Common Ground is written, edited, and published by me, Dr. Ellen Fithian, with photos provided by my husband, Dr. Tom Fithian. Since I'm offering some opinions along with News items, you should know something about me to put my views in perspective.
Who Am I?
I began my professional life as a dermatologist, spent about 13 years as a full time mother of four kids, and then switched gears by going back to school for a Ph.D. in education at William and Mary. I currently work part-time, devoting most of my efforts to The Governor's School for Science and Technology in Hampton, where I serve as STEM Innovation and Outreach Coordinator.
Where did I come from before Governor's Land?
In 2015, my husband, Tom, and I were living in Poquoson, Virginia (about 35 miles southeast of here) in the waterfront home we had built, lived in for 25 years and raised our four kids in. They had grown up and moved away, and we knew it made sense for us to move somewhere that would be easier to maintain, but it was hard to leave - until we found Governor's Land. We fell in love with the natural beauty of the setting, the peacefulness and quiet of the neighborhoods, and the range of recreational amenities to enjoy with our kids and grandkids. In Governor's Land, we've found our Shangrila.
What's the point of this website?
Because Governor's Land means so much to me, I'm anxious to preserve its harmony. So as our Two Rivers Country Club (TRCC) community engages in the process of reimagining our future, I believe it's critical that the vision that emerges represents the consensus of the entire community. However, it won't be easy to accomplish that. Our community is more diverse than ever, with 40% of homeowners having arrived from places near and far over the past five years. In addition, more newcomers are those with children at home - a happy trend that I hope will continue. We haven't had many opportunities to get to know each other, thanks to Covid, so as we contemplate major changes to the TRCC bylaws and our clubhouse, we need a place for members to exchange viewpoints. My goal is to provide that in the Views section of Common Ground. I've gone first - please follow with your own opinions.
If you'd like to contribute something, send to newsandviews@commongroundgl.org. In the case of a letter to the editor for the Op Eds page, please aim for a measured response and refrain from criticizing individual community members.
