On September 14, 1956, the Arlington Historical Society was formed by 88 Arlingtonians who wanted to learn more about local history. Join AHS as we celebrate our 70th Anniversary by talking with past AHS Presidents about their experience, inspiration, and challenges. They’ll also talk about how the world of public history has changed and what that means for how we work to bring our diverse past to you. Current President, Peter Vaselopulos, will be our moderator.
Past AHS presidents include:
- Karl VanNewkirk: president from 1991-1992, 1994-1995, and 2015-2017
- Ali Ganjian: president from 2012-2013
- Johnathan Thomas: president from 2017-2018
- Cathy Bonneville Hix: president from 2018-2023
- David Pearson: president from 2023-2025
Karl VanNewkirk has been president of AHS an astounding three times! He was the editor of our highly acclaimed annual “Arlington Historical Magazine” which features original research on local history. Through it all he has been a docent at the Arlington Historical Museum and for years, he has been the instructor for Arlington’s Encore Learning course: “The History of Arlington.”
Ali Ganjian loves history–and earned a Bachelor’s degree in it–so it’s no wonder he became president of his local historical society. As a financial professional, he focused on putting AHS on a sturdy financial footing by leading the annual Bell-Ringer Campaign and advocated recruiting new members. He helped bring AHS into the 21st century by expanding payment methods for memberships and donations to include credit cards online.
Johnathan Thomas, near the end of his presidential tenure, was featured as a representative of one of the oldest families in Arlington in this Arlington Magazine article “Arlington’s Oldest Families” from 2018. He continues to serve local history as a member of the Arlington Historical Museum Collections Committee.
Cathy Bonnevill Hix is a lifelong Arlingtonian and a retired social studies teacher at Swanson Middle School. She capped her decades as a teacher by being appointed the head of social studies education for the Arlington Public School system. She continues to serve Arlington history as a speaker on local history topics to local audiences.
David Pearson is a lifelong Arlingtonian and fondly remembers visiting the Arlington Historical Museum growing up. Since he left the presidency, he continues to serve local history as the Docent Coordinator for the Arlington Historical Museum, where he is also a docent and frequently leads group tours.
This event is one of the monthly series of free public programs sponsored and hosted by the Arlington Historical Society.
DRIVING DIRECTIONS and FREE ON-CAMPUS PARKING:
Attendees planning to attend the event in-person should enter the Marymount University campus at the library gate on N. 26th Street.
- From Glebe Road going north, take a right onto 26th Street.
- Pass through the stop light at the intersection of 26th and Old Dominion Drive.
- Pass the intersection with Yorktown Road
- Enter the campus through the next gate on your left. The library is to your left as you enter the campus.
- Free garage parking is just past the library at the bottom of the small incline. (Handicapped parking is immediately to your right as you enter through the gate onto campus.)
If the university has lowered the garage gates, push the button and let them know you’re here for an Arlington Historical Society event in the library. To leave, push the button and they’ll raise the gate.
Zoom Available
If you can’t be there in person, you can zoom in, but you must register by the end of Wednesday, July 29, 2026 to get the zoom information. Click here to register: https://forms.gle/Af1iaNkWUwvHAgzL7
You’ll get an email on the morning of the event (Sep 10, 2026) with Zoom details.
This event is hosted courtesy of the Marymount University politics program’s American Heritage Initiative. For more information, please email: info@arlingtonhistoricalsociety.org.
