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AROUND THE PARK AGAIN by Sharon Lee Tegler

St. Martin’s in-the-Field Episcopal School began its 70th year as students arrived back on campus on September 2nd. With classes in session, all was quiet as we arrived on September 11th for a conversation with new Head of School, Dr. Tracy Bonday.

Arriving a bit early, we were met by the school’s Development Director Christina Hanson and given a tour of the classrooms starting in the Pre-K and Kindergarten areas and the elementary school. We paused for a bit to watch second-grade teacher Julie Bacot lead her class through a discussion about how the earth’s continents were formed millions of years ago.

Directing the children’s attention to a map on the wall, she named the present-day continents including North America.

“We’ll also learn about what it was like millions of years ago when all seven continents were connected,” Bacot told them. “

What was the connected body of land called?” she asked. “It was Pangea,” she said as she held up a map picturing the supercontinent.

As we took our leave, the teacher was explaining how the continents broke apart and became separated by the oceans.

Back at the administrative offices, we met Dr. Bonday who told us she was learning about the history of the school in honor of its 70th Anniversary using a book written by Donna Weingarten 10 years ago. She said she particularly enjoyed reading about the directors who came before her, several of whom we’d met.

Before there was a school, St. Martin’s in-the-Field Episcopal Parish was created in 1954 with church services held at Severn School by founding rector the Rev. Lewis Owens Heck. By November of that year, construction was started on the original St. Martin’s in-the-Field Episcopal Church. The lovely brick structure was completed in June of 1955. (It still exists and was renamed Heck Hall after a new church building was completed in 1989.)

St. Martin’s in-the-Field Episcopal School began in 1957 as a nursery and kindergarten in the church’s newly completed rectory with Betty McNulty as its director and 31 children. In 1961 Elizabeth Windsor, who’d been one of the kindergarten teachers, became principal and remained in the role until 1977. Carol Hjortsberg succeeded Windsor and served as the school’s director through 1986. As enrollments grew, Hjortsberg increased the staff. During her last year, she hired Sharon Holsclaw who began a 25-year career at St. Martin’s as a kindergarten teacher.

Miriam Nocar served next as director followed by Jane Spohn. In 1995, Sharon Holsclaw was elevated from teaching kindergarten to serving as Head of School – a position she held for the next 16 years.

Holsclaw was the first Head of School we knew. Under her leadership, the elementary school was established in 1999, transforming the institution from a nursery and kindergarten-only program to a full-fledged Episcopalian day school for children in first through sixth grade. In 2001, in response to parents’ desire to add an eighth and ninth grade, Holsclaw oversaw the establishment of a middle school in 2004. Without actual space for a middle school, she utilized a modular system for classrooms that remained in use until the construction of the new Learning Center in 2019.

We had the honor of interviewing Holsclaw for a Capital Gazette newspaper article on the occasion of her retirement in June of 2011. The recipient of many honors, she received a standing ovation as she made her way down the center aisle of the St. Martin’s Episcopal Church sanctuary following her retirement ceremony.

At a reception afterward, memories flooded back. Then Board of Trustees president Frank Hilton recalled the first day he “laid eyes on Sharon”.

“I’d driven my grandson to preschool for the first time and there Sharon was, greeting him with a welcoming smile and a big hug as she did for every child,” he said.

Holsclaw was a hard act to follow, but Margaret Moore stepped in as Interim Head until the surprisingly young Canadian native, the Rev. Dr. Frank Sawyer was appointed Head of School in 2012. Rev. Sawyer completed the final stage of a multi-year process leading to St. Martin’s in-the-Field’s accreditation in 2013, the same year Sawyer became a United States citizen.

On September 22, 2014, “Java with Jamey”, an early morning coffee at St. Martin’s provided parents the perfect opportunity to meet Jamey Hein, the amiable new Head of School. It was the first of a series of informal coffees the talented young headmaster would hold in order to become better acquainted with parents.

Hein would remain Head of School for the next seven years bringing to fruition the school’s dream of building a middle school joined to the existing classrooms in St. Martin’s Parish Hall. He oversaw the planning, financing and permitting related to the construction of the building that would be known as the Learning Center and started a capital campaign to raise the necessary funds. With construction of the Learning Center complete near the end of 2019, middle school students were able to move from the modules into their new classrooms on December 2nd. The building’s dedication followed on December 5th.

Following the end of Hein’s tenure in 2020, interim Heads of School including Charlie Sachs, Tony Shaffer and Kathleen Mahar would lead the student body until the arrival of new Head of School, Dr. Tracy Bonday in August.

Dr. Bonday clearly enjoys being at St. Martin’s in-the-Field. We asked her about the pathway that led her here.

“This is my 28th year in education. I’ve worked all over the country,” she said.

Bonday had 15 years working in Catholic education that included being Superintendent for the Diocese of Des Moines, Iowa overseeing 17 schools with a student population of 6,500. She moved on to an independent school called Ursuline Academy in New Orleans – the first all-girls Catholic school started in the United States in 1727 – serving there for two years through the COVID lockdowns.

Dr. Bonday moved on to become Head of the Upper School at Trinity Preparatory School in Winter Park, Florida – her first Episcopalian school.

“While there, I fell in love with the mission of Episcopal schools which is involved with making sure there is inclusivity in the environment and recognizing the value of every individual,” Bonday said. “Those core values radiated for me and, therefore, it became important for me to find another opportunity in an Episcopalian school.”

