Priscilla Much Elko, 79, of Chadds Ford, formerly of Media, died Thursday, Feb. 7.
Priscilla Much Elko
Born in Philadelphia in 1939, she was the daughter of the late Jacob and Elizabeth (nee Donnelly) Much. Priscilla was active in high school athletics, lettering in field hockey, lacrosse and basketball. She graduated from Swarthmore High School in 1957 and Millersville University in 1961, with a Bachelor of Science degree in education. Priscilla taught in the Rose Tree Media School District for many years. Known to her students in those days as “Mrs. Moran,” she taught kindergarten, third and fifth grades, primarily at Media Elementary School.
Priscilla was the beloved wife of the late Albert Elko; the loving mother of David Moran, step-mother of Bruce Elko and Gary Elko (Susan); grandmother of Tyler and Evan Elko. She was the devoted sister of Dr. Mandell Much, Deborah Jones (Sterling), Donald Much (Theresa), Samuel Much (Linda) and Elizabeth Horrocks.
Relatives and friends are invited to her Visitation, Saturday, Feb. 16, 9 to 9:50 a.m. at Media Presbyterian Church, 30 E. Baltimore Avenue, Media, PA 19063, followed by her funeral service at 10 a.m.
Interment Edgewood Memorial Park, Glen Mills, PA. Contributions in her memory to Alzheimer’s Association, 399 Market Street, Suite 102, Philadelphia, PA 19106, would be appreciated.
Happy Valentine’s Day! Enjoy the night in or out with a loved one. If flying solo, I hope today brings you happiness with friends, or on your own. Take some time this Valentine’s Day to enjoy something beautiful, like art.
This February’s show at The Palette & Page in Elkton, MD centers around artistic collaboration. Now, through the end of February, stop in to enjoy “Response,” an annual members show featuring collaboration between writers and artists. Visual artists created a piece as either an inspiration for, or response to, a writer’s piece. The exhibition featured the work of eight artists and seven writers. The Palette & The Page also hosts a variety of ticketed workshops each month. Check their “workshop” tab to see what tickles your fancy. This months workshops include: Intro to Social Media, Make Your Own Embossed Cards, or learn how to make Quilled Orchids.
Wayne Art Center has three shows opening on Tuesday, February 19th. Get over there, while we are between snow squalls. The first, “Expressions of Radnor,” features the artwork of local artists who applied for this exhibition and is juried by artist, Stephanie Lieberman. Lieberman graduated from Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts and is an award-winning landscape and wildlife artist. Opening reception will be held Sunday, February 24th from 3 – 5 p.m.
Papersolo Show at Wayne Art Center with artist Patsie McCandless
PaperSolo Works features paper art by award-winning water colorist and paper artist Patsie McCandless. While she started her art career in watercolor, McCandless developed a passion of paper art. Her incredibly intricate work may have the appearance of watercolor, or oil but are entirely made of folded paper. Author of several children’s books, McCandless will host a talk and book signing on March 9th at 2 p.m.
Finally, Wayne Art Center presents “Three Painters, The Perspectives” featuring landscapes, figures and still life by three established local artists. Mary Graham, Julie Spahr, and Leonard Randolph join forces to create an exhibition that showcases their varied styles on traditional subject matter. Enjoy these three exhibitions through March 16th.
Delaware Contemporary also has a few shows opening at the end of this month. First, the colorful, psychedelic paintings of Henry Bermudez transport us to a lush, exotic setting in his solo show, “Totally Mythological.” Exhibition opens February 28th, with the Opening Reception during the First Friday Art Loop on March 1st from 5 – 9 p,m. This exhibition features four of Bermudez’s colorful, vibrating pattern heavy paintings. Each explores themes of mythology, geography, and cultural study. The exhibition has been curated by Jorge Guterriez.
