James Monroe

Ash Lawn-Highland, home of President James Monroe in Charlottesville, Va., is the setting for opera, a Broadway musical, concerts, and other events during the 15th annual Summer Festival of the Arts in progress through Aug. 16.Visitors will be transported back in time to see the plantation as it was in Monroe's lifetime when "Plantation Days" is held there Saturday and next Sunday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Costumed craftspeople and artisans will be engaged in...

James Monroe Cannon III, former reporter and foreign correspondent for The Sun who later became a top Newsweek correspondent and an aide to New York Gov. Nelson A. Rockefeller and President Gerald R. Ford, died Sept. 15 from complications of a stroke at Capital Hospice in Arlington, Va. Mr. Cannon, who was 93, lived in Washington's Georgetown neighborhood. James Myers Cannon was born in Sylacauga, Ala., and was raised in Athens, Ala. When he was in college at the University of Alabama, from which he earned a bachelor's degree in 1939, he changed his middle name to his father's.

Mercantile Bankshares Corp., Maryland's largest independent bank, is continuing its march into the lucrative Northern Virginia market by agreeing to acquire James Monroe Bancorp Inc. for about $143 million in cash and stock. The deal announced yesterday fits with a strategy long articulated by Edward J. "Ned" Kelly III, Mercantile chief executive, to expand the bank's footprint in Northern Virginia, which includes some of the nation's fastest-growing and wealthiest suburbs. The deal comes less than a year after Baltimore-based Mercantile completed its acquisition of Community Bank of Northern Virginia, valued at $212 million.

"Slave Life at Mount Vernon" Where:: George Washington's Mount Vernon Estate and Gardens When:: Through Feb. 28 What:: To commemorate Black History Month, historians will highlight the lives of the slaves who built and operated the plantation home of George and Martha Washington. There will be a first-person interpretation of slave life from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. daily and a wreath-laying ceremony at noon at the slave memorial site. How much: : Admission is $15, $7 for children ages 6-11 and free for children 5 and younger.

To say judges of the design competition among the six Dream Homes at Piney Orchard in Odenton liked the James Monroe is definitely an under-statement.A French country manor-style house by Patriot Homes, the James Monroe won five of the eight awards presented this year. According to the judges, it has the best detailing, kitchen, master suite, interior design and interior merchandising. (Other winners included Ryan Homes for best landscaping, Orion Homes for best outdoor living area, and American Homes for best exterior design.

Dec. 4-- 1816: James Monroe of Virginia was elected the fifth U.S. president. 1978: San Francisco elected its first female mayor, Dianne Feinstein.

Elizabeth E. Gatchell, 89, James Monroe descendantElizabeth Emory Gatchell, 89, the oldest living descendant of President James Monroe, died of pneumonia Wednesday at Blakehurst Life Care Community in Towson.She lived nearly all her life in Roland Park. A physician arrived by horse to deliver her at her family's Hawthorne Road home during a February snowstorm.She was christened Elizabeth Kortright Monroe Emory, a name that commemorated the wife of her great-great-great-grandfather, the fifth president, who held office from 1817 to 1825.

"Slave Life at Mount Vernon" Where:: George Washington's Mount Vernon Estate and Gardens When:: Through Feb. 28 What:: To commemorate Black History Month, historians will highlight the lives of the slaves who built and operated the plantation home of George and Martha Washington. There will be a first-person interpretation of slave life from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. daily and a wreath-laying ceremony at noon at the slave memorial site. How much: : Admission is $15, $7 for children ages 6-11 and free for children 5 and younger.

Mercantile Bankshares Corp., which has agreed to be acquired by Pittsburgh-based PNC Financial Services Group Inc., is working to assuage any fears about job losses and strained client relations stemming from the transition to new ownership. Edward J. "Ned" Kelly III, Mercantile's chairman and chief executive, said in an interview yesterday that he has been meeting with commercial and wealth management clients to smooth the transition. The Baltimore-based bank also ran a full-page open letter to "friends of Mercantile" in The Sun over the weekend, saying the combination with PNC is "in the best interests of our shareholders, customers, employees and communities that we serve."

THIS department was much distressed by an Associated Press story shortly after Presidents Day that described what students and an assistant principal at James Monroe High School in Los Angeles thought (or didn't bother to think) about the president for which their school was named.Teacher Caryn Cornell reported that when she asked 15 kids in her detention class who Monroe was, nobody knew. "Their mouths dropped open, like, 'Duh,' " she said, adding it was not funny.No, it wasn't, but we were more aghast by the assertion of assistant principal Alice Parrish, who said Monroe "wasn't exactly among our most distinguished presidents," adding that all she could mention about him was the Monroe Doctrine.