“St. Martin’s in-the-Field Episcopal School held those same values and seemed a perfect fit for me,” she added. “It was especially attractive since my daughter, a U.S. Naval Academy graduate who, after serving in the Navy, came back to work at the Academy, is here. And my older daughter, a UVA grad, teaches high school math in Richmond, Va. and is the mother of my 2-year-old granddaughter.”

Asked what she likes best about St. Martin’s so far, she cites the fact that, though evolving over time, she can see that some of the school’s earliest traditions are still important. She’s already seeing the kids taking active leadership roles in various activities from church sanctuary services to the school’s traditional Mustang Rally assemblies. And, of course, she’s enjoying being involved with the ongoing planning for the 70th Anniversary Gala which will take place at Navy Marine Corps Stadium.

Around the Park Again looks forward to following Dr. Bonday’s tenure at St. Martin’s-in-the-Field Episcopal School.

The Around The Park Again column is brought to you this week by Jing Ying Institute of Kung Fu and Tai Chi at 1195 Baltimore Annapolis Blvd. – For over two decades providing martial arts training that improves cardio-vascular health, strength and flexibility while reducing stress. Jing Ying is again bringing Tai Chi to the Severna Park Community Center. Jing Ying also offers a homeschool Kung Fu program this fall. From health-defense to self-defense, Jing Ying provides fitness with a purpose for the whole family!

and by Lean On Dee Senior Home Care Services at 815 Ritchie Hwy., Suite 206 – When you need someone to lean on, Lean On Dee. Their experienced team of personal care management specialists and friendly companions provide high-quality consistent care.

AROUND THE PARK AGAIN by Sharon Lee Tegler

Chatting with Magothy River Association president Paul Spadaro about the organization’s upcoming 80th Anniversary Celebration on September 20th, we asked him about its beginnings.

“Right after the Second World War in 1946, the Navy got the idea that they wanted to build a naval air station on Cape St. Claire. For a seaplane base, it seemed like an ideal spot with the Naval Academy nearby…but the residents didn’t want to hear that,” said Spadaro. “So, the residents organized, took on the government and prevailed. That organization became the Magothy River Association (MRA).”

The Association has continued its long history of opposing and preventing commercial interests that threatened the watershed.

From the outset, MRA has been a traditional all-volunteer organization which Spadaro feels has contributed to its success. During the 30 years he’s been president, he’s made it a priority to seek out volunteers who are professionals and follow the directions in which those volunteers lead him.”

Recently, he read MRA’s letters of incorporation and discovered that members’ number one issue at the time was fishing.

“Looking back, I’ve observed that many of MRA’s environmental efforts have, indeed, been centered on fishing – from our multi-year Yellow Perch Project to our current Seining Project using large nets to determine the various species of fish in the river.”

We first learned about MRA’s Yellow Perch Project while talking with Spadaro and MRA volunteer Lise Crafton who’d been attending a meeting at The Big Bean in February of 2024. Crafton normally works with MRA’s SAV and water monitoring programs but was then working with Spadaro to monitor the yellow perch spawn.

“The Yellow Perch Project, one of our most important initiatives, came about through our partnership with Anne Arundel Community College. Having seen the Magothy’s yellow perch population decrease during the 1970’s, we were originally going to collaborate with AACC to restock the fish,” Spadaro said. “But the college students came up with an interesting concept. Instead of buying fish to stock the river, they took yellow perch from the Sassafras River, spawned them in Magothy River water, and then transported them to Lake Waterford where they were set free. ”

Because the yellow perch is one of those salmon type fish that go back to the waters in which they were born, the project succeeded and perch you see in the river today are direct descendants of them.”

Between their more notable initiatives, MRA’s president and volunteers came up with a multitude of successful projects including inventing new games based on the Magothy and launching the Magothy River Water Trail.

MRA has also made several award-winning films about local history, sharing them with the public through YouTube. One of them is about Mt. Misery, a peak that overlooks Round Bay and is designated a Critical Area. Mt. Misery is historically significant as it was the sight of a Union fortification during the Civil War. The fort was later used as a camp for local Boy Scout Troops. (The MRA was unsuccessful in its battle to prevent the building of a private residence on the site.)

An especially important project the Magothy River Association participated in was Master Watershed Steward and Berrywood Restoration Project Leader Molly LaChapelle’s massive effort to restore Cattail Creek to its original state after six years of hard work and persistence on Earth Day 2019.

Spread out along the banks of the creek, over 130 volunteers worked side by side that day to plant 1,000 trees, shrubs and plants. It was the last step in a three-stage construction effort by Annapolis-based Underwood & Associates that began with the creation of a regenerative stream channel that required raising the stream bed to increase flood plain connectivity and creating multiple weirs to slow down stream flow and reduce erosion.

The volunteers included 88 adults and children from Berrywood, the Anne Arundel County Watershed Stewards, Magothy River Association members, Bay Wise Master Gardeners, members of Girl Scout Troop 10294 and Boy Scout Troop 99, DNR representatives, and county and state government officials.

An ongoing MRA project partnering with the PEARL Foundation and Morgan State University began as a study on fish but shifted to raising oysters on a reef off Dobbins Island. The university students are currently working on developing a low salinity reproducing oyster which is something needed for sustaining a population in the Magothy.

“Our river’s salinity is not ideal for the Virginia type of oyster currently grown here,” Spadaro said. “Our divers have documented that our oysters survive for several years filtering water, but their lifespan is relatively short. They need to reproduce in numbers that are self-sustaining but, at present, we have to fundraise to buy oysters to replace the population.”

