For over two centuries, Arlington County has been a steadfast center for government institutions and a vibrant part of the Washington, D.C., community. Many notable figures made their home in the area, like Supreme Court chief justice Warren Burger, General George "Blood 'n' Guts" Patton and a beauty queen who almost married crooner Dean Martin. The drama of Virginia's first school integration unfolded in Arlington beginning in the late 1950s. In the 1960s, two motorcycle gangs clashed in public at a suburban shopping center. Local author, historian and "Our Man in Arlington" Charlie Clark uncovers the vivid, and hidden, history of a capital community.
Charlie Clark is a longtime journalist in the Washington, D.C. area who writes the weekly Our Man in Arlington column for the Falls Church News-Press. By day, he is a senior correspondent for Government Executive Media Group, part of Atlantic Media. He previously worked as an editor or writer for the Washington Post, Congressional Quarterly, National Journal, Time-Life Books, Tax Analysts and the Association of Governing Boards of Universities and Colleges. He lives in Arlington with his wife, Ellen.