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President's April Message

VALE CLUB WELCOMES SPRING WITH A SLATE OF EVENTS

Welcome spring! As the days grow longer and everything blooms, it is a wonderful time to reconnect, get out and explore, and enjoy the company of friends old and new. The Vale Club is embracing the season with a variety of activities and gatherings that bring us together to enjoy all that spring has to offer.

We are always delighted to welcome new members. Thank you to those who have recommended the Club to friends. It is wonderful to see our community grow and to feel the energy new members bring.

The Outings Committee has planned several engaging events. On April 13, members will visit Morven Park to tour the Davis Mansion and hear stories about former Virginia Governor Westmoreland Davis and his wife, Marguerite. Be sure to sign up on the SUG and plan to stay afterward, as Deb Cohen has graciously offered to host lunch.

On May 3, the Outings Committee has planned an outing for members to see “A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum” at the Hunters Woods Community Center. While the SUG list is full, please contact Coleen Oberhofer to check for any cancellations. 

Culinary Escapes will hold its final gathering of the season on April 24 at Ambar in Arlington, featuring a Balkan-inspired menu. While the SUG is full, a waitlist is available. The Culinary Escapes team has done a wonderful job introducing members to new restaurants and exciting cuisines. Thank you for all your hard work and creativity!

The Hiking Group is planning a variety of hikes for all ability levels. Pickleball will be starting up again soon, so be sure to check the SUG for details and to sign up. Don’t miss our next General Meeting on April 14 at 9:15 a.m. at the Schoolhouse.

Looking ahead, our Summer Social will be held on June 6 at the home of Sue and Chip Bowers, featuring Chip’s famous margaritas. Our June 9 Luncheon at Wildfire will replace our general meeting, with details coming soon. On June 13, we will host our Car Show fundraiser. More details will follow.

Warm regards,
Kathy Sullivan
Vale Club president

FVS History Highlights: “A Place to Tie To” 

'We bid farewell to and honor our last Vale School pupil’

Stan’s family farm was at the corner of Fox Mill and Stuart Mill Roads. He walked the two miles to school carrying a tin lunchbox with a sausage biscuit for lunch. This is an expanded version of my remarks at the March General Meeting relating to Vale School pupil, Stan Proffit, who died February 21,2026 at age 107 (just shy of his 108th birthday):

Clyde Stanley “Stan” Profitt was born in the Vale neighborhood in 1918, the second of six children born to Stanley and Clyde Profitt. (Yes, his mother’s first name was Clyde and she served as the Vale Club President from 1947 – 1949). Stan’s family farm was at the corner of Fox Mill and Stuart Mill Roads. He walked the two miles to school carrying a tin lunchbox with a sausage biscuit for lunch.

His teacher walked to school also and, since she lived farther down Fox Mill Road, she passed his house on her way to school. Some days Stan’s mother would holler out to her “Stan won’t be coming to school today; we need him to work on the farm.” Such was the life of the farm boys in Vale.

During recess the boys played on the school grounds, playing fox and hounds in the woods, shooting marbles or playing mumblety peg. Stan always carried a pocket knife – “all the boys did.” Kids had very little free time except on Sundays when they would play baseball in a pasture on his farm. No one had a glove and they only had one baseball so they spent a great deal of time searching in the corn when someone had a long hit.

We have all of this information about Stan because in 2022 his daughter reached out to say that the family was gathering in Manassas to celebrate Stan’s 104th birthday and would it be possible to open the schoolhouse so he could show his great-granchildren (triplets) where he went to school. A group of Vale Club members flew into action and set the stage for an informative morning and a wonderful celebration complete with food and drink and a muffin with a candle in it for Stan (his request). The Washington Post and the Fairfax Times covered the event. It was very special to see his great grandchildren engage and ask him questions. One of them asked “Where did you go on field trips.” A great laugh from Stan – “no such thing in my day.” It was our honor to host this celebration and meet Stan which resulted in a continuing friendship with him and his family.

When Stan attended Vale School about half the children in the U.S. lived in rural areas and 65 percent of the nation’s schools were one-room schools. Today there are less than 400 one-room schools remaining. Vale School is our “place to tie to.” Vale School tied Stan’s family to Vale and memories of growing up in the Vale neighborhood, memories that we will preserve. We honor his legacy.

Darlene Williamson
Historic Preservation Chair

Vale Club

Vale Club is dedicated to enriching the lives of women in the Vale community. Our goal is to provide our members with a variety of social, educational, and volunteer opportunities throughout the year. The majority of our members live within the Oakton community. We have multiple member activities each month, primarily scheduled from September through May, with a few Special Interest Groups meeting during the summer months ...
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Vale Club Winter Community Outreach Programs

HHK AND FAMILY PASS DIRECTORS THANK VALE CLUB FOR ITS GENEROUS HOLIDAY DONATIONS

Once again, the women of the Vale Club have demonstrated their goodwill and generosity through our Outreach projects—Helping Hungry Kids and Family PASS—providing extra food to kids living with food insecurity, and warm clothing and generous gift cards to families experiencing hard times. Although we may not see it, the needs are greater than ever!

Looking back…In support of Helping Hungry Kids, over the last few months Vale Club women collected and distributed 2,393 granola bars, 1,424 oatmeal packets and 76 other food products to Helping Hungry Kids!

The HHK co-directors greatly appreciate the generosity of Vale Club women! In support of Family PASS, we wrapped up a very successful Winter Giving Project! Vale Club women provided 66 new beautifully wrapped winter coats and $100 in gift cards to every Family PASS client from infant to adult ($6650 in total) as well as a packet of essential toiletries, and hats, gloves and other items to keep warm. Family PASS directors have expressed their sincere gratitude for all the effort Vale Club women put into buying, wrapping and bagging all the gifts, as well as their extreme generosity!

Looking forward…It’s not too soon to start talking about our Spring Project! We will be providing food bags filled with all of the items (11 recommended food items in all). HHK provides weekly to each child living with food insecurity across eight local elementary schools. These food bags will coincide with spring break, when kids are out of school and in even greater need of a backup supply of food. We will be collecting money to purchase the food items needed. No amount is too small! As we have in prior years, we will be setting up an assembly line at the schoolhouse to fill bags and pack crates for delivery to the participating schools. Please keep your eyes open for a SUG sign up.

Vale Club Outreach projects are entirely voluntary. 100 percent of your donations go to Helping Hungry Kids and Family PASS.
Remember: Volunteering for Outreach projects is unrelated to and does not satisfy your two-hour volunteer commitment to the Vale Club.

Stay warm,
Patti and Nancy

Vale Schoolhouse

A brief history of The Vale Schoolhouse as recorded by the Fairfax County Public Schools of Yesteryear and Today: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yUOCcwvqBB0

Vale Schoolhouse, at the corner of Vale and Fox Mill Roads in Oakton, VA, was built c.1884 as a one-room public school. A second room was added in 1912. The school closed in 1931 when many Fairfax County schools were consolidated ...read more

Friends of Vale Schoolhouse, Inc. is Vale Clubs 501(C)3 charity for the maintenance and preservation of the historic Schoolhouse property which was placed on the VA Landmarks Register and the National Register ...read more