We’ve mentioned just a few of the MRA’s many efforts focused on preserving the Magothy River and its watershed. As the organization celebrates its 80th birthday and moves forward, its president points out that the Magothy River Association is one of the last organizations made up entirely of volunteers.

“I hope we’ll continue to be an all-volunteer organization for the next 80 years as it brings a different perspective to what we do,” said Spadaro. “People are more dedicated. For instance, we’ve always had a very robust dive program over the years which appeals to a lot of the membership. At present, they’re involved in a project called Shipwrecks of the Magothy. The diversity of our projects continues to attract youth to become involved with the river, the Magothy watershed and the MRA.”

The organization’s participation in community events is well-known and widespread. The latest example was the appearance of the “Magothy Queen” float in Severna Park’s Independence Day Parade celebrating America’s 250th birthday with Paul Spadaro at the helm.

Lastly, as the Magothy River Association celebrates its volunteers’ long history of opposing and preventing commercial interests that threaten the watershed, Spadaro feels certain they will continue just as forcefully into the future. Observing that MRA volunteers have managed to defeat plans for several major marinas to be constructed along the river, he cited an important win from the past.

“For many years, there was an amusement park called Mago Vista in Arnold,” he said. “In the 1980’s, there was a plan to tear it all down and build a 1,000-slip marina. The MRA said no and fought it. They won. If it had gone through, the area would be entirely different.” 

“Communities that push back win back. Every inch of county code has been compromised by development. Sadly, we haven’t fought back as much as we should have but, hopefully, we’ll continue. It’s never one and done.”

The Magothy River Association is holding a Happy 80th Birthday Party to which the public is invited on Sunday, September 20th from 3 to 6 pm. Tickets are still available. To order them, visit Facebook.

The Around The Park Again column is brought to you this week by Jing Ying Institute of Kung Fu and Tai Chi at 1195 Baltimore Annapolis Blvd. – For over two decades providing martial arts training that improves cardio-vascular health, strength and flexibility while reducing stress. Jing Ying is again bringing Tai Chi to the Severna Park Community Center. Jing Ying also offers a homeschool Kung Fu program this fall. From health-defense to self-defense, Jing Ying provides fitness with a purpose for the whole family!

and by Lean On Dee Senior Home Care Services at 815 Ritchie Hwy., Suite 206 – When you need someone to lean on, Lean On Dee. Their experienced team of personal care management specialists and friendly companions provide high-quality consistent care.

AROUND THE PARK AGAIN by Sharon Lee Tegler

Late summer days are worrisome times for SPAN, Inc.’s Operations Director Maia Grabau and Development Director Michelle Sabean.

“Summers are the lowest times for donations to our food pantry but hunger does not take a vacation”, said Sabean. “Last summer was the worst but this year’s supply of non-perishable pantry items is nearly depleted as well. But people come here constantly throughout the year to ask for help.”

Facing nearly empty shelves by the end of August, she put out Facebook and Instagram posts with images of those shelves and asking followers for donations of canned vegetables, canned meat, rice, potatoes, Hamburger and Tuna Helper, oatmeal, pancake mix and syrup as well as basic toiletries, laundry detergent and dish soap.

Even as the posts were going out, Sabean and Grabau were grateful when a generous donation of boxes and bags filled with canned meats and beans and dry goods collected by Severna Park Cub Scout Pack 858 was dropped off.

Both women observed that, when autumn arrives, the flow of donations increases. Once schools are back in session and organizations back to their regular schedules, food drives pick up. So, by the end of September or early October, donations are arriving daily and continue to do so through March.

Sabean, who keeps the records, observed that, for the year that ended June 30th, SPAN helped 700 families with food.

“We averaged helping 60 families a month whereas the year before, we’d averaged more like 50 families a month,” she said.

Financial assistance requests from clients for the year ending June 30th remained at a substantial level. However, SPAN’s finances were much improved by the success of the 6th annual concert produced by actress and singer Hankins-O’Connell. Conceived as a way to give back to the community she grew up in, this year’s Broadway Songfest and Silent Auction created and performed by Hankins-O’Connell along with pianist and singer Anita O’Connor was held on June 7th at St. Martin’s in-the-Field Parish Hall.

The event drew well and, as always, 100% of the net proceeds from the concert and silent auction were donated to SPAN.

Sabean and Grabau are already gearing up for their organization’s 14th Annual Stride for SPAN Turkey Trot 5K Race and 1 Mile Fun Run which will take place Saturday, November 7th at Kinder Farm Park.

“This is our biggest event,” said Sabean. “This is our 14th year and we feel fortunate to have diverse and generous sponsors from the community. They include Edward Jones, Severna Park Automotive, the Severna Park Elks, St. Martin’s in-the-Field Episcopal School, Broadneck Pharmacy, Chesapeake Hearing Center, Creative Force Dance Center, Haas & Sons Electric, Shore United Bank, Severna Park Family & Cosmetic Dentistry, Fence & Deck Connection, Cassilly & Appel, Barranco Severna Park, and MacDonalds.”

She added that the fact that participants can choose between the 1-mile or 5K option adding to the popularity of the event. She also noted that, instead of medals, the prizes for the different age groups participating in the 5K will be gift cards donated by local businesses.

For more information about the Turkey Trot 5K Race and 1 Mile Fun Run or other activities, visit SPAN Serving People Across Neighborhoods.

