Each year since 1984, each member of the Board of Supervisors has been asked to designate two outstanding community volunteers as Lord and Lady Fairfax, an honor usually bestowed during Celebrate Fairfax!, the June celebration of all things Fairfax. Covid-19 pre-empted both Celebrate Fairfax! and the Lords and Ladies tributes in 2020 and 2021, but an abbreviated Lords and Ladies event was held on Tuesday evening, sans the traditional social hour and dinner. Nonetheless, the presentations reflected the depth and breadth of volunteer activities and opportunities in the county, and in Mason District.

Mason District’s Lord Fairfax for 2021 is William D. Lecos of Falls Church. He moved to Mason District as a child in 1962. His mother, Mary Anne, served on the Fairfax County School Board from 1968 to 1978, and his father, Dan, was well-known in the area’s restaurant industry. After establishing his career in non-profit management, Bill and his wife, July, moved their three young daughters back to Bill’s childhood home in Lake Barcroft. During the past 23 years, Bill has served his neighborhood and Mason District in a variety of roles, and he recently became a grandfather..

Bill has served as a director of the Sleepy Hollow Recreation Association and was president of the Lake Barcroft Association. He initiated the Community Night Out event in Lake Barcroft to recognize first responders. He is Mason District’s appointee to the board of Visit Fairfax, served on the Bailey’s Crossroads/Seven Corners Comprehensive Plan Task Force and, more recently, the Site-Specific Plan Amendment Task Force in Mason District. Bill’s ability to analyze concepts and find common sense solutions brings an extra level of calm community expertise to sometimes lively discussions.

Nancy Joyner of Annandale turned grief into positive energy, benefitting her community and is Mason District’s Lady Fairfax. An active community member for 35 years, Nancy is best known for creating the Team Joyner Foundation after the untimely death of her son, Clayton (Coach CJ) Joyner in 2014. Commemorating her son and his love of swimming, the foundation awards scholarships to needy Falls Church High School seniors to attend Northern Virginia Community College. Proceeds from the Coach CJ Celebration, an annual event at the Annandale Firehouse, fund the scholarships. Nancy also is a marriage celebrant. She does not accept fees, but donations from the ceremonies help fund Team Joyner scholarships.

In 2015, Nancy converted Coach CJ’s Victory Lane Aquatic Club into a year-round non-profit organization that trains youth in competitive swimming. She is a certified referee and stroke and turn judge for the Northern Virginia Swim League, and is a founder of NOVA United Senior Women’s Basketball Association, competing in regional tournaments, and the National Senior Olympics. Currently the Magister (president) of the Court of Camelot, Nancy retired in 2017 as the Dean of the Lutheran College Washington Semester and Executive Director of the Lutheran College Washington Consortium.

Penny Gross is the Mason District Supervisor, in the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors. She may be emailed at mason@fairfaxcounty.gov.