1972
Events that took place in Fairfax County in 1972:
Contents
January
- January 2 – Upset over being drafted, 19-year-old Angus E. Wooten, Jr. commits suicide by jumping from the balcony of his father's 10th-floor apartment at the Munson Hill Towers apartments at 6129 Leesburg Pike in Falls Church.[1]
- January 7 – Mark W. Tucker is sentenced to 5 years in prison by Judge Percy Thornton for fatally shooting his mother, Mary J. Tucker, in July 1970.[2]
- January 8 – 21-year-old Linda A. Jackson settles an argument with her 27-year-old husband Sidney by shooting him in the chest at the intersection of Cumberland and Amherst Avenues in Springfield. Sidney Jackson is pronounced dead on arrival at Alexandria Hospital.[3][4]
- January 27 – 26-year-old police informant William H. Phillips fatally shoots 26-year-old pool hall manager Steven Staton in the face with a 12-gauge shotgun in the Jack & Jill Cue Club in the Willston Shopping Center near the Seven Corners area of Falls Church.[5][6]
February
- February 3 – The Northern Virginia Relic Hunters Association holds its first meeting in Centreville.
- February 14 – Fairfax County Attorney Donald C. Stevens announces his resignation, effective March 31, to become a partner in the law firm of Hazel, Beckhorn and Hanes.[7]
- February 22 – Attorney Lewis H. Goldfarb files a $1.2 million dollar class action lawsuit against the Virginia State Bar and the Fairfax Bar Association, as well as the local bar associations for Arlington and Alexandria, alleging that the associations violate antitrust laws by fixing the fees member attorneys charge for various services.[8]
March
- March 12 – 31-year-old Dr. Milagros G. Thompson is killed during an argument with her husband, 38-year-old Edward R. Thompson, Jr., at their house at 2857 Nutley Street in Vienna.[9][10]
- March 13 – The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors appoints Martin L. Keith as Fairfax County Attorney to replace Donald C. Stevens.[11]
- March 24 – A broken 2-inch natural gas line causes a series of explosions in the Canterbury Woods neighborhood of Annandale, demolishing two houses at 4909 and 4911 Magdalene Court, fatally injuring 30-year-old Raja Sarsour and killing two of her children, 3½-year-old Sana and 2-year-old Samir.[12][13] Raja Sarsour is taken to the Fairfax Hospital, where she dies of her burns on March 30.[14]
April
- April 7 – George Mason College becomes George Mason University when Virginia Governor Linwood A. Holton signs the law separating it from the University of Virginia.[15]
May
- May 10 – A fire at Springfield Estates Elementary School in Springfield burns three classrooms and leaves two others with smoke and water damage, estimated at $150,000.[16][17]
- May 16 – By a vote of 6-1, the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors approves plans for a one year landfill to accept trash from Arlington County and the District of Columbia on 22 acres in Lorton.[18][19]
June
- June 4 – 17-year-old Gwen Ames is strangled to death near the Lake Anne Plaza in Reston.[20][21]
- June 13 – The body of an unknown child, aged between 4 and 6, who had been beaten to death is found floating in the Massey Creek near the Colchester neighborhood of Lorton.[22][23]
- June 13 – A proposed $54.9 million school bond referendum is defeated by 52% of the vote.[24]
July
- July 4 – 16-year-old Roger L. Scott drowns in Lake Anne when he jumps in the water to retrieve a lost boat oar.[25]
- July 8 – 16-year-old Boy Scout Conrad Hugel is killed by a lightning strike as he stands under a tree at Burke Lake Park in Fairfax Station. Hugel is taken to the Commonwealth Doctors Hospital, where he is pronounced dead.[26]
August
- August 1 – The science lab at Thoreau Intermediate School is firebombed, causing $100,000 worth of damage.[27]
- August 21 – 29-year-old Joseph J. Brooks is fatally stabbed in his dormitory at the Lorton Reformatory. Brooks manages to stagger to the prison hospital and is taken to D.C. General Hospital, where he dies about 4½ hours later.[28]
September
- September 18 – Dr. William S. Hoofnagle resigns as Chairman of the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors.[29]
- September 20 – While inspecting the roof of Gearhart's Hardware at 5710 Columbia Pike in Bailey's Crossroads, 52-year-old architect William L. Mayne is mortally injured when he slips and falls 10 feet to the pavement below. Mayne is taken to the Jefferson Memorial Hospital in Arlington, where he dies of head injuries six hours later.[30]
October
- October 15 – While walking along Courthouse Road in Vienna, 15-year-old Elizabeth Morse is killed and 17-year-old David R. Hawks is mortally injured when they are struck by a downed power line.[31]
- October 31 – 4-month-old Joseph Alexander bleeds to death in his crib in the family home at 6738 South Kings Highway in Alexandria after being bitten by rats on his feet.[32]
November
- November 8 – 18-year-old Patrick J. Seibert is strangled to death by 23-year-old Larry Ray Johnson in their shared cell in the Fairfax County Jail.[33][34]
December
- December 2 – 12-year-old Karen L. Spencer is found beaten to death in a field across from the Jefferson Manor Shopping Center in the Penn Daw neighborhood of Alexandria.[35][36]
- December 28 – Constance Anne Bohlin, the 40-year-old former host of the children's television show "Romper Room", dies of alcohol poisoning at her home at 2400 Sherwood Hall Lane in Alexandria.[37][38]
- December 29 – 27-year-old William H. Phillips is convicted of first-degree murder and abduction for the January 27 shotgun murder of pool hall manager Steve Staton in the Jack and Jill Cue Club in Falls Church.[39]
Crime
There were 13 murders and other homicides in Fairfax County in 1972.
