano is a graduate of Thomas Sprigg Wootton High School.

Summer reading adventure in Chevy Chase

A peek inside the opera will kick off Chevy Chase Library's summer reading program.

The Washington National Opera will lead a workshop on the fable favorite “Hansel and Gretel” at 11 a.m. Saturday at the Chevy Chase Library, 8005 Connecticut Ave., Chevy Chase.

The event is the first in a series aimed to entertain while getting children into the library this summer to pick up some warm weather reads. The summer reading program, organized by the Friends of the Library, runs Saturday through Aug. 13.

The program offers three levels: Babies and Books, for parents who read 20 books to babies through pre-kindergarteners; One World, Many Stories, for children in kindergarten through grade six who read 10 books; and You Are Here, for middle and high schoolers who read at least four books.

Register and view full calendar of events at www.montgomerycountymd.gov/library.

Children to compete in triathalon

Cheer on 250 children, ages 6 to 12, as they compete in the Second annual Just Tryan It Kids Triathalon to raise money for families fighting childhood cancers. Just Tryan It, a nonprofit that supports families fighting childhood cancer, has raised $63,000 to donate to Georgetown University Hospital's Pediatric Hematology/Oncology Family Assistance Fund.

This year's race begins at 8:30 a.m. Sunday at the Landon School, 6101 Wilson Lane in Bethesda. Children ages 6 to 9 will swim 22 yards, bike 0.65 miles and run half a mile. Children ages 10 to 12 will swim 44 yards, bike one mile and run one mile. For more information or to donate, visit www.justtryanit.com.

Grab a book and read

Bethesda Library is kicking off its teen summer reading program Thursday with a free discussion with author Sarah Dessen, who wrote “What Happened to Goodbye,” a story about a teen who must move often because of her father's job.

The summer program is an effort by the library to get teenagers to read more.

The author discussion begins at 5 p.m. at the library, 7400 Arlington Road, Bethesda.

For more information, call the library at 240-777-0637.

Cedar Lane bridge to close

Starting June 18, the Cedar Lane bridge, on Cedar Lane off Beach Drive in Kensington, will be closed to traffic.

The bridge is being rebuilt, a project scheduled to require it to be closed for 12 weeks. A temporary bridge will be available for pedestrians.

The structure supporting the bridge, built in 1959, needs to be replaced as part of the federal Base Realignment and Closure Act process at nearby National Naval Medical Center. The consolidation of personnel is expected to put more traffic onto the bridge, starting in September.

For more information visit www.montgomerycountymd.gov.

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