Woodbridge man creates ornament for Virginia governor’s Christmas tree
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Version 0 of 1. Frank Chergosky has spent plenty of time in Washington, with careers in the Air Force and as a civilian employee for the Coast Guard. But it wasn’t until he retired that he made an official contribution to another capital: Richmond. The 88-year-old Woodbridge resident recently carved a wooden ornament for the Christmas tree in the Executive Mansion in Virginia’s state capital. The governor’s official residence worked with the Virginia Association of Counties and the Virginia Municipal League this year to solicit handmade ornaments from each of the state’s 95 counties, 38 cities and 191 towns. All of the creations were based on the theme “Celebrating Virginia’s Localities.” Prince William County officials searched for an artisan who could fashion an image suitable to represent the county. They choseChergosky, a member of a woodcarving group at the Woodbridge Senior Center. Leo Moore, the leader of that group, made a pencil sketch of an ornament, and then Chergosky got to work on a three-dimensional version. The result was a 5-inch-square relief carving of Prince William’s official flower, the Virginia bluebell. After the blade work was finished, Chergosky painted the ornament, using a gold hue on the border. “It’s all one piece of wood,” he said about the relief technique, as he took a break from carving a duck at a recent meeting of the woodworkers group. Chergosky toiled about three weeks, off and on, to finish the bluebell ornament, which is made of basswood, a common material for carving. He said relief works, with their 3-D aspects, are some of his favorite pieces to work on, along with ornate wooden spoons. Chergosky had knowledge of leatherwork and ceramics before coming to the senior center, but he has been carving for only about five years. Even so, he wasn’t nervous about crafting something that was bound for the governor’s home. His fellow woodcarver John Overman offered a possible reason. “Carving is therapy,” he said. The pastime is not a money-making enterprise for Chergosky. Instead of selling his creations, he said, he prefers to give them to friends. He and some of the other senior center woodcarvers teach their hobby to patients at the military hospital at nearby Fort Belvoir. He said recently that he might travel to Richmond to see his ornament hanging on Gov. Terry McAuliffe’s tree. “It’s a great honor,” Chergosky said. Woodbridge Senior Center site manager Kathleen Ambrose expressed pride in Chergosky’s work. “He did a wonderful job,” she said, noting that Chergosky also plays harmonica and violin at the center, where he has been attending programs for six to seven years. And as if woodcarving and music weren’t enough, Chergosky also grows figs and corn at home. “He’s a man of many talents,” said Kay Kendall, another member of the woodcarving group. Hunley is a freelance writer. |