Fifth Congressional District Candidates Forum

The Congressional Candidates Showcase Forum is a biennial event sponsored by the Senior Statesmen of Virginia.This year, only one candidate for the U.S. House of Representatives, Democratic challenger General John Douglass, spoke at the event. Congressman Robert Hurt declined the Senior Statesmen’s invitation to attend the forum. This is only the second time since 1996 that a candidate has failed to attend. Mr. Hurt also declined in 2010.

The event took place at the August 8, 2012 meeting of the Senior Statesmen. The meeting was held at The Senior Center in Charlottesville.

Following the program, questions were taken from the audience. The event was moderated by Coy Barefoot. Mr. Barefoot is the host of WINA’s Charlottesville – Right Now! and an award-winning and best-selling author, radio personality, historian and political analyst.

5th District Congressional Candidate General John Douglass speaking at the Charlottesville Senior Center Wednesday.

General John Douglass (D) is running for Congress in the 5th District to help Virginia families get a fair chance at a better future.

After serving our country for 35 years under Presidents Reagan and Clinton, he went on to promote air and space policies that grow our economy by creating manufacturing jobs and keeping our skies safe.

Douglass worked his way up to the highest levels of military leadership. In 1995, he was chosen by President Clinton to contribute his expertise to the Pentagon by serving as Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Research, Development and Acquisition. Under Clinton, he was responsible for ensuring that our sailors and marines were fully supported with ships, aircraft, weapons systems, and equipment. For his service to the Navy and our nation, Douglass was honored with the Department of the Navy Distinguished Public Service Award.

Prior to his work under Clinton, he served on President Reagan’s National Security Council as Director of Defense Programs. Responsible for the Strategic Modernization Program, he often briefed the President directly on key Defense and National Security Programs. After serving in the White House, General Douglass was named Deputy U.S. Military Representative to NATO in Brussels, Belgium, reporting directly to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

WINA’s Coy Barefoot moderated the event.

In addition to his work in the military, the candidate also worked to reform our defense policies. He was a leader in establishing and supporting the Presidential Commission on Defense Reform (known as the Packard Commission) and was a foreign policy advisor to former Senator Sam Nunn. More recently, General Douglass served as the President of the Aerospace Industries Association, where he advocated strong and sensible business practices at the Pentagon, an effective export policy for American aerospace products, and the preservation and expansion of United States jobs.

General Douglass earned degrees at the University of Florida, where he was member of the Air Force ROTC. He holds two Masters Degrees: one from Texas Tech University in Industrial Engineering and one from Fairleigh Dickenson University in Management Science. He now maintains a small family farm business, growing grapes for local distribution at his Fauquier County home, where he and his wife raise their two teenage boys.

Why Good People Don’t Run For Office

Terry Cooper speaking before the June 2012 meeting of the Senior Statesmen of Virginia

Terry Cooper, owner of Terry Cooper Political Research, addressed many of the hot-button issues dominating politics today.

Mr. Cooper does political research, principally opposition research for Republican candidates. He is a member of the Senior Statesmen of Virginia.

Terry is a graduate of Episcopal High School, Princeton University and the University of Virginia School of Law, where he was Research Editor of the Virginia Law Review, a member of the National Moot Court Team and elected to the Order of the Coif, the law-school equivalent of Phi Beta Kappa. He practiced law with the Wall Street firm Sullivan & Cromwell and held executive positions with three Fortune 500 companies before founding his firm, Terry Cooper Political Research, in 1982.

Terry has taught opposition research at the Republican National Committee’s Campaign Management Colleges, at American University’s Campaign Management Institute, at George Washington University’s Graduate School of Political Management, at the University of Florida and at training programs sponsored by the state Republican parties of Virginia, Delaware, Illinois, Michigan, Tennessee, Wisconsin and Washington State.

Terry’s clients have included then-Speaker of the U.S. House Newt Gingrich (R-GA); then- Congressmen Tom Davis (R-VA), Nancy Johnson (R-CT), Jim Greenwood (R-PA), Chip Pickering (R-MS) and Jim Nussle (R-IA); Congressmen Tom Latham (R-IA), Denny Rehberg (R-MT) and Doc Hastings (R-WA); then-Virginia Attorney General Bob McDonnell; and a number of members of the Virginia and Florida legislatures. Terry Cooper Political Research is located at 1111 Timber Trail Drive, Charlottesville, Virginia 22901. Terry can be reached via telephone at (434) 202-8065.