Two exhibitions ending this month include, “Somewhere Else,” a collection of photography from fifteen Chinese-born or Chinese-American artists exploring the concept of “homeland.” This exhibition is part of a larger initiative on behalf of the Delaware Contemporary. “The Delaware Contemporary continues the initiative to expand its reach in a cultural exchange with Chinese-based artists, designers, and curators. In a joint collaboration with The University of Delaware Chinese Students and Scholars Association (UD CSSA), The Delaware Contemporary will showcase an exhibition of photographs from the East Coast Chinese Community.” This exhibition, which was on display during last weeks’ China Pop: Year of The Pig party at Delaware Contemporary, will end February 21st.
Karoline Wileczek’s solo exhibition, “Garland of Suchness,” will end February 24th. Wileczek’s uses grids to create something stationary in her paintings which feature paint pours which take on their own personality in each piece. Wileczek uses gravity to create unique compositions in each of her paintings. She has kept a studio at Delaware Contemporary since 2016 and contributes to the open studio events with Wilmington Art Loop.
As always, tune in to Art Watch Radio 1520AM every Wednesday from 1-1:30 p.m. Next week join Margaret Winslow as she interviews Roxanne Campbell, Teaching Artist and Curator in Residence at Chris White Gallery/Delaware Art Museum. Until next week!
The Ronstadt Brothers come to the Friends Folk Clubthis April.
• Chadds Ford Township will hold its annual Volunteer Appreciation Night at Turners Mill, the municipal building, at 6 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 22.
• From now through October, the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation is offering a series of motorcycle safety clinics focusing on developing operator proficiency free-of-charge to prospective, experienced, and new Pennsylvania riders who have a motorcycle learner’s permit or motorcycle license. Registration for the 2019 training season will open this Friday, Feb. 15. Three of the clinics – the Beginning Rider Clinic, the Intermediate Riding Clinic and the 3-Wheel Riding Clinic – offer a pathway to earning a motorcycle license. There is also an Advanced Rider Clinic, a one-day clinic for experienced riders who want to enhance their safety skills through attitude and awareness. The clinic is designed to enhance a rider’s ability to avoid a crash through honing their decision-making abilities, riding strategies, risk management and rider behavior and choices. For more information or to enroll in a clinic, visit www.pamsp.com or call 1-800-845-9533.
Little Shop of Horros at UHS March 14, 15 and 16.
•Unionville High School presents the Broadway smash “Little Shop of Horrors” on Thursday, March 14, Friday, March 15 and Saturday, March 16 at 7 p.m. A cast of over 60 students brings this unique sci-fi musical comedy to life with a captivating mixture of memorable storytelling, catchy songs, exciting dance numbers and amazing stagecraft. Online ticket sales begin Feb. 24 at www.showtix4u.com. Tickets are $12 in advance, $14 at the door and $12 students/seniors.
•On Thursday, March 28, West Chester University’s Center for Contemplative Studies brings art critic/art historian James Elkins to campus for “Intense Encounters with Artworks.”This presentation is part of CCS’ Distinguished Speaker Series. It will be held from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. in John H. Baker Art Gallery, E.O. Bull Center for the Arts, 2 East Rosedale Avenue. Elkins is chair of the Department of Art History, Theory, and Criticism at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. His writing focuses on the history and theory of images in art, science, and nature, covering fine art, scientific and non-art images, writing systems, archaeology, and natural history. On view in the Baker Gallery at the time of Elkins’ lecture are works by Ward Davenny, who has taught art at Dickinson College since 1992. His works, drawings, photographs, and prints are exhibited nationally. Davenny’s exhibit runs Thursday, Feb. 28, through Friday, April 5, with an opening reception (free and open to the public) on Thursday, March 7, from 4 to 7 p.m. in the gallery.
The Brandywine Battlefield Park celebrates George Washington’s birthday on Feb. 23.
•It’s George Washington’s Birthday celebration at Brandywine Battlefield Park from noon to 4 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 23. His Most Excellency General George Washington, portrayed by Sam Davis, will be on site to take part in his birthday celebration. Join us as we hold a musket salute in his honor, listen to a talk given by Washington about his life, experiences in the American Revolution and presidency, and his thoughts on his legacy in our nation’s history. He will even be inspecting newly trained troops after they are trained in our musket drill. If you love George Washington as much as we do, this program is not to be missed. Tours of Washington’s headquarters will also be conducted throughout the program.
