Bike FXBG is a student-built project that is working with a local organization, Fredericksburg Main Street, to place bike infrastructure downtown. Bike infrastructure includes racks, corrals, and shelters; these structures target and help cyclists directly but benefit pedestrians and drivers as well. As UMW students and members of the Fredericksburg community, we would like your input, which you can give us by taking a two-minute survey on the bikefxbg.org website. While there, you can learn more about bike infrastructure, drop a pin on an interactive GIS map, and meet the team.
Women’s History Month Program Proposals Needed
![[Text] Women's History Month Valiant Women of the Vote: Refusing to be Silenced [Image] Title in a speech bubble with a graphic of a group of diverse women](https://eagleeye.umw.edu/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/WHM2021_Theme-150x150.png)
Submit your Program Proposals by Monday, December 7. Contact JoAnna Raucci (jraucci@umw.edu) for more information.
This year’s theme is “Valiant Women of the Vote: Refusing to be Silenced.”
Visit students.umw.edu/multicultural/programs/womens-history-month/ or contact JoAnna Raucci (jraucci@umw.edu) for more information. Please submit your program proposals by Monday, December 7 at 5 p.m.
Understanding the 2020 Election
FBI Returns Gari Melchers Painting Stolen by Nazis to Owner’s Heirs
A version of the original Skaters, owned by PAFA, is on display.
A Gari Melchers’ painting, “Winter,” originally owned by the Mosse family in Berlin, Germany, and looted by the Nazis when they fled the country, has been repatriated to the owner’s heirs. As reported in a 2019 media release, the FBI seized the painting from the Arkell Museum in Canajoharie, New York, who was unaware of its origins.
The painting’s successful restitution has been widely covered in the press. Here is an article sampling.
Gari Melchers painting stolen by Nazis is returned to family of original owners (The Free Lance-Star, October 16, 2020)
Painting returned 87 years after Nazis stole it from a Jewish family in Berlin (CNN, October 16, 2020)
Jewish family’s painting looted by Nazis in 1933 is returned (Associated Press, October 15, 2020)
United States Secures Return of Artwork 87 Years After Nazis Looted it from Jewish Family in Berlin (United States Department of Justice, October 15, 2020)
FBI returns painting stolen by Nazis to owners heirs (Houston Chronicle, October 15, 2020)
Gari Melchers cribbed from his original oil painting Skaters (owned by the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts, or PAFA) to create our watercolor version by the same name. The stolen Winter is a related version.
Museum Partners to Create Virtual Content
Although Gari Melchers Home & Studio, Belmont, reopened to the public on September 14, the museum’s education department continues to produce online content. GMHS Education and Communications Manager Michelle Crow-Dolby is partnering with community members to deliver diverse online educational products.
Two of the most recent initiatives focus on museum programs that currently cannot be offered in person due to COVID-19 concerns: Preschool Palette and Picturing New Connections. The popular long-running Preschool Palette classes introduce children ages 2-5 to art galleries and process art projects. Since finding art supplies might be challenging for some households, Crow-Dolby opted for a different route for the online offering. She joined forces with children’s yoga instructor and Lafayette Upper Elementary School teacher Christine Garman to produce a video about yoga for children. In the video, Crow-Dolby first reads the book I Am Yoga in Belmont’s Summer House, then Garman leads an engaging yoga class in the Studio room.
Working with Lori Meyers, Regional Director, Fredericksburg Office, Alzheimer’s Association Greater Richmond, VA, Crow-Dolby also presented a recorded Zoom version of Picturing New Connections, a program for people with memory loss, their families, and care partners. Art, photography, music, and taste were all used to explore the theme of visiting county fairs.
In addition, when the garden was in full bloom, local floral and landscape designer Carolyn Helfrich helped create two videos. Helfrich artfully taught viewers the basics of floral arranging as well as how to interpret a painting through flowers.
“While we are thrilled to once again offer on-site tours, I am grateful to my collaborators for sharing their talents and expertise to generate much needed virtual experiences,” summarizes Crow-Dolby. Visit the museum’s LEARN page to explore all their online offerings.
Join PCOW for a Nutrition Talk
The President’s Council on Wellness is hosting a nutrition presentation facilitated by Giant nutritionist Lindsay Martin on Monday November 9th at 11:00 AM. Lindsay will also be providing a healthy food demo during her presentation. Monday’s topic is:
Holiday Eating Strategies
There are less than 65 days between Halloween and New Year’s but they can add up to weeks of overindulging. Join us to learn helpful tips and strategies to enjoy your holiDAYS – as a guest or as a host – with none of the guilt!”