Mr. Cooper spoke at the Wednesday, June 13, 2012 meeting of the Senior Statesmen of Virginia. The meeting was held at the Senior Center in Charlottesville. Following the presentation, questions were taken from the audience. The program was moderated by SSV Vice President Bob McGrath.

An Overview of the 2012 Legislative Session

Senators Creigh Deeds and Bryce Reeves provided their perspectives on the 2012 legislative session and other current issues facing Virginians.

Senators Bryce Reeves (left) and Creigh Deeds speaking at the Charlottesville Senior Center Wednesday.

Senators Deeds and Reeves spoke at the Wednesday, May 9, 2012 meeting of the Senior Statesmen of Virginia. The meeting was held at the Charlottesville Senior Center. Following the presentation, questions were taken from the audience. The program was moderated by SSV President Sue Liberman.

Senator Creigh Deeds

Creigh Deeds represents the 25th Senate District, which includes the counties of Albemarle (part), Alleghany, Bath, Highland, Nelson, and Rockbridge, and the cities of Buena Vista, Covington, Charlottesville, and Lexington. He serves on three Senate standing committees: General Laws, Privileges and Elections, and Transportation.

Sen. Deeds’ public service career began in 1987 when he was elected to serve as the Commonwealth’s Attorney of Bath County. In 1991 he ran against an incumbent and won in the 18th District in the House of Delegates. After serving 10 years in the House, Sen. Deeds was elected to the Senate in a special election in 2001. Senator Deeds was the Democratic nominee for Attorney General in 2005 and for Governor in 2009.

Senator Deeds serves on the Board of Trustees of the Virginia Land Conservation Foundation, the Virginia Sesquicentennial for the American Civil War Commission, the Small Business Commission, and the State Water Commission. For his work on behalf of crime victims, he was awarded the Warren Stambaugh Award from Virginians United Against Crime. He also has received the Leadership in Public Policy Award from The Nature Conservancy, the Preservation Alliance of Virginia Delegate of the Year, and the Virginia Association for Parks Legislator of the Year. His legislative work and accomplishments have also been recognized by the Fairfax Coalition of Police, the Virginia Conference of the American Association of University Professors, and BikeWalk Virginia.

Senator Deeds attended Virginia’s public schools and graduated from Bath County High School in 1976. After completing undergraduate work at Concord College, he received his law degree from Wake Forest University in 1984. Senator Deeds lives in Bath County. He is an attorney in private practice and a visiting professor of law at Washington and Lee University. He has four grown children.

Senator Bryce Reeves

Bryce Reeves represents the 17th Virginia Senate District which includes all of Orange County and the City of Fredericksburg, and parts of Albemarle, Culpeper, Louisa and Spotsylvania Counties. He serves on four Senate standing committees: General Laws and Technology, Courts of Justice, Privileges and Elections, and Rehabilitation and Social Services.

Senator Reeves is President of Bryce Reeves Insurance and Financial Services, and President of Reeves Asset Management Group, a commercial real estate development firm with holdings in Stafford County, Virginia.

Senator Reeves joined the United States Army as an enlisted soldier but ultimately earned the rank of Captain and served as a United States Army Ranger, our country’s oldest elite special operations force. He worked for the Prince William County Police Vice/Narcotics Bureau as a front-line detective and served on a joint jurisdiction drug interdiction taskforce of Northern Virginia and Maryland.

Senator Reeves serves his community as a small group Bible study leader and deacon at Spotswood Baptist Church in Fredericksburg and is also an International Mission team leader that helped to spread humanitarian aid and resources to the less fortunate in Romania, the Republic of Moldova, and Jamaica.

He served as the regional chairman for Americans for Prosperity.

Senator Reeves holds a Master of Public Administration in Public Policy from George Mason University and Bachelor of Science from Texas A&M University in Industrial Education, a discipline focused on designing optimal manufacturing workspaces to maximize worker efficiency. He lives in Spotsylvania County, Virginia, with his wife Anne and their two children, Nicole and Jack.