Trinity Bible Church 4th Annual Fall Festival happening Saturday, September 26th

Trinity Bible Church invites the public to join them for a free community event – a Fall Festival taking place Saturday, September 26th from 11 am till 2 pm. The event, taking place across church grounds at 99 Truck House Road, includes lunch (burger/hotdog, drink, chips) and an assortment of fun activities: horseback riding, moonbounce, photo booth, games and crafts, snow cones, bingo, and more. For more information, visit Trinity Bible Church or Facebook.

The Around The Park Again column is brought to you this week by Jing Ying Institute of Kung Fu and Tai Chi at 1195 Baltimore Annapolis Blvd. – For over two decades providing martial arts training that improves cardio-vascular health, strength and flexibility while reducing stress. Jing Ying is again bringing Tai Chi to the Severna Park Community Center. Jing Ying also offers a homeschool Kung Fu program this fall. From health-defense to self-defense, Jing Ying provides fitness with a purpose for the whole family!

and by Lean On Dee Senior Home Care Services at 815 Ritchie Hwy., Suite 206 – When you need someone to lean on, Lean On Dee. Their experienced team of personal care management specialists and friendly companions provide high-quality consistent care.

AROUND THE PARK AGAIN by Sharon Lee Tegler

“The sweet corn is the best we’ve had for years and the tomatoes are wonderful,” said Jennifer Diehl, manager of Diehl’s Produce in Severna Park. Her remark was typical of those heard at other farm and produce stands as we made our way about Anne Arundel County this week.

Protective curtains were drawn against the late-August sun at four o’clock Tuesday afternoon but the intensity of the beams shining through the canvas of Diehl’s colorful tents produced a rosy glow highlighting well-arranged rows of fruits and vegetables at their peak.

Spring onions, mushrooms, okra, radishes, cucumbers, red and yellow cherry tomatoes, zucchini and yellow squash occupied the central spaces with full-sized tomatoes, cantaloupes and watermelons along the back and sides of the tent and, lo and behold, there were peaches. Customers flowed in and out the entire time we were there with check-out counters so busy Diehl pitched in to help.

We decided we’d wait to speak with her until the crowd lightened.

The scene at Chase’s Produce on Route 424 in Davidsonville was busy as well – so busy that, by late afternoon, the stand had run out of several kinds of vegetables farmer Bob Chase hand-picked from the fields that morning. Thankfully, there was still plenty of their extraordinarily good sweet corn to buy.

After commenting that summer was going by in a flash, I asked Chase’s wife Margie if she knew when the farmstand would be closing for the year.

“That’s the million-dollar question,” she said. “We’re already closing on Wednesdays because, historically, Wednesdays are slow in August. However, we’re hopeful a long growing season will allow us to maintain normal operation through Labor Day. Typically, after that, the stand pulls back from full-time operation seven days a week to being open Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays.

“As it is now, we’re beginning to run out of things,” she added. “Today, I was out of green beans, yellow squash and cucumbers. I have more coming of all three but they’re not ripening fast enough.”

Both Chases noted that the weather was so odd this year that it affected the business adversely. The unexpected freeze on April 20th not only killed the blossoms on the farm’s own U-Pick strawberry crop but also impeded their ability to obtain the tree fruits they normally carry from orchards they work with.

“We had very limited peaches this year, and no cherries or blackberries because the orchards were affected by the same freeze we had,” Margie said. “We got a small number of early peaches but then the orchards had to cut us off in order to have enough for their own customers.”

The Chase’s Produce schedule is posted daily at Chase’s Produce – Fruits and Vegetables, Fresh Produce or at Facebook.

Also on Route 424, Marco Ridge Farm Produce has had a busy summer this year. Arriving there late in the afternoon, we found that Marco Ridge had sold quite a bit of produce over the course of the day, but still had plenty of bell peppers, a variety of hot peppers, cucumbers, zucchini, yellow squash, eggplants, onions, and tomatoes though most of the sweet corn was gone from the stand.

“All our crops have done very well this year,” said Diane Klinken who manages the produce stand for farmer Alan Covington with her husband Fred.

We noted that there was a sufficient supply of cantaloupes and watermelons left in front of the stand but no shortage of good-sized red and green tomatoes.

There was still quite an impressive grouping of Marco Ridge dressings, pickles, salsas, dips, pepper jams and barbecue sauces. However, customers are warned to buy them before the season closes as, once they’re gone, they’re gone. We also discovered that a few of Fred Klinken’s charming birdhouses remain to be sold.

“As you’ve probably heard, our peaches from local orchards were in shorter supply due to the cold snap experienced in April,” Diane noted.

If things go as planned, Marco Ridge Farm will be closing on Labor Day but will continue to have serve yourself pay-as-you go vegetables for sale on their produce wagon well into fall. Follow their schedule at Facebook.

Getting back to Diehl’s Produce in Severna Park for a moment, it was interesting to see that the stand did have Adam’s County Pennsylvania peaches. Jennifer Diehl explained that they’ve been lucky in that the orchard they’ve dealt with for decades is large enough to be less affected by the April freeze. The orchard eliminated some of their other wholesale customers, but Diehl’s was able to get as many peaches as they needed.

“Peaches will actually be ending this week,” Diehl said. “But our Adam’s County apples will be coming in. We’re debating now whether to wait for Labor Day to bring in our autumn chrysanthemums or sooner. The mums will shortly be followed by our pumpkins, gourds, winter squash and cider.”

Diehl emphasized that the stand won’t be closing until October 31st.