•Registration is underway through March 10, with late registrations accepted until March 15, for the spring season of the YMCA of Greater Brandywine’s Girls on the Run. The season runs from March 11-May 31, with participants meeting two times a week to prepare for the big 5K Celebration, scheduled for June 1. Girls on the Run leverages the power of running to help prepare girls, in grades three through eight, for a lifetime of self-respect and healthy living. The 10-week program, during which participants meet twice a week for 90 minutes, focuses on building self-esteem and improving physical health. Through interactive activities such as playing games and discussing important issues, in addition to running, participants celebrate being girls. Each session is led by trained volunteer coaches. Find out more about volunteering for GOTR.
•The Friends Folk Club kicks off its 33rd season with a rare area performance by The Ronstadt Brothers, on Saturday, April 27 at 7:30 p.m. Ronstadt Brothers, represents five generations of the family’s musical traditions in North America. They present a new and fresh take on the traditional Southwestern and Mexican songs of their family’s heritage while offering innovative original material to millennials discovering the treasure of roots music. St. Christopher’s Episcopal Church is located at 116 Lancaster Pike Oxford, PA 19363. Doors open at 7 p.m. Proceeds from this concert will benefit St. Christopher’s Episcopal Church. Attendees are asked to bring nonperishable food items which will be given to the local area food cupboards. Tickets are $15. Children 12 and under free. For more information and reservations call 610-869-8076, up to 5 p.m. the day of the show.
Hockessin resident Marisa Maddox will be one of the 29 people featured in a new PSA in Times Square this March for Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month. Maddox a colorectal cancer survivor, is an awareness ambassador for Fight Colorectal Cancer the country’s leading advocacy organization focused on colorectal cancer policy and research. The PSA will launch during the NASDAQ Opening Bell Ceremony on Feb. 27 at 9 a.m. Maddox’s story will be featured on Fight CRC’s Facebook page and blog on March 15.
Colon and rectal cancers make up the second-leading cause of cancer deaths among men and women combined. Sixty percent of colorectal cancer deaths could be prevented with screening. Maddox has dedicated a year of volunteer time to Fight CRC to raise awareness about the importance of screening using her story in an effort to save lives.
Marisa Maddox
“I was diagnosed at 30 after giving birth to my first and only child. I had symptoms that I thought every first time Mom experienced. My symptoms turned out to be a large tumor in my rectum and one in my anal canal. My goal is to raise awareness so other young moms do not have to have the same experience as me,” said Maddox ion a press release.
Her story is one of many stories launching the annual March Colorectal Cancer Awareness campaign, a movement uniting the over one million survivors of colorectal cancer and their loved ones to get behind a cure and prevent future cases with screening.
“Each year we select a group of ambassadors to represent our community of over one million survivors four our March Colorectal Cancer Awareness campaign. Each year, our group of ambassadors bravely rally to raise awareness for this disease,” said Anjee Davis, president of Fight CRC. “We hope their stories resonate with the over 30 million people 50 and over who have NOT been screened. And compel them to talk to their doctor about their screening options.”
To join Fight CRC’s awareness efforts this March, visit getbehindacure.org to sign the petition to make sure everyone has access to screening. Supporters can also get involved by taking a #StrongArmSelfie and sharing it on social media.
About Fight Colorectal Cancer
Fight CRC is a trusted national nonprofit advocacy organization fighting for a cure. It was founded in 2005 by Nancy Roach, a patient advocate who witnessed the need for colorectal cancer advocacy after her mother-in-law’s diagnosis. The organization plays an important role in rallying colorectal cancer advocates to action. Fight CRC is known for activism and patient empowerment throughout patient, academic, political, scientific, medical, and nonprofit communities. With a mission focused on advocacy, research, patient education, and awareness, the organization serves advocates in every state of the U.S. and many others around the world. Fight CRC is rated Platinum by nonprofit monitoring group GuideStar and is recognized as a 4-star charity by Charity Navigator. To learn more, visit FightCRC.org