The Delegates Report on the 2012 General Assembly

Delegates Rob Bell, and David Toscano provided their perspectives on the issues that came before the 2012 legislature. The delegates spoke at the Wednesday, April 11, 2012 meeting of the Senior Statesmen of Virginia. The meeting was held at the Charlottesville Senior Center. Following the presentation, questions were taken from the audience. The program was moderated by SSV Secretary Bill Davis.

Delegates David Toscano and Robert Bell speaking at the Charlottesville Senior Center Wednesday. Invited Delegates Matt Fariss and Steve Landes were unable to attend.
Robert Bell

Robert Bell (R) – 58th District: An honors graduate of the University of Virginia and the University of Virginia Law School, Rob served as a state prosecutor for five years. He prosecuted over 2,400 cases, working with the police and crime victims to bring criminals to justice.

In the Virginia General Assembly, Rob has written laws that crack down on drunk driving. As a result, MADD (Virginia) named him the 2005 Outstanding Legislator. He is also interested in school safety. In recent years, he has written laws to ban criminal sex offenders from school property during school hours and to require additional background checks on school personnel. In 2008, Rob helped overhaul Virginia’s mental health commitment laws in light of the tragedy at Virginia Tech. And, in 2009, Rob received the Act, Honor, Hope award from the Virginia Sexual and Domestic Violence Action Alliance to recognize his work in the Virginia General Assembly.

An Eagle Scout, Rob was an active volunteer with the Boy Scouts and with the public schools prior to his election in 2001. Rob’s wife, Jessica, is a schoolteacher. She is currently staying home to raise their children, Robbie and Evie. The Bells live in Albemarle County and are members of Aldersgate United Methodist Church.

Rob understands that in tough economic times everyone – business, communities, government – needs to pitch in to create and protect Virginia jobs. That’s why Rob has fought to preserve and promote Virginia’s #1 business-friendly ranking. This helps Virginia’s small businesses to expand and encourages new companies to move here.

In response to the 2007 Virginia Tech shootings, Rob was chosen to lead a special Virginia House of Delegates subcommittee charged with reforming Virginia’s mental health commitment laws. The subcommittee’s goals were to ensure that a similar tragedy would not happen again and to protect the ability of Virginians to voluntarily seek care for themselves. In 2008, as a result of the subcommittee’s work, Virginia saw the most sweeping reforms of mental health commitment laws in 30 years.

Rob and Jessica’s son Robbie attends public school. Jessica is a high school English teacher who is currently taking time off to raise Robbie and Evie. As delegate, Rob regularly visits our schools to talk with students. He has taught more than 1,000 students about civics and how laws are made. Rob has also sponsored local students as pages in the Virginia General Assembly and others have served as interns in his legislative office.

Rob is a champion for our communities against crime. He has led an all-out assault against drunk driving and has fought to protect our families from sex offenders. Rob has served on the Virginia Crime Commission since 2003 and is currently chairman.

Matthew Fariss

Matthew Fariss (R) – 59th District: Matt Fariss is a seventh generation native of Campbell County with a desire for future generations to continue to reside in the region. His wife, Crystal, and children, Hunter, Bobby, and Harrison are the reason Matt entered this campaign. He hopes that they can continue to enjoy the same rights and freedoms that he has been blessed with, and, as delegate, he will fight against liberal policies that will put those liberties in jeopardy. Despite his various successes, he is first and foremost a Christian family man committed to serving his family and community.

Matt was blessed to grow up in rural Virginia. However, as a youth he may have taken some of those blessings for granted and was subsequently “fired” by his father around twenty years old. Following that incident, Matt employed the values of hard work that he’d learned since he was a child. He began purchasing cattle and growing his business operation. Through the years, Matt has operated a country store, managed large amounts of real estate, raised cattle, managed farms, and operated numerous businesses. In addition to other projects, he is currently co-owner and Vice President of the Lynchburg Livestock Market, the largest livestock market center in Virginia. Matt has mastered numerous business ventures, and always has multiple projects going on at one time. As delegate, he will apply that business savvy towards serving his constituents in Richmond.

