When World War II veteran Gerald (“Gerry”) Hennesy reached his 100- year milestone birthday, his family treated him to one more flight in an open-cockpit biplane — the same type of plane he flew while training to be a naval aviator during World War II. Hennesy served in some of the most dangerous missions during the Pacific Theater, flying Corsair bomber-fighters off the USS Yorktown CV-10.

Susan Byrne and Bill Byrne are celebrating The Byrne Gallery’s 25th anniversary this year in Middleburg with an exhibition of the vivid oil and enamel paintings of internationally-acclaimed artist Yuri Gorbachev.

What does “the country way” mean? For me, the phrase conjures images of rolling hills, grazing horses and the sight and sound of a pack of hounds traversing a field. But that’s just me. We all conceive of “the country way” in different ways. Those feelings, associations and connotations are captured in an upcoming exhibit at the Byrne Gallery, “The Country Way,” which runs from Feb. 1–25.

Gerald Craft Hennesy passed away on March 31, 2022. He died peacefully at his home in Clifton, VA, with his family by his side. He was 100 years old.