Names in the News
Names in the News
Thursday, February 1, 2007; Page DZ11
Community Heroes
Tommy E. Barnes Jr. and Carlson Klapthor were named Heroes of the Year this month by the Mount Vernon Square Neighborhood Association.
The Hero of the Year award recognizes those who have worked to improve the quality of life in the Mount Vernon Square neighborhood.
  Sgt. David Pendleton, left, of the U.S. Capitol Police accepts the 2006 Community Recognition award from the National Multiple Sclerosis Society. (Scavone Photography) |
Barnes, a master patrol officer with the Metropolitan Police Department, was honored for being "unfailingly accessible." He worked to rid the area of two havens for drug activities. He attends community meetings, listens and responds to residents' concerns and is available by cellphone and e-mail.
"When city officials talk about what constitutes good community policing, they need look no further than Officer Barnes as a model," said Cary Silverman, the association's president.
Carlson Klapthor served as neighborhood service coordinator and core team leader from December 2004 to December 2006. He was known for walking the neighborhood with residents to identify and address problem spots. He often coordinated the activities of various city agencies to resolve problems that posed safety and health concerns. Residents applauded Klapthor in the summer for ridding the neighborhood of a construction dumpster that had been overflowing with garbage for months.
The Mount Vernon Neighborhood Association, established in the 1970s, serves as representation for the primarily residential community located in the historic district just north of downtown. For more information visit http:/
Local Voices Published
Kendria Walltower, Ternisha Knight, Kelsey Nelson and Mehar Segao are among the 167 Boys and Girls Club members worldwide chosen to share their views on diversity and tolerance in the new book "Making One Good World: Kids Write About Diversity."
The book, funded by a grant from the Allstate Foundation, is a collection of poems, essays and personal stories about diversity written by club members of diverse ethnicity from across the United States and military bases overseas.
Walltower, 12, and Knight, 11, are students at Paul Junior High Charter school in Northwest. They have been members of the club's Mary and Daniel Loughran Clubhouse No. 10, 2500 14th St. NW, for years.
Nelson, 14, and Segao, 11, are members of the club's Germantown Branch, 19910 South Frederick Road. Nelson has been a member since the branch opened in 2002. Segao joined two years ago.
"Making One Good World" is a part of the Boys and Girls Club's ongoing Youth for Unity diversity education program. It aims to engage youth in positive dialogues about tolerance, inclusion and diversity.
Book excerpts are online at http:/
Capitol Police Honored
Sgt. David Pendleton of the U.S. Capitol Police was on hand as the National Multiple Sclerosis Society honored the U.S. Capitol Police for the department's support of the MS Challenge Walk.
The annual walk has taken place on the U.S. Capitol grounds since 2003. Participants walk for three days and 50 miles to the nation's capital to raise money to help end the effects of multiple sclerosis.
Pendleton represented the U.S. Capitol Police as he accepted the Community Recognition award at the society's National Capital Chapter's annual meeting in December.
"The U.S. Capitol Police are integral to the success of the MS Challenge Walk," said Betsy O'Brien Anderson, vice president of development at the National Capital Chapter. The police coordinate logistics, assist on-site and ensure the safety of walk participants.
Established by Congress in 1828, the Capitol police provide a range of police services to the congressional community and its visitors.
-- Compiled by JILLIAN S. JARRETT
