Washington College Magazine and Website

Veterans Project Honors Those Who Served

Until recently, the only reminder of those Washington College alumni who dedicated their lives to the military was a small bronze plaque honoring World War II veterans in William Smith Hall. Over the past two years, more than 200 stories of sacrifice and honor have surfaced, thanks to the Alumni Veterans Project. Judith Barroll ’88 M’91, director of alumni programs, and Bruce Alexander ’94 M’00, chair of the Alumni Board’s Awards Committee, spearheaded the project. According to Barroll, the idea evolved when an alumnus noticed that the College had no online or on-campus forum to honor alumni who have served in war. Barroll brought the oversight to the attention of the Alumni Awards Committee.

A Way with Language

Taylor Goss ’13 began his sophomore year in a language suite hoping to improve his French; he completed the year fully prepared to study abroad. Living in close proximity to a French student, Goss and his suitemates soon mastered the language. “The language suites are the closest thing to immersion that WC has to offer short of going abroad, and it also seemed like a good way of practicing before actually going to France,” says the French and international studies major, now in Grenoble.

Retiring to Storyville

When both of their children left for college, Gretchen Gillen ’78 and her friend of 20 years, Katherine Shulz, fueled their love for reading into another of their passions: volunteer work.

The Lost Plays

Early American dramatists staged hundreds of original plays for eager audiences, and contrary to popular belief, this era of American theatre wasn’t “bad”; many of the plays were innovative and well-crafted. More than half of these original plays, however, have been lost to history. Other than advertisements in yellowed newspapers and broadsides, there is virtually no evidence that they ever existed.

Staging History

Alex Foxwell ‘16 would just as much enjoy reading about the Baltimore Plot of 1861 as he would Death of a Salesman. So when the drama and history major started thinking about how to spend his summer break, he didn’t to choose pursuing one of his passions over the other: he decided to try them both.

The Call of the Law

Rebecca Sussman ‘13 found her calling in Oceania as a secret member of the Thought Police. In the real world, she was a junior at Westfield High School, VA; in her AP English teacher’s classroom model of George Orwell’s 1984, Sussman was a clever ally for Big Brother. She co-founded an online resistance group and turned in any rebellious comrades who decided to join—her teacher was “horrified at what I was doing, but she was also proud of me,” she recalls.

Political Animal

A year ago, Kevin Lair ‘15 had already identified his long-term goals – entering a pre-law graduate program to pursue an eventual career in politics – but hadn’t yet developed a path to achieve them.

The Kent County News

Lucky hat and rusty quarter lead to Rock Hall lottery win

Once a week, Raymond Reinacher Jr. dons his famous white cowboy hat, heads to Waterman’s, and sings the night away for a bar full of local fans. Now, the 75-year-old Rock Hall resident has a new claim to fame: He’s the town’s newest millionaire.

Hot time for tea party

Not even a blazing summer sun deterred local patriots from donning tricorn hats and petticoats during this year’s annual Tea Party festivities.

Between 3,500 and 4,500 locals and visitors honored their revolutionary forebears this Memorial Day weekend, according to Tea Party Committee Vice President Bill Arrowood.

Chestertown’s five generations of barbers

More than 50 years after its construction, the College Heights Barbershop no longer boasts a laundromat or coin-operated televisions. It does, however, offer one amenity most customers can’t find anywhere else: A family legacy.

Kent 4-H’er seeks coveted Diamond Clover Award

Cassidy Schirmer smiled as Prancer, one of her 14 cows, nuzzled her velvety nose against her owner’s hand. It was a milking day, but for this Kent County High School rising senior, playtime with her animals can be just as important as chores.

Policeman saves injured goose

 It was Pfc. Michael Boehmer’s day off, but when he spotted a hungry goose, abandoned by its flock with a hook trapping its lower beak to its chest, he didn’t care that he wasn’t getting paid – he was on a mission.