Despite being on a Lake Clifton team that finished 3-7, Sean Farr stood out as a receiver, safety and kickoff and punt returner. The 6-foot-1, 160-pound sophomore had 39 receptions for 992 yards and eight touchdowns, six interceptions, a game-winning 92-yard punt return with two minutes left against rival Douglass and a 64-yard kickoff return. Farr, who is a B-average student, is "physically and mentally tough" assistant coach Joe Able said. "By the time he's a senior, I believe Sean will be one of the best receivers in the state."

Mercantile Bankshares Corp., which has agreed to be acquired by Pittsburgh-based PNC Financial Services Group Inc., is working to assuage any fears about job losses and strained client relations stemming from the transition to new ownership. Edward J. "Ned" Kelly III, Mercantile's chairman and chief executive, said in an interview yesterday that he has been meeting with commercial and wealth management clients to smooth the transition. The Baltimore-based bank also ran a full-page open letter to "friends of Mercantile" in The Sun over the weekend, saying the combination with PNC is "in the best interests of our shareholders, customers, employees and communities that we serve."

Mercantile Bankshares Corp., Maryland's largest independent bank, is continuing its march into the lucrative Northern Virginia market by agreeing to acquire James Monroe Bancorp Inc. for about $143 million in cash and stock. The deal announced yesterday fits with a strategy long articulated by Edward J. "Ned" Kelly III, Mercantile chief executive, to expand the bank's footprint in Northern Virginia, which includes some of the nation's fastest-growing and wealthiest suburbs. The deal comes less than a year after Baltimore-based Mercantile completed its acquisition of Community Bank of Northern Virginia, valued at $212 million.

Dec. 4-- 1816: James Monroe of Virginia was elected the fifth U.S. president. 1978: San Francisco elected its first female mayor, Dianne Feinstein.

On the day I visited Ash Lawn-Highlands, once the plantation home of the fifth president of the United States, my path to the front door was blocked by an iridescent blue peacock that sported a spectacular tail. The bird's opulent color and showy plumage stood out in stark contrast against the simple yellow and white frame house that is located in rolling hills a few miles south of Charlottesville, Va. James and Elizabeth Monroe called the unpretentious place their "cabin castle."Eventually the magnificent fowl slowly and majestically vacated the porch, and I was free to enter the Plain Jane farmhouse.

Elizabeth E. Gatchell, 89, James Monroe descendantElizabeth Emory Gatchell, 89, the oldest living descendant of President James Monroe, died of pneumonia Wednesday at Blakehurst Life Care Community in Towson.She lived nearly all her life in Roland Park. A physician arrived by horse to deliver her at her family's Hawthorne Road home during a February snowstorm.She was christened Elizabeth Kortright Monroe Emory, a name that commemorated the wife of her great-great-great-grandfather, the fifth president, who held office from 1817 to 1825.

Despite being on a Lake Clifton team that finished 3-7, Sean Farr stood out as a receiver, safety and kickoff and punt returner. The 6-foot-1, 160-pound sophomore had 39 receptions for 992 yards and eight touchdowns, six interceptions, a game-winning 92-yard punt return with two minutes left against rival Douglass and a 64-yard kickoff return. Farr, who is a B-average student, is "physically and mentally tough" assistant coach Joe Able said. "By the time he's a senior, I believe Sean will be one of the best receivers in the state."

The first thing that strikes you about the house is how beautiful it is. The second thing that strikes you is how comfortable it is. The third thing that strikes you is how unexpected the first two things are in this most public of family mansions, the White House."

To say judges of the design competition among the six Dream Homes at Piney Orchard in Odenton liked the James Monroe is definitely an under-statement.A French country manor-style house by Patriot Homes, the James Monroe won five of the eight awards presented this year. According to the judges, it has the best detailing, kitchen, master suite, interior design and interior merchandising. (Other winners included Ryan Homes for best landscaping, Orion Homes for best outdoor living area, and American Homes for best exterior design.

THIS department was much distressed by an Associated Press story shortly after Presidents Day that described what students and an assistant principal at James Monroe High School in Los Angeles thought (or didn't bother to think) about the president for which their school was named.Teacher Caryn Cornell reported that when she asked 15 kids in her detention class who Monroe was, nobody knew. "Their mouths dropped open, like, 'Duh,' " she said, adding it was not funny.No, it wasn't, but we were more aghast by the assertion of assistant principal Alice Parrish, who said Monroe "wasn't exactly among our most distinguished presidents," adding that all she could mention about him was the Monroe Doctrine.