Salute

It was billed as a business salute to Jim Rouse. But, in truth, it was a family reunion - the old fashioned kind with plenty of good food and music and people saying wonderful things about the family patriarch."

If you wanted to mingle in an artsy crowd, the Brown Center at the Maryland Institute College of Art was the place to be. This was the biennial Art Salute Gala, at which the Maryland Citizens for the Arts Foundation honored artists and their supporters. Special awards would be given to artists such as painter Grace Hartigan and guitarist Manuel Barrueco, and art supporters like Eddie and Sylvia Brown. But, first there was the meet-and-greet at the dinner buffet. "This is an invigorating event," said Coleen West, executive director of the Howard County Arts Council.

WASHINGTON -- The Tuskegee Airmen were called racist and hurtful names as they became the nation's first black military pilots during World War II. Yesterday, they were called heroes. About 300 airmen, widows and relatives sat in the Capitol Rotunda as the Tuskegee Airmen received the Congressional Gold Medal - the nation's highest civilian honor - and a salute from President Bush. The award is recognition of the airmen's role in fighting two wars: one against America's enemies abroad and another against ignorance and racial intolerance at home.

Stanley F. Stearns, the photographer who captured the image of a young John F. Kennedy Jr. saluting his late father, a picture that instantly evokes memories of the Camelot era, died of lung cancer Friday at Hospice of the Chesapeake in Harwood, his family said. He was 76. A former United Press International photographer who later ran a studio for 40 years in his native Annapolis, Mr. Stearns snapped the president's son outside a Washington cathedral as the family left the funeral Mass on Nov. 25, 1963.

Pop quiz: Which of the following tribute album titles is for real? A. Come Together: An a Cappella Tribute to the Beatles B. The Reggae Tribute to Pink Floyd C. Kiss My Grass: A Hillbilly Tribute to KISS D. The String Quartet Tribute to the White Stripes Try E - all of the above. This past week, the mind-boggling array of existing tribute albums was joined by a dozen new ones, saluting musicians from blues great Robert Johnson and rock heroes the Eagles to such up-to-the minute forces as the Matrix songwriting-production team and alt-rock band Evanescence.

MPT's bicentennial salute to Baltimore and the people who put the city on the map, "Lives That Shaped A City," wisely eschews a number of famous names.You'll hear no mention of Babe Ruth, Billie Holiday or Cass Elliot, and only passing mention of Thurgood Marshall. All are famous Baltimoreans, but their accomplishments were more national in scope, coming only after they'd left the confines of Charm City.Instead, the documentary wisely focuses on people who made their mark right here -- with the possible exception of Frederick Douglass, who could only lead the fight against slavery after escaping from his Baltimore masters and fleeing to New England.

The moment is almost upon you. Sometime tonight, you may raise your glass on high and give a toast. Will you deliver a gracious, thoughtful message or mumble a careless, thought-free "cheers"?Truth is, most of us botch the salutation when the moment comes. That's unfortunate, for a proper salute before bending the elbow adds a much-needed refinement to the proceedings, a suavity and polish that complements the convivial spirit of the holidays. More so than, say, belching.Thankfully, correcting this problem is not difficult, for some of the best toasts are the simplest, such as the Irish line, "As we start the New Year, let's get down on our knees to thank God we're on our feet."

The Northeast High School PTSA is accepting nominations for board members and delegates for the 1995-1996 school year.Names of those nominated will be presented at a meeting at 7 p.m. tomorrow at the school.Voting will take place at the May meeting.For more information, call 863-4717.Business group to hold salute to legislatorsThe Pasadena Business Association (PBA) will hold its annual salute to District 31 legislators at noon May 3 at Michael's Eighth Avenue in Glen Burnie.PBA members will recognize the efforts of local legislators during the 1995 General Assembly session.

GONE ARE the glory days of the Royal Theater, the popular black concert hall and movie theater that attracted big stars and big crowds for decades before closing 20 years ago.Gone are the days when Royal Theater usherette Mabel Kelly would seat hundreds of people for a show and then run errands for the likes of Duke Ellington, Cab Calloway and Billie Holiday.Gone, perhaps, but not forgotten."Everybody loved the Royal Theater, honey," said Kelly, 66.A salute to the Royal -- closed in 1970 and demolished in 1971 -- is scheduled Sunday at the Joseph Meyerhoff Symphony Hall for former patrons and employees.

A ride with Santa Hitch a ride with a right jolly old elf on the Baltimore Streetcar Museum's "Tinsel Trolley" Saturday and Sunday and Dec. 15-16. From 1:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m., Santa Claus will be on board the streetcar handing out gifts to all children under 12. In addition to enjoying a 1 1/2 -mile streetcar ride, visitors to the museum can see a 16-foot-tall Christmas tree, operating train and streetcar layouts, an outdoor holiday-lights display and...