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Things are Changing Again ... (1983)

MLPA Newsletter, March 1983

No doubt you have noticed the new look of the Morningside Lenox Park Newsletter. Perhaps what caught your eye was the new tabloid format or maybe it was the absence of advertising. No matter which aspect you first noticed, please examine the current product, and let us know what you think about it. After all, the newsletter is printed for you.

Recently, I had the pleasure of visiting with Chuck and Helena Robisch. These Plymouth Road residents were among the original members of our association, and being close to our "roots", they also were involved with the earliest editions of the newsletter. Chuck and Helena shared their prized collection of newsletters from the first four years of circulation. The stories concerning the beginning of the association are both exciting and educational. The cast of characters that flash across the pages of newsprint include the famous, the familiar, and the forgotten.

As most of you know, our association was born in the days of the I-485 struggle. I was amazed to learn that the whole affair began way back in 1964, and was startled to find out that the big victory came as long ago as 1972. Although I moved to Morningside in 1978, both the tone of the stories and the appearance of portions of the neighborhood seemed to indicate a much more recent favorable resolution.

It is easy to trace the dramatic history of our neighborhood through the pages of the newsletter that began in April, 1968. As the highway conflict deepened and the association-led protest mounted, the newsletter matured into a handsome format. Topics other than neighborhood preservation were addressed more frequently. The Dogwood Festival was clearly important with our part of the city going all out for the Dogwood Lighted Trails. The latter involved bus tours by night to view the dogwoods and azaleas, whose natural spring brilliance was aided by spotlights. I was told that those spectacular tours lasted for a handful of years, but died with the conservation efforts spawned by the oil embargo in 1973. Mrs. Mary Brand, a Morningside-Lenox Park resident, not only began the Dogwood Lighted Trails, but also directed them.

Another very significant person from the past whose name I had never heard before is attorney Michael Padnos. His modest fees and quality work won the battle to save the neighborhood from the crush of the highway. Mr. Padnos reportedly is living in Boston now.

Since I have been a board member of the association, I have watched the newsletter move through several evolutionary steps. In 1978, the newsletter was mailed to dues paying members once a quarter. The membership numbered about 300 households, which was about the same size of the membership in 1968 when the first newsletters were printed. Current membership is 650.

About two and a half years ago, a desire both to communicate to the membership on a more frequent basis as well as to reach the whole neighborhood led to a series of changes. The result was a monthly bulletin to the membership and a quarterly newsletter to all 3,200 households within our boundaries. Fiscal responsibility dictated that advertisement play an important role in the expanded quarterly productions. Vickie Grimes did much to effect these changes during her term as editor. Pat Taylor gradually became the key person in coordinating the advertising efforts.

For the last year the quarterly newsletter (with advertising) has been supplemented by a monthly bulletin mailed to members. Recently, Pat has become the editor of the newsletter and is brimming with good ideas about subject matter and a vision of what would be of interest to us in 1983. As a result of increasing typesetting and printing costs, the Communications Committee felt it was imperative that we find ways to reduce newsletter costs while continuing to provide the same level of information. Our choice was this tabloid format which costs less to print.

I am happy to report that Ginny Sjoquist will be assuming the role of advertising coordinator. We have enjoyed a good relationship with our advertisers and are delighted to be able to continue to have their participation again in future newsletters. As always, we'd love to have new volunteers join us to help with writing or advertising.

by Joe Hope

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