December 15, 2005 Issue                                                              

©2005 The Chestnut Hill Local

Local Life

Cancer survivor an anti-smoking crusader
Hiller rarely visits his own popular restaurant
by LEN LEAR

Most restaurant owners, if they’re being completely candid with you, will admit that the restaurant is their master, not the other way around. It’s their family, their mistress, their obsession, their drill sergeant. It’s not unusual for a restaurant owner to go several days before catching a fleeting glimpse of his wife (or husband) and children.

Hiller teaches English to children in Nanjing, China

Chestnut Hill resident Jan Young (third from right) is seen in a park in Nanjing, China, this summer with other American teachers who went to China to teach English

by LOU PERSEGHIN

Teachers often lament about how to get students interested in class, and how to get them involved. However, last summer Jan Young had a somewhat different challenge on her hands.

Kevin Wiesner, 13, a student at GFS, is proud that he sold his painting, “Fish,” for $200. (The painting seen here in not “Fish.”

Wyndmoor artist, 13, already selling his work
by SUSAN CRANE

When The Morris Arboretum in Chestnut Hill had the official opening for its fall art exhibit, Plants for all Seasons, one piece had already been sold. The sale represented a first on two counts; it was the first painting in the exhibit to be sold, and it was the artist’s first sale of his art. The artist is 13-year-old, Kevin Wiesner, a student at Germantown Friends School and a resident of Wyndmoor.

Filmmaker from Hill thrills Crefeld School kids
by PAT EVANS

The audience, standing room only, was restless, on that Friday afternoon. Several students were clearly not thrilled that lunch would be late because a guest would do a poetry reading.

G’twn native gives audience ‘grand old time’
by MICHAEL CARUSO

Philadelphia sparkled with musical variety this past weekend. Our orchestral neighbor to the north, the New York Philharmonic, paid local music lovers a visit and brought back former Germantown resident, Andre Watts, as its piano soloist. The Academy of Vocal Arts presented an intriguing “Evening of Russian Romances” in which a locally bred tenor from the Northeast made a powerful impact, and the Philadelphia Orchestra was joined by the Philadelphia Singers Chorale and four vocal soloists to give its annual performances of Handel’s Messiah.