Mar 21

Dance troupe proud of national honor

The St. Augustine Record, by Kati Bexley, Saturday, March 21, 2009

For Cori Ottenstein, 17, being part of Bartram Trail High School’s dance team on March 8, the day the team won the National Dance Alliance National Championships in Orlando, was one of the best days of her life.

Members of the Bartram High School dance team practice a routine at the school on Thursday, March 19, 2009.

Members of the Bartram High School dance team practice a routine at the school on Thursday, March 19, 2009.

Bartram Trail beat out 400 other schools across the country to win its second consecutive title. The school’s coach, Patty Adams, has spent several years building up the school’s unstoppable reputation across the state. And it’s paying off. Several girls are going on to dance for colleges, and some are auditioning for the Jacksonville Jaguars “The Roar” dancers. (…)

Like Ottenstein, dance team members say the sport has taught them life lessons. Team Captain Brittiany Fonda, 19, and team officer, Kayla Harris, 18, say it’s shown them the hard work and determination it takes to obtain a goal.

Both of the girls are trying out for the Jaguars “The Roar” and are in the final round of auditions. “I will just work really hard this year to improve and try out again next year,” Fonda said. “You can never give up.”

Svedlund said Adams taught them the dance team “isn’t really about dance.” She’s trying out for the dance team at Georgia Tech, where she will attend next year. She said Adams pushes them to bring in an A or B average, and Svedlund is ranked 29th in her class. “She taught us it doesn’t matter at the end of the day whether you win or lose,” she said. “As long as you’ve given your best, you can never let excuses get in your way.”

Adams said even if her team hadn’t taken the national championship, they won her over after their performance.”They came off the stage and said, ‘We can go home right now because we know we did our best. We did everything we could,'” she said. “The lessons of hard work they learned was the real prize for me.”

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Mar 01

AC Fonda – Charleston Stop

Anthony Cornelius Fonda (1818-1893) was the 6th of 10 children born to Cornelius Isaac and Alida VanVranken Fonda of Albany, New York.  He was baptized at the Boght Becker Reformed Dutch Church in Colonie, NY.  AC came from a family of farmers, but he took an interest in education.  In 1839 he graduated Phi Beta Kappa in Latin Salutatory from Union College in Schenectady.  He may have completed graduate work as well, as he practiced law in the area for a few years.  For unknown reasons,  AC headed south to teach in Natchez, stopping in Charleston, MS overnight… and he never left.  He married Mary Kernes Worley in 1842, in Charleston and had two children; after her death, he married Delilah Catherine Howard in 1854, in Charleston and had nine children. He taught school in the Rocky Branch community; in 1853 he was appointed surveyor for Tallahatchie County. He enlisted in the Confederate Army in 1862, joining Company I (Ballentine’s Regiment) of the 2nd Partisan Rangers of MS serving as SGT. In 1882 he became the first Superintendent of Education in the county. He had an active role in organizing three Presbyterian churches in Charleston, Pine Hill and New Hope.  He died May 20 1893, near Charleston, MS and is buried in Rowland Cemetery, Tallahatchie, MS.  AC Fonda had 11 children, 31 grandchildren and 123 great grandchildren.  There is a family reunion each year in Charleston, MS.

Photos courtesy Greg Stewart.

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Feb 04

Library bears brunt of wreck

Judy Smith, Deborah Kenyon and Mary Fonda survey the damage to the library’s children’s section after a car accident Monday afternoon.

Judy Smith, Deborah Kenyon and Mary Fonda survey the damage to the library children's section after a car accident Monday afternoon.

The Clay County Progress, Wednesday, February 4, 2009

Throwing the book at someone has a new meaning after a single car accident sent shelves and books flying at the Moss Memorial Library.

About 4:30 p.m. law enforcement officers responded to reports that a car had crashed through the library wall on the Main Street side of the building. No one was injured, but the library will remain closed until structural repairs are completed, librarian Mary Fonda said.

Fred Ogden, 80, of Waynesville, told the North Carolina Highway Patrol trooper that his foot slipped off of the brake while he and his wife were parking. Fonda said. His foot became lodged between the brake and the gas and the car crashed through the exterior wall, buckled the interior wall and crunched the white metal shelf support.

