Aquilent, a leading provider of technology to the federal government, hosted its annual Bring Your Kids to Work Day April 23, at its company headquarters in Laurel, 1100 West St. More than 50 students from Maryland, Virginia and Washington, D.C., ages 7 to 15, took the day off from their normal academic routine in an effort to learn more about the local company, where each has a parent employed.
The morning hours were spent in the company Conference Center. As parents were working, the youngsters focused on the theme "I have a problem. Our company is growing and we need more room to put people."
According to a company spokeswoman, each participant used "what they know of their own work environment, their school/classroom, to design the best work space for our expansion area. She said the students got requirements and style-guide documents, then designed a unique blueprint.
Parents were invited back in to the work area for lunch, and were presented with a number of design options, all thought-out and planned by their children.
Recognized five times as one of the Best Places to Work by the Washington Business Journal, Aquilent is planning to expand the facility, currently housed in the confines of the former O.W. Phair Elementary School, to include an additional building, new pathways, a courtyard and expansion of its cafeteria, including an outdoor dining space.
It is a rare occasion when one has the opportunity to watch history in the making. On May 15, 1972, many locals, including this then fresh-faced, 15-year-old kid, were present at a campaign rally for president candidate and Alabama Gov. George Wallace at the Laurel Shopping Center. Having finished his speech, Wallace waded into the crowd to shake hands. Among the mostly enthusiastic supporters was a lone gunman named Arthur Bremer.
Bremer fired five shots into the candidate's torso. Though the governor went on to win the Maryland primary the next day, the attempt on his life effectively ended his campaign.
Thursday, May 14, at 7 p.m. in the Laurel Municipal Swimming Pool Meeting Room, Main and Ninth streets, the Laurel Historical Society will present a program entitled "Laurel Remembers the Wallace Shooting." If you were in attendance on that fateful day, join others who shared similar experiences of that afternoon, some 43 years ago. Your thoughts will be included in a series entitled "The Rest of the Story." These memories will be recorded by Laurel TV, and become part of the museum's oral history collection.
Laurel Advocacy and Referral Services Inc., 311 Laurel Ave., is celebrating the first day of summer and Father's Day weekend with a Spring into Summer 5K Run through Old Town and a one-mile Family Fun Walk, Saturday, June 20 at McCullough Field. It is all part of the effort to put an end to hunger and homelessness in Laurel. Numerous volunteers are being sought for this endeavor. Contact Stephanie Guzman, 301-776-0442, Ext. 34, or sguzman@laureladvocacy.org.
Best wishes to Richard and Mary Owens Blankenship who recently celebrated 41 years of marriage.