The end of the school year brings joy over completing the school year. It also brings a sense of accomplishment and the start of summer.

It is the beginning and an ending. Saying goodbye to classmates, teachers and friends you may not see over the summer, but also anticipating the adventures you may have before the beginning of another school year.

Looking back at older photos of the last day of school with todays photos you see how little things have changed . Enjoy the photos and let me know if you have any comments, questions or ideas.

Posted by Paul McCardell at 3:40 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

This past Memorial Day weekend was the traditional opening of the travel season down to the ocean. I was thinking about life before the Cheasapeake Bay Bridge, how people took the Sandy Point Matapeake Ferry and before that the Annapolis-to-Claiborne Ferry. The days of the Sandy Point Matpeake Ferry came to a close with the opening of the Bay Bridge on July 30, 1952. It was a 40-minute trip between the Eastern and Western shores of the bay, during which one could buy something to drink or eat. Or you could read or just stretch out and enjoy the ride.

There are still reminders of the old ferry system at Matapeake State Park on Kent Island. The old ferry pier is now a fishing pier and the ferry terminal building was renovated and turned into the Matapeake Clubhouse.

The Chesapeake Bay Ferry lives on in Washington state. The Gov. Herbert R O'Conor was sold in 1953 for $301,000 and is operated by the Washington State Ferry System. She was renamed the M.V. Rhododendron after the Washington State Flower and is nicknamed the "Rhody." She has undergone extensive renovations during her long career .

The Gov. Harry W. Nice was also bought by Washington state for $ 226,000, but she hasn't been as lucky. She was renamed the M.V. Olympic .

Another Maryland ferry boat, the M.V. Gov. Emerson C. Harrington II was sold to Lake Champlain Transportation Company in Burlington, Vermont for $25,693.98 and renamed the Andirondak she is still in service today.

Continue reading "Chesapeake Bay Ferries " »

Posted by Paul McCardell at 10:34 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

June 6, 2009 is the 65th anniversary of the Allied invasion of the Normandy coast, which marked the beginning of the liberation of France and the defeat of Nazi Germany. The long-awaited second front was opened.

The largest Armada of men and ships ever assembled would breach the Atlantic wall at great cost and sacrifice.

The Baltimore Sun on June 6, 1944 published an extra edition with the headline, "ALLIES INVADING FRANCE - TROOPS LAND IN NORMANDY." The Evening Sun headline, pictured above, read, "Invasion 9 Miles Inland - Opposition Weak, Losses Below Expectations." Additional reports were topped by, "Sunpapers Men Report - O'Neil - H-Hour, McCardell - In Air and Watson - Tactics." This headline referred to The Sun's war correspondents Thomas O'Neil, chief of London Bureau, and Lee McCardell ( no relation ) and Mark S. Watson, the paper's military analyst.

Continue reading "D-Day, June 6, 1944 " »

Posted by Paul McCardell at 6:21 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

This week at the United States Naval Academy a tradition continues, with Commissioning Week, also once known as June Week.

Among the events and traditions taking place are the climb of the Herndon Monument, the fly overs by the Blue Angels, a sailing review, band concerts, the graduation ball, the color parade and hundreds of Midshipmen jumping into the reflecting pool after the last dress parade.

The graduation ceremony is Friday at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium and President Barack Obama will make the commencement address. It will be the 21st time a president has addressed the graduating Midshipmen since President James Garfield first did so in 1881. The hats will fly, the Blue Angels will thunder overhead, Anchors Aweigh will play and wedding bells will ring.

In my mind I still think of this week as June Week, even though it changed to May in 1979 . The pomp and ceremony of this week makes for some great photographic opportunities. I hope you enjoy the photo gallery and follow the events this week in the paper and online. I appriciate any feedback or comments or future ideas.