No citations were issued.

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Feb 01

Jeanne Ryan Fonda, 87; Raised Her Family Here

Pacific Palisades Post, January 22, 2009

Jeanne Ryan Fonda, a former resident of Pacific Palisades, passed away peacefully in her home in Pebble Beach on January 1, with her beloved husband of 65 years, Bill, at her side. She was 87.

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Born in Ashville, North Carolina, Fonda graduated from Stephen’s College for Women in Columbia, Missouri, and later was proud of being one of the original American Airlines stewardesses from World War II, during which time the airline ferried only dignitaries and military leaders. She continued her relationship with her airline colleagues in the Kiwi Club, within which she formed a dance troupe, staging performances for charity that included the famous Ebsen sisters, Helga and Vilma, sisters of Buddy Ebsen.

Jeanne and Bill were wed shortly after his return from piloting 50 combat missions in the Mediterranean theater during World War II. They had three children: Lynne Fonda of Colorado Springs; Robert Fonda, M.D., of Newport Beach; and Laurie Fonda Gile, who predeceased her mother.

After moving to Pacific Palisades in 1954 and raising their children, Jeanne and Bill relocated to Pebble Beach, where they opened a small business. Fonda found joy as an active member of the Jesters Club, the fundraising arm of the Monterey Museum of Art. Her charm, exquisite taste, and joie de vivre were blessings to everyone she met.

Fonda loved and enjoyed her grandchildren, Zoe Dombrowski, Beka Chinery, Jeremy Caraway, Jason Caraway, Scott Gile, Jacob Gile, Zak Phillips, Clark Fonda and Emilia Fonda; and 13 great-grandchildren.

A service will be held at 1 p.m. on January 24 at the El Carmello Chapel in Pacific Grove. Memorial donations can be made to Hospice of the Central Coast, P.O. Box HH, Monterey, CA 93942.

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Jan 09

Belly dancers show no skin

The Independent – January 9, 2009

Rensselaer, NY – Stop by the Rensselaer Area Senior Center any day of the week to find a bunch of senior citizens doing anything but acting their age. You’re more likely to find a flurry of activity from Tai Chi and yoga, to line dancing or belly dancing. There’s bowling and aqua aerobics, music and laughter everyday.

On Tuesdays you’ll find a group of ladies, often dressed in long skirts with headscarves and jingly belts involved in a belly dancing class. Often considered a dance of seduction, belly dancing is more like a folk dance, an ancient art form that for centuries has been a celebratory dance people would do to commemorate special occasions such as weddings, the birth of a child or community festivals in the Middle East.

Seniors Olive Felio, (l-r) instructor Lynn Buell, Irja Riano and Phyllis Kearbey practice belly dancing every Tuesday at the Rensselaer Area Senior Center, a lively dance class with a Middle Eastern twist. Photo by Catherine Sager.

It is a dance that men, women, and children do for fun, not necessarily as a performance for the entertainment of an audience. Just like at a wedding reception where guests might do waltzes, the electric slide, Macarena, or even the chicken dance. But for the participants of the Rensselaer Senior Center, it’s just one of many activities offered to active seniors.

“It’s a great way for seniors to get a workout,” said Lynn Buell, dance instructor. “It combines low-impact steps with gentle flowing movements, but is a surprisingly effective form of exercise.”  Ms. Buell says the measured movements involve all major muscle groups and help with circulation, posture and balance. The music is soothing and the movements are so graceful and repetitive that it’s a stress reliever, she said. And it’s easy to learn. Anyone can do it. All that’s needed to know are a few simple steps. With slow and gentle movements, it’s the perfect exercise and a unique form of dance that doesn’t require a partner.

Gloria Fonda, the director of the center, wants it known that all Rensselaer County seniors 60 years or older are invited to visit the center. The center is an active, vibrant community where seniors can gather to take a class, catch up with friends or have a hot lunch every day at noon, for a suggested donation of $2.50. She said there is no fee for any activities on the calendar at the center at the corner of East and Herrick streets.
“It’s through the [Department of Aging] agency’s genuine concern for the health and welfare of our elders that the center serves so many so well,” said Ms. Fonda.

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