We were unable to get to Jen’s sister, Abby’s Diehl’s Produce Annapolis locations in Eastport at 921 Chesapeake Avenue or at Clocktower Place Shopping Center at 1410 Forest Drive. They too, have an abundance of fresh produce from the Eastern Shore as well as Adam’s County peaches and apples. Both stands will continue to be open through October 31.

The Peninsula Farms produce stand at 826 Mayo Road in Edgewater is another wonderful source for summer produce that we discovered while sourcing ingredients for a sharonleestable.com recipe. We’ve been back many times as their sweet corn, tomatoes, green beans a melons never fail to please. We understand that the stand will be open this year until the middle of October.

We already focused on Pumphrey’s Farm stand in Millersville in last week’s column, but we’ll remind you that they are among the latest to close – generally mid-November.

We couldn’t end this column without mentioning lovely Zang’s Farm Stand which we discovered at 4475 Muddy Creek Road on the way to historic Galesville. Zang’s is a family owned and operated farm that grows seasonal fruits, vegetables and cut flowers.

Zang’s is blessed with plenty of peaches to sell as the farm has its own orchard with over 200 peach trees. There are apples, pears and melons too with pumpkins coming in the fall. Zang’s is very well known for its field-grown and high tunnel cut flowers from March until October with dried flower centerpieces and holiday wreaths.

The farm stand will remain open through October.

We haven’t forgotten the Anne Arundel County farmer’s markets but are saving those for autumn.

The Around The Park Again column is brought to you this week by Jing Ying Institute of Kung Fu and Tai Chi at 1195 Baltimore Annapolis Blvd. – For over two decades providing martial arts training that improves cardio-vascular health, strength and flexibility while reducing stress. Jing Ying is again bringing Tai Chi to the Severna Park Community Center. Jing Ying also offers a homeschool Kung Fu program this fall. From health-defense to self-defense, Jing Ying provides fitness with a purpose for the whole family!

and by Lean On Dee Senior Home Care Services at 815 Ritchie Hwy., Suite 206 – When you need someone to lean on, Lean On Dee. Their experienced team of personal care management specialists and friendly companions provide high-quality consistent care.

 

AROUND THE PARK AGAIN by Sharon Lee Tegler

A familiar face to Severna Park and Millersville residents, Pumphrey’s Farmstand owner Nathaniel “Nate” Pumphrey is a member of Maryland’s well-known Pumphrey farming family and proud of his heritage.

We noted during a previous visit to the farmstand that Pumphrey’s Farm is one of the last vestiges of Anne Arundel County agriculture. Nate was involved in the farm from an early age.

“These beautiful vegetables come from right here in downtown Millersville where we have 4-1/2 acres behind the stand and a larger acreage across I-97,” Nate said. “The house I grew up in, behind the big red barn off the southbound side of Interstate 97, was a wedding gift from my great grandparents to my grandparents”.

While chatting with Nate last weekend, he noted that many of his customers are well aware of his family history. But recently, several of them came to the produce stand to show him clippings of an article revealing that University of South Carolina archaeologists found the body of an unidentified Revolutionary War soldier in 2020 along with 13 others at a historic site where the long and deadly Battle of Camden took place.

The first to be identified through DNA was the body of John Pumphrey of Anne Arundel County – a young teenager when he enlisted to fight in the American Revolution in 1777. He died during the battle in 1780.

Biological anthropologists estimate that Pumphrey was likely between 13 and 15 years old when he enlisted in Maryland’s 7th Regiment in Baltimore. He would have been one of the youngest members of George Washington’s Maryland Line and likely joined up in pursuit of a better life.

According to Allison Peacock who authored America’s oldest John Doe: Private John Pumphrey of the 7th Maryland Regiment – Allison Peacock | Family History Detectives® and conducted the DNA and genetic research to identify Pumphrey’s remains, little is known about the young soldier aside from the fact that he and his siblings were orphaned following the death of their father, Walter II, and deprived of their rightful inheritance by an unscrupulous executor. The orphan’s enlistment may have been a necessity.

His boyhood home is thought to have been on a tract of land known as Mistake in Friendship, Maryland which is part of the land on which Anne Arrundell County Historical Society’s Benson-Hammond House is now located.

Through DNA collected from Pumphrey family descendants, John Pumphrey is confirmed a direct descendant and great grandson of Walter Pumphrey I (1655-1721), the colonial-era immigrant founder of the Pumphrey family in Anne Arundel County, Maryland. The DNA came from descendants of the gentlemen appearing in the photo below from the Kuethe Library Historical & Genealogical Research Center in Glen Burnie.

An article by Rick Forgo for Medium.com, called Brooklyn’s First Settlers: The Pumphreys notes that family patriarch Walter Pumphrey, a carpenter from Gloucestershire, England arrived on a ship of Quakers with his wife and daughter in 1678 in the colonial town of Burlington in west New Jersey. Pumphrey remained there for 30 years until wife Hannah died. Remarried to Marcy Skene, he raised a large family that included six sons, Silvanus, Lazarus, Nathaniel, Walter Jr., Ebenezer and Joseph, and a daughter, Deliverance. At 58 years of age in 1713, he moved to what was then Baltimore County and bought a 150-acre parcel in South Patapsco on the shores of Curtis Creek. Walter and eldest son Silvanus then bought an additional 200 acres called Sawmill Supply Tract to supply their growing lumber business.