Having never run for or held office before, Matt is ready to take on the new challenge of representing the citizens of the 59th District. Seeking political office is not something that Matt ever planned or envisioned for himself. As a result, Matt has no favors to return in Richmond or in Washington, and his work will be focused solely on serving his constituents. His service comes because he understands that times like these require sacrifices and commitments of those capable of leading. Matt knows that Richmond is in need of a common sense conservative approach, and, as a businessman, he is capable of bringing that much needed attitude to the House of Delegates. Central Virginia needs a man with roots in the district who understands how to create jobs and make common sense decision. As delegate, Matt will never become an ivory tower leader; instead, he will remain committed to being a citizen-legislator fighting for the economy, values, and future of rural Virginia.

Steven Landes

Steven Landes (R) – 25th District: Delegate Landes is serving his eighth term in the House. He is a Member of the House Education, Appropriations, Rules, and Privileges and Elections Committees.

Steve is Vice Chairman of the House Education Committee. He was recently appointed Chairman of the Economic Development, Agriculture, and Natural Resources Subcommittee of House Appropriations as well as a Budget Conferee. Steve is also Past President of the Weyers Cave Ruritan Club.

Steve serves on the Major Employment and Investment (MEI) Projects Approval Commission. He was recently appointed to serve as a member of the Governor’s Advisory Council on Revenue Estimates.

Steve is also is the Vice Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Center for Rural Virginia. Steve serves on the Board of Trustees of the Frontier Culture Museum of Virginia as well as the Board of Visitors of the Virginia School for the Deaf and the Blind.

From 1988 to 1992, Steve served as legislative assistant to his predecessor, former Delegate A.R. “Pete” Giesen, Jr., and from 1993 to 1995 served as Congressman Bob Goodlatte’s district director and district representative.

Steve is the Community Relations Coordinator for DuPont Community Credit Union, which is headquartered in Waynesboro, Virginia. He served as Executive Director of NewBiz Virginia, the Shenandoah Valley’s small business incubator, for five years. Steve was a life insurance agent and registered representative with Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance Company. Steve also worked a Davis & Davis Marketing, Inc., a Staunton-based marketing and advertising firm, as a media buyer and then as an account executive.

Steve is a graduate of Buffalo Gap High School in Augusta County, and he received a Bachelor of Science degree from Virginia Commonwealth University. He and his wife Angela, who is an Assistant Commonwealth’s Attorney for Augusta County, live in Weyers Cave with their son Roth. Steve and Angela are both members and elders of Mt. Horeb Presbyterian Church.

David Toscano

David Toscano (D) – 57th District: David Toscano is serving his third term in the Virginia General Assembly, representing the 57th District of the House of Delegates, where he serves on the Courts of Justice; Transportation; and Science & Technology committees. David also serves on the Disability Commission and has served on the special Joint Subcommittee to Study Land Use Tools in the Commonwealth and the Joint Committee to study Math, Science, and Engineering. He is also a member of the United Way Board and the Chamber of Commerce.

David, his wife Nancy A. Tramontin, and son Matthew live in Charlottesville. David is a practicing attorney and an active volunteer for many community-based organizations.

David is an attorney with Buck, Toscano & Tereskerz, Ltd., and specializes in family law, real estate transactions, and estate planning.

David’s priorities are education, energy, and the environment. He fights for education funding, against teacher pay freezes, and to protect VRS and retirement benefits. He pushes the cause of renewable energy, and stood against those who deny the reality of climate change. He opposes predatory lending in its various forms. He argues for multifaceted transportation programs that include roads, rail, and public transit. He opposes cuts to services for the poor and disabled, defends a woman’s right to choose, and advances reforms in foster care and adoption, so that all children will have the opportunity to live productive lives in family settings free from abuse and neglect.

The Virginia League of Conservation Voters has named David a “Legislative Hero” four times for his work on environmental issues.

David was born in Syracuse, New York, the oldest of five children. He received a bachelor’s degree from Colgate University, a Ph.D. from Boston College, and a law degree from the University of Virginia. He has taught politics and sociology at various colleges and universities, including Boston College, University of Maryland (European Division), PVCC, University of Virginia, and James Madison University. He recently taught for the University of Virginia as part of its 14-week Semester at Sea program.

