THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, July 7, 1996 TAG: 9607040230
SECTION: CHESAPEAKE CLIPPER PAGE: 03 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: Eric Feber
LENGTH: 86 lines
A collection of mini-news items, almost-news items and plain old stuff we've heard around town. If you see or hear of anything you think is worthy of Town Talk, give us a call at 547-9761, fax us at 436-2798 or write to Town Talk, 921 N. Battlefield Blvd., Chesapeake, Va. 23320.
A belated congratulations to Janet MacCartney, chosen by the Indian River Ruritan Club as its 1996 Chesapeake Mother of the Year.
MacCartney was nominated by her five children: Mike, Matthew, Mark, Mitchell and Patience. She received her award and a corsage from the Indian River Ruritans on Mother's Day. In addition, Chesapeake Mayor William E. Ward presented MacCartney an official city citation on May 28.
According to the Rev. Paul Moore, a member of the Mother of the Year selection committee, MacCartney was chosen because she helped raise five polite, well adjusted children, and because of her extensive community service.
``I don't know how she does it,'' Moore said. ``Raising five good kids and then performing all of that extra community work.''
She's taught elementary school children since 1971, and recently coached the Norfolk Academy ``Bullpups'' girls field hockey team.
She is co-president of the Portsmouth Branch of the American Association of University Women, and has worked with the American Association of University Women's Girls Can Too! math and science conference.
She began the beautification and landscaping of the E.W. Chittum School bus ramps. For the past five years she has been a member of the Chittum and Western Branch Middle schools PTAs. She has been a room mother and a volunteer parent reader, and she participates in several school activities and events.
She has been a Girl Scout leader, has participated in Boy Scout activities and has been a volunteer at a Girl Scout day camp.
If all that doesn't make anyone tired, MacCartney is also active in her church as a lay minister, vacation Bible school teacher, Sunday school teacher, Sunday school superintendent and other jobs.
She has assisted with the Habitat for Humanity program, has been a mentor with the Girls Inc. Discovery program and continually donates items and supports food and clothing drives in the community and at her church.
But most important, she's an asset to her family.
``She continues to keep our family together despite the recent and challenging medical and psychological needs of our father, who had brain and back surgery,'' the nomination letter from her children read.
Needless to say, MacCartney cherishes the award.
``After 19 years of motherhood, mountains of laundry, numerous shopping excursions, menu planning, purchasing, preparing and presenting, not to mention various other roles and responsibilities of nurturing, I am delighted with this honor,'' she said. ``Motherhood has been a very fulfilling experience.'' Miss Virginia winners
It's true, a Chesapeake woman did not win the Miss Virginia pageant, held last weekend in Roanoke.
But the contingent of Chesapeake women that did travel to Roanoke did the city proud, said Jeff Bunn, who runs the Miss Chesapeake Pageant in the city and is a veteran of past pageant experiences.
Thomanita ``Nita'' Booth went as Miss Chesapeake, Patrice Griffin went as Miss Norfolk State University, Marie Adell Healy went as Miss Suffolk Tri-County, Elizabeth ``Beth'' Howell went as Miss Hampton-Newport News and Stacey Renee Moseley went as Miss Norfolk.
Bunn said all five women did well.
``The competition was the toughest I've seen in years,'' Bunn said. ``Our girls had what it took to compete. All of them.''
But a lot of kudos should go to Booth and Moseley, who placed in the top five Miss Virginia 1996 pageant finishers, Bunn said.
Booth won the pageant's third runner-up award and the talent award for one of the preliminary competitions, while Moseley took the second runner-up title and the talent competition for the second evening's preliminary competition.
Moseley won $5,000 worth of scholarships, while Booth took home $2,500 worth.
``This is the best Chesapeake has done since 1985,'' Bunn said. ``We haven't had two from Chesapeake make the top 10, much less the top five, in years. It's awesome.''
Bunn predicted that Moseley, with all of her performing savvy and experience, will do well.
``If she goes back, she'll win Miss Virginia,'' Bunn said. ``She's so darn talented and dedicated.''
And Chesapeake should be confident that Booth will make it to the top, too, Bunn said.
``I'm especially proud of Nita,'' he said. ``She was one of the youngest contestants there and made it to the top five. She will be Miss America one day. I'm positive about that.'' by CNB