Walter’s sons Ebenezer and Nathaniel built many of the first homes in Baltimore using lumber from the Sawmill and other tracts. Eventually, his sons Silvanus and Joseph moved to North Carolina and West Virginia respectively. But most of the family remained in Anne Arundel County and were prolific landowners and farmers. By the 1800’s they owned large parcels of land including a tract near Dorsey that became modern-day Brooklyn, large tracts in Ferndale and Millersville, and virtually the entire Mountain Road peninsula.

Nate Pumphrey’s farmland is very likely one of the few tracts remaining intact. Though he was not among those contacted for a DNA sample, Pumphrey said he’s aware of an entire book written about family patriarch Walter and is intrigued by the recent focus on the young soldier and the family of which he is a part.

Meanwhile, rain was threatening but things continued to hum right along at the farmstand and in the fields surrounding it on Saturday afternoon.

According to Pumphrey, the mid-August bounty from the fields has been plentiful with fruits and vegetables at their peak. Business has been good and the stand is busy all day every day.

The melons were mellow, sweet and succulent while the heirloom tomatoes were priced at $3.50 per pound and were delicious. In addition to sweet corn, cucumbers, peppers, squash, potatoes and onions, Pumphrey’s specializes in hot peppers ranging from habaneros, jalapenos, and tai varieties to ghost peppers. We especially were pleased to see freshly picked green beans which seem to be in short supply this year at other farmstands due to weather issues. (Those were also delicious!)

Wearing a smile as always, Nate Pumphrey was minding the family business from his stool at the counter when we left. His customer was happily filling another bag – this time with the same green beans we fancied.

Not a lot of the growing season is left but Pumphrey’s Produce is generally open through the late summer into November. We’ll have an update shortly on the status of the many produce stands and farmstands we frequent throughout Anne Arundel County.

Summer Days on the Farm at Benson-Hammond House this Saturday

By coincidence, we learned that the Ann Arrundell County Historical Society is inviting the public to join them for Summer Days on the Farm at the Benson-Hammond House this Saturday, August 22 from 11 am to 3 pm. Enjoy a chilled glass of lemonade and some sweet cookies, relaxing and rocking on the porch to the music of The Overtones. For information, visit Benson Hammond House | Ann Arrundell County Historical Society.

The Around The Park Again column is brought to you this week by Jing Ying Institute of Kung Fu and Tai Chi at 1195 Baltimore Annapolis Blvd. – For over two decades providing martial arts training that improves cardio-vascular health, strength and flexibility while reducing stress. Jing Ying is again bringing Tai Chi to the Severna Park Community Center. Jing Ying also offers a homeschool Kung Fu program this fall. From health-defense to self-defense, Jing Ying provides fitness with a purpose for the whole family!

and by Lean On Dee Senior Home Care Services at 815 Ritchie Hwy., Suite 206 – When you need someone to lean on, Lean On Dee. Their experienced team of personal care management specialists and friendly companions provide high-quality consistent care.

AROUND THE PARK AGAIN by Sharon Lee Tegler

Nurse Practitioner Katherine Grote was on the move constantly as she ushered Open House visitors from one part of her practice to another on the evening of August 12th. It was Grote, the owner of Integrative Family NP, LLC who came up with the idea of holding a Meet The Providers Open House in order to acquaint the Severna Park Community with the healthcare related businesses located in the middle building of the Professional Center at 815 Ritchie Highway.

Outside the three-building complex, the parking lot was humming with visitors placing orders at food trucks Grote arranged for.

Across the way, blue and white balloons pointed the way inside to both levels of the center Professional Building.

“There is no signage along Ritchie Highway calling attention to our seven practices among the 50 businesses located in the Professional Center’s trio of buildings. Many people don’t realize we are here though we offer important services to the community,” said Grote.

Deciding to follow the balloon trail to the lower level, we came first to the offices of Magothy River Counseling where we met therapists Julie Meyers and Eddie Lomash. With nine therapists, the practice provides therapy to adult clients seeking to work on mental health, trauma, relationships and/or identity. Both Meyers and Lomash considered the Meet The Providers Open House a welcome idea.

We next came to the doorway for the offices of Patrick Hughes with Allstate Insurance. Hughes was with a client in the back, however, so we didn’t get to speak with him and moved on. But we understand that he covers a wide range of insurance plans related to your family’s wellbeing.

Following the trail of pink and white balloons down the hallway, we notice more signs on the doors of office suites. We stopped at a sign saying Expecting with Emily, pushed open the door and discovered that midwife Emily Encinosa was out on an errand of importance. Fortunately, Encinosa shares a portion of the Integrative NP, LLC office suite so Grote was happy to explain her practice to us.

“Emily is a Certified Professional Midwife,” Grote explained. “She’s also a labor doula and childbirth educator who also conducts prenatal fitness classes.”

We next spent quite a bit of time in Grote’s Integrative Family NP, LLC offices which can be seen in the opening photo. She was showing us past her children’s examination room to an open classroom beyond when we bumped into Greater Severna Park & Arnold Chamber of Commerce CEO Liz League and her assistant Parker John.

League presided over the Grand Opening and ribbon cutting ceremony for the newly opened medical practice on January 17, 2025. (Integrative Family NP, LLC a first-of-its-kind medical practice for the greater Severna Park area – sharonleestable.com.) Grote mentioned at the time that part of her reason for opening her own practice was that she also needed a professional setting and space in order to become a preceptor and give nurse practitioner students clinical experience.

“Getting the required hours of clinical experience in an active office is hard for nurse practitioner students,” she’d noted. “It’s difficult to find a medical practice where they can get an apprentice-type experience. Since I really enjoy teaching, I wanted to offer this opportunity.”

