Greetings, Neighbors!

GHCA President Alex Strong has moved out of our boundaries, into Falls Church City, and accordingly feels that he should step down as President. He has asked me to take over as your President pro tem and I have agreed, because although the pandemic shut down our activities, we should not let it be the end of the Greater Hillwood Citizens Association. The Association has meant a great deal to me over the years, as it has to many of you. Please join me in thanking Alex and the other officers for their service.

We have a lot of rebuilding to do, starting with a new Board and Officers. Soon we will need to hold a meeting to elect a Nominating Committee, which will prepare a slate of candidates to be elected officers at the Annual Meeting. According to our Constitution, that meeting is to be held the second Tuesday in December, which this year is December 14, 2021. I hope to organize an outdoor party (block party) in September to kick off the new season and to celebrate our emergence from COVID, our reboot!

I look forward to getting to know more of you. Alice and I moved in at 1011 Hillwood Ave. in June 1998 and joined GHCA when it was led by Tom Kaye. We have really enjoyed living in this neighborhood and many of you are now lifelong friends of ours. Our two daughters were 7 and 3 when we moved in, and they have grown up here. Now we also have two grandchildren and one on the way. Alice is a math professor at Marymount University. I am a professional singer, and served 32 years with The U.S. Army Chorus in nearby Arlington.

Watch this space for updates, which will also go out by email. If we don’t have a current email for you, please go the home page and click the link to sign up for the newsletter.

Enjoy your remaining days of summer, stay safe, and I hope to see you soon.

Robert Petillo President pro tem GHCA