Other links of interest:

A brief history of the Naval Academy

Sound files of Anchors Aweigh

Presidential Attendance at Naval Academy Graduations

1881 - James A. Garfield
1902 - Theodore Roosevelt
1905 - Theodore Roosevelt
1912 - William Howard Taft
1914 - Woodrow Wilson
1916 - Woodrow Wilson
1921 - Warren G. Harding
1925 - Calvin Coolidge
1933 - Franklin D. Roosevelt
1938 - Franklin D. Roosevelt
1958 - Dwight D. Eisenhower
1961 - John F. Kennedy
1974 - Richard M. Nixon
1978 - Jimmy Carter
1985 - Ronald Reagan
1992 - George H. W. Bush
1994 - Bill Clinton
1998 - Bill Clinton
2001 - George W. Bush
2005 - George W. Bush
2009 - Barack Obama

Posted by Paul McCardell at 3:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

ROUGH RIDING AT THE WIRE - John Rotz aboard Greek Money (right) crosses finish line to win the 86th running of the Preakness at Pimlico with Manuel Ycaza, on Ridan, a nose back, hanging on. Ycaza, white cap and black-and-white sleeve, has his left arm hooked over Rotz's shoulder. Ycaza claimed a foul, which was not allowed by the stewards. (Caption from the May 20, 1962 Sunday Sun)

The 134th running of the Preakness is Saturday is fast approaching. The Baltimore Sun will send its talented photo staff to bring you coverage from start to finish.

I always enjoyed looking at the photos the next day in the Sunday paper, especially the photo reconstruction of the race and the photo of the finish. The photo above is one of the most famous Preakness photos ever. It was taken at the 1962 Preakness by Sun staff photographer Joe DiPaola, who retired in 1984 after 47 years with the paper.

DiPaola photographed many of the finishes at the Preakness. In 1962, when he returned to the newsroom, developed his shot and realized what he had, he quicly ran over to the sports department. He had taken a sensational picture, made even more so by the fact that both horses had all four feet off the ground, a rarity. The photo was used along with racing films to suspend jockey Manuel Ycaza for his actions against jockey John Rotz and for also being the one who claimed foul.

DiPaola explained how he took the photo in a July 13, 1984 article by Baltimore Sun retired sports columnist Bob Maisel. "It's funny about that picture," Joe said with a sheepish grin on his face. "Tell you the truth, I was a little hung over that day, not moving to swiftly because I had been to a big Preakness party the night before.

"Usually, I'd just shoot the finish in the conventional way, but this time, something told me to go up the track 30-40 feet and look back. Don't tell anybody, because they'll probably bar me from the track, but they had a fairly wide wooden rail then and I decided to crouch up on top of it.

"Truthfully, I didn't know what I had until I developed it, but then all heck broke loose didn't it? "

Life Magazine made it picture of the week, and it appeared in books.

Enjoy the Baltimore Sun's photos and coverage of Preakness.

Posted by Paul McCardell at 12:41 PM in photo | Permalink | Comments (1)
        

Victory in Europe Day commemorates the end of World War II in Europe. The Evening Sun came out with an extra edition on Monday, May 7, 1945...

SURRENDER FLASH - Reims, France, May 7 (AP) - Germany surrrendered unconditionally to the western Allies and Russia at 2.41 A.M. French time today. 

The surrender took place in a little red schoolhouse which was the headquarters of General Dwight Eisenhower. Price Day, a Sunpapers' war correspondent, was the only staff correspondent of an individual newspaper in the world to witness the surrender. His dispatch would appear on the front page of the Morning Sun on May 9, because his story first had to go through military censors.

Here are some excerpts from Sun coverage of the surrender:

Jubilation Here Intense But Short - Confetti Showered From Buildings And Streets Fill As Nazis Quit.

Baltimoreans jubilation at yesterday's announcement of the final and unconditional surrender of Germany was intense but shortlived. As the news of the end of the War in Europe spread rapidly through the city in the late morning, clouds of confetti billowed forth from the upper floors of downtown buildings and happy, laughing office workers streamed out on the streets. By mid-afternoon, the streets were normal again.

On May 8, 1945, President Harry S Truman in a 9 a.m. broadcast said, "Much remains to be done. The victory won in the West must now be won in the East. The whole world must be cleansed of the evil from which half the world has been freed."