When Liz League asked Katherine if she’d followed through, she said she did. She then introduced us to Jessica Poretz, her first new Nurse Practitioner who’d been one of her students in the spring of 2025. Portez graduated from George Washington University as a nurse practitioner in August, 2025 and started working for Integrative Family NP, LLC in September.

Deciding to follow the balloons again, we trailed them to the end of the hallway and subsequently up the back stairs to the second floor. We were immediately attracted to a giant toothbrush. A moment later, Dr. Andrew Lericos from Anchor Family Dentistry and wife Polly arrived from visiting a neighboring office. We later spoke with Lericos about how he came to be known as “the Severna Park dentist”.

“Polly and I moved to Annapolis just as the dentist here then was selling his practice. I was already familiar with the area as my brother had once been a manager at Cafe Mezzanotte,” Lericos said. “It was the perfect location for offering the mix of family-friendly care and cutting-edge technology that I like to offer.”

Held after business hours, the Open House provided time for neighboring practitioners to visit each other as well. Just up the hall from Anchor Family Dentistry, we were delighted to run into Lean On Dee Senior Homecare Services co-owner Winsome Brown visiting Nicole Baumgartner of Anchorage Counseling, LLC.

Both Brown and I are impressed with Baumgartner’s warm, easygoing manner and her interesting background. While working to obtain her master’s degree from the University of Baltimore, she worked one-on-one with students with disabilities in the public-school setting developing a deep understanding of the experience of families with children in special education. She has since worked in private practice for over a decade. She has also taught parenting classes as an adjunct professor at Anne Arundel Community College.

The Lean On Dee Senior Home Care Services’ team creates and manages personalized care plans for patients with experienced care specialists and friendly companions. As co-owners, sisters Winsome Brown and Danielle Morgan Brown assure that flexible caregivers are available whenever and wherever needed, allowing patients to enjoy regular activities with confidence and support.

The Meet The Providers Open House was fun and informative. We’ll cross our fingers that it becomes a yearly event.

AAUW Book Collections begin this Saturday, August 15th

Members of the AAUW Anne Arundel County Branch were busy at the Severna Park Independence Day Parade handing out bookmarks with the book collection schedule for this year for their Used Book Sale in November. For those who have not seen it, you can donate your good, clean used books from 9 am till 12 noon this Saturday, August 15th at the following collection locations.

St. Martin’s-in-the-Field Episcopal Church at 375 Benfield Road in Severna Park

Anne Arundel Community College off Route 2 on W. Campus Drive in Arnold

St. Philip’s Episcopal Church at 730 Bestgate Road in Annapolis.

Further dates for drop-offs will happen at the same locations on August 29, September 19, October 3, and October 17 from 9 am till 12 Noon.

The books are being collected for AAUW’s renowned autumn used book sale taking place from November 5th through 8th. Proceeds support scholarships for women.

The Around The Park Again column is brought to you this week by Jing Ying Institute of Kung Fu and Tai Chi at 1195 Baltimore Annapolis Blvd. – For over two decades providing martial arts training that improves cardio-vascular health, strength and flexibility while reducing stress. Jing Ying is again bringing Tai Chi to the Severna Park Community Center. The school will be holding a fun-filled summer camp this August. From health-defense to self-defense, Jing Ying provides fitness with a purpose for the whole family!

and by Lean On Dee Senior Home Care Services at 815 Ritchie Hwy., Suite 206 – When you need someone to lean on, Lean On Dee. Their experienced team of personal care management specialists and friendly companions provide high-quality consistent care.

AROUND THE PARK AGAIN by Sharon Lee Tegler

For the moment, Arnold’s famed rooster reigns supreme. He’s currently in a better frame of mind because Chick fil A’s plan to build a Drive-Thru-Only fast-food restaurant in his community has been denied. Fact is, the fearsome fowl was recently spotted on Ritchie Highway opposite the space that was to be developed.

We first learned of the Arnold community’s efforts to stop a proposed Chick fil A from being built there during an interview with Arnold Preservation Council director Elizabeth Rosborg in May of 2024.

Rosborg explained that the proposed site for the fast-food restaurant – the first Drive-Thru Only Chick fil A in the state of Maryland – would have been located off the southbound lanes of Ritchie Highway just past Arnold Road and the CVS Pharmacy and between the Sunoco and a private driveway. Across Route 2 from the Arnold Volunteer Fire Department, the site is wooded and serves as a slight buffer between existing businesses and residential neighborhoods.

By September of 2025, we’d noticed the by-now famous posters along Ritchie Highway and the B&A Trail bearing the image of a proud rooster urging the Arnold community to rally round and “Stop Chick fil A” by filing and supporting an appeal. The Arnold Preservation Council was unable to file the appeal because one can only be filed by a property owner directly involved so Rosborg filed as owner of the property at 18 Severn Way LLC (with the full backing of the council).

Filing an appeal would prove a difficult and expensive challenge involving the hiring of a lawyer, a traffic engineer and a civil engineer. But the move was supported by the entire Arnold community and a Go Fund Me page was established enabling the process to move ahead.

In our second interview with Rosborg on September 25, 2025, she explained that the preliminary plan for the Chick fil A had already been approved by the County and challenging it would involve six public hearings before the Anne Arundel County Board of Appeals. During the first three hearings, representatives from Chick fil A outlined their preliminary plan while lawyer Dan Fligsten, the attorney representing Rosborg and three of the witnesses spoke on behalf of the community.