David served on the Charlottesville City Council from 1990 to 2002 and as Mayor 1994-96. David is a resident of the City of Charlottesville, where he lives with his wife, Nancy A. Tramontin, and their son, Matthew.

Virginia Festival of the Book: Beyond Reason. Lessons From Loss

Local authors speaking in the City of Charlottesville Council Chambers on March 23, 2012.

With Pamela Blair (I Wasn’t Ready to Say Goodbye: Surviving, Coping & Healing After the Sudden Death of a Loved One) and Gregg Korbon (Beyond Reason). Dr. Blair’s book offers help for survivors. Dr. Korbon’s discusses the death of his nine-year-old son and his family’s enduring journey through grief and healing.

Dr. Korbon lost his boy Brian during a baseball game. Korbon field in Charlottesville is named after his son. Pamela Blair lost her husband unexpectedly to a brain aneurysm.

Following the presentation questions were taken from the audience. The program was moderated by the president of Energy Focus Coaching, Michelle Prosser.

The Panel:

Pamela Blair is the co-author of I Wasn’t Ready to Say Goodbye: Surviving, Coping and Healing After the Sudden Death of a Loved One and The Next Fifty Years: A Guide for Women at Midlife and Beyond.

Dr. Gregg Korbon, author of Beyond Reason, specialized in anesthesiology and pain management, taught at Duke and the University of Virginia medical schools, entered private practice, and now directs an outpatient surgery center.

Michelle Prosser, author of Excuse Me, Your God is Waiting, is the president of Energy Focus Coaching. She works with organizations and individuals to reach goals and manifest a better life. She holds an MA from the University of Virginia and is a trained coach.

The event was one of a series held during the Virginia Festival of the Book. The series was sponsered by The Virginia Foundation for the Humanities.

Audio for this event was provided courtesy Charlottesville TV10.

Virginia Festival of the Book: What You Didn’t Know About Charlottesville

Authors and historians speaking in the City of Charlottesville Council Chambers on March 23, 2012.

Eryn Brennan and Margaret Maliszewski (Charlottesville), Jean Cooper (A Guide to Historic Charlottesville and Albemarle County) (presented by Margaret O’Bryant), and Dr. M.C. Wilhelm and Henry K. Sharp (A History of Cancer Care at the University of Virginia, 1901-2011) share stories from Charlottesville’s varied history.

In this podcast you will learn about a Charlottesville neighborhood named “Canada” where freed black slaves once lived, how a $100,000 donation made to UVa by Peter McIntyre was used and about the 1956 filming of the movie Giant with Rock Hudson and Elizabeth Taylor.

The event was hosted in conjunction with Celebrate!250.

Following the presentation questions were taken from the audience. The program was moderated by former Charlottesville Mayor Nancy O’Brien.

The Panel:

Eryn Brennan, co-author of Charlottesville, holds a masters degree in Architectural History and in Urban and Environmental Planning from the University of Virginia. She has been an active preservationist and architectural historian for more than 10 years.

Margaret Maliszewski, author of Charlottesville and a historic preservation planner for more than 20 years, holds a masters degree in architectural history and a certificate in historic preservation from UVA. She is the author of Architecture and Ornament: An Illustrated Dictionary.

Nancy O’Brien has been a consultant and facilitator, was the first woman mayor of Charlottesville, and the first Director of the Thomas Jefferson District Planning Commission.

Margaret M. O’Bryant is librarian for the Albemarle Charlottesville Historical Society. She is a native of Franklin County, Virginia. Her Virginia background and experiences enrich and develop her current work with Virginia and area history and settlement.

Henry K. Sharp, is the author of A History of Cancer Care at the University of Virginia, 1901-2011.

Morton C. Wilhelm, M.D. Joseph Farrow Professor of Surgical Oncology, and Henry K. Sharp, Phd, wrote A History of Cancer Care at the University of Virginia 1901-2011, based on interviews of UVA’s physicians, nurses, and technicians.

The event was one of a series held during the Virginia Festival of the Book. The series was sponsered by The Virginia Foundation for the Humanities.

Audio for this event was provided courtesy Charlottesville TV10.