Other news reports noted that many Baltimoreans observed V-E Day by attending churches and synagogues for special prayer services. Although state and city offices closed for the afternoon, war plants continued to operate with minimum absenteeism. A heavy downpour drenched the city, but shortly after noon a bright sun and a brisk wind cleared away the gloom. Hundreds of high school students and citzens gathered at Sun Square (the site of the photo at the top of this post), watching the Trans-Lux news flashes for any important developments in the world situation.

Posted by Paul McCardell at 6:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

The 92nd Flower Mart will take place Friday and Saturday, May 1 and 2.

The Flower Mart, a Baltimore tradition, began May 4,1911. There was much going on in Baltimore that day. In the crowded Lyric Theater, President Taft was opening the third annual Peace Conference and sharing the speaker's platform with Andrew Carnegie and Cardinal Gibbons. The Orioles stood fourth in the Eastern League and fans throughout the city were still talking about the game the day before when the team trounced Montreal 22-13. In his downtown office, James H. Preston was receiving congratulations on his election as the city's mayor. And at bunting-draped Mount Vernon Place, the ladies of the Civic League and the Home and Garden Club were wondering how people would react to the city's first Flower Mart.

They didn't have long to wait for their answer. By 10 a.m., Baltimoreans by the dozens were streaming into Mount Vernon Place to begin one of the city's most treasured traditions.

The Flower Mart is special and brings people together to smell and purchase the flowers and eat crab cakes, to see colorful hats and spring fashions, suck on lemon sticks and just enjoy the spring weather. I have put together a photo gallery of past Flower Marts for you to enjoy. You can also get more information on the Flower Mart homepage and Susan Reimer's gardening blog.

Posted by Paul McCardell at 6:41 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

Canton, once the city's industrial heart, has undergone a transformation over the last 25 years. But this tranformation has preserved much of the community's industrial heritage, by converting the old factories into business and homes.

Canton has quite a history. It was a large estate founded by Captain John O'Donnell, who named the area after Canton China. Canton became a shipbuilding center and the frigate Constellation was built there in 1797. Armored plating for the Union warship Monitor was also forged there.

Canton was a magnet for many immigrants of Polish, Irish and German descent. The area's many factories made tin cans, copper and beer, and refined oil or packed oysters.

Canton is a major transportation hub with its location on the harbor and its railroad connections and roads. The Canton Railroad still serves the needs of the port.

Here is a link to some photos of Canton, dating back to the late 1800s.

Here's the site of the Canton Community Association.

This page on the Baltimore City Website also has good information about the community.

Posted by Paul McCardell at 12:03 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

Timber racing or steeplechasing in Maryland dates back more than 100 years. The 113th Maryland Hunt Cup is this Saturday, April 25, in Glyndon. It was preceded by the 99th My Lady's Manor in Monkton on April 11, and the 107th Grand National, on April 19 in Butler.

The steeplechase tradition has been kept alive by generations of dedicated men and women. I have pulled photos from our files of many past steeplechases. I hope you enjoy them.

In an April 14, 2001 Sun story by Mike Klingaman, a rider said, "There's a timelessness about steeplechasing. You're disconnected from the computer, the fax machine, the telephone. You're galloping along with the wind on your earflaps, the horse between your legs and the fence coming up. You're fit. You're focused. You're a part of nature."

For more information, here's a link to the official site of Maryland Steeplechasing.

Posted by Paul McCardell at 12:44 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

The first Earth Day was April 22,1970. Mother Nature did her part by providing a glorious warm spring day and thousands of Marylanders flocked outdoors to take a closer look at their environment and discuss its problems.

On that first Earth Day, thousands of new trees were planted, many bikes were ridden and much trash was picked up. An internal combustion engine was buried by students at the University of Baltimore and many lectures and exhibits were held throughout the state. The governor established the Maryland Council on the Environment.

This the 39th Earth Day. More people than ever are aware of the enviromental challenges we face, and if everybody does his or her part, hopefully we can find solutions.

Here are some photos looking back on past Earth Days.

This link goes to the EPA's history of Earth Day.

And here's the official Earth Day site.

Posted by Paul McCardell at 6:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)