Freakonomics recently had a post where they solicited readers to think of the greatest thinkers of our time.
I'll lamely steal this idea and put a local spin on it: what person or people, those both living and dead, have had the most positive influence on Howard County? Jim Rouse would probably make most people's short list of influential deceased people, but who are the influential folks that are still alive? Who are some other influential deceased folks that my narrow focus on Jim Rouse is making me overlook?
Saturday, June 21, 2008
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
12 comments:
Edward Cockran - scientist/politican
Charles Ecker -
education/politican
Sidney Cousin -
education
Kathleen Schwartz-Howe -
co-founder Day's End Horse Resecue
Grace Kubofcik -
Co President League Women Voters
Angie Beltram -
politican/activist
Elizabeth Bobo -
politician
Joetta Cramm -
author
H.J.Baker -
builder/developer
Don Bard -
computers
Why Liz Bobo? What positive impact did she ever have on HoCo?
Why did you opt to omit a site meter?
I had a site meter on this blog but it disappeared. It must have been some kind of technical glitch or something. I chose not to put a new one on because site meters compromise the anonymity of those who leave comments.
I support that decision.
Your question includes the word "ever", and I will attempt to take advantage of that.
Liz, I believe it occured in the 1970's, organized a group that today is the Business Women's Network. That has helped 100's of women in the Howard Co. work force.
She won the County Executive position (yes,I know she lost it after one term)and displayed tanacity, even though it cost her the job. It was during this time that she placed a moratorium on construction, and also she did not support the building of a golf course (Timbers of Troy). She felt making these decisions of none support were important and beneficial to the county's future. This is what may have cost her, her job. But it was her believe in slow growth and the importance of being a fiscal conservative that was important and still important to the county today. Notice even before the morgage crisis the growth in the county was slowed down, and the horse park is still not a reality.
You may say but compare apples to apples. What about the golf course. She didn't want it built with County money.
Charlie Ecker used revenue bonds, which placed very little threat on the county finacially.
Even though she lost the Exec. job, and I believe it was only by the hundreds, not thousands of votes - no land slide, she went on to win as Delegate. So she is still impacting thousands of people in Howard Co,with her votes on children's issues and conservation and in a positive way that voters approve of.
All those I listed prior to this posting are alive (9:35, 6/22/08).
But I thought of the Carroll family, some governors, and the founder of the one time resort, Lisbon. So I did a little research and came up with a few influentials from the past.
Charles Carroll 1 and 2 smart farmers
Charles Carroll 3 - signed Declaration of Independence.
I know we were not Howard Co. yet, but please stay with me.
Governors:
George Howard - 22nd Gov. of Md.
T.Walkins Ligon - 30th Gov. of Md.
John Lee Carroll - 37th Gov of Md.
Edwin Warfield - 45th Gov.of Md.
Ken Ulman - next Gov. - just kidding, wanted to see if you are reading.
John Eager Howard - Co.'s namesake
Caleb Dorsey - Dorsey's namesake
My favorite, Caleb Pancoast - founder of Lisbon.
The three wise men John,Andrew,and Joseph who lent their last name to Ellicott Mills.
There is also all those unnamed residents in West Friendship who in the 1950's set up what was to become the Howard County Fair.
Just a little side note for you Thomas Jefferson fans. I can't remember her name, but one of Tom's grand daughters taught at the Girls school that was located in Ellicott City.
p.s. there is no charge for all this entertainment.
Knowing Free Market, would be less than pleased if I placed incorrect information on his site, I did a little more research
on one of my comments.
Concering Jefferson's Grand Daughter I was wrong.
Here is the correct story.In 1879 Miss Sarah Nicholas Randolph, great-great-daughter of Thomas Jefferson, became Principal of the Patapsco Female Institute.
Under her supervision the school became" a school of the highest order". This was when Ellicott City was Ellicott's Mill.
My reference was Ellicott City, Md, MiLL Town, U.S.A. by Celia M. Holland. Good book for Ellicott City history nerds, so I am told.
Also some of the Curtis family (relatives of George Washington and Robert E. Lee) lived in the Ellicott city area, but I wouldn't bore you with that fact, their infulence wasn't that much, they just needed a roof over their head and like the rest of us, knew a good place to live when they saw one.
I'd like to add Patty Rouse. Given that she's the cofounder of one of the largest affordable housing developers in the nation, headquartered right here in Howard County, she deserves mention.
Post a Comment