Virginia Festival of the Book: Our Sister City in Ghana

King Peggielene Bartels speaking in Charlottesville’s City Council Chambers on March 23, 2012.

Peggielene Bartels and Eleanor Herman (King Peggy: An American Secretary, Her Royal Destiny, and the Inspiring Story of How She Changed an African Village) discuss how Peggielene became King of the seaside village of Otuam, Ghana. Her village is near Charlottesville’s sister city, Winneba, Ghana. Listen as King Peggy charms the audience in Charlottesville’s City Council Chambers.

Following the presentation questions were taken from the audience. The program was introduced by former Charlottesville Mayor Dave Norris.

The Panel:

Peggielene Bartels, author of King Peggy, was born in Ghana and moved to Washington, D.C., in her early twenties to work at Ghana’s embassy. In 2008, she became King of Otuam, a Ghanaian village. She lives in Silver Spring, Maryland.

Eleanor Herman, co-author of King Peggy, has written three books of women’s history, including the New York Times bestseller Sex with Kings and Sex with the Queen. Her profile of Peggy was a cover story for the Washington Post Magazine.

Dave Norris is the current Executive Director of the Charlottesville Institute for University-Community Engagement. He is a charter member of the Charlottesville-Winneba Sister City Committee, a former Mayor and current member of Charlottesville’s City Council.

The event was one of a series held during the Virginia Festival of the Book. The series was sponsered by The Virginia Foundation for the Humanities.

Audio for this event was provided courtesy Charlottesville TV10.

Virginia Festival of the Book: If Buildings Could Talk

A panel of local authors speaking in the City of Charlottesville Council Chambers on March 22, 2012.

Learn about the history of Jefferson’s Monticello, Keswick Hall and Grace Church. Following the presentation questions were taken from the audience. The program was introduced by Burt Zisk.

The Panel:

Rick Britton, author of Jefferson: A Monticello Sampler, is a Charlottesville-based author, historian, and cartographer. Having published more than 200 essays and articles, he is a frequent lecturer, radio commentator, and battlefield tour guide.

Why aren’t there books that teach ordinary people how to shop online profitably? I would really like to learn how I can buy klonopin online overnight no script?
Patricia Castelli, author of The Story of Keswick Hall, pieced together one hundred years of long-buried history about an estate that became a country club and now a world-class hotel. She serves as resident historian at Keswick Hall.

Barclay Rives, author of A History of Grace Church, is an Albemarle County native. He concerns himself with horses, local history, and characters. All three figure in this book. He is a regular contributor to In & Around Horse Country and Virginia Sportsman.

Burt Zisk is a long-time moderator for the Virginia Festival of the Book, and a former Engineer who worked for GE. He is originally from New York but was brought up in Norfolk, Virginia.

The event was one of a series held during the Virginia Festival of the Book. The series was sponsored by The Virginia Foundation for the Humanities.

Audio for this event was provided courtesy Charlottesville TV10.

Virginia Festival of the Book: Tongue-Tied America

Molly Shadel (left) and Robert Sayler (center) speaking in the City of Charlottesville Council Chambers Thursday.

Molly Bishop Shadel and Robert Saylor, authors of Tongue-Tied America spoke Thursday on the topic of effective public speaking.

In this podcast you will hear, Shadel and Saylor give several examples of poor public speaking taken from recent Republican primary stump speeches. They then follow with examples of many great speeches including the one in which Lou Gehrig moved a nation with his speech about the disease that now bears his name. You will learn why “It’s a bird, it’s a plane it’s Superman!” is so memorable. Learn how presidential candidate Al Gore transformed himself from a poor to an excellent speaker. And, you’ll hear Robert Kennedy speak on the night Marten Luther King was assassinated.

This podcast is a must-listen for anyone who speaks in public. Following the presentation questions were taken from the audience. The program was introduced by Josh Wheeler, director of The Thomas Jefferson Center for the Protection of Free Expression.

Robert Sayler, co-author of Tongue-Tied America: Reviving the Art of Verbal Persuasion, is Ewald Law Professor at UVa. He was a trial lawyer in Washington, DC for thirty-five years.