References
- ↑ "Fairfax Youth Plunges 10 Stories, Suicide Ruled." Evening Star, 3 Jan. 1972, Four Star NIGHT FINAL, p. 26. NewsBank. Accessed 29 Dec. 2017.
- ↑ Bredemeier, Kenneth. "Slayer of Mother Gets 5-Year Term." The Washington Post, Times Herald (1959-1973): B4. ProQuest Historical Newspapers: The Washington Post (1877-1994). Jan 08 1972. Web. 2 Feb. 2012.
- ↑ "Wife Charged in Mate's Death." The Washington Post, Times Herald (1959-1973): 1. Jan 10 1972. ProQuest. Web. 27 Jan. 2018.
- ↑ "Wife Charged In Slaying of Springfield Man." Evening Star, 10 Jan. 1972, Four Star NIGHT FINAL, p. 5. NewsBank, . Accessed 27 Jan. 2018.
- ↑ "Informer Arrested in Slaying." The Washington Post, Times Herald (1959-1973): 2. Jan 28 1972. ProQuest. Web. 16 Aug. 2016.
- ↑ Whitaker, Joseph D. "Police Informer Convicted of Murder." The Washington Post, Times Herald (1959-1973): 2. Dec 30 1972.ProQuest. Web. 16 Aug. 2016.
- ↑ "County Attorney Quits to Join Fairfax Firm." The Washington Post, Times Herald (1959-1973): 1. Feb 15 1972. ProQuest. Web. 1 Feb. 2018.
- ↑ Kessler, Ronald. "Settlement Suit Names Bar Units." The Washington Post, Times Herald (1959-1973), Feb 23 1972, p. 2. ProQuest. Web. 21 Aug. 2018.
- ↑ Landers, Jim. "Vienna Real Estate Salesman Cleared in Death of Wife." The Washington Post, Times Herald (1959-1973): B2. ProQuest Historical Newspapers: The Washington Post (1877-1995). Jun 30 1972. Web. 26 May 2012.
- ↑ Bredemeier, Kenneth. "2 Cases Involving Filipinos Protested." The Washington Post, Times Herald (1959-1973): 1. Jul 21 1972.ProQuest. Web. 11 Mar. 2016 .
- ↑ Scannell, Nancy. "County Resumes Zoning Hearings." The Washington Post, Times Herald (1959-1973): 1. Mar 14 1972. ProQuest.Web. 25 Aug. 2016.
- ↑ Bredemeier, Kenneth. "Explosion Survivor 'Critical'."The Washington Post, Times Herald (1959-1973): 2. Mar 26 1972. ProQuest.Web. 12 July 2016 .
- ↑ Bredemeier, Kenneth. "No Tests made at Site of Fatal Gas Blast." The Washington Post, Times Herald (1959-1973): 2. Apr 06 1972.ProQuest. Web. 12 July 2016.
- ↑ Whitaker, Joseph D. "Va. Woman Dies of Burns Week After Explosion." The Washington Post, Times Herald (1959-1973): 1. Mar 31 1972. ProQuest. Web. 12 July 2016 .
- ↑ Information Service, George Mason College of the University of Virginia, "Holton Signs Separation Bill" A History of George Mason University, accessed October 25, 2012,
- ↑ "Fairfax School Plans to Open Despite Fire." The Washington Post, Times Herald (1959-1973): 1. May 11 1972. ProQuest. Web. 10 Jan. 2018.
- ↑ Chen, Edwin. "Fairfax's Arson Problem" Evening Star, 7 Aug. 1972, NIGHT FINAL, p. 19. NewsBank. Accessed 10 Jan. 2018.
- ↑ "D.C., Arlington Gain Way to Dump at Lorton Area." The Washington Post, Times Herald (1959-1973): 2. May 17 1972. ProQuest. Web. 29 July 2016 .