Middle school promotes 120 students

More than 120 eighth-grade students last Thursday crowded into the gymnasium where they’d once played basketball, attended class and watched school plays. It was no ordinary school day for the Kent County Middle School class of 2012; the gymnasium was host to their “promotion” ceremony, a celebration of their matriculation into high school.

Students take on new challenges at summer center

At a premiere screening of four movies last Friday, an audience of filmmakers and their families was transported to a beach, an airplane and the streets of Paris. They witnessed a daughter mourn her mother’s death, laughed at the antics of two troublemaking high school seniors and gripped their armrests in terror as a killer penguin stalked her innocent prey. If they hadn’t known any better, viewers never would have guessed that the filmmakers were rookies to the world of camerawork and editing. And they certainly couldn’t have known they were a group of middle schoolers.

Kent County wines garner rave reviews

KENNEDYVILLE – In the spring of 2010, the Crow Farm planted the first seeds of what it hoped would blossom into its very own vineyard. Nine and a half acres and countless hours of pruning and harvesting later, the farmers are ready to showcase their finished product in a grand opening of their wine-tasting room.

A new space for fine art

Tucked away in a narrow building on Cross Street, The Collection doesn’t look like the place to find art of metropolitan distinction and variety, at least from the outside. But that’s just what Chestertown’s newest art gallery has to offer: Big city taste with a small town feel.

Local Washington College grad now teaching in Texas

Just a month after graduating from Washington College, Amanda Whitaker boarded a plane taking her more than 1,500 miles away from her home near Chestertown. After only five weeks of training in Houston and a summer to get settled, she’ll be teaching a full classroom of middle school students this fall. “It’s kind of surreal. I still feel like college was just a couple of days ago, and now I’m a teacher,” she said in a phone interview Sunday. “It hasn’t really hit me yet, but that’s what I am. I’m a teacher.”

A second chance for a diploma

ROCK HALL – Nearly 150 Kent County High School students strode across a stage last year, beaming in their golden caps and gowns as they embarked on a new chapter of their lives. Although it was a joyous day for the students earning their diplomas, the senior class was some students short.

 Galena-area couple benefit from kindness of neighbors, strangers

GALENA – All that’s left of the Wright family’s guesthouse is a heap of rubble and branches. The four trees that slammed through the building lie beside the debris, evidence of the June 29 derecho that barreled through. If it weren’t for two days of effort from a team of Home Depot volunteers, the house wouldn’t even be visible.

Five generations of railway family

ROCK HALL – At first glance, the tracks at the edge of the water look like they lead to an underwater train station. They’re actually a traditional form of boat transport, and they’ve been in the Leary family for as long as Rock Hall Marine Railway Inc. has: five generations. The Learys have been doing marine repairs, sales, storage and more since their business opened in 1928. Today, the waterside business on South Hawthorne Avenue is a staple in harbor life, serving hundreds of watermen and boaters each season.

Fresh ice cream, homegrown flavors

CHESTERTOWN – Peach, s’mores, blueberry chip, cherry vanilla, apple caramel – ice cream lovers won’t find these flavors in the frozen foods aisle. They’re only available at Lockbriar Farms. The Ice Cream Barn, on Worton Road, opened two weeks ago, and its list of fresh, colorful flavors is ever-growing.

Leading the state’s education association

Kent County public schools may not be perfect, but after 30 years “on the front lines” as a middle school teacher, Betty Weller knows the system inside and out. Although she’s working behind the scenes now, the recently elected president of the Maryland State Education Association is as dedicated to education reform as ever. “It’s an opportunity to still help students by helping the people who work with them,” she said in an Aug. 8 interview. “I want to help people understand that educators are the experts in the classroom and our voices are important.”

How I spent my summer vacation

Before this summer, my Kent County didn’t extend past the Chester Five. To be honest, most days, it didn’t even cross Washington Avenue.

Sure, I tried to patron the farmers market during school year weekends, but by the time my midterms at Washington College hit, Saturday mornings were reserved for catching up on sleep. I was an occasional Book Plate browser, and I purchased the rare milkshake from Stam’s to enjoy by the waterfront. Betterton, Galena, Worton – they were familiar names, but I’d never driven far enough down state Route 213 to actually discover them.

