Obituaries

Dave Edwards, RCA Citizen of the Year, Dies

Edwards helped plan Reston Community Center and South Lakes High School.

Dave Edwards, who was honored by the Reston Citizen's Association as its 2010 Citizen of the Year in January, died on Thursday.

Edwards, 73, had been suffering from cancer. He was an urban and regional planner who moved to Reston in 1967 and had been involved in much of significant growth and development of the community.  

Edwards had a part in the plan and design of the r; the establishment of the Small Tax District, planning for multiple turns on various and RCA committees; and, currently, a key role on the Master Plan Special Study Task Force and Reston 2020.

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"All I can say is I wish we had more Dave Edwards here in Reston," Reston founder Robert E. Simon said on Thursday. "He was a major contributor."

Edwards said at the Citizen of the Year ceremony that it is the citizens of Reston that make it work.

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Edwards urged the citizens of Reston to become deeply involved in the future of Reston to ensure that Reston remains the community “we love so much."

John Lovaas, a Reston Citizens' Association Board Member who nominated Edwards for the Citizen of the Year award said Edwards was an important part of what Reston is today.

"Reston is a better place to live because we had Dave Edwards," he said.

Reston Association president Kathleen McKee said Edwards a very generous and dedicated citizen.

"[Dave] always gave more of himself than he expected in return.  He spent many a night waiting his turn to present to the Reston Association board," said McKee. "Dave was  dedicated -- to Reston and to ensuring that what he did made a difference.

"For me, personally, I recall that when I first joined the Reston Association Board, Dave was a great mentor, who gave of his time, his knowledge and was incredibly generous in helping me understand the issues before us as a community."


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