- ↑ Chen, Edwin. "Fairfax's Arson Problem" Evening Star, 7 Aug. 1972, NIGHT FINAL, p. 19. NewsBank. Accessed 10 Jan. 2018.
- ↑ Huth, Tom. "Death on a Path Ends a Girl's Fresh Start." The Washington Post, Times Herald (1959-1973): A1. ProQuest Historical Newspapers: The Washington Post (1877-1995). Jun 07 1972. Web. 24 June 2012.
- ↑ Huth, Tom. "Reston Girl was Strangled." The Washington Post, Times Herald (1959-1973): C1. ProQuest Historical Newspapers: The Washington Post (1877-1995). Jun 08 1972. Web. 24 June 2012.
- ↑ "Body of Boy Discovered in Va. Creek." The Washington Post, Times Herald (1959-1973): 1. Jun 14 1972. ProQuest. Web. 17 Jan. 2017 .
- ↑ Associated Press. "Fairfax Police Still Seeking Identity of Body." The Free Lance-Star[Fredericksburg, Virginia] 15 June 1972: 15. Google Newspaper Archive. Web. 17 Jan. 2017.
- ↑ Whitaker, Joseph D. "School Bond Defeat may Mean Busing." The Washington Post, Times Herald (1959-1973): 1. Jun 15 1972. ProQuest. Web. 29 Aug. 2014.
- ↑ "Three Drown in Area Swim, Boat Accidents." The Washington Post, Times Herald (1959-1973): 1. Jul 05 1972. ProQuest. Web. 10 Aug. 2016.
- ↑ "Boy is Killed by Lightning." The Washington Post, Times Herald (1959-1973): 1. Jul 09 1972. ProQuest. Web. 6 Apr. 2017.
- ↑ Chen, Edwin. "Fairfax's Arson Problem" Evening Star, 7 Aug. 1972, NIGHT FINAL, p. 19. NewsBank. Accessed 10 Jan. 2018.
- ↑ "Prisoner Dies from Stab Wound." The Washington Post, Times Herald (1959-1973): 1. Aug 23 1972. ProQuest. Web. 6 Nov. 2016 .
- ↑ Bredemeier, Kenneth. "Hoofnagle Resigns Fairfax Board Post." The Washington Post, Times Herald (1959-1973): A1. ProQuest Historical Newspapers: The Washington Post (1877-1995). Sep 19 1972. Web. 20 Feb. 2012.
- ↑ "Architect Dies After 10-Foot Fall." The Washington Post, Times Herald (1959-1973): 1. Sep 22 1972. ProQuest. Web. 20 Sep. 2014.
- ↑ "Vienna Youth Dies of Accident Burns." The Washington Post, Times Herald (1959-1973): B13. ProQuest Historical Newspapers: The Washington Post (1877-1995). Nov 15 1972. Web. 3 June 2012.
- ↑ Shaffer, Ron. "4-Month-Old Infant Dies of Rat Bites." The Washington Post, Times Herald (1959-1973): C1. ProQuest Historical Newspapers: The Washington Post (1877-1994). Nov 03 1972. Web. 19 Oct. 2011.
- ↑ Shaffer, Ron. "Victim of Strangling found in Fairfax Cell." The Washington Post, Times Herald (1959-1973): B1. ProQuest Historical Newspapers: The Washington Post (1877-1994). Nov 18 1972. Web. 19 Oct. 2011
- ↑ Whitaker, Joseph D. "Board Mulls Small Jail in Fairfax." The Washington Post, Times Herald (1959-1973): C1. ProQuest Historical Newspapers: The Washington Post (1877-1994). Apr 23 1973. Web. 19 Oct. 2011
- ↑ "Body of Girl, 12, found in Fairfax." The Washington Post, Times Herald (1959-1973): D4. ProQuest Historical Newspapers: The Washington Post (1877-1994). Dec 03 1972. Web. 19 Oct. 2011.
- ↑ Scannell, Nancy. "Girl, 12, Killed by Beating." The Washington Post, Times Herald (1959-1973): C1. ProQuest Historical Newspapers: The Washington Post (1877-1994). Dec 04 1972. Web. 19 Oct. 2011.
- ↑ Mathews, Jay. "'Romper Room' Teacher found Dead in Her Home." The Washington Post, Times Herald (1959-1973): 2. Dec 30 1972. ProQuest. Web. 30 Apr. 2014.
- ↑ "Alcoholism Killed Ex-TV Hostess." The Washington Post, Times Herald (1959-1973): 1. Jan 17 1973. ProQuest. Web. 30 Apr. 2014.
- ↑ Whitaker, Joseph D. "Police Informer Convicted of Murder." The Washington Post, Times Herald (1959-1973): 2. Dec 30 1972.ProQuest. Web. 16 Aug. 2016.
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