PART I of 2 parts: The Herald (Everett, WA.) Sun Feb 7, 1999 NW Life, Sec. by Diane Wright, Herald Writer, QUOTED AS FOLLOWS: For Edmonds resident Jerry Ward, the image is of George Washington is intensely personal. "When I was a kid growing up in the state of Washington, if I said I was a Washington, everybody called you a liar, point blank," recalled Ward, a descendant of George Washington's brother., "Children couldn't understand there could be a descendant. I knew my grandmother was Katherine Washington, but how do you prove you're something? I got to the point I never even told people. (sans " sic.-CC.) "Then in midlife I joined the Masonic order, and I found that one of the men the Masons revered was George Washington. Washington was a Mason, and as a Mason, he laid the cornerstone of the nation's Capitol." That changed his perception. "That's when I began as an adult to realize that I should explore or honor my heritage, believe in my heritage." He began to read and learn about the greatness of the man considered "first among men." The pride he came to express is something that doesn't always surface in these anti-heroic times. It's the pride that comes with being, not just a Washington, not just a Washingtonian, but an American. "To me, it has three phases," Ward said, "my early childhood, where I discarded it; my middle life, to realize the man is a symbol of the country; and my later life, where I have allowed myself to be a Washington. -Diane Wright END OF QUOTED ARTICLE. Part II, Next Time. Carroll, Snohomish X ___________________________________________________________________ You don't need to buy Internet access to use free Internet e-mail. Get completely free e-mail from Juno at http://www.juno.com/getjuno.html or call Juno at (800) 654-JUNO [654-5866]