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The Herald-Mail

Valet eases the way at Meritus Medical Center

With a tip of the hat and a friendly smile, the valets at Meritus Medical Center try to ensure that patients make it out of their cars and safely inside the hospital’s revolving-door entrance. The valet parking service began Tuesday and operates Mondays through Fridays from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. Patients can drop off their cars with attendants at a stand outside the hospital’s main entrance, where they can expect to see it waiting for them when they are ready to leave, free of charge.

Economy has made dairy farming a risky business

A dairy farmer’s life is one of routine and discipline, each day beginning with the rising sun. The economic side of dairy farming isn’t nearly as predictable. “When it comes to working with cows, that’s almost the easy part. You expect certain things with cows, but the economy is the challenge,” said Ralph Shank, who runs Palmyra Farm with his family in Hagerstown.

Workshop shows teachers how to engage students in mathematics

Kim Sutton created a makeshift classroom for her mathematics workshop this week, filling the Next Dimensions event hall with bouncing music and vibrant, laminated posters. Her students, more than 200 elementary teachers, laughed and sang along as they took notes.

Chart-topping pop music group stops at Hagerstown Walmart

The members of the pop music group Far East Movement have reached billboard-topping status, but they still love the little things in life — including impromptu Walmart pit-stops. Two tour buses, one with the band’s logo and art on the side, stopped Thursday at the Centre at Hagerstown on their way to Raleigh, N.C.,  for some refreshments and supplies.

190 volunteers spent week doing community service work through Mission Serve

After a week of sleeping in a classroom crowded with air mattresses and waking up to go to work at 5:15 a.m., 16-year-old Amie Efting has learned the art of using power tools.

Grants and student loans are the trend when paying for college tuitions

It’s difficult to estimate the true cost of a college education because the final figure amounts to more than the cost of taking classes. With tuition and mandatory fees, room and board, transportation, books and other expenses, many students find themselves facing hefty price tags.

College for Kids at HCC allows participants to pursue their interests

The mad scientists at the College for Kids this week are doing things such as observing globs of vibrant food coloring ooze and swirl in their water bottle lava lamps. One building away, “CSI” detectives on Tuesday examined and identified each other’s fingerprints.

6-year-old attacked by pit bull in April undergoes hyperbaric treatment for injuries

The massive, clear tube into which 6-year-old Brooke Boyd and her mother, Melissa Boyd, were slowly wheeled looked like something out of a science-fiction movie or, as Brooke described it, “a spaceship.” Brooke spent 24 two-hour sessions in that hyperbaric chamber since April 16, when a neighbor’s pit bull detached half of her nose.

Students strut their stuff in Sing for Spring

Little shoes could be seen pacing to and fro beneath the green curtain Thursday as children from the Judy Center music class took their places. When the curtain parted, their waves and beaming faces were proof that the 3- and 4-year-olds knew their stuff.

Research center opened to honor George W. Comstock

The grand opening of the George W. Comstock Center for Public Health Research and Prevention on Wednesday was a tribute to its namesake, who dedicated his life to public health. The main lobby of the facility at 1100 Dual Highway was crowded with friends and admirers of the late Dr. Comstock, articles written by and about him and memorabilia from some of his research projects.

Giving tops some Christmas lists

Christmas lists might overflow with wishes, but some members of the community aren’t hoping for something that comes in a box or a bag. For them, the holidays are a time to give back, not just receive. Jodie Ostoich, executive director for REACH of Washington County, said she is constantly reminded of how difficult the holiday season can be for those unable to afford a roof over their heads, let alone Christmas gifts.

 Swimming enthusiasts stroke, float toward record

The 400-foot-tall water slides were tempting, but the swimmers at Yogi Bear’s Jellystone Park Camp-Resort near Williamsport weren’t there to play: They were there to break a world record.