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November 2, 2009

Neighbors honor soldier

Mayor notes sacrifices made by Bragorgos

BY MIKE HELENTHAL

DANVILLE — When James Woodbury first platted the land that would become the Danville neighborhood of Maywood Drive and Westwood Place in 1916, he superstitiously left out Lot 13.

While it’s hard to prove whether the omission made a difference, the 50-plus households celebrating the 42nd Annual Maywood/Westwood Picnic say they still feel lucky to be living there.

“A lot of these same families have been coming here for years,” said Dr. Dick Elghammer, who headed up the committee that planned this year’s event. “It cements us and reminds us we are a community, and we celebrate the fact we are neighbors. We’re just trying to keep the connections going.”

The neighborhood is located west of Logan Avenue and north of the hospital. The annual picnic, which features homemade dishes and kids’ games, is usually held at someone’s house or yard.

This year it was moved to the nearby Harrison Park Clubhouse to celebrate the homecoming of Army Lt. Col. Steve Bragorgos, who returned from a second tour of duty in Afghanistan in September after a year there.

Bragorgos said the neighborhood has been home to his family for the past eight years and that neighbors have all helped in his absence. He is married to Celeste and they have three children, Alex, Paris and Grant, who attend Danville High School. The family has lived in Danville for 15 years.

“It’s kind of embarrassing,” he said of being honored by the people he and his family live beside. “A soldier can not succeed or do the mission without a supportive community. This is a very supportive neighborhood and having them has been very meaningful.”

On hand to recognize Bragorgos was state Rep. Bill Black, R-Danville, and Danville Mayor Scott Eisenhauer. The mayor presented Bragorgos, a 20-year veteran, with a proclamation declaring Nov. 1 a day to recognize the sacrifices of Bragorgos and his family.

“The sacrifice is truly the family’s,” he said after receiving the proclamation. “It’s very reassuring when I’m doing my duty that my family’s being taken care of.”

Eisenhauer said residents should “really find out what’s going on” with the country’s overseas conflicts by talking to soldiers firsthand.

Black said we at home have a lot to live up to in order to be worthy of soldiers who risk all for our freedom.

“The toughest job any of us had this weekend was raking leaves,” Black said.

Mona Elghammer, also on the picnic committee, said it takes more than luck to make a neighborhood livable.

“This is a really tight-knit community because everybody makes an attempt to make it better,” she said.

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