What’s New?
Darrel’s Father, Darrel Rippeteau Sr., 1917-2016, and his fellow Ghost Army Veterans Receive Congressional Gold Medal for service in WWII
February 28, 2022, President Joe Biden signed into law the Ghost Army Congressional Gold Medal Act.
The “Ghost Army,” was the top-secret unit of 1,100 American artists, designers, and sound engineers that helped to win World War II by staging elaborate ruses that fooled the forces of Nazi Germany about the location and size of Allied forces. They had one goal: to deceive Hitler's forces and their allies. Credited with fine-tuning the ancient art of deceptive warfare, the American military units of the Ghost Army used inflatable tanks and trucks with sound effects, suggesting an army was nearby - to confuse the true size and location of American forces. Their missions were officially classified until the mid-1990s.
On March 3, 2022, Congress officially bestowed its highest honor on the 23rd Headquarters Special Troops and the 3133rd Signal Company Special.
Congratulations to all the families of Ghost Army Veterans who celebrate their accomplishments!
Top left photo: Darrel’s father on the far right at the microphone. Bottom left collage: Darrel’s father, front-center. Images from his father’s Army Experimental Station at Pine Camp, NY. Top right: Letter from President Joe Biden awarding the Congressional Gold Medal to the Ghost Army for valor and honor in their highly distinguished service.
Thursday, March 23rd, 2023. The most exciting thing ever to happen at the Building Museum! Philippe Petit, the French high wire artist best known for his walk between the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center in New York City, performed WONDER ON THE WIRE at the National Building Museum approximately 50 feet above the magnificent Great Hall.
March 22, 2023. Catholic University celebrates the ABroad Perspective show at the American Institute of Architects. Architecture faculty member Lavania Pasquina, Professor Emeritus Stanley Hallet, FAIA, and benefactor Darrel Rippeteau, FAIA enjoy the festivities.
In the spring of 2022, I nominated Stanley Hallet, FAIA for the Architectural Educator Award, and gathered 28 Letters of Recommendation from around the world. The AIA was so impressed that they (unanimously) bumped Stanley up to the Centennial Award, their highest honor. Stanley Hallet’s devotion to teaching free-hand drawing and using sketchbooks to record and understand architecture resulted in the establishment of the Stanley I. Hallet Sketchbook Award at the Catholic University of America School of Architecture.
November 17, 2022, a standing-room-only crowd applauded the remarks of our comrade and lifetime friend Stanley Hallet FAIA, the DC AIA’s CENTENNIAL MEDAL AWARD WINNER. The celebratory event on November 17th at the Gensler Headquarters was an extraordinary production.
Summer 2022. The new gardens in the 1000 Islands are designed to keep whitetail deer out and grow more vegetables. The new part, built in 2022, is for a miniature forest of native tree species, again to exclude the deer and preserve the natural habitat. Whitetail deer, without wolves, have become an “invasive species,” nipping off new forest growth before it can rise up. Absent deer fencing, many areas may become savannahs.
The new garden work, as seen through the first garden, will provide a refuge for naturally occurring trees and shrubs with flowers such as trillium. – Meanwhile, fragrant Phlox Paniculata blooms in the heat of warm late summer. It comes on strong to perfume the air and colors the garden in its corners and nooks. – Prosaic materials including hog-fence and standard dimensional lumber combined in an elegant design inviting human interaction with nature. The new pale fence rises at Rippeteau Gardens.
Summer 2022. Success! Our glorious garden, and the brilliant summer sun encourage an amazing yield of tasty, and juicy tomatoes. Mark Doney and Devyn Montante are erecting the new fence to enclose a deer-free pale around the north side of the house for the conservation of trees, shrubs, and flowers…for many years to come.
June 2022. Martin Press of Pres Mechanical Contractors, and Laura Blackwelder of the National Building Museum joined in celebrating the WBC Craftsmanship Awards. Julissa Tello of Ollet Property Management, LLC and Greg Koger of Holland & Knight were delighted to be a part of Darrel’s group at the WBC Craftsmanship Awards. Meghan Kelley of the National Building Museum and Karen Cotton of Hitt Contracting also celebrated with us at the WBC Craftsmanship Awards. Laura Blackwelder, Tonnie Chamblee, Julissa Tello, and Meghan Kelley joined Martin Press at the festive WBC Craftsmanship Awards after-party.
On April 22, 2022, after traveling more than 9,700 miles across the country, Angels Unawares arrived at the dedication of Welcome Plaza at Catholic University. – Q Street Barbies in support of Ukraine. – The latest renovations at the Folger Shakespeare Library will provide an additional 12,000 square-foot public pavilion under the front lawn.
March 24, 2022. DR & fellow judges for the Washington Craftsmanship Awards. – We nominated The National Native American Veterans Memorial for the Washington Craftsmanship Star Award. – You may want to check out fresh, green vegetables from Area 2 Farms in Arlington, VA.
Planting the seeds of revolution Oren J. Falkowitz, CEO of Area 2 Farms states “Farming remains the engine room 0f our society.” Oren hails from a cybersecurity background and is now a small farm-fresh futures start-up.
On August 21, 2021, at Catholic University demonstration of the building of the Notre-Dame de Paris truss using medieval techniques, Darrel examines the type of ax required for precision ax-slinging handiwork. A scale model with the action plan to build the Notre-Dame de Paris truss at Catholic University. The entire, full-scale truss will first be transported to the Mall, and later installed at the Building Museum.
Maison Rippeteau rowing the JUDY BEAUTY past George Boldt’s yacht barn.
Three generations of Rippeteau gardeners cultivate a plethora vegetables and flowers.
This spring Darrel boosted the Stanley Hallet Sketchbook Awards Program at Catholic University by nominating Stanley Hallet for the DC AIA Architecture Education Award. Marvelously, the AIA elevated Stanley to their highest honor with the Centennial Medal.
Family time, loving the St. Lawrence River. Judy the beauty touring the waters in the Judy Beauty skiff.
Rowing through the international rift, NY on left Ontario on the right. FIASCO St. Lawrence River skiffs at Laundry Point in the Thousand Islands. Parallel parking the DEE DEE, a 19 foot St. Lawrence skiff, at the docks of the Great St. Lawrence River.
The trail to Camp Tick starts near the nest of sorrows. – The trail to Camp Tick has many obstacles. – There it is! Camp Tick, commanding the territory.
Craftsmanship, teamwork, building a deer-proof garden structure during the pandemic. – Our majestic garden structure, completed during the pandemic, is ready for planting. – Throughout the summer of 2021 ~ Darrel has succeeded in producing tomatoes costing only $45 each, also green beans costing no more than 87 cents apiece.
“Here are green tomatoes & nasturtiums…
Grown in the porch pots;
Getting hustled indoors before the frost.”
Everyone loves ice cream. – Judy enjoys leaving the city to relax at the house up north. – Darrel hooks another gigantic bass out of the St. Lawrence River, and it took him three days to eat this guy!