Two more hearings were scheduled – the first was actually the fourth Board of Appeals Hearing on October 1st, 2025 at Arundel Center Council Chambers at 44 Calvert Street in Annapolis. According to Rosborg, the Arnold Preservation Council was hoping to rally enough community members to fill the gallery. Soon afterward, we heard from her that the turnout for the October 1 public hearing was so good that two more public hearings were scheduled for December 2nd and 4th, 2025.

Response for those hearings was heavy too and time ran out before everyone was able to testify. Thus, the Board scheduled additional ones. Altogether, there were nine public hearings with the last held on January 29th, 2026.

In addition to Rosborg, as owner and managing partner at 18 Severn Way LLC, approximately 37 witnesses from the Arnold community testified. Among them were two business owners from the Arnold Station shopping center, representatives from the Arnold Heights Homeowners Association and Ashcroft Community Association and numerous residents from the communities of Arnold Manor, Ashcroft, Pines on the Severn, Winchester on the Severn, and Broadneck.

During the hearings, Jon Korin, a bicycling advocate, testified about his concern that the Chick-fil-A would be a destination for walkers, runners and cyclists on the B&A Trail and could see no safe access for trail users on the plan.

Among the many Pines on the Severn residents testifying, Joseph Noble cited the community’s concerns about the speed of traffic and stacking of cars on Ritchie Highway. He pointed out that traffic flow from the proposed Chick fil A Drive-Thru would further complicate problems for the community. As things stand currently, drivers avoid Route 2 traffic by cutting through Pines on the Severn thereby impacting the safety of residents, school children and visitors sizeable swim meets held at the community pool. (The neighborhood has narrow streets and there are no sidewalks.)

Paul Trayham also worried about traffic impact and the fact that drivers entering or exiting the drive-thru could worsen the problem and interfere with emergency response times for the Arnold Volunteer Fire Department. Jennifer Troy was concerned about bicycle and traffic safety and about already existing merging maneuvers that would be further exacerbated.

Area resident John Gugliotti was opposed to the Drive-Thru Preliminary Plan based on a draft report of subsurface exploration, laboratory testing and geotechnical engineering analyses that found some volatile organic compounds in the property. (Those analyses were partially challenged in later testimony favorable to Chick fil A by environmental consultant Michael Bell who is preparing a report for the company based on testing of his own.)

Virtually all of the Arnold residents’ main concern was traffic safety along the Route 2 corridor. But the broader range of issues they mentioned included falling property values, stormwater runoff and flooding brought about by the removal of a significant number of trees on the property. Traffic turning out from the drive-thru would affect residents’ ability to get out of their neighborhoods while noise and light pollution from the site and other environmental impacts such as air-borne particulates could be harmful to health.

Throughout the hearings, there were a number of rebuttals from experts on behalf of Chick fil A. Among the experts was Austin Whitley who described the company’s drive-thru only concept while noting that the restaurant was proposed as a relief location to assist with demand at the conventional sit-down Chick fil A in Severna Park.

Once the January 29th hearing was over, the seven-member Board of Appeals was required to deliberate and make a determination within 60 days, meaning their decision would be announced in March. However, they requested several extensions. Finally, on July 16th a decision for the Denial of Chick fil A’s Preliminary Plan was announced.

On July 17, Elizabeth Rosborg sent out an email announcing that Chick fil A’s Preliminary Plan had been denied and attached thereto a 19-page Memorandum of Opinion ending with the Order of Denial.

The Rooster and residents of Arnold breathed a collective sigh of relief according to Rosborg. But perhaps not for long. Rosborg notes that Chick fil A has 60 days to appeal the decision.

Arnold resident Mary Felter commented that the moment she heard the good news about the denial she spread it.

“I shared the information released by Elizabeth Rosborg with friends in my bridge group who were universally relieved,” Felter said. “They are all hoping Chick fil A does not appeal the Board of Appeals denial of their Preliminary Plan which, of course, it can do. Part of my friends’ response was wondering if, maybe now, the Arnold Preservation Council could do something about the Severna Park Golf Center sale and proposed development of the land.”

Rosborg said the preservation council is already looking into what could be done about the plan for residential development of the Severna Park Golf Center land.

We’ll be keeping you updated.

A reminder: Jing Ying Institute’s Summer Camp begins August 10th

A reminder that Summer Camp at Jing Ying Institute of Kung Fu & Tai Chi for children 5 to 11 years old is being held August 10th thru 14th. In view of the recent Artemis mission, Space Exploration is a bit of a theme this year with a visit by Mary Ann Jung as Sally Ride the astronaut. Among other surprises, EcoAdventures is going to bring some of their out-of-this world animals and Dr. Wendy is going to focus on STEM activities. For information, see Best Martial Arts Program in Annapolis, Severna Park.

The Around The Park Again column is brought to you this week by Jing Ying Institute of Kung Fu and Tai Chi at 1195 Baltimore Annapolis Blvd. – For over two decades providing martial arts training that improves cardio-vascular health, strength and flexibility while reducing stress. Jing Ying is again bringing Tai Chi to the Severna Park Community Center. The school will be holding a fun-filled summer camp this August. From health-defense to self-defense, Jing Ying provides fitness with a purpose for the whole family!

and by Lean On Dee Senior Home Care Services at 815 Ritchie Hwy., Suite 206 – When you need someone to lean on, Lean On Dee. Their experienced team of personal care management specialists and friendly companions provide high quality consistent care.