Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1959-02-05
Cabin John-BrOOkmOnt
BannOckburn
Weighs Topic
OF Suburbia
BY Naomi SANDY ROvner
Oliver 6-SS65

CRACkED III NE WIN
BOWS DEPT: Residents of Ban
nockburn, nee Bannockburn Co
operators, Inc, INDUCED in live.
ly evening of self analysis last
Thursday night when more than
100 persons damned the Bannock-
burn Community Building to hear
a panel discussion entitled rs
There a Crack in the Bannock-
burn Picture Window"
The program was organized by
Herb Raskin and moderated by
Ed Odds.
Members of the panel-all Ban
nockburnites themselves were a
sociologist MRS. Laure Sharpe),
a psychiatrist CDR. Leon Salz.
mani, longtime cooperator and
vice president of CARE (Wallace
CampbelD, and the wife of vet
eran carpool participant (Mrs.
Milton Chase.
Whether by accident or design,
both panelistS and audience par
Elephants skirted some of the more
touchy issues facing Suburbia,
U.S.A., which also apply to this
somewhat a-typical community,
and in general kept the discussion
in a light, rather tongue-in-cheek
vein.
Mrs. Sharp, in her observations
on the possible "over-organiza-
ton" of the community pointed
out that although group activi-
ties range from great books to
storytelling hours and from gar
den club to political groups,
generally casual attitude on the
part of members has kept "organi-
cation" in its proper place.
Her conn men s We're under
scored by DR.. SalZman's discus
sion of the common mental health
and he goes on record as pro
claiming Bannockburn the "best
adjusted" community he knows
when he pointed out that in his
opinion the dangers of over or.
ganization Cblind conformity and
regimentation) have been thus far
successfully avoided here.
Although .enjoined by an un-
identified, but ringing, voice from
the audience from giving free
medical advice" he stoutly main
tanned the rights of the mon.
participation" in answer to the
question from the floor, as the
man who refuses to participate
in community activities 'sick?'"
eve must not impose together
ness" DR.. Salzman said, 1--WE
have been very fortunate in nnr-
hitting number of strange char
acters to live here"
Mr.. Campbell, whose topic was
''How cooperative are we?" gen.
orally concluded that eve are"
when the occasion and nee d
arise.
AS to the social effects of the
car pool, Mrs. Chase quietly OBJ
served that the average car pool
consumes 5000 man hours per
year; that a man spends more
time in conversation with his car
pool than with any one else; that
as forum for personal problems,
"All you have to do is bring it up.
The car pool will have something
to say; that as forum for world
problems it is equal in time to a
college degree in economics, ex.
Guiding lab courses.
Mrs. Chase drew much of her
material from notes prepared by
her husband, a car pooler for 10
years, in whose stead she APP
peared. However, she managed
to inject the feminine viewpoint
when she pointed out that car
pools also tend to discourage ir-
regular working hours and en-
courage regular dinner hours, a
function not to be taken lightly.
All in all. audience and panel
seemed vastly satisfied with their
way of life and their community,
although one member of the audi
ence who shall remain blissfully
anonymous was heard to mutter,
"Well. we learned one thing, it
isn't the picture windows that are
cracked around here 4. :"
PLANS AND PARKS: John
Hewitt, director of Parks for the
Maryland National Parks and
Planning Commission, told
group of area women that lack of
public concern may seriously
hamper good park planning in
the area.
Mr.. Hewitt, speaking before the
7-3 Precinct Women's Democratic
Club, discussed the county pro
gram and its relation to the area.
He pointed out that with mush-
rooming housing developments in
the West Bethesda area, adequate
park sites may become scarce, If
land for potential parks and rec
reation areas is not set aside. He
urged area groups interested in
the problem to send representa-.
tives to the M CPPC budget