Spring 2000
   Download a PDF version (240k)

   Ltr. from the President
   New Executive Director
   Save the Tivoli
   Holt House: A Hidden Treasure
   Heritage Tourism Update
   Annual Meeting Attracts Mayor
   Endangered Happy Hour
   Trustee Spotlight
   Enforcement Coalition Looks Ahead
   DCPL Wins Centex Grant
   Community Service Award Winner
   Fire & Police Call Boxes
   L'Enfant Society Holds First Event
   Staff, Officers, Acknowlegements

   View the archive

Spring 2000

Letter from the President

Greetings!

Welcome to the inaugural issue of the DC Preservation Advocate. While the purpose of the DCPL newsletter remains the same, the Advocate represents a fresh look and a new title that better reflect our mission. I hope you will enjoy all the articles, which give only an inkling of the many activities that the League has been involved in over the past several months. If they spark your interest and you are not already involved, we welcome your participation. Just give us a call to volunteer.

This issue of the DC Preservation Advocate will be the last DCPL newsletter produced during my tenure as President of the Board of Trustees. I have greatly enjoyed serving the League in this capacity. As president, I have been responsible for ensuring that the organization continues to meet its mission and that the instrument that allows this to happen is in place and running. It is like the job of a machinist. You have to understand all the parts and keep them running as best you can, but you are not the machine. The “machine” in the case of the League is dozens of people--staff, volunteers, and board members--who are the organization and without whom there would be no League. Aside from my personal and professional commitment to historic preservation, I enjoyed my tenure as president because of the contact it afforded me on such a regular basis with so many interesting, fun, and kind people. Through struggles and victories, the ability to share it with a cadre of friends and professional colleagues has been what has made this worthwhile for me.

The League as a machine is running more smoothly than it has in a while. As this newsletter was going to press, we hired an Executive Director, Donald J. Hasfurther. Don brings extensive management and development skills to the position. Please see the article on the next page for more information. We all welcome him.

The financial picture of the League is far from rosy, although it is slowly improving. The very generous donation from Centex was a real shot in the arm and will be used to kick off a large corporate campaign. In spite of the lack of someone to lead the office on a full-time basis and the dearth of the kind of funding we would ideally like, we have accomplished much and are involved in numerous issues. We have been able to continue to serve the community at the same level of commitment toward protecting our historic resources and have increased our presence in areas of the city which, to date, have been underserved by the League.

I look forward to continuing to being part of DCPL as a volunteer and seeing the progress the organization makes over the next year when a director is in place and the programs that are being developed are implemented.

             Julianne Mueller