Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: TUESDAY, August 24, 1993 TAG: 9308240158
SECTION: EXTRA PAGE: 1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: Kathleen Wilson
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
The Girl Scouts were flagging down cars. So was the Cave Spring Rescue Squad's Junior Crew.
But how often do you find a hotel on the carwash/bake sale circuit of fund-raising?
The employees of the Holiday Inn on Franklin Road were out in full force, washing cars and selling cookies to help the victims of the flood in the Midwest.
"Who knows more about what it's like during a flood than we do?" asked Sandy Alls, innkeeper. She's lost count of the number of times she and her staff have scrambled when the Roanoke River started to rise, moving furniture, suitcases, and guest up from ground-level rooms.
Paul Lawrence, sales manager, had no problem convincing employees to pitch in and help out, off the clock.
You couldn't get a better car wash for $2. After Mike and Tracy Hubbard got out of their Volvo, nine of the volunteers grabbed rags and started washing.
"You aren't going to charge us double because it's so dirty?" Mike wanted to know.
"No wonder they call these mud flaps," commented Hiawatha Wheeler, a relief night auditor.
Next to him, Silvio Thomasson, the morning chef who had arrived at work at 5:30 this morning, labored away at another wheel, wearing his white chef's uniform and hat.
But the man wearing the faded jeans, torn plaid shirt and suspenders wouldn't give his name.
"I'm just doing my good deed for the day," he said with a smile. "We've got to help those people on the other side of the Old Miss."
"He just walked over off the street this morning, picked up a rag and started washing," said Paul. "He hasn't told us his name all day." nn
Most of us settle for a birthday cake and a couple of Hallmark cards.
Not Alex Lunsford.
No, Alex turned 24 and tossed his own birthday bash.
It was just a garden-variety keg party, with a hundred or so of his friends. And a deejay. At a location I'll bet most of us never thought you could have a party at. The roof of the Dominion Bank building.
Alex, a member of the Jefferson Club, had no problem getting their permission.
"The average age of the members is pretty old," Alex explained. "This way, some of the younger crowd gets to see what it's like." nn
Local alums of the College of William and Mary got together at Rick and Karen Ramsey's home on Grandin Road to celebrate their alma mater's 300th birthday.
"There won't be anybody there who's 300, but there'll be some who are close," Rick joked.
The college - the only one in this country with a royal charter - is celebrating this anniversary with parties all over the world. Lee J. Foster, director of alumni affairs, attended parties in Japan and Great Britain, where Queen Elizabeth was in attendence.
Carl Andrews, class of '27, is one of William and Mary's oldest alumni.
"I got here 12 days after Columbus," he said, referring to his October birthday.
"And he can shoot his age in golf," said Will Dibling, Roanoke City Attorney, class of '66.
Carl, a former member of the alumni board and the board of visitors, started an organization for students who work their way through school waiting tables.
The Order of the White Jacket now has 600 members at colleges and universities across the country. The Order of the White Jacket awards 10 scholarships of $1,500 every year.
Patsy Bean was doing the white-jacket thing at this affair, serving up barbecue and beans and salad. And the food was great!
Where was it from?
"It's from Franklin Regional Hospital," she revealed.
A.K.A. Creative Catering.
Funniest line I've ever overheard at a party:
"Did you know that if you drove a car 100 miles per hour, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, it would still take 4,000 years to reach Pluto?"
by CNB