Any faculty, staff, or student is welcome to attend via Zoom!
https://umw-sso.zoom.us/j/85464816896?pwd=SFVDMmp5UE15YXZTckY0cldyb0dKdz09
Meeting ID: 854 6481 6896
Passcode: 172557
Read THE WIDOW WASHINGTON with our Book Club
Looking for a way to stay connected to other alumni? We are beginning the next round of reading in our online literary group–the Mother of All Book Clubs!
Alumni read and discuss via a private Facebook group, so only approved members can see posts or participate in the discussion. This is informal and low-pressure–read along with us and chime in on the discussion as much or as little as you like.
Our next selection is The Widow Washington, by Martha Saxton. Saxton attempts to explore and correct what is known about Mary Ball Washington, George Washington’s mother.
Adapted from Amazon: George’s biographers have, for the most part, painted Mary as self-centered and crude, a trial and an obstacle to her oldest child. But the records tell a very different story. Mary Ball was orphaned young and grew up working hard, practicing frugality and piety. Later, as a widow deprived of most of her late husband’s properties, Mary struggled to raise her five children, but managed to secure them places among Virginia’s elite.
In her later years, she and George had a contentious relationship. Yet Mary had a greater impact on George than mothers of that time usually had on their sons. The Widow Washington is a necessary and deeply insightful corrective, telling the story of Mary’s long, arduous life on its own terms, and not treating her as her son’s satellite.
Pick up a copy of the book and start reading–we will begin posting discussion questions on Monday, November 30–which just happens to be Mary Washington’s 308th birthday. You might have a small-business bookseller you like to support, or you might want to try your local library system, some of which even offer ebooks. But if you need the book shipped, below are some links to larger online providers.
We look forward to reading with you!
All the best,
The Alumni Relations Team
Day on Democracy Encourages Voting and Civic Engagement
Held on Election Day, the inaugural Day on Democracy, a campus-wide celebration organized by Mary Washington students and alums, encourages civic education and participation and makes voting easier for UMW students.
Asher Utz was a freshman at the University of Mary Washington when he registered to vote. To cast his ballot, he needed to find time during his busy class schedule and figure out which polling place was his.
“My inexperience with the voting process made it all the more challenging,” said Utz, now a senior, who has spent the past two years working with fellow students and Marina Castro-Meirelles ’18 to launch UMW’s inaugural Day on Democracy, making voting easier for Mary Washington students. Cancelling lecture classes on Election Day is just one aspect of this nonpartisan celebration – the first student-initiated event of its kind at a public, four-year institution in the United States – filled with civic education and political participation opportunities.
At the same time, in response to a polarized election season, the University is reminding students to honor others’ opinions and uphold UMW’s community values through ASPIRE Speak, a new initiative that promotes civility and respectful discourse.
“UMW attracts civic-minded students, and research shows that close relationships with faculty, like the ones formed at Mary Washington, often have a positive impact on voting rates,” Castro-Meirelles said. Nearly 87 percent of UMW students were registered to vote in 2016, exceeding the national average, according to a report released by the National Study of Learning, Voting and Engagement. Read more.
Family Weekend: Connecting With UMW From the Comfort of Home
For the first time ever, UMW’s beloved fall tradition known as Family Weekend is going virtual, with events and activities throughout the weekend of Oct. 29 through Nov. 1.
Every fall, University of Mary Washington students gather with loved ones on campus for exciting events and activities that showcase Eagle life.
Now in its 47th year, Mary Washington’s Family Weekend is going virtual for the first time. Even in the digital realm, this beloved tradition, held Oct. 29 through Nov. 1, promises families ample opportunities for quality time together while apart.
“Virtual Family Weekend allows families the flexibility to decide when they want to engage together,” said Marissa DiMeo, of the Office of University Events and Conferencing. Much of the digital content will be available around the clock, thus “eliminating the stress of missing out on events that occur at the same time.” And there’s no need to worry about the weather. Read more.
Hillel Center to Serve as a Nest for Eagles
UMW hosted a socially distanced soft opening yesterday for the Maxine and Carl D. Silver Hillel Center. President Troy Paino described it as an “intellectual, social and cultural hub” for students and the broader Jewish community. Photo by Karen Pearlman.
Growing up, Fredericksburg native Larry Silver spent many hours hanging out on what were then open fields of the nearby Mary Washington College.
How fitting that decades later, the real estate investor has established a place at Mary Washington for students to hang out. Silver, based now in Boca Raton, Florida, was on hand yesterday for a “socially distanced soft opening” of the Maxine and Carl D. Silver Hillel Center at University of Mary Washington.
“My parents loved Fredericksburg and they loved the university,” Larry Silver said during a small ceremony in front of the Center, at the corner of College Avenue and Payne Street. “This is a great way to honor them.” Read more.