WASHINGTON -- George Washington, father of the nation, is about to undergo a makeover of historic proportions that many a modern American might envy.

	Upcoming Pennsylvania events commemorating the 250th anniversary of the French and Indian War include: Today and tomorrow -- Encampment at Cook Forest featuring more than 250 French, British, colonial and Native American re-enactors. July 12-17 -- a workshop on the "French and Indian War in Western Pennsylvania'' at Slippery Rock University. July 17-18 -- a re-enactment at Old Bedford Village. Aug. 7-8 -- a re-enactment of the Battle of Bushy Run at Point State Park. For details, visit French and Indian War Commemoration site, call 412-392-2408, or write: French and Indian War 250; 425 Sixth Avenue, Suite 1000; Pittsburgh, PA 15219.

In an effort to humanize the first president's iconic "marble man'' image, Jeffrey Schwartz, an anthropology professor at the University of Pittsburgh, has been commissioned to employ the latest scientific techniques on statues, portraits and a life mask of Washington from late in his life, which were produced after he became famous, to create life-sized models of Washington as a younger man.

Schwartz will work with a team of computer experts at Arizona State University to develop three figures of Washington -- as the nation's first president at age 57, as Revolutionary War general at age 45, and as a young surveyor at age 19. Washington died when he was 67.

The models will be displayed in a new, $85 million museum and education center planned for Washington's bucolic Mount Vernon estate in Virginia, for which ground was broken yesterday, and likely will contribute to a resurgence of public interest in Washington as the nation commemorates the 250th anniversary of the French and Indian War in Pennsylvania, 10 other states and Canada over the next six years.

Washington's rise to prominence began with his exploits as a young British soldier in the French and Indian War.

When the war began in 1754, Washington was an ambitious Virginia farmer eager to make a name for himself. Despite losing two battles aimed at ousting the French from Fort Duquesne in the early days of the war -- at Fort Necessity in Uniontown and in Braddock -- Washington went on to gain renown as a military commander.

The anniversary celebrations, which began in Pittsburgh in mid-April, will feature Washington prominently -- as America's first "action figure," in the words of Mount Vernon Executive Director James Rees -- along with re-enactments of key battles, exhibitions of artifacts and a public television series.

Local organizers also have commissioned a statute of Washington at age 21 based on Schwartz's forensic work, which will be installed in Point State Park or Fort Pitt Museum.

"One of the reasons that we are so happy to be working with Mount Vernon is that they want to bring this younger Washington to real life to try to give a more complete picture of his life," said Laura Fisher of the Allegheny Conference on Community Development, which is leading regional commemorations. "Well, for us in western Pennsylvania, this is our story. This was his proving ground.''

Schwartz will spend the next few months sifting through documents about Washington, viewing every available image of the man and consulting experts on 18th century clothing. Then he will work with experts at the Partnership for Research in Spatial Modeling, a cutting edge computer think tank at Arizona State University, to scan the life-size marble statue of Washington in the Virginia State Capitol and a life mask by artist Jean Antoine Houdon. Houdon sculpted the statue after spending two weeks with Washington when he was 53, taking detailed measurements and the life mask.

Schwartz faces several novel challenges. Forensic and imaging technology generally is used to make people look older to help police search for someone who's been missing for years. Schwartz's work on Washington will mark the first time the technology is used to recreate a younger version of someone.

Mount Vernon officials didn't want to disturb Washington's remains, foreclosing the easiest way for Schwartz to get precise measurements of the first president's body. Washington's well-known dental problem -- he lost all of his teeth while still a young man -- also poses a problem because it altered the shape of his jaw.

"It is an unsurpassed opportunity to learn a lot of new things,'' said Schwartz, who must finish the reconstructions by the summer of 2005.

The new visitors complex at Mount Vernon is expected to open by the end of 2006. It will serve as Washington's presidential library and showcase 175 personal artifacts, including his dentures, sunglasses, dress sword, firearms and Revolutionary War traveling trunk. Two-thirds of the 66,700-square-foot complex will be underground, with Hogg Island sheep -- the species raised by Washington -- grazing on a pasture on the roof.

Film director Ron Maxwell, whose credits include "Gods and Generals'' and "Gettysburg'' will produce a 15-minute movie for Mount Vernon that, he said, "will depict George Washington as a dynamic youth, an adventurous and active leader, a businessman, military champion and America's original action hero, instead of the stiff figurehead on the dollar bill that we all know so well.''