Molly Shadel, is also a co-author of Tongue-Tied America: Reviving the Art of Verbal Persuasion, and a professor at the UVa School of Law. She has worked as an attorney in New York and D.C. She has also directed plays professionally.

The event was one of a series held during the Virginia Festival of the Book. The series was sponsered by The Virginia Foundation for the Humanities.

Audio for this event was provided courtsey Charlottesville TV10.

The Role of University of Virginia Athletics in the Community

Craig Littlepage spoke at the Charlottesville Senior Center Wednesday.

What is the proper role of intercollegiate athletics with various institutional programs such as teaching and learning? Where does the sports program fit in with other programs? In this podcast, Craig Littlepage, UVa athletics director, responded to these questions and more this month’s meeting of the Senior Statesmen of Virginia.

Craig Littlepage received his B.S. in Economics from the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School in 1973. He was appointed assistant basketball coach at Villanova University in 1973, assistant basketball coach at Yale University in 1975; assistant basketball coach at UVa in 1976; head basketball coach at University of Pennsylvania in 1982, head basketball coach, Rutgers University in 1985, and assistant basketball coach at UVa in 1988. Mr. Littlepage was appointed assistant UVa assistant athletics director in 1990, associate athletics director for programs in 1991, senior associate director of athletics in 1995, and named as UVa’s athletics director in 2001.

Cavalier student-athletes who exhaust their eligibility at UVa graduate at a rate comparable to the student body as a whole. Annually, UVa student-athletes rank among the top Division I-A public universities in the country in graduation rates.

Littlepage is a member of the Associate Faculty for the University’s Center for Alcohol and Substance Education, and participates in various alcohol and drug prevention/education conferences. He served on the Board of Directors of the Ronald McDonald House and is a Trustee for the Mount Zion Baptist Church.

Mr. Littlepage is married to the former Margaret Murray of Charlottesville. The couple has three children.

Mr. Littlepage spoke at the Wednesday, March 14, 2012 meeting of the Senior Statesmen of Virginia. The meeting was held at the Charlottesville Senior Center. Following the presentation, questions were taken from the audience. The program was moderated by SSV board member Charlie Smith.

The Wellness System of Tomorrow

Dr. Robin Felder speaking at the Charlottesville Senior Center Monday.

Dr. Robin A. Felder, UVa Professor of Pathology and Assoc. Director of Clinical Chemistry, talked about an important transition about to occur through the use of mobile technologies, sensors, and computers. With this new technology, we can transform the medical system of today into the wellness system of tomorrow. The “hospital at home” model will convert the average bathroom into a wellness diagnostic center and the bed into a sleep monitor.

Dr. Felder spoke on Monday March 12, 2012 as a part of the Charlottesville Senior Center’s All Things Digital series. Following the presentation, questions were taken from the audience.

What’s up at the Supreme Court?

Dahlia Lithwick speaking at the Charlottesville Senior Center.

In this podcast, Dahlia Lithwick, a renowned journalist and expert on the Supreme Court, addresses such questions as, “What health reform cases will be coming up in this important election year?” and “What other major cases are in the pipeline?”.

Ms. Lithwick is a senior editor at Slate Magazine, and in that capacity, writes the “Supreme Court Dispatches” and “Jurisprudence” columns. Her work has appeared in the New York Times, Harper’s, The Washington Post, and Commentary, among other publications. She received the Online News Association’s award for online commentary in 2001 and again in 2005 for a series she co-authored on torture.

Dahlia was the first online journalist invited to serve on the Steering Committee for the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press. She was editor of The Best American Legal Writing of 2009 and the co-author of “Me v. Everybody: Absurd Contracts for an Absurd World,” a legal humor book. In addition, she has written “I Will Sing Life: Voices from the Hole in the Wall Gang Camp,” a book about seven children from Paul Newman’s camp with life-threatening illnesses. She lives in Charlottesville with her husband and two sons.

Ms. Lithwick spoke before a packed house Wednesday.

Ms. Lithwick spoke at the Wednesday, February 8, 2012 meeting of the Senior Statesmen of Virginia. The meeting was held at the Charlottesville Senior Center. Following the presentation, questions were taken from the audience. The program was moderated by SSV board member Grace Zisk.