SLIDESHOW: Community Celebrates Nine New Living Legends of Alexandria
Extraordinary People Recognized and Enthusiastically Honored
ALEXANDRIA, VA – On Thursday November 7, 225 people converged on The George Washington Masonic National Memorial on a balmy starlit night to usher in this year’s Living Legends of Alexandria (LLA). Each year, the LLA board reviews select individuals who have been nominated by coworkers, family or friends for their significant contributions to the community. Nine individuals were feted in a celebration in Masonic’s grand hall, marking their achievements.
“Alexandria wouldn’t be exactly the way it is without the contributions that each one of them has made,” Mary Wadland, LLA board president of the Alexandria organization, told the gathered audience. “We’re thrilled to have the event here again at the George Washington Masonic Memorial, which is arguably one of the premier, if not THE premier landmark in Alexandria. So it’s fitting — a legendary landmark for legendary people.”
Living Legends of Alexandria - Meet the Legends 2024
Living Legends was founded by artist-photographer Nina Tisara in 2006. Since its inception, the organization has spotlighted the stories of 174 Alexandria citizens.
“Obviously 275 years is an exciting milestone for our city and we are celebrating the passage of an incredible long existence for our city,” said Alexandria Mayor Justin Wilson in his welcome remarks. “But the city is more than just time. The city is people. The city is in the accomplishments and contributions that so many residents have made during that time.”
Each of the 2024 Living Legends inductees was featured in his or her own biographical video–click any of the names below to see those interviews:
Dr. David Weintritt, a respected breast cancer surgeon in Alexandria, was chosen primarily for founding the National Breast Center Foundation, and for the selfless work he personally does guaranteeing Alexandria’s uninsured women they they will have breast screenings and follow up work when needed. Weintritt talked to Zebra about the millions his foundation has raised and his path that led to breast cancer research.
“As a young surgeon, a lot of research was showing that we could do things better with breast cancer and not just from an experimental perspective,” he said. Weintritt talked about the urgency of launching new technologies to save lives.
“You’re about to board a rocket ship, not a train, this thing is taking off, and it’s never going to stop until the day I’m retired and someone else will take over. Until we have no one dying from breast cancer and obviously other cancers, until we have no patient looking in the mirror after surgery, wondering, could things have gone better? Could I look better? Could I feel better?”
Weintritt concluded, “Until we have none of those, we have work to do. And there’s a tremendous amount of research. There’s a tremendous amount of industry support, rallying around these women, providing surgeons with tools. We have to be the champions to figure out what tools work the best and then teach other people how to use those tools so they get to the patients who need them.”
Former Alexandria Vice Mayor Andrew Macdonald is another 2024 Living Legend, who sat down with Zebra just after the awards ceremony. In Macdonald’s long political career, he has also chaired the Potomac River Basin commission and environmental council. His passion is the environment. “If you like nature, you like hiking, you like going outside and protecting it, it is natural to care. And then when you’re a scientist and you’re thinking about the global environment and how we impact it and change it, obviously if you want to protect it, you get involved.”
Along with the mayor and former vice mayor, elected officials and dignitaries in attendance included Mayor-Elect Alyia Gaskins, Virginia State Delegate Elizabeth Bennett-Parker, Dan Gade, former Commissioner of the Virginia Department of Veterans Services, Alexandria Sheriff Sean Casey, and former Mayor Allison Silberberg. Also in attendance were many Living Legends of Alexandria, who attend every year to support the new inductees.
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