Allen Beach was born in Western Massachusetts Moving with family first to New York (Jackson Heights-Queens County, then on to Washington DC for the next 70 years). Graduated from Woodrow Wilson High School, before Dickinson College.  The US Army followed for two years.  Then followed by two years as an economist with the American Trucking Associations. Which was followed by 52 years as an employee and then consultant with the National Cotton and sister organization Cotton Council International and many international trips to the Far East, to work for export development for US cotton and cotton products.  

In September 1963 he married Martha Page, originally from Vermont, and we are still married.  We had three daughters, Anne, Lacey and Carolyn.  We were fortunate to get them educated with college degrees, married and able to assist with their getting into their first homes. We now have four grandchildren. Allen has participated in many other organizations and activities, including the Prevention of Blindness of Metropolitan Washington DC, Advisory neighborhood commissioner (32 years, local government in Washington DC) Palisades Swimming Pool, Cabin John, MD (several officer positions), and International Eye Foundation (currently Chairman of the Board). On June 22, 2012, as a result of a major storm, a large tree fell on our house, and we had to move out, and before the house was completely renovated, we moved on to Asbury (Villas).  One day when walking by the AVTV studio, I was invited in to observe, and thus began my volunteer service.

Born in Germany, Madeleine grew up in Washington D.C., graduating from George Washington University. She taught in Guyana with the Peace Corps. She retired from Baltimore County Department of Aging, having managed a large volunteer program serving homebound elderly.

To be closer to family, including her young grandson, she moved to Asbury in 2013 and lives in Wallace. Madeleine is an Asbury Clown, leader of AMV chapter of TOPS (Take Off Pounds Sensibly) support group, & participant in a variety of other AMV activities. In 2019, Madeleine began providing weekly Keese School AVTV announcements. She is active in her church community.

She especially enjoys travel. Tracing her heritage and actively participating in a national WWII veterans association have prompted several enriching trips to Europe.

She finds being part of the AVTV family rewarding and is grateful for this new learning adventure.

Born into a family with 6 children, and raised in Madison WI until my early teens. Moved to Chevy Chase MD, attended St. Mary’s University as a philosophy major, education minor. Graduated in 1959. Worked in book publishing with Helicon Press until 1972. Married in 1966 and had two of our three daughters. Began working for UARCO, Inc., a large national printing company specializing in printed business forms. Started in sales, moved to Rochester NY as a sales manager covering Syracuse, Rochester, and Buffalo. Had our third daughter. Relocated in 1976 to Columbia MD as manager of Baltimore, Washington, and Harrisburg. Retired from UARCO (then called Standard Register) in 2009. Currently a proud grandfather of ten grandchildren. Came to Asbury in August 2091. Happily involved with CommPAC, AVTV, and GBCI.  Enjoy wonderful neighbors, nearby friends, travel, gardening, and cooking.

Joan was born in Schenectady, New York. She received a BS degree at Syracuse University. Married, now widowed, with 4 children, 10 grandchildren, and 18 great-grandchildren. Meals on Wheels Driver for 15 years. Asbury resident for 18 happy and fulfilling years, writing for Village Life and working with EF Resident’s Council. Joan is a natural talent on stage and has performed on many of Asbury’s theatrical events.

Arrived in Asbury March 2011.
Visuals keep me busy: Photography; Asbury TV cameraman; Saturday movies projectionist; Usher.

Prior life (Yes, I had one) NYC Junior High School Supervisor.

Born in North Carolina, Barbara was raised in Philadelphia, Pa and calls herself a native Philadelphian.  She never married. Studying Mathematics at Morgan State University prepared her for a computer industry career beginning in the space program.

Barbara retired in 2000 after 38 years in the Computer Services/Consulting industry.  Over those years, she managed or directed professional staffs from 3 to 425 persons providing technology Services to Fortune 500 companies and Government entities including system requirements or analysis, design, development, logistics, process design and implementation.  Some of the clients included Levi Strauss, Nabisco, Flower Fifth Avenue Hospital, Ann Arundel County Public Schools, Savanah Georgia Public Schools, the City of Rockville, Hud and the Department of State. Some of the applications implemented were human resources, payroll, financial services, accounting and audit, product pricing, supply and material ordering and product inventory.

Barbara has either worked or lived in 48 of the 50 states of America. She transferred to Gaithersburg, Maryland from San Francisco in 1982. She moved into Asbury Methodist Village in 2014.

For off-campus interest, Barbara serves as the Chair for the Community Services Advisory Committee for the City of Gaithersburg providing grants to nonprofits for services to the Gaithersburg Citizens covering food, housing, medical and financial needs. Previously Barbara was a member of the Senior Advisory Committee for the Gaithersburg Senior Center now known as the Gaither Center. Barbara also served as a member of the “Getting Around Montgomery County” committee which analyzed and made recommendations about the needs of Seniors when navigating Montgomery County.

Barbara resides in the Trott Heritage building and is serving as the Trott Resident Council Chair. She is also the Chair of the Keese School Education Awards Committee and a Member of the AMV Community Advisory Committee.

In the past, Barbara also served on the AMV Holy Cross Advisory Committee, Caring Ministry and was Resident Pac Chair for the Health and Wellness PAC.

She was often tapped for the village life AVTV show interviewing medical subject Persons.  She was recently featured in the Asbury Advertisement as well as the virtual Asbury marketing sessions.

Barbara is a designated disabled person with Multiple Sclerosis who is always ready to serve. A disability is not a reason not to do something.  The disability is a minor physical one and not mental.  She is resolved to remain as active and as relevant as possible for as long as possible.

Nancy Hirsche started her career as an opera and concert singer in New England. During that time she acted in commercials and soap operas in New York City playing the role of a nurse on As the World Turns for five years. She also did voice-overs and print modeling. Companies she worked for included CBS, the Remo Toy Co, Hewlitt-Packard, National Homeowners Insurance, ITT, and Compuserve. When she retired she volunteered in readers theatre groups in Sarasota, Fla. and Baltimore, Md. She started a readers theater at a retirement community in Chevy Chase, and most recently at AMV. Where she directs the Asbury Play Readers along with Rollie Smith, my co-director.

Lenny Levy is originally from Baltimore, Maryland and has lived in Gaithersburg for 45 years. He recently retired from working as a mild-mannered Federal employee. But he didn’t really retire, he just segued into a new career. What used to be a part-time endeavor as a creative is now Lenny’s full-time career. He has written numerous plays, including several which have been performed and one that won a playwriting contest. He also writes movie scripts, song lyrics and poetry.  To hone his skills as a creative, Lenny has acted on stage, appeared in numerous local independent films, including lead roles in three, and performed as a standup comedian.  He is a also preparing to add voiceover work to his skill set and when the pandemic quiets down, will be acting again. 

Bio Coming Soon…

Jim has always enjoyed theater and worked on shows beginning in middle school. In 1972, Jim received a B.S. at Kansas-State University in computer science with a minor in technical theater. He joined GE as a network software developer, working on early data and voice networks. He later received an M.S. degree in Electrical and Computer Engineering from George Mason University.

In college, Jim worked as technical staff at the K-State auditorium and the student production group. During his senior year, he chaired their lights and sound committee and worked on 12 productions. Later that year, the group elected Jim to the Theta Alpha Phi National Dramatic Honors Fraternity.

After college, Jim remained active in technical theater as lighting and set designer and technical director in the DC area. As a United States Institute for Technical Theater member, Jim has served on several committees and chaired the Chesapeake chapter. He averaged 4 to 5 shows per year until 1984 when his new marriage and increasing work responsibilities forced him to drop out of the local theater scene. In 2018, Jim and Linda moved to AMV and Jim’s first love—Theater—resurfaced through the Rosborough Theater.

Paul Pruitt worked as the head of stage crew in seventh grade and created a few videos for Youtube but that’s about as far as his past experience with stage, tv and video production has gone.

Paul got his BA from Swarthmore College and MA from the University of Pennsylvania. He has worked as a biology teacher, telemarketer, support accountant, graphic artist, web designer, help desk agent, data recoverer and book shepherd. Dave Reiser, his mother and a friend are conspiring to turn him now also into a recording engineer.

Paul lives with his parents Dean and France in Villa 384.

Judith Shapiro was born in New York City and educated there. Moved to Mt Kisco, opened private practice for dermatology, raised two daughters and 250 orchid plants ( plants were in a greenhouse). Moved to Durham NC with orchids and new husband Will, but left the children, now 32 and 35, and the practice, now 31 to others. Worked part-time with orchids and dermatology and had fun with my husband. Moved to Friendship Heights with husband and 50 orchids, retired from dermatology. Then as aging got older we moved to Asbury – he, I and the orchids. Now there is Athena the cat, orchids, me and CommPAC and other Asbury committees and exercise.

Artha Jean Snyder was born in Ohio and attended Cleveland Heights schools. Her family moved to Virginia after her father took a position with the Navy Department. Artha Jean went to Oberlin College and later the University of Maryland, where she graduated with a master’s degree in Mathematics. She later moved to Arlington, Virginia, where she met her husband, Grant Snyder. They lived in Scotland while Grant was in the Air Force and later moved back to Texas, where she taught mathematics in the school system.

In 1969, they moved to Germantown, where they lived until moving to Asbury Methodist Village. Artha Jean worked for the Department of Energy until her retirement. She has been a very active member of the Asbury community for 20 years and is involved with the Darnestown Presbyterian Church.

I was born on April 4, 1942, in Detroit.  Growing up my sister, brother and I lived in Ferndale Michigan.  Our parents were middle-class workers.  After finishing high school, I entered the University of Michigan not really knowing what I wanted to do.  I found my wife, Judy, there and we married in 1964.  After casting around for a couple of years I spent the last two undergraduate years focusing on economics.  Many famous economists were in the department or on leave to the government.  They influenced me greatly.  Other professors and church friends molded me.  Starting graduate school, I realized I was not up to the level of my classmates so I spent the year taking accounting and other classes mostly in business school.

At the end of 1965, I was recruited to work in the finance side of marketing at General Foods in White Plains, NY.  We had two daughters while there.  One, Carolyn wound up in Germantown which ultimately got us to AMV.  In 1966, I transferred to the Treasurer’s Department which was responsible for managing the company pension fund.  Since then, every job I had involved retirement investments.

Starting in 1973, I commuted to NY City for 13 years working in the Treasurer’s Department at W.R. Grace.  In 1986, I moved to Union Pacific headquarters also in New York.  After four years there, I joined an investment consulting firm.  My job was to be a consultant to clientele which were large and small institutions of various sizes around the eastern part of the country.  The firm had a strong research department supporting the consultants’ efforts.  I retired in 2008 as a founding partner in a breakaway consulting firm. 

Judy and I moved to AMV in 2017 and have been seasonal since then living on Cape Cod in the summers.  I like to do whatever I can to help out at AMV when I am there generally mid-October to early April.

John Travis is a scientist who retired from the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) in 2004 after 37 years of service. He and his wife Kay have belonged to the Gaithersburg Presbyterian Church since moving from Austin TX in 1967, and have both served on the governing board there. The couple moved into Asbury Methodist Village in the fall of 2011, where he has served as the treasurer of the Apple Corps, arrangements chair of the Keese School, and chair of the Diamond Resident Council.   He is grateful for the support of AMV as the couple encounters the challenge of aging.

For the 10 years after I retired and before I moved to Asbury, I ushered at 14 theaters in the DC Metro area.  I ushered nearly every night except Mondays and a lot of day-time shows at the Kennedy Center.   Because of that, I saw very few movies, so there are a lot of films I would like to see.  When I read articles about movies that sound interesting, and seem appropriate for an Asbury audience, I suggest them to Joon and Dorothy.  They often show films I suggest.  I watch Asbury View regularly and try to encourage other residents to watch it.  During the COVID restrictions, I participated in the broadcast versions of the Exercise classes.  If I find errors on the AVTV scroll items, I call Joon and Dorothy to advise them.  AVTV is an important asset for AMV as it provides useful information for us.