DOWN MEMORY LANE
May 18, 1950
The entire county was shocked and grieved to hear of the sudden death of Sheriff James Marshall Lillard, who died from a sudden heart attack Sunday morning, May 14, at his home at Washington.
Sheriff Lillard, 51, had served as sheriff of Rappahannock county for the past nine years, having been appointed first to the position by Judge J. R. H. Alexander to fill the unexpired term of the former sheriff, Hubert Keyser, who died in April 1941. Sheriff Lillard had held the position of town sergeant and county policeman for a number of years prior to being made sheriff of the county.
Principal D. C. Link of Washington High School has announced that Senator Raymond Guest, of the 24th Senatorial District, will deliver the address to the graduating class in the school auditorium Tuesday, May 30, at 8 p.m.
Gladys Reid will deliver the valedictory by virtue of having the highest marks of the class of the four-year period. Gladys is the daugher of Mr. and Mrs. C. G. Reid of Washington. Lucy Mae Smith, with second honors, will be salutatorian of the class. Lucy Mae is the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Charles A. Smith of Amissville. Jo Ellen Worth of Washington was third highest in scholastic honors.
Candidates for graduation are: Jo Ellen Worth, Gladys Reid, Mary Karland Fincham, Lillian Sealock, Jean Woodward, Silas Martin, Jr., Virgie Ree Dodson, Lucy Mae Smith, Jackson Smith, Frank Goode, Jr., Lois Utz, Mary Burke, Winfrey Burke, and Dorothy Printz.
Aug. 11, 1983
The last stop before Old Rag Mountain is still the little country grocery store on Route 231 in the F. T. Valley. But new owners Wilma and James Burke didn’t have to do much in the way of sign painting when they took over. They just painted over the “H” in “H and J” (for Harvey and Jean Gordon, former proprietors) and replaced it with a “W.”
The Burkes met Harvey Gordon when he visited their sandwich shop in Front Royal. He mentioned he was thinking about selling his business in Rappahannock.
“We came over in the big snow to take a look at it. It was the only free day we had,” Wilma Burke explained, laughing.
They took over operation of the store in April, retaining the country cooperation and friendliness that were the Gordons’ hallmarks and at the same time, expanded stock.
James spends most of his working time at the sandwich shop they've managed for years in Front Royal while Wilma has the primary responsibility for minding the new store.”But he helps with the grocery,” she added.
Parents of seven children, they also get assistance from the kids at both businesses.
Frances Semones was honored at a retirement party July 9 at Oakleaf Farm, home of her employer, Dr. Donald L. MacNay.
Mrs. Semones, a resident of Amissville, has worked with Dr. MacNay since 1969 at his Piedmont Orthopedic Clinic in Manassas and will retire July 29.
After retirement, Mrs. Semones plans to spend more time with her family, pursue her hobbies and travel with her husband, Thornton.
April 23, 1997
When Grady Vest, of Flint Hill woke up last Thursday morning he didn’t know it was his lucky day — literally. Mr. Vest had managed to do what others dream of every day, he won the lottery — to the tune of $13.5 million.
For the Vest family it’s really a family affair. The Vests have been playing the lottery almost since its inception and everybody in the family, Mr. Vest, his wife, Doris, and daughters, Renee and Cristal and son, Alan, all contributed to the ticket, never imagining they’d win, said Doris. The ticket was purchased at Hillsdale Grocery on Route 211 in Washington, VA., where Renee works.
The family will receive a first check for $464,108 (after taxes of course) and 19 payments of $461,040 each according to the Virginia Lottery.
Karen Henderson of Sperryville is the newest DJ at C103, the “Cruisin’ Country” FM station in Culpeper.
She gets up at 3 a.m. so she can be on the air from 5 a.m. to 9 a.m., Monday through Friday. She started with the AM Station, WCVA, in January, playing old-time music and memories and recently was asked by the station if she wanted to try the FM station. Ms. Henderson is very much at ease on the radio, as she was the weekend overnight voice at WMAL radio in Washington, D.C., for 12 years, leaving in 1992. When she found that she missed being on the radio, she applied for the job in Culpeper and got it.
Her voice has taken her to the Mike Douglas and Merv Griffin shows, the Tropicana Hotel in Las Vegas, and many clubs in the Washington, D.C. area.
Ms. Henderson has lived in Gid Brown Hollow with her husband Warren since 1990; she said they moved there to get away from the rat race. But they both still work in town a lot. She is also a board member of RLEP (Rappahannock